Tuesday night I had dinner at the project then cycled back with a couple of the Germans. It was the scariest thing I've done on this 4 month trip- I'm rubbish on a bike anyway but the bike was too big, the brakes didn't work and it was pitch black! The roads are full of potholes and it had been raining, plus I didn't have a light and so was trying to follow the faint outline of the Germans while balancing precariously, dodging potholes/occasional traffic and tryi...

Indian observations, part 2: • people don't use indicators or wing mirrors in India- instead they beep their horns incessantly! Every time you come up behind or overtake another vehicle, want to turn, pass a pedestrian, take a sharp bend, etc. • Schools post numerous and huge billboards with pictures of the 2 or so students who achieved the best grades and underneath another 4 or so with the next best grades; like mugshots with their grades beneath "5A+". I...

Indian observations, part 1: • there are cows everywhere- on the beach, on the roads- I know they are sacred here but I don't really get it. • Goa is also full of tattoo shops, which is reflective of the ilk of tourist- drunken, hippy types. • it's very difficult to understand the Indian people, just remember any call from/to a call centre- they speak very fast and without appropriate pauses or pronunciation. I'm forever- "pardon?". • the Indians do a...

Monday night: the manager bought me and Vanessa back some food from the city. Then we went to bed, but it turns out the manager and some of the others returned about 11 with more food and drinks and shesha for us, but we didn't wake up, so we missed the party- oops! Tuesday: I went for a run along the beach about 8, which was lovely! Then the dive staff made us a great breakfast and I decided to stay another day. I ended up doing a couple more dives as I had the...