Leaving On a Jet Plane

I Come From A Land Down under

si-man — Wed, 6 May 2009 15:41:00 GMT

Well... Not sure i really have the hang of this web Blog thing really.. I know i have hardly touched this site whilst I have been away, but i do endeavor to regal some of the last 15 months for your enjoyment on here.. Even for my own enjoyment of remembering the trials and Tribulations and adventures i have been through..

So as most of you will know, I have been living in Australia now for 8 months. I arrived on September the 11th, which was a fairly inauspicious day to arrive, but luckily my time has been anything but so far.. Haven't really been ''Traveling'' so much in Auz really.. Was working for American Express in Sydney and Living with the Morgans for 6 months. Loved things there, i got to spend some really quality time with Rhys too, my Nephew and with Naomi and Ioan too.. They were really good to me as ever and i miss them.. Also, really love Sydney.. its a really good city with lots to offer.. And i have made some really good Friends there.. Even had a new Lescar to go to in thew form of the Opera Bar, below the Opera House... No Comedy night but there was Jazz on a Thursday.. and with the New prices of the Lescar, About the Same for a beer too... So Many Highlights.. The Blue mountains were ace.. And The Bridge Climb Jade and I did was Also really Great.. The Best Day though was walking from Bondi to Bronte when the Sculptures were being exhibited, with Rhys trying to Climb over everything, Ioan jostling for position with all the other Dads, and the back drop of the Ocean, With Migrating Wales in The sea, breaching the surface grabbing everyones attention.. Great Day.. Also, as we lived by Manly, the times surfing the Beach there, the white pointers off Bower Break, The BBQ's and snorkeling.. Manly Si, Loves Manly.. (sure you can get a T-Shirt for that)... Obviously lots happened in Sydney, its such a cool city to explore and visit.. Would like to call it home one day.. Anyhoo, things change..

Currently I'm working and living in Melbourne. It really is a cool city, which reminds me allot of Sheffield strangely. However, its hard to get work at the moment in Auz, Due to the GFC (thats the global financial crisis not a rap outfit from Newport) and I need to do 3 months Specified Regional work, I'm off to Brisbane on the 16th of May to Seek the answers north of the Tropic of Capricorn.. Fingers Crossed.. Love Melbourne allot, its really ''Cosmopolitan'' and has a lot going for it.. My Highlight i think is Rowing a bunch on misfits down the Yarra.. or just the friends i have made here, Both at the Kew mansion and the Beehive (AKA the Hotel California) And not to mention seeing old Freinds.. Oh, and the Locals here call me Sim-o.. Brilliant..

But here are just a few samples of the Auz Adventure.. Hopefully will get to do a big Road/Surf trip at some point too as that seems like a dream.. Lots of things to Do however but not enough time to do everything.. This country really is massive, and varied and wonderful. Just hope i can see as much as possible in that time.. In the Mean time, i'm just living life, thinking about the future, writing some music and just trying to do the right things for a change..

Anyway that's all for now.. Other than filling you guys in on all the Good Bits in between, the rest of Asia... Miss it and all the guys and Gals i met there.. Auz feels a bit too much like home at the moment, and that makes me miss home..

The Darjeeling Ltd...

si-man — Wed, 6 May 2009 12:13:00 GMT

Yes, where the Tea comes from....

The Hill station of Darjeeling is really a beautiful town with such a strange mixture of cultures... With the Main population being Gorkas who still want an autonomous Gorkaland. Its still Legally part of West Bengal, and has also a strong connection with the British Raj historically also. This aside, it really is a lovely town and the people about as friendly as possible. There is really quite allot to do in such a small town but really the main thing is to relax in a nice tea room, overlooking the plantations and having Tea and Cakes..

So anyway, we joined some other travelers on the Jeep ride up from the train station. Eric, Raquel and Sara aka Belgini.. We made friends on the Journey and we got to Darjeeling just as the heavens opened.. such an impressive storm, we took refuge and had some lunch in a hotel/restaurant and took the time and found a room and Taxi to take us up the hill..The Hotel Aliment was great. with a lovely restaurant on the roof, to while away an evening.

the next day we caught the train down the valley.. One of the only steam trains still running in India, it is a local Heritage site and its really quite cute too.. Rhys may like it also me thinks... Thomas... Anyway, we walked back up the valley, stopping for Chai and Mo mo's, and stopping into a Monetary, only to witness the monks playing 5 a side.. Brilliant.. One for u-tube there i think. (sacrilegious, Moi?). And obviously, Back into town for more Tea and Cakes.. And then to the Bar to watch a Gorka pub band.. Brilliant..

Well it is called a hill station, and this was quite true. Bringing us onto the other favorite pastime in Darjeeling.. Trekking.. We all really wanted to do a trek, so we all decided to trek together so we could do it without a company, and just go to the mountains and hire a guide directly.. Once we had all bought coats and the best fleece in the history of the world and got 2 more recruits for the mission (Sarah Dillon and Rebekah) we got up at the crack of Dawn, got a Jeep to take us to the starting village and got ourselves a guide..

Just A Little Bit Up...

So for 2 whole days we walked up the Himalayan mountains, Through the mist and fog (thankfully the rain had abated for the time we trekked, or possibly was below us) but what amazing place. The 1st day we walked into Nepal, over the border and we slept at a farm house at about 2800m.. We had all walked so much so we had some lovely food and some Millet Beer to get our strength back.. We chatted and played cards and listened to music and ate food.. It also happened to be Nepali New year so Rakesh (our Guide) and his Cousin, Rhumba (who was an Israeli couples guide) were celebrating too, drinking Rhododendron wine and singing songs.. So the best thing to do was to put a bit of ToTo on the i-pod and we all sang along to Africa.. Carlseburg don't do treks... But if they did...

The next day we Awoke at Dawn and got up to a clear sky (it had been cloudy all the day before) Well we were now above the clouds. and we had the clearest view of Mt Everest (8,850m) and Mt Kangchenjunga (8,586m), 2 of the 3 tallest mountains in the world. Breathtaking, really.
Day 2 consisted of a little more up.. for about 20 km.. hard but again worth it in the end.. Especially the Meat Loaf rendition at approx 3500m), Some of the Guys were out of steam, so a party was sent ahead to get digs and dinner ready.. and after more Chai, beers, food and Whiskey and music.. it was time again for Bed.. it was so cold we had to spoon for warmth..

The next day was an even more spectacular view of the mountains from a dizzy height of 3636m.. we had walked along way, and mostly steep inclines... So what comes up, must go down.. down .. Down and out..
So The way down was almost as hard of the Uphills.. the Views were amazing though and spirits were pretty good (well holding up at least) and it was good to be alive, albeit in pain of walking, blisters, and other assorted ailments..
That night, as we came down we ate, drank and were merry again.. and we rested.. Belgini went for a morning swim in the river.. everyone else opted for the Bucket shower..

The next Day, Rested and triumphant we made haste back to Darjeeling to recuperate and plan The next Trek.. We had the wind in our sails now and we wanted to check more of the beautiful countryside and villages out.. But time for R&R 1st..

That night we went to the English Bar in Town for Sausages and Mash.. (well sometimes you just miss some things..) Watched a bit of Liverpool on TV, and we drank and Drank and were very Merry indeed.. Then lots of Sleep and Tea for a Day or two.

Almost forgot too about the Velocoraptors.. Claudia, Sarah Dillon, Eric and I all went to the Zoo the next day, and saw the Tigers, Bears, Birds and The empty raptor cage (minus the elusive dinosaur i am at pains to add), which was good fun, even though you always regret going to Zoo's when you get there..
Also there however and what i found really quite good was the Everest Museum.. Complete with Signed Photo's of Chris Bonnington.. Who is always in Keswick and Sheffield.. and info on The Local Hero (including his grave) Sherpa Tenzing Norgay who was with Edmund Hillary as the 1st to Climb The Giant..
But the exhibitions and all the old Gear used in previous attempts was really interesting..

Anyway it was Time to get to Sikkim for another Trek...
After some more Tea of Course..

Calcutta and Beyond...

si-man — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:12:00 GMT

So here we go.. Apologies to all for the tardy nature of this blog.. but as promised, I will chronicle the rest of the adventures in short stories over the next few weeks so all those who haven't heard much will be able to catch up... and there is so many stories to tell...

So we left things with the imminent embarkation of the train to Calcutta or as it is now named (more phonetically it seems and as a reaction to the fall of the Raj I gather also...) Kolkata...

There are many stories about the etymology of the name Kolkata but the most plausible seems to be that it was the site where the toe of the Goddess Kali (who is the demonic incarnation of Shiva's wife if memory serves me correct - answers on a post card ;0) landed when she was dismembered.. nice

Anyway Kolkata is also famed for its slum cities and its most famous daughter, Mother Teresa... It is also the last place in the world where ''Rama'' Rickshaws are still in use... These are the ones where there is no motor, and no cycle attached onto the front, but just a small Indian Fellow walking you around on a cart. Generally with no shoes either. It really is quite an experience and one which is not necessary a pleasant one.

Whilst in the city it really is a must that you visit Mother Teresa’s Tomb and museum attached.. She was obviously a remarkable lady but her legacy is more than tangible here.. We also visited the Kali temple (the aforementioned Hindu temple) and while we were there, we visited the mother Teresa hospital for the dying. This was the original Hospice set up by the Late demi saint and we felt we had to go in and offer a small donation... It was an eerie yet humbling place with rows of people in beds and on the floor waiting for something, but everyone was friendly. We didn't stay long as we thought it was not very respectful to do so but we went away feeling their collective anguish.

Kolkata city I Found to be quite stunning in places... it really differs somewhat from other cities I n India such as Delhi in that the Architecture is very colonial and beautiful in parts. The streets are much wider and it just had a more western feel. It was the old colonial capital so is very much influenced by this but it has become the capital of culture in India, if somewhat unofficially. This is personified by the countless galleries and exhibitions in and around the central park district. We went to one of these galleries and found some nice art work, photographs and sculptures there... Just another facet of this amazing country..

So only spending 3 days in Kolkata, we departed for Darjeeling (yes, where the Tea is from) The trouble was, everyone else had the same idea.. To set the tone, it was just hotting up on the planes and the month or so before the monsoon hit, the heat was almost unbearable and travellers and Indians alike (well the ones who can afford too) generally head north to places like Darjeeling for holidays... We booked the train tickets a few days in advance but were about 200 places down the waiting list for sleeper carriages... these are the bunk bed style carriages which are generally comfortable and allow transit and sleep simultaneously.. We thought we would be able to get our way into one of these classes, such as 3 ac 2 ac or just sleeper.. but no avail, when we arrive at the station, there really was no other option than jumping on the ''cattle car'' with the locals.. These consist of wooden benches with as many people that will physically fit and this was for 16 hrs overnight... I am very glad I experienced this mode of transport but also glad this was the only time we had too... When we got on, everyone was in awe of the westerners on the wrong carriage. When we had explained this was the only option for us, the Army Guys on the carriage took us under our wings and made us feel safe... Forgot to mention that on the way into Kolkata, 2 guys in our carriage (the sleeper carriage) had their bags stolen whilst they were sleeping.. and this is apparently one of the worst lines for theft (one of the Guys was a young French Guy who lost everything. he had no money, passport or insurance and we eventually lent him some money to make sure he could live until he got in contact with his dad. I actually bumped into this guy in Cambodia and found out he had enough money to get back to Delhi and he waited in a guest house for 11 days, and didn't eat for 3 but was eternally grateful as the money we had lent him had saved his ass.. think he may get insurance next time tho ;0) So we were a little paranoid about the bags but as the Army man pointed out, the thieves don’t touch ''these carriages'' so instantly relaxed... So the next 16 hrs was for the most part, a really real and rewarding experience... the highlights were making friends with 2 sets of Father and son's from Bengal and their drunk uncle.. the latter insisted on plying me with Bidi's for the duration of the Journey (small cigarettes made from leaves) pan, the strange pungent chewing tobacco and boiled eggs... Also, they were fascinated by my IPod... so I shared some music around the group... Not sure they really got The Prodigy, Aphex Twin and Queens of the Stone Age, but we all had a dance and a laugh...

After not so much sleep, we arrived rubbing our Eyes at new Jaipalguri ready to catch a tuk tuk to Siliguri (sounds silly to me) where we caught a Bus the rest of the way to Darjeeling.......

Hey im still alive

si-man — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:42:00 GMT

Hi there

Just a quick note to anyone who was wondering where the Journal has been... I'll update this soon but just to let you all know im safe and well and having too good a time to sit in front of a computer too much, especially as they are painfully slow here..

Anyway hope everyone is well and i'll make time over the next few weeks to fill in the rather large blanks

cheers

Khajurho & Bodhgaya

si-man — Mon, 7 Apr 2008 12:51:00 GMT

After an 8 hour Bus Journey we Arrived in Satna to catch the connecting bus to Khajurho which the transport guy said would be no problem... The lonely planet has the following to say about Satna ''pass straight through satna if you can''. I concur

After some heated words with the bus officials who were trying to get us to stay the night in satna, we got a bus to a town 10 km from Khajurho as the connecting bus was a problem and Satna was such a hole with the people not being very nice we didnt want to stay there... so off we went and somehow hitched to our destination late in the evening...

So once there we checked into the Yogi lodge, where they did yoga classes each morning for residents. the nxt morning we went to see yogi sharma and he read our Ouras... Mine said i liked helping people and was a champion of the subordinates and i had no fear of my superiors and that i was to help people with words, not fighting. H went on to say that i had alot of anger in me and that i had to be nicer to women as in my past life i had been a wife beater! He concluded tho that i was a nice person but needed to stop drinking alchohol as i had a problem with my water chakra and to stop eating ''tiger food'' or meat... So off i went to be nicer to women and giove up meat and licker (incidentally we have been mostly vegitarian and since rajasthan (now 3 weeks ago) for the best part dry of alchohol). We were expecting to do physical yoga but we found out the next day Yogi didnt gdo this any more. We also met 2 young guys in the town who befreinded us and we walked round the old town with them the 1st day... The 2nd day there we went round the market, bought ingridients for a meal then had what they described as a pic nic party... We basically walked for about 1-2 km out of town into farm lands... found a nice spot, collected loads of cow dung and made a fire... we then made chapatis, a veg dish containing aubergene, tomato, gee, masala spices, bay leaves and chilies (very nice)... and then ate as much as possible... the left over chapatis were fed to the cows and when i joked that this was to make more dung for the next pic nic party they were highly amused... score!

The next few Days however Claudia and I were quite i'll. We Dont thuink it was a result of the Pic nic as i started to get dizzy whilst still out there... Just Par for the Course as they say...

Anyway on about the 5th day there we went to the Yogi School, which was run on donation (mainly from france and italy) and taught, Hindi, English, Music and Yoga... the little yogi leadinmg the class was only about 8 and was amazing at Yoga... Then an american ex pat came too (he had 1st been in 86) and we all taught a class English for the morning...

Then i bought the school dinners for all 60 kids (A samosa each at 2 rs) for 1.50gbp. so my khama was good for the day.. Then the kids did a ritual tribal dance which was really impressive but did amount to about 10 8yr old boys dancing in their pants for 3 westerners which was slightly sureal..

Anyhoo... the schol was a few km out of town so we had rented Bikes.. that was really nice, cycling around the countryside for a while in the afternoon also and then we met David again in the evening for a really nice meal... As it was the night before my birthday, we went to a really nice mediterranean restaurant and had some pizza and pasta as we were still just getting over the illness and just wanted something not swimming in Ghee...

03.04.2008 my 28th... nice easy day... we pottered, plotted our trip the next day to Bodhgaya in the morning... went on the internet for a bit, called my mum etc...

In the evening however we had our 1st physical Yoga session and it was good... I dont know where my flexability has gone but i'm gonna get it back... We then had an ayerstic massage and felt wonderfull...

The Next Day We left for Bodhgaya:

We had to catch a Bus at 14.00 hrs... Then we arrived in Satna again (really dont Go its horrible) Then a train from Satna - Varanassi (20.00hrs - 06.00hrs) then from Varanassi @ 10.00hrs - Gaya arrived 14.30 then an auto to Bodhgaya...

we are staying at the Bhutaneese monestary and it is really tranquil. There isnt much to do here exept see the temples but it is really a nice charming little place... This is where Prince Guatam meditated for ages to find enlightenment not 500yrds from where i type this from... the Corresponding temple is really impresive and there are monks and pilgrims from all over asia... The Dhali Lama often takes a pilgrimage here in December and January... I would like to come back around that time as there are aprox 3 million pilgrims from tibet etc that come here to worship that time of year....

we have also found a good Yoga class here ran by a man and his Daughter for 100 rupees for 2 hrs... am a bit achey but its really interesting and even tho ive only done it now 3 - 4 times, i feel more supple... Just cravin some cardio now but its just too hot to do any propper stuff...

there are also some good Meditation retreats here but are really for those who are very serious to get involved with the Buddist way of medditation.

Tomorrow we leave on the train to Calcutta:

Rajashtan

si-man — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:03:00 GMT

We Landed in Delhion the 8th of March

The Journey was arduous but not quite as arduous as Delhi... To cut a long story short,

When we arrived, the taxi from the airport tried to say our hotel was closed/overbooked but claudia was very quick to take up on this scam.
we persisted and finally after much ''confusion'' we checked in safe and sound.

This was about midday on saturday and then at about 1.30 we were awoke by the 'goverment tour operator' to take us to book our trips... we declined the price of 540gbp for 2 weeks around rajasthan and was about to leave
then gave usa car for the day and to think about it...

we did this and thougt about it and still declined... they came down to just over 300gbp
(slightly over budjet but we plan to make this back in the south)
as it was a fairly good deal at that point we took it as it would be a good way to get the sights in of a large area while we got our bearings in india as to be truthful, we were both a bit shell shocked
when we arrived... literally it seems everyone wants to blag you somehow..

Anyway so Day 1 of tour (day 2 in india) we travelled to mandawa... which was ok but seemed like it was just a pre crser to the tour and again to
lead you aroundsome bazaars and try blag more cash out of you... seems like all the drivers work on comission too (literally trust no one)
the hotel was realy pretty tho and we got to see some of the real india.. camels, cows, beggers and shisters.

its really gut wrenching trying to ignore these young girls with baby's asking for money for food but you have to (too soft, me?)
we did give some pens away today but then they asked for money too!

Anyway Day 2 was much better - we got the baterries for the i station and returned the musical learnings favour to kishan the driver.
Don't think they have heard the Foo's or Queen (or Rage against the Machine for that matter) in the small village in the foothills
of the Hymalayas he is from... you know, put something back and all..

had my first wee in a desert too, which was pretty cool... when in rome

so sights, today we went the Rat Temple just south of Bikener whih is where Hindus beleive the spirits of holy men and gods are
reincarated as rats that all freely inhabit this nice yet pungent seat of worship... Claudia was a bit nervy but i was both calm and blessed (as one of the rats had a little sit (not shit) on my foot)

Then we went to the most amazing Palace/fort which was part of the wealth of the Marharaja of Bikner province until unification in 1949...
the fort was ages old though and took 349 years to complete... this was obviously before the days of MDF...

Just a shame the Maharaja's spent all the money of the province on western hotels and antiques that gather dust for tourists to look at where there is people starving in the towns.

this evening once we checked in we went for a stroll and stumbled accross a (indian pikey) fair with a big weel and pop (masala-spice flavour) corn sellers...
everyonestared at Claudia and more so her dreads and peole were taking photos of us and coming up to meet us, very amusing
Then we had tea ther for 2 and it was 30 rupees which is about 40p!!! so we aloud ourseves a Lassi for afters...

Day 3 - After the headdy hights of the Pikey fair we set off for to Kuri
which is a tiny village in the middle of the desert just 20km from the
Pakistan border.. and guess what... it rained... yes, RAINED! in the desert! in true me style kept trying to user the Joke 'you know us english always bring the weether with us' but not sure they really got it. Plus it was the 3rd time in 5 years it had done so so everyone was happy... this meant we could not camp in the desert as the wind and pos of rain was high.. however we had a 3 hr treck before
nightfall on camels and then we slept in huts and it was really
peaceful... met some nice argentinien girls too... we got up at 6
instead and headded back out on the camels in the dark for sunrise on
the dunes... too much cloud cover to see the sun but was amazing all the
same....

being english is still creating $$$ in the eyes of the traders so ino
have a wide range of well rehearsed accents!!!! we have pretended to be
french, spanish and argentinien to see if the hussle was any
different... had a conversation in french withone young indian chap in
Jaslimer which was slightly amusing... but have stuck to english for the
time being.. everyone knows the expression 'lovelly jubbely'' for some
reason... very del boy

Day 4 - Jaslimer - was very nice, went to see a big fort!!!! at night we sampled some local whiskey and ended up playing vollyball with the locals....
messed up 1 time too many and joinded claudia with a circus family having
their dinner on coals on waste lands.. bit of a language barrier there
but we felt this was more like it...

Day 5 Jodpuir- Is the blue city, which was a wonderful sight to behold and appearently (the blue paint) also acts as a fly repellant but im not sure how!!!!

here we met three fab irish girls and we drank and were merry!!! we again looked at a fort. it appears that many a raja spent alot of there money on english tat but also built a great feck off palace to provide employment for his people.
this was also the 1st place in ajasthan or Delhi we saw bins and any
form of sanitation and abundance of water...
we went to the local spice markets which are exquisit!!! the smells and
the colour!!! we went to a shop where lawerence lowellen-bowen went, no
wonder they have a distort impressession of english!!! the colour and
the freshness of the veg is to die for... and yes carrots are purple
claudia was not lying!!!!!!

Day 7 ranakpur- Really impressive Jain temple but more importantly, saw my first troup of monkeys as they pottered about the hotel grounds... it
was a really peaceful place and we were sad we just had 1 day there

Day 8 - udiapur- the home of octopussy!!! and yes they show it in almost every
bar/hotel/cafe etc at 7.30 every night of the year... Brill.. we sat by
the lake with the floating palace and watched it!!! they love it!!! Had
some good tea and german cakes too!!! went down to the ghats to watch
the people wash everything inc themseleves!!! its quite an experience as
there so dirty!!!! and so beautiful at the same time!!
Plus as i was wearing a shirt both days (different ones) everyone kept
trying to sell me suits! Its funny but all the indian men wear shirts and slacks... was thinking of getting some tie dye baggy pants but think im gonna opt for some brown polyester slacks instead - blend in and that.

Day 10 - Pushkar - This is a Very holy place (ghandi's ashes were scattered here) and it was amazing to just sit by the
ghats and watch the sun go down and have your own little religious
moment. Plus, its hippie heaven here - Claudia has found more dread heads than ever before in 1 town i think... also, she bought som poi so she is happy... looks like a lesson by the pool awaits tonight (fire spinning for those who are not familiar with Poi)- We were so happy here we changed it to 2 nights.

Day 12 - jaipour - We were a bit tired of how touristy the tour was at this stage and were just anxious to stay 1 place for a while and chill... Jaipour is the home to precious gem factories... we didnt see any as we were a bit tired of being haggled with for something we were not that interested in. We did see the forts tho which were interesting and saw our 1st indian McDonalds - claudia had her photo taken with Ronald Mcdonald!

Day 13 - Agra - Home of the 7th wonder of the world - The Taj Mahal.

Every bit as impressive as you would expect and then some. Claudia got her watch stolen tho from her belt loop so put a little sour note on the end. Agra itself I would equate to a massive marble shrine to love being built just off the Wicker... you get the idea.

plus this day (22.03) is Holi - A big indian festival where they throw paint at each other. Seems to also be an excuse for usually dry Hindu's to get smashed on whiskey and (the guys) to try to soak and fondle the girls... especially the white ones... I got involved a bit tho and got a multi couloured face paint...

We then left back for Delhi that night and our driver left us for the last time (we were quite glad by this point as although the tour was deffo a good idea, we were really ready to go it alone properly).

Went for a walk around the Karol Bagh Market in Delhi... somehow does not look as shocking, dirty or busy as it was 2 weeks previously... am really into the indian way a lot in some respects. We also met a really nice guy from Calcutta who moved to Delhi to work in travel - Tours of the UK. He was listening to ''the wall'' by the floyd on his mobile so we nodded respect. then ''nothing else matters'' by metalica came on and we were straight over... lovely guy.

Day 14 - Included in the price we paid was the Train to Varanassi so after a chilled day mooching in Delhi (well almost) we got the 18.30 express train to Varanassi. This was an experience that i enjoyed alot... felt like propper travelling, A sleeper carrage train journey. Felt like carry grant. Had a funny dream tho, dreampt i was on a boat ride on the seine drinking Champagne, then woke up with the train guard knocking my feet with his gun as he walked past... bizzare.

Day 15-19 - Varanassi - We arrived at 08.30hrs after a staggered nights sleep. We rang the guest house at the station and they came to get us. The shanti guest house, the rooms are a bit grubby but at Rs 100/ night / pax its all good (80rs=1pound) and just what the doctor ordered... Met some Danish Girls here, went for a boat ride on the Gangies, saw sun set, all the colours of the ghats, burning corpses and skulls of those who couldn't be burnt (Children, pregnant women, leppers and those who died of cobra bites)... Pretty intense stuff.

The next Day we met a really nice Canadian Girl (Kari) and two American Guys - Plus Andy Garcia (a lovely Brit from Norwich) Really good 24 hr restaurant on the roof of the guest house and a really good traveller hang out. Also good for getting ideas of where to go etc. Spent the day chilling and mooching and chatting and drinking Chai... love the chai masala.

Day 3 - Got up at 5 and took in sunset by boat again - amazing photos. Went to Sarnath after breakfast - the place where the 1st Budda Preached his 1st sermon... tried to read it all but the heat was umbearable on the stone slabs without shoes on... so kept running into the shade and out again to try to read but dont think i really got the full affect.

After a really good night sleep have got up today, had some museli and Chai, am doing the internet stuff now as we speak and then am sorting out a bus to the Khama Sutra temples in Khajoura (havent got the book with me so spelling probably not correct) setting off early tomorrow so another day of chilling and mooching is in order i think. there is a sitar concert tonight which we will try to find again tonight. Missed the dancing last night as no one knew where it was...

Miss you all tho... lots of love (Si)

* P.S - Georgey if you do read this can you show my mum too as all i have done so far is a text to let her know im ok... Thanks Honey

Simon