Well yet again it seems like I've done far too much since I last wrote on here, I hope nothing gets missed out. So last time I wrote I was in Jaisalmer, seems like ages ago now. Everything got a bit hectic for a while after that, as I thought it might.
After updating this I spent the afternoon chatting to a couple of really nice young Indian guys, had some dinner with them then went to the station. Overnight train to Jodphur, arrived very early, so asked to be taken to somewhere I could watch the sunrise. Ended up on the roof of a hotel (driver wanted some comission, as usual), and watched the
sun come up over the clutter of blue houses around me. A lot of the houses in Jodphur are blue, originally it was just the brahmin (priest caste) but now it seems just about everybody has got involved, which is why it is known as the blue city. Jaipur is the pink city (sorry Jeni, it's horrible!) and Jaisalmer is the golden city, both because of the colour of the sandstone used to make them. That hotel wanted far too much to rent me a dusty cupboard with a bed in it for the day to leave my bag in, so I wandered along and found a nicer one.
The manager was called Poonam (which means 'full moon', because he was born under one, but unfortunately this is also what the Indians call bald people, so sometimes when he introduces himself people take offence!), and because I only had the day I paid the extra money and went on a drive around all the sights of the city with him. He was really good company, and I loved Jodphur, really beautiful and the fort was the most impressive I've seen, a real medieval fort and palace. I had dinner with Mette and Stilte, two really nice Danish girls I met on the tour, then had to get an autorickshaw to the bus stop, which I had been told by the waiter was two kilometres away, but it turned out I was going to a different one. I had fifteen minutes, they told me in it would take ten, but after 25 minutes we were still driving around, them asking directions (they even drove to the agency that organised the bus!), me asking how far away we are, them replying in hindi 'das (ten) minutes' and me going 'Das?! Go! Go! Go!' (I've been learning to count in Hindi). Anyway, the bus was still the (just) when I rolled up 15 minutes late, so I was on my way in a very uncomfortable and dusty air-conditionless coach.
Arriving in Ahmedabad I couldn't get hold of Harsh, but eventually he picked up and I got a taxi to his home and met his family. I spent the day with Harsh, Mahul, and his family and friends, we visited Gandhi's ashram, which was very simple and humbling, and returned to the house in the afternoon. They were all really, really nice and I had one of my nicest days in India, would like to be able to stop off here again as part of another trip and spend more time with everybody. I wasn't able to spend the night because there was a festival on and everything was booked up, so I had to get another overnight bus (mmm... air-conditioning) to Mumbai or I would still be there.
Mumbai is a typical Indian city, huge and hectic, and although I didn't see everything there is to see, a day was more than long enough. Dropped my bag off at the Salvation Army hostel, then thought I'd book my train quickly before breakfast (even though it was now about 1pm). The walk to the station wasn't 20 mins, it was about 40, in the heat of the day, and then I was in there for about an hour and a half, and had to queue at 5 different windows, partly because I was told I couldn't pay in rupees without a receipt for changing the currency, which I then found I could. Feeling a bit grumpy, I splashed out 900 rupees on lunch at Thandulkar's (cricket player's restaurant), which was very nice, I had Bombay Duck (when in Rome...) which isn't made of duck at all, just fried fish. Spent the afternoon in the museum of modern art, which was great, then got another overnight train to Goa, which made it 4 nights in a row on bus or train!
In Goa I soon met Max and Lesley, honeymooners from Bournemouth, Stefan from Germany, Nick from London, Northern Irish Emma and Angie, David from Edinburgh, and Tamara and Tess from Holland. It's been a really fun few days with a great bunch of people, first in Anjuna and now in Palolem. Anjuna was supposed to be busy and Palolem quiet, but it's the other way around. Spending a bit too much money here, going back to Anjuna on Wednesday probably. Sadly Stefan had to go home the night before last so now it's just the rest of us. The dutch girls, Stefan, Nick and me went for a swim at four in the morning the other day, which was awesome, although I did think I'd lost my passport for a bit!
Managed to find a firestick too, whoopee! Met a Belorussian called Serge who's staying in Anjuna, I'm going to teach him firestick and he's going to teach me fire-knunchucks! I've got a feeling I'm going to hit myself with them a lot!
That's about all the news for now, that took ages but it kept me out of the midday heat. Going to go buy some more vests and shorts now, it's too hot for t-shirts and pants!
Love and that, bye!
