Ebarts here! Spoke to the rents recently and was told to "do another blog post, grandma and granddad read it", so all my love to them (if they end up reading this)... this one's a substitute for the postcard I've written, but haven't sent yet.
Quick run down of what we've done since the last time we wrote... From Udaipur we went on to Agra where we did the Taj Mahal in less than a day. We did rent a room but then decided that the stained sheets, icky bathroom and musty smell were all too much so we decided to get out of Rajasthan and onto a beach ASAP. This meant hastily booking a flight from a little travel agents in Agra, going to the Taj for 2 hours (which was absolutely beautiful, surprise surprise), getting a train to Dehli which arrived at midnight and then sleeping on the floor of the airport so as to avoid paying for an hotel. This was a brilliant decision as Dehli has a SERIOUSLY civilized airport equipped with a Costa Coffee (which we enjoyed at 2 o clock in the morning) a KFC (which we enjoyed at 5) and wireless internet! We caught our plane down to Kochin and boarded the bus to Ernukalum in stifling heat. It's really hot and sticky down here but absolutely beautiful. In Kochin we did a very pleasant little boat trip around the backwaters (you're essentially punted around in a canoe-type boat and get to see the rainforest/villagers around you... the guide got VERY angry at me when I smiled during his speech as he thought I was laughing at him... awkward). We then had a little wander around Fort Kochin (which is essentially Martha's Vinyard India style). Ellie tried to push me into a bucket of squid and we were yelled at for using the swings in what is apparently "a playground for children!"... We rebelled against the angry old man and used the See-saw for a good half hour. Next stop was a train to Palolem, where we find ourselves now. It's a beautiful, albeit very touristy beach resort, and we've met up with loads of friends from England (all Ellie's connections) so we have a good little group. The nightlife is much better than elsewhere in India, but on our first night out Ellie attempted to push me into the sea and tripped, tearing several ligaments in her foot and causing some blood clots in there too! Thus, Ellie is now a bit of a cripple, but we sent her to the doctors where she received the proper meds, so she's making a full recovery. She has however, abandoned the crutches after discovering they don't work well in the sand. Life here is fairly relaxed and uneventful which is why we're loving it... I did think I'd lost the one room key last night and caused a bit of a panic, but we eventually found it in my bum bag. Oops.
Thats the sum of our recent shenanigans anyhow, hope that all is well in the Western world!
