Namaste guys...apologies to those who thought I was dead for a few days! Communication was a problem for a few days.

Where do I start, India is a huge shock the senses, a place full of extreme contrast, rich poor, dirt clean etc...its also an amazing place, but one you certainly need a few days to digest. This past week has been mad busy, saw loads!

My intial arrival was a bit problematic...taxi drivers swarming all over you, moment where I thought I'd lost my mob phone after being in the country for 5mins! The fligth here was long and I didn't manage to get any sleep, so was very tired on arrival, after getting picked up we had to take a seven hr bus to Jaipur (charities main office). You stay with a host fam for a few days to help you learn the culture. Mr Bansal and his family were very welmi9ng, their Nepalese cookeven gave me a few tips of curry cooking. The kids came ou t therte shell to the point where we were playing test cricket in a box room. haha.

Jaipur is a crazy city...very busy and smelly. Dogs, Pigs, Camels, Cows and Oxes roam the streets. Cows are sacred here and are allowed anywwhre they want to go, motorways walking head on towards you or in the bazars.

Cars here are also crazy, they create their own lanes and weave in and out at will, you soon get used to it after a bit tho.

Jaipur has the amber fort, and we got an elephant ride up to it (very tourist :() to wander round. In the Bazarr me and a danish guy (simon)deliberatley explored it while the others stuck to the main bits, we eneded up on a roof top after a guy recommend the view and then met a guy who was selling some cool art from the village he was from. We had chai with him and a good laugh., not like all the othert sellers here. We ended up missing ourt bus back and had to get a tuck tuck (two seater taxi) back to the office, which was funny, cos everyone thought we had been kidnapped.

We also went to a Bollywood movie, Singh is King, very funny, not your usual type of bollywood.

Men here hold hands and hang off each other, sex is taboo and that is the only form of physical contact that is allowed here...hmmm

Afetr Jaipur we went ona very bumpy trip to Agra (9hr bus!!) and went past loads of small villages and settlements, very poor areas... even saw a pig eating a dead dog...nice!

The Taj Mahal is pretty cool, we got up at 6am to get the best view...

Since I've been here I really have tried to talk to the natives and get away from being a tourist... its makes it more interesting. Obviously I'm choosing who I speak to, not any old weirdo.

The trip from Agra to Palampur (himlaya's) took 24hrs in all...we took a night train from Delhi and then a jeep from the other end. waking up on the train and lookin out the window was amazing...its was very misty and alien. I hung out the door like an indian as we were coming into the platform..haha

The camp is pretty good and we all live int he same house 5min away. I've had a little diarhea since I've been here, but not to the point wherre I'm crappin my keks hahahaa.

I taught my 1st lesson today to 1st grade, 5-6 year olds in a governemt school, the kids are realy cute and easy to work with. This afternoon I go to a school for the mentally challenged (as they call it here) so will tell all soon...

Its soooooooooooooo humid here at mo as its tail end of monsoon season, so its been a pain tryin to wash stuff and stay clean. Oh yeah the showers here are bucket, in that you filla bucket and empty it over yuou. quite refreshing.

Spiders here are HUGE...but not harmful....yet!

I miss meat so much, everything here is veggy! Feel like every meal I have is missing something and yeah something improtant to note, Indian food is here is not at all like what we have in the UK!

Goodbye for now...

Pete