From Rajhastan to Kolkata to Darjeeling........

12th - 15th September

First overnight train ride from Udaipur to Bharatpur - not bad journey (you get your own bunk pillow, sheet and blanket) - very weird waking up in the middle of the night at stations where there is a hype of activity - definitely a 24 hour country! To stop all and sundry staring at me all night (as they do) i rigged up a sheet over my bunk to hide myself - seemed to semi work.

1 night at a really lovely guest house in Bharatpur - where the keoladeo Bird Sanctuary is - huge and i met up with an Aussie and we took a cycle rickshaw and guide with a huge telescope to spot birds (the feathered kind!) Saw kingfisher, storks, herons, parakeets, blue jays, owls, buzzards and antelopes, monkees, turtles and obvioulsy cows!

Left Rajhastan to head to Utter Pradesh...

Agra - Taj Mahal

Up at 5am - to go and see sunrise over Taj Mahal. It is a totally amazing, magical, beautiful building. It is as good as the photos and better. I ended up taking a million photos (thank god for digital!) sorry cant download at the moment! Agra is another horrible tourist town - full of touts wanting you to buy everything - painful!

16th September

Early train to Delhi... then flight to Kolkata - where i was meeting up with a charity for 2 weeks to volunteer helping with street children.

Waiting in airport (had time to kill which was good as Delhi (domestic terminal) is very clean and full of shops and food places - so all good) Then over the tannoy system comes 'Would Louisa Sharpless please make her way to....' Panic sunk in... has someone put drugs in my bag (remembered i left it in cab for 5 minutes whilst at ATM - oh no... ) anyway they made me wait ages and then was told that security wanted to look in my bag.... Malaria tablets!!!! because i have 7 months worth i think they thought i was drug laundering... they looked at them for ages before agreeing they were ok.... got to see where all the baggage gets loaded though - so all good.

Arrived in kolkata (lady i was meeting asked me to wait at arrivals exit and to make sure i was prompt!) I waited 45 mins then called them up - to be told she was looking for me - she arrived wearing facemasks and gloves (presumably they are all worried we all have swine flu in Britain) Went to the accomodation - Kolkata is busier, nosier and dirtier than Delhi - by this point id been travelling for 14 hours and in the heat all i wanted was a shower - but we got to this hotel which was more than disgusting - i was taken to a room where 2 more masked people joined us and given a rule book to sign! I thought to myself- this doesn't feel right - im volunteering my time yet i feel like i am being interrogated. Apparently i had to stay and eat in this hotel and i would be sharing a bed in a small dirty room. The thing with Indian cities that because of the dirt, heat, open sewers, disease you sort of need to have somewhere clean to go back to at the end of the day - and this hotel felt more ridden with disease than outside.

I decided that (even though i really wanted to help and volunteer my time - as i had planned this for months) i needed to be healthy to actually volunteer. It was a hard decision and i felt very guilty - but you gotta go with your gut which is what i did. I am hoping i will be able to find other charities i can volunteer for whilst in India.

So headed back into Kolkata to find a room for the night - stayed in Kolkata for a couple days towork out the next plan.. Kolkata is a huge city... full of old parts full of people living on the streets as well as slums and then the new business district with wide streets, traffic lights (which they actually stop for!) and shopping malls! I was there during the start of religious celebrations - they go mad for it - Millions of models of the Shiva god are made out of mud and papermache and painted rich colours and sold around the city as well as huge temple structures made especially for the celebrations.

18th - 22nd September

Headed North about 130km to a University town called Shantiniketan - a total world away from Kolkata.... I was staying next to a lake and a deer park (only saw 1 deer) and the outskirts of the town (1 long road with stalls selling and making all sorts) was full of paddy fields, lakes, small mud hut type village settlements, cows, goats, chickens, ducks and lots of the most beautiful huge butterflies. It was total bliss and a great place to chill... although I was literally the only gal in town so the stares were constant... no-one spoke much English here so no being harrassed - just everyone staring - and the road heading throughthe town was fairly busy. I hired a push bike for a few days - great way to get around - bit scary at times making sure i wasnt knocked over and trying to dodge people, cows, chickens, goats, rickshaws etc along the roads - fun times..

22nd - 23rd September

Had to head back to Kolkata to get a flight North (as no train tickets left until middle October!!)

Flew to Bagdogra - and then took a cab to Silgurui where i took a shared jeep (with about 10 others - pack em in!) up the mountain toDarjeeling. What an amazing trip. Took about 3 hours, the roads are in a terrible state, there are rivers running down the windy roads and it was dark and raining - and at times you are right close to the edge of the mountain - so hold on to the edge of your seat trip - great fun though. So I am now in Darjeeling at over 2000m above sea level staying in a beautiful hotel overlooking the mountains - apparently - they have been covered in mist all day!

Its proper cool here - feels like England - and it rains like at home too! Having a great time but missing you all.. will report soon... send me some home news x