Hey

Ok things have been totally mental since I last posted a blog and i would describe my experience as extreme. Everything is extreme from highs to lows to poverty and wealth to weather to people and everything.

We went from Pondicherry to Madurai on a night train which was an experience as we arrive in the monsoonal type rain in the dark on the night train so people were asleep, it was very scary and overwhelming to say the least, sleep is something we did not! we got off at Madurai and went up the hill to a hill station called Kodikonal which was 3 hours up a very windy road and when we got there it was beautiful, raining and a little bit cold which was nice. We stayed in a bungalow with amazing views of tanyas uncles collegue for free! Anyway we were soon to find out we were in a cycloon that followed us from pondicherry all the way round the coast for two weeks everywhere we arrived it rained true to british form and were stuck up the hill for 3 days it was so beautiful it didnt matter although we wore the same clothes 4 three days as we couldnt get the others to dry, some of mine actually blew of the balcony and when i asked if they could get it the mans reply was 'mam its raining outside' as if we didnt know! We got stranded in a classy bag stall as the water rose literally a foot and a bit in half an hour it was mental. The saving grace was the amazing choc they sold i ate a lot then felt sick.
Having been up the hill we then went down to a city called Madurai which has a huge hindu temple and got bus to Tanyas uncles in Tuticoran. The mentalness started again and the rain continued. Tanyas uncle's manager of the small airport so we stayed there, he was lovely. We saw the aircraft land and take off from the air traffic control tower which was cool. We also went to a wedding on the way to the southernmost tip of india as tanyas uncle had been invited. We felt slightly bad as the attention turned to us as we arrived and they had a huge video camera thing with a flash light that was beamed at us and illuminated the room, we ate and left having eaten the most rice i have ever seen on a banana leaf. Onwards to the southernmost tip we got there for the sunset and was beautiful. it was so late that Glen, tanyas uncle got us a hotel for free off the minister of the area as its all about who u know here! We then got up in the morn and went north again back to Tuticoron. On the way we saw an overturned bus with people climbing out of it was not a pretty sight and a bit bloody. We carried on slightly stressed and shocked and the rain continued. Later that evening we went to the harbour had inside access curtoesy of glen. We when on a cargo ship and talked to a burmese sea captian which was crazy and then we went on a posh coastguard boat had tea with the captian and the firstmate and I proceeded to walk in on the captain in the bathroom slightly embarrassing.
We then got a very long bus journey to a place called Varkala with a few mishaps along the way meaning we had to stay in Kollam b4 going to Varkala. Varkala is in Kerela and is a beach town, had the holiday feel but it rained again so we got an ayervetic massage which are famous here. The procedure was not what we were expecting and modesty was lost. We then got the train North to the Allepey backwaters which are the huge expanses of water as far as the eye can see. It was beautiful, we arrived in the rain and then got on to a canoe with our backpacks and headed to the island thing with our hostel on we were the only 3 there it was beautiful. we chilled for a bit and ate some healthy food. The next day we got on a canoe for a backwater tour and it poured down we got totally soaked. People were actually taking fotos of us off these huge boats it was funny, bought back memories of rowing in Sheff in the rain all the time. We stopped for a drink from a coconut at one of the man from the hostels parents house and had some tiny bananas for a snack. Back to hostel, bit of a warm up and chill out.
Next day got the train to Kalicut and a very bendy slightly crazy bus ride up hill to the town called Kalpetta, where we stayed in a gorge hotel in the Waynard district which is a wildlife national park. We did a tour thing where we went to this inland island thing and trekked across these rivers up to our waists we sat in the water had a massage by the rocks tho was slightly worried we would get sweep away. We then watched the guide strip to his speedos and swim in the river we had a quick dip whilst secretly worrying about typhoid. We then proceeded to have a full blown conversation about marriage children etc in the river with him sat legs crossed in the river. He then asked seriously whether we wanted to climb a tree which was 30ft high i sadly declined, when asked whether he could do it the guy say yeah and did. Mogaly from Jungle book comes to mind! back in the Jeep to the wildlife park where a man leaned in our window and said ' white!', something which is proving to be an attraction within its self and people are slyly trying to take photos of us whilst stood next to us. We are actually a tourist attraction within itself even at historical monuments we would make a fortune if we charged!!
We had a quick jaunt round a park saw a few elephants backsides and a elephant nearly charged at us and I didnt realise and sat there with the window wide open the other thought it hilarous that i wasnt scared of charging elephant but am of little of ladies begging! Anyway I gotta go to catch a train back to Tanyas house so will contined blaaging ur heads later as !!
Take care xxxx