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Hi all,
Due to high demand (from mother prus) we have managed to find an internet cafe to write this blog.We are now in a place called Ooty which is up in the mountains of southern india. The climate here is a lot cooler and it even rained yesterday!
The trip here from the south of kerala was a bit tiresome... we set off from fort cochin last friday and tooka bus to a place called alleppey. Its a busy little port town with no real intersting things to do other than take a boat around the little vilages that surround it. We took a ferry down to a place called Kollam which was was the same idea, saw lots of little villages and got to wave at all the poor people. We felt like the queen mother. The scenary was beautiful though and saw lots of wildlife and the like...
We arrived in Kollam about an hour overdue by which time it was dark and as is the way in Kerala, they have power cuts at set times every day and this was that time for the day. So sweaty, sunburned and carrying our overweright backpacks we set off into the town to find the hostel we'd booked. For some reason non of the rickshaw drivers could be bothered to take us... Then the lights came back on, followed by loads of fireworks banging around us and then some chanting. Turns out it was some big christan type parade that night and our hostel was on the other side of it! So after barging past several small indian children with angel wings and candles and nearly taking out a priest with my backpack we got past them and to the sanctity of the hostel.
After a couple of days in kollam, where the highlight was do our washing and using our book collection to do battle with the mozzies in our room (amy is getting rather obsessive with the little blighters) we got the train out of there. Indian trains are quite confusing but suprisingly it all works really well it took us all the way to a place called Combitore. From here we took a bus to a place called Mettapalayam... I believe that this place is twinned with hell. To be brutal it smelled of piss, the horns of cars blazed all night outside the windows and thankfully we left at 5 in the morning and got out of there. Oh and to put me in better spirits before we arrived at this hole, some uppaty bus conducter had a yell at me in Hindi for having a bag taking up a seat.
Anyway the reason we went to this place in the first place was to get aboard the Nargil Express which is a minature train which takes you up the mountains to Ooty. The lonley planet guidebook describes the journey as romantic and tranquil. This may be true if your idea of romance is 5 hours crammped in a tiny carraige surrounded by 8 other people who you are in a constant physical and physcological battle with to get leg and shoulder room then I'd agree it was the most romantic trip in the world.
Despite the cynicism the views were stunning, lots of tea plantations and so much more relaxed than the indian towns we had come through to get here. There were even some monkeys halfway up which were cool.
SO now in Ooty, which is a place the colonial types used to come for their holidays to get away from the heat. Its a lovely place and this morning we went to a lookout point at the highest part in the mountains for some more amazing views.The area has some good hiking routes so we've arranged to go on a trip tomorrow into the countryside which we're looking forward to.
Gonna have a few days here then the plan is to go to Mysore, Hampi then hopefully Goa for my birthday!
Got lots more pictures here but the internet here is a bit dated and it would take forever to get them up so I'll wait til we find some better PCs.
Much love to you all and thanks for all your messages. It's really nice to hear from you all and hope that you are all well.
Tom and Amy xxxx
P.S. we will update more often from now on sorry Linda :o)
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