Wow, it's been that long since we updated that i can barely remember where we've been and what we've seen. In actual fact...not that much! After Els' eventful birthday we left Rajhastan and took a gruelling train journey (21 hours - if you don't mind) to Mumbai. The sleeping part was okay although the conditions were very basic and ridiculously cramped... we felt sure that had we been around during the War, this was certainly what it was like. Anyway, cocooned in our berths, we 'slept' in our 'beds' until we were rudely awoken at some ungodly hour by a series of rather old, skinny indian men chanting 'chai, chai, chai!' in their nasal fashion (by the way, chai means tea for those who haven't made the connection). A few hours of this and we're ready to punch someone in the face but to our relief we stop at 5am to catch the next train. Hmmm...better off in the sleeper carriage apparently! Our third class 'AC' carriage (yeah we didn't realise when we booked) was packed full which was fine until your seat is under threat and some old woman is practically lying in your lap with what i can only assume was dandruff flaking on your sarong. Not to mention all the men with either their fat arses in your face or, even worse, an itchy groin! (I think it's better to stand in hindsight) We were highly entertained by the constant flow of disfigured beggars and merchants selling their usual knick-knacks, well at first anyway. Our particular favourites were two children performing to our great amusement, the elder singing and the younger kind of dancing (i'm sure the younger was either related to mini-me or that Earth Song guy from X Factor or a combination of both), anyway we couldn't suppress our giggles, much to our relief neither could the natives. We were pretty wound up by the time we alighted at Mumbai to say the least!

Mumbai was...different. I say that because we still can't really decide whether we liked it or not. The upside was it was comparably quieter and cleaner than Rajhastan but it lacked culture and we felt ripped off at every opportunity. We were staying in the 'travelly' area where accommodation was few and far between so we had to settle for the most foul-smelling room ever...and i mean that! You wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy. This room had no toilet and yet stank of poo! Thankfully we only had one night in Mumbai and we spent the good majority in a bar, the best we had come across in India as yet. The atmosphere was lively, the english music a welcome distraction and the place was heaving with fellow travellers. What a relief to see some westerners! The next day was spent wandering around the city centre where we stumbled upon the University, the harbour, the gateway of India (we think) and the cricket oval (this proved more interesting than we could have imagined). We had only been watching for a few minutes when a fight broke out! A man slapping his wife?daughter? - for reasons we could not work out but we think she was having an affair with one of the cricketers - and i mean really beating the crap out of her. At this point, nobody is watching the cricket anymore (nothing like a family drama in India) and Els seemed pretty agitated by this point threatening to 'go over there and chop off his b*llocks' not realising of course when she said it that most people understand English there - Mumbai being a University city and all - but luckily they found it pretty funny and appreciated our cheers when this poor girl kneed the bloke right where it hurts! He was eventually cuffed by some officials and taken away, everyone following of course, and we felt justice had most definitely prevailed. Later, we ambled down Marine Drive to Chowpatty beach (rucksacks too so actually we panted most of the way) and when we finally reached the actual sandy part it was time to leave on our bus for Goa. Potentially Mumbai could have something but we didn't really see it...

Palolem beach was a complete contrast to the hustle-bustle of Mumbai and we instantly felt at home. We found a hut just set back from the beach and basically relaxed for a week! We made a few good friends along the way, particularly the staff at our favourite bar (Cuba - where we have jobs when we return) and to my amazement, Els made firm friends with not only a child (yes a child...she actually picked her up and played with her for an hour!) but also adopted for us a pet dog named 'gluey', i still don't know why. The beach was full of dogs to keep the beggars at bay (literally) but this dog was pretty special to us and the whole ordeal was revolutionary for Els who was pretty much a dog-hater. My my how things change. We spent some awesome nights there, sometimes in our own company sometimes with others but almost always with a good supply of beers. Needless to say our goodbyes were pretty emotional! Off to Kerala we go...