Day 85 (Sat 30 Sep) - Pondicherry / Trichy

Up early and skipped breakfast so that we could get to Trichy as quickly as possible. It is some 6 off hours away by bus.

Got a rickshaw to the bus station; flaming hot already.

Sarb tried to find a bus to Trichy and soon discovered why he was finding it more difficult than usual. He was pronouncing Trichy as 'Tricky' instead of 'Treechy'. This minor faux pas corrected we soon found our bus.

The bus journey itself was fairly painless with lovely views ( [1], [2] ). Arrived in the hot and dusty Trichy bus station and staggered off to our nearby hotel Meega.

Checked in and lugged our bags up. Discovered we had made a mistake of not insisting on a western toilet, hence we had the squatter. Too tired to change rooms so went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for some food.

Sarb had some idlies and Jo some noodles. Watched interestedly as the locals all ate off large rectangular shaped banana leaves. They would pour various curries from pots onto different parts of the leaf and using the centrally sited mound of rice make a small ball of food that they would pop into their mouths. Quite elegantly done.

For dinner we walked to a posh hotel Jenny's Residency. Had a drink in their Wild West saloon bar and then a buffet dinner.

Day 84 (Fri 29 Sep) - Pondicherry

Had a good night sleep but felt a bit dodgy when we got up. Think we drank too much wine and the food was a bit rich.

Noticed that Pondicherry is full of large dragonflies (at least a couple of inches long). There are millions of them! If the photos look like they have loads of dark specks all over them that'll be the dragonflies.

Decided to go to Satsanga for breakfast, as recommended by the Lonely Planet. It was OK but a bit overrated.

A walking tour was on the agenda this morning. We set off from Satsanga and strolled down the pretty residential streets before arriving at the Notre Dame de Anges which was built in 1858 ( [1], [2], [3] ).

Continuing past the police HQ we spotted a few very French looking policemen in bright red kepis. Walking around the government square we dodged the rickshaws and cyclists and admired the many statues. On the sea front we walked past the Hotel de Ville and onto Gandhi square which boasts a large impressive statue of the man himself.

As we walked around we noticed the rickshaws here were all using small squeaky horns attached to the drivers side. Quite comical to watch a driver, weave through traffic and every now and then give off an energetic squeak.

(Unknown fact that Pondicherry is plagued by rather rampant rabbits.)

It was getting quite hot by the end of the walk so we decided to head back to the ashram for a rest. We spent a few hours resting in the room and admiring the spectacular view before we decided to head of to the botanical gardens.

The botanical gardens were established by the French in 1826 and by the looks of them they had been left untouched since then. It was a shame they were fairly overgrown and unkempt, although you could see that they once had been pretty impressive. We had hoped to chill out in the gardens but as there wasn't really anywhere to sit we headed back to the ashram. On the way we popped into Seagulls restaurant for a drink, located on the sea front.

Popped back to Rendezvous for dinner. We shared a huge grilled halibut in garlic sauce. Lovely.

Day 83 (Thurs 28 Sep) - Mamallapuram / Pondicherry

Sadly we are leaving Mamallapuram today, we have had a wonderfully relaxing time, but we are looking forward to all the French food and wine in Pondicherry.

We had breakfast and walked to the bus stand, it was a bit of a struggle as it was pretty hot.

We had no idea which bus to catch. Every time a bus approached the stand, Sarb dashed over to see if it was going to Pondicherry. Finally a bus conductor shouted out Pondy so we ran over to the bus. It was pretty full but Jo noticed some spare seats at the back. As she clambered on the bus started to move and left poor Sarb behind. To the shock of the other passengers Jo yelled to the bus driver to stop. Reluctantly he slowed down briefly, giving Sarb just enough time to jump on. As soon as he was on the bus set off on its bouncing, swerving way; Sarb was left standing in the aisle struggling to get his rucksacks off whilst attempting not to get brained by the metal rails. He managed it to the cost of one crack on the collar bone and a deep scratch on the arm.

In just over two hours we arrived in Pondicherry. Getting off the bus we were badgered by an auto rickshaw driver. Jo thought she'd done so well as she managed to barter him down from Rs 50 to Rs 30 but then he took us to his cycle rickshaw! We had to dangerously pile on our rucksacks and hold on for dear life. When we arrived at our destination the cyclist tried to charge us Rs 30 each - now that was a new one!

We popped in a restaurant for lunch whilst we planned where we would stay. All of the accommodation is quite spread around Pondicherry and it was quite hard to find somewhere reasonable to stay. After a bit of hot and bother we checked into the Park House Guest House which is an Ashram with an excellent location on the sea front.

An Ashram is a place of communal living established around the philosophies of a guru. They have codes of conduct; ours was quite simple we couldn't drink, smoke, do drugs and we had to be in bed by 10.30pm. The plus side was that we got to stay in a very clean room with amazing views of the sea and well kept gardens and a balcony for only Rs400 (5 quid) per night. It was also very peaceful and chilled.

Later we strolled along the promenade and into the town, passing a church along the way. Pondicherry definitely has a French feel to it; it's hard to believe you are still in India. The street names are even in French and we can't wait to try out the French food and wine.

Sarb spotted a typical French small town/village scene. A little old lady wheeling her bike up the road with her shopping.

In the evening we went to a French restaurant that had been recommended called Rendezvous. We had a delicious meal, washed down by a bottle of wine in the garden roof top restaurant. For starters Sarb had onion soup and Jo had fish soup followed by fish in a white wine sauce whilst Sarb had a very French coq au vin. When the bill came we realised we'd spent four times as much on the wine as on the food!

We merrily made our way back to the ashram in time for our curfew, trying not to look as if we had been drinking.

Day 82 (Wed 27 Sep) - Mamallapuram

Jo was still suffering from being sunburnt so we decided to spend the morning in the internet cafe. The connection was pretty poor and it was too hot so we didn't stay long.

In the afternoon we went to sit by the pool - this time Jo made sure she was completely covered up and only took her sarong off only to have a dip in the pool.

Unfortunately Sarb's contact lenses have been spoiled, so he wasn't able to join Jo in the pool. He refused to go swimming in his prescription glasses frightened that people may think him a geek. Jo assured him that people thought he was a geek with or without glasses.

Later we went for a walk on the beach, passing the shore temple, and stopped off at the Seashore garden for a drink whilst the sun set. The owner tried to persuade us to stay to sample their fresh fish but we were keen to go back to the Blue Elephant.

The Blue Elephant didn't disappoint us - we had another delicious meal. This time Jo tried the fish curry whilst Sarb had a large unidentified fish. Lovely!

Day 81 (Tues 26 Sep) - Mamallapuram

We had breakfast together and then went our separate ways. Jo headed off in her swimming costume to frighten the locals by relaxing by the pool whilst Sarb spent the day in the internet cafe.

It was a fairly overcast day so Jo was quite convinced she had applied enough sun cream on. Sarb pottered back in the afternoon and found a lobster wearing a black swimming cossie and sunglasses.

Had a couple of drinks relaxing by the pool.

In the evening, to cheer herself up, Jo decided to go shopping; unfortunately a slightly tiddly Sarb was uncharacteristically keen to join her. As Jo pottered around the colourful shops looking at bags and clothes, Sarb had "meaningful" debates with the kashmiri shop owners about the Kashmir problem. Sarb can't remember what they chatted about but was sure that they had cracked it!

After Jo had successfully managed to buy a bag and blouse we went to a restaurant called the Blue Elephant for dinner.

The friendly waiter persuaded us to try to specials of the day. For starters we had massive masala jumbo prawns, they were so meaty and tasty - the best prawns we've ever tasted. Next we both had fresh snappers; Jo had it with a tomato and garlic sauce whilst Sarb stuck with masala.

When the plates arrived we were a surprised to see two large fishes on each plate.
There was so much we couldn't eat it all but we gave it our best as it was delicious. To end Sarb had another beer whilst Jo had a healthy fruit salad. This was the most expensive meal we have had since we've been in India - all of 12 squids!! Well and truly sated, and in the case of Sarb well and truly lashed, we made our way back to our hotel and went to bed.

Day 80 (Mon 25 Sep) - Chennai / Mamallapuram

Got up and had breakfast in the rather dark and dingy restaurant at the base of our hotel before setting off to the bus station.

There was a bit of confusion about where the bus station was. The guidebook stated it should be literally 10 minutes away whilst the auto rickshaw man, and the hotelier, insisted things had changed and the new bus station was some 10km away. Decided to go to the new bus station declining the rickshaw man's offer to let him take us all the way to Mamallapuram, even though it was a two hour bus ride so no idea how long it would take in a beaten up auto rickshaw.

We finally arrived at the new bus station which looked more like an airport. Very plush. Sarb went to find out where the buses to Mamallapuram went from. We'd decided we would chill out for a couple of days here before heading on to Pondicherry.

We jumped on a local bus and traveled out of Chennai along the coast. The coastal road was very pretty; on one side you had the sea and the other there were palm trees, rice plantations and a plethora of small exotic plant nurseries.

When we arrived in Mamallapuram we weren't sure where to get off. Fortunately the bus conductor told us to get off before the bus set off again.

As we walked through the afternoon sleepy fishing village everyone seemed so friendly and happy to see us. Immediately we knew that we were going to enjoy our time here. It was so relaxed after the bustle of Mumbai.

We went in search of a nice hotel, with a pool, which we'd spotted in the Lonely Planet. When we arrived at the Hotel Sea Breeze we were told that the rooms were far more expensive than what they had been quoted in the Lonely Planet. Jo asked if they had anything cheaper. She really wanted to stay at this hotel as she had caught a glimpse of the pool on the way in and it looked so inviting. Luckily he said that we could have a single room so Jo went to check it out. The room was paradise compared to our room in Mumbai, and cheaper and had a proper toilet!

We quickly changed and went to relax by the pool. Later we ventured onto the beach where we saw the Shore Temple ( [1], [2] ). We walked along the beach amongst busy fishermen as they cleaned their boats and mended their nets.

Apparently Mamallapuram was hit badly by the Tsunami in 2004 but it's good to see that things seem to be back to normal as there appears to be a thriving fishing community.

We wandered through the village and stopped at our hotel for a drink. It was getting dark and suddenly we were getting seriously bitten by vicious insects. We quickly drank up and headed back to our room to DEET up before we ventured out again.

Later we went to a French restaurant called Nautilus and devoured delicious fish and chips.

Day 79 (Sun 24 Sep) - Chennai

Had a good night sleep and was woken up by someone knocking on our door at 8.30am. After struggling to wake up, Sarb opened the door to be greeted with a train chappie with our breakfast.

The air conditioning in our compartment had gone into overdrive during the night. It was freezing.

We spent the day reading and trying to keep warm, huddled under blankets. It was a trifle strange that when we left the cabin to go to the toilet we were hit by the outside temperature, 30 degrees plus.

Found the only problem with 1A class is that the windows aren't very big so you can't really see out of the window, anyway the day went quite quickly. Before we knew it was 7.30pm and we arrived in Chennai.

We took an auto rickshaw across the busy city to the district of Triplicane and the Hotel Comfort.

We checked in and went straight up to the roof top restaurant for dinner before heading off to bed.

Day 78 (Sat 23 Sep) - Mumbai / Chennai

Very hot morning as we had breakfast at the Food Plaza.

Our train for Chennai leaves at 8.30pm so we had quite alot of time to kill. Packed our bags and headed off to the Internet cafe to do some blogging.

About 1pm we got a taxi to Dader, a suburb of Mumbai from which our train would leave; a journey of about 1 hour.

Dader train station was located right in the middle of a very busy section full of shops and temples. We found the left luggage office and dumped our rucksacks. Further exploration uncovered a really nice restaurant where we had a slap up meal.

We phoned our respective families and then sat in a small restaurant courtyard drinking water and watching the hustle and bustle ( [1], [2] ) of the streets. Decided to walk around the place during which we saw an elephant being used to beg and a number of small roadside shacks specialising in typing services.

At about 7ish we got the train station and waited on the platform by our train. Found our names on a list tacked onto the side of a carriage and decided to board.

We have a small cabin all to ourselves. It includes a small washbasin and a wardrobe. Quite comfy.

Had a good train dinner and settled down for a read. Jo occupying the top bunk.

Day 77 (Fri 22 Sep) - Mumbai

Got up about mid morning to a very humid and cloudy day. Had our usual fare at the Food Plaza.

We had to post Jo's mums pressie so traipsed off to the main post office located near the train station. It seems like all we have been doing is walking to the flaming train station.

Went past the magnificent Taj Hotel and India Gate.

(Aside: Since we have been in Mumbai we have been absolutely plagued by people trying to sell us gigantic balloons. The sellers seem genuinely disappointed that we have got no place in our lives for a whacking great rubber balloon. )

Posted the pressie and then walked to the Oval Maiden. This is a pleasant green park surrounded on one side by the buildings of the High Court and Mumbai University. Sat in the park watching some local children play cricket. Quite relaxing.

About lunchtime we wandered into the Oxford bookstore for a browse. Quite a nice bookshop complete with small cafe.

Briefly popped into an internet cafe and then settled in for a drink at the Samrat restaurant. Sarb had a beer and Jo a cup of chai.

Decided to walk along Marine Drive (along Back Bay) as the weather seemed to have brightened and on every other occasion we had been here it had rained.

Managed to make it to the Oberoi hotel before giving up as it was just too hot. Decided to walk back to town to the Town Hall as it offered much more shade.

Just by the quaint St Thomas' Cathedral, just by the Town Hall, Jo phoned Barclays. Thankfully the chap, who was based in Coventry, she was speaking to managed to sort out the whole problem. The whole situation seems rather stupid to us. It seems the only winners out of this fiasco are a) the call centre in Mumbai that are taking the calls and probably billing Barclays per call b) the telephone companies having this traffic going through and c) Barclays because they've off shored. The only losers as far as we can see are the customers i.e. us.

From the town hall we went to Cafe Mondegar for a few drinks. Watched India lose a one day cricket international to Australia when they appeared to be in the driving seat.

Wandered off to a small nightclub place to see what the cool and trendy get up to. Unfortunately it was a little too early for the movers and shakers to be up and about so we settled into the darkly lit bar and had a drink.

Sarb went off to the loo and walked through a hole in the wall normally made to fit a door failing to see that there was in fact a door there. The door was, it must be noted, of the see through variety, the bar was very dark, Sarb had had a couple of drinks. All these factors resulted in a loud bang as Sarb's forehead cracked off the glass. Thankfully no damage to the door.

After this episode we decided we should wander back to our palace.

So far we had not really enjoyed our time in Mumbai. Partly because of our lodgings and being so unsuccessful at doing our chores but also because there seems a real disparity between the rich and the poor.

In no other city have we seen whole families living on the streets and so many young children begging. Then on the other side there is such wealth and arrogance. It just doesn't feel right and we can't wait to leave!

Day 76 (Thu 21 Sep) - Mumbai

Breakfast again at the friendly Food Plaza.

Decided that we should try again to sort out our train journeys. Despite having no US dollars or GBP Sarb had a plan. Go to Thomas Cook get loads of US Dollars and then buy our train tickets. Brilliant!!

Got to Thomas Cook and discovered the central flaw in our plan. Namely that foreigners cannot buy US Dollars or GBP. So we had a slight problem here namely that as a foreign tourist you have to pay in GBP or USD but you could not get any GBP or USD because you were a foreigner. So unless you had wads of cash strapped to you or travelers cheques, of which we had neither, you were up the Ganges without a rickshaw. To be fair the chap at Thomas Cook sympathised with the stupidity of the situation.

We had a rethink and headed to the train station anyway, via a big fountain, deciding that we would only try and book the train from Mumbai to Chennai. The others we would have to arrange as we went. We had another cunning plan in that Sarb would brush up his Hindi and pretend he was a local. So after a quick refresher course of about two minutes, we queued at the locals counter. Whilst queuing we saw one ticket tout, they literally infest the booking hall, having a robust discussion with a guard. The guard was doing all of the discussing with his hands; delivering a serious of rapid slaps and a jab.

Anyway spoke to the woman at the counter and booked our tickets no problems, paying in rupees. After a brief discussion with her it transpires that we could have bought all our tickets in rupees without any problems. It seems all this foreign tourist thing has to do with tourist quotas on trains. So if you are a foreigner with USD you would go to this counter and they would book a seat using up one of the train's tourist quota seats. If however you wanted to book seats in rupees and not care a fig about the tourist quota you could go to the normal desk and just get them. In a nutshell then; if you want to buy any train tickets in Mumbai, find a travel agent, pay them some money and sit back in a bar secure in the knowledge that someone else is getting a stress headache.

Walked back to the hotel, taking a piccy of the quite stunning building opposite the train station, where we burnt some CD's and done some blogging. At about 4.30pm we got taxi back to Nariman Point to see how our man was getting on with reorganising our flights at Air Malaysia.

Met our chap and he explained that if we wanted to change our flights it would cost us about 400 GBP EACH. This is basically because of the new flights, that the fares would have to be recalculated from the current date, that there would be new taxes to be applied, that some of the taxes already applied had to be reapplied and that the office cat needed a vet so a small contribution to the kitty was required.

After a massive discussion with our hapless man, a knowledgeable woman piped up and explained that the best thing to do was to leave the tickets as they were, get a cheap flight to Hanoi ourselves and then rearrange the Australia flights when we get there. Made sense we thought. So after all this we have exactly the same tickets! We both wished we'd spoken to this woman first.

Walked to the Pizzeria on Marine Drive and had a couple of great pizzas.

Whilst we were there we noticed a group of people holding a big banner stating it was World's Alzheimer's Day. Jo got very excited and popped over to have a chat with them. She was tempted to join their memory walk but thought it wasn't safe to leave Sarb so she went back to the pizzeria and bored Sarb with Alzheimer's talk for the next half hour.

Walked to Chowpatty beach. Weather was a trifle turbulent; breezy with sharp showers.

Got to Chowpatty about 7.30pm ish where we found it was bustling. Quite a few people milling about doing normal sea side things, eating ice creams, sitting on the sand etc. although very noticeable that no one looked like they had been swimming. The surrounding area of Chowpatty is dotted with some quite impressive tower blocks, with very flash looking apartment’s right at the top.

Had a drink in a nearby cafe and walked through the darkening streets back to our hotel. Took us about 2.5 hours; passing through busy little markets, past rows of bright shops and residential areas. Jo bought her mum a birthday card, which is quite an achievement as we hadn't seen many card shops since we have been in India. Reminding someone that you know how old they are on the day they probably want it least remembered seems to be a Western thing.

Got back to the Food Plaza and had a soft drink before turning in.

Day 75 (Wed 20 Sep) - Mumbai

Got up and showered and headed to the Food Plaza, the cafe round the corner for breakfast.

We decided that we should try to do some jobs today,so we started off in the internet cafe. Jo also decided to phone up her bank, Barclays as she had been trying to move funds from her current account using internet banking since we were in Kenya. They had finally emailed her to say she needed to call them to sort out the problem. We knew that Barclays call centre was in India so it was a bit annoying that we had to phone a London international number to speak to them.

Jo finally got through to someone who called themselves "Sue" and after going round the houses was told that she couldn't use internet banking to transfer money. She had two options; either go into a branch or use telephone banking. Jo asked where the Barclays branch was in Mumbai. There isn't one. However, during this exchange she found out that "Sue" was speaking from MUMBAI! Jo was not impressed with Sue and asked to be put through to a supervisor. "Nicola" came on the phone and was just as helpful, repeating Jo's options but did suggest that she could phone back at 8am (British time) to speak to the specialist on line team. Jo had already explained that she was phoning from India and asked for a direct line to save her having to make another international call. She was told there was only one number to call but she was given a reference number to quote when she phoned back.

(Aside: we asked the receptionist how much the call was, she printed the receipt and read out '80 rupees'. Sarb then asked for the receipt thinking we would charge the cost of the call to Barclays. Suddenly this scrap of paper could not be found anywhere; it had simply vanished. Finally twigged and Sarb asked her point blank whether she was just ripping off tourists or was it a more inclusive kind of club ie she was diddling everyone. We were not impressed! )

Despite the current result ( Setbacks: 1; Ripoffs: 1 ) we set off to tackle more jobs.

First we set off to see if we could buy a ticket to fly from Mumbai to Kolkata. We located the Jet airways office nearby but soon found out that as we were "foreigners" we would have to pay $295 (about 150 squids)each for a two hour flight, however if we were indian nationals it would only cost us Rs 3000 (about 35 squids). All over india we have experienced the two tier pricing structure, and agree with it to an extent, but felt this was just taking it too far! There was no way we could afford this; we opted for the 30 hour train journey to Kolkata cutting short our stay in Goa by a day.

( Setbacks: 2; Ripoffs: 1 )

Jo was in need of some cheering up so Sarb suggested they stop off at one of the posh hotels for some refreshments. We walked through Nariman Point and came to Marine drive where there was a row of top range hotels, we finally settled for the Oberoi - which is a mere five star hotel. As we got there a dodgy double decker bus wheezed past.

We walked into the grand entrance and look the lift to the lobby. There we settled ourselves in the grand lounge overlooking Back Bay.

Sarb had a beer whilst Jo, not wasting the opportunity, had a delicious glass of chilled pinot grigio and a club sandwich. Note this was Jo's first taste of meat since she had arrived in India so she was very content. It was such a treat to be spoilt in such luxurious and beautiful surroundings. As we sat savouring our refreshments a pianist even tinkled on the grand piano in the background.

In relatively high spirits we left the Oberoi and headed off to find Malaysia Airways. Our next job was to amend our round the world ticket as we had decided to slightly alter our route. Got to Malaysia Airways, located in a huddle of tall buildings, who having looked at our sheaf of tickets decided that since the first flight we took was with Kenyan Airways they should sort it out. So we traipsed to the Kenya Airways office, had a chat with them, and they told us that Malaysia Airways should sort it out as the next flight legs were with them. We got that 'sinking feeling'.

In the end we asked the kindly woman at Kenya Airways to phone up Malaysia Airways whilst we were there to explain the situation and hopefully prevent a wasted trip. She put the phone down and said that Malaysia Airways will sort it out! Yippee!

Left our change of flight details with the vague travel clerk and because he said it was so complex (!) that we should return the next day.

( Setbacks: 3; Ripoffs: 1 )

The next job was to head for the train station to book our overnight ticket to Chennai and the epic journey to Kolkata. On the way we stopped off at a pizzeria, called the same on Marine Drive, where Sarb devoured a tasty pizza.

It had started to rain so we walked briskly to the train station. By the time we arrived at the CST (Victoria Terminus) train station we were soaked and then had a bit of a hunt for the reservation centre. We were shown to the tourist counter and waited to be served.

What followed was a very confusing 15 minutes with a very unhelpful ticket clerk - what we finally understood was that we could only buy advanced train tickets (i.e. more that 2 days) with either dollars or sterling. Since we had neither of these, we were told we couldn't get advanced tickets. This didn't seem to make sense to us but we had no choice but to leave the train station and come up with a plan.

( Setbacks: 4; Ripoffs: 1 )

We headed back to Colaba, stopping off for a (BIG) drink on the way.

Not a successful day as the our tally shows: ( Setbacks: 4; Ripoffs: 1 ).

Day 74 (Tues 19 Sep) - Mumbai

Bearing in mind we were on a train we had a great night's sleep. Jo was reluctant to get up but Sarb was having none of it and lured her down from her bunk with the thought of breakfast. Unfortunately no breakfast was served but we had a tasty cup of masala chai.

We arrived in Mumbai central station at about 9.30am. Mumbai doesn't have rickshaws (cycle or auto) so instead we were mobbed by taxi drivers. We found a driver who was prepared to use his meter and we piled into his taxi. All of the taxis look 1960's style cars - they should be in a musuem.

We were headed to a district called Colaba; apparently a good traveller hang out. To get there however we had to weave and wind through the busy traffic.

Mumbai definitely has an English feel about it. It's not just the Victorian architecture but the sight of red double decker buses. However these are not 'real' London double deckers. On closer inspection these double deckers are simply bad copies!!

We knew that Mumbai was going to be expensive but the first hotel we checked out was nearly Rs 4000 (50 squids!) which was outrageous. The receptionist at this hotel was pretty rude and dismissive, as much to say 'We don't need your money, traveller scum. Begone.' It is at times like this that Jo has to practically physically restrain Sarb from shouting 'You may be a rude, thick and arrogant pillock but you still haven't got one of these!', whilst brandishing a British passport.

As mentioned in our guidebook there is a serious lack of good, budget accommodation in Mumbai. Jo was getting increasingly hungry to put it mildly so Sarb took decisive action and deposited her in a cafe. Whilst Jo happily munched on her toasted cheese sandwich and slurped a Sprite, Sarb decided to hit the streets and find somewhere to crash. Tried a number of places but they were either full or absolutely rubbish and very expensive. Luckily a street tout wandered over and after a brief discussion Sarb went to look at a room in the Hotel Maria near the cafe. The room had some beds, a small table, a shower but no toilet, a broken window, a little damp and all for a staggering 650 a night.

Sarb reluctantly returned to Jo with the news that the only place he had found to stay was Maria Lodge complete with shared toilet facilities. Although Jo was not too happy she realised they had no choice so we went to check in.

After we settled in to our new home, Jo went to check out the toilets. Horror of all horrors they only had indian (squatters) toilets!! Sarb tried to calm Jo down and coaxed her out of the room with the thought of a glass of vino, in this supposedly cosmopolitan city.

As we walked along the sea front Sarb decided to shared with Jo what he had learnt about the sea at Mumbai - that bathing in it would be akin to sitting at the bottom of a latrine. Not good.

Turned onto the Colaba Causeway which is lined with shops and stalls. Sarb led Jo towards the first drinking place called Leopold. It had a Parisian feel to it; laid back, people smoking, drinking and eating, laughing. Sarb devoured a couple of beers whilst Jo savoured a glass or two of white wine and soda. We walked further down the road and went into Cafe Mondegar where we chilled out listening to familiar indie tunes.

Later we headed back to our luxurious digs, past a quaint chemists lined with wooden cabinets full of merchandise, picking up a packet of crisps on the way for supper.

Day 73 (Mon 18 Sep) - Jaipur / Mumbai

After brekky we headed off to the Jaipur tourist office to try and get some information on Ranthambore National Park.

The tourist office were great and put us onto a reputable sounding firm; will email them our details and that should be Ranthambore National Park sorted.

Got back to our hotel and relaxed in the small gardens until 1'ish. Caught an auto, that ran out of petrol halfway through the journey, to the train station.

Found our train platform on which a train stood. We were about an hour early for our train and Sarb was convinced that this could not be our train. Jo insisted that it could be; so we checked and found out that it was our train. The reason for the long delay was so that they could clean it.

As we moved from where we were sitting to the air con class near the head of the train we passed the 2nd class carriages. People had been made to sit in a sort of wide arc around each carriage and this was enforced by stern looking policemen with big sticks. As we passed a whistle sounded and all hell broke loose. The well behaved crowd surged forward for the doors, where the clever policemen had positioned themselves either side. With the aid of the sticks, shoves etc the policemen 'helped' the passengers board the train and kept queue dodging to a minimum (London Transport take note). We could truly believe stories of people being crushed to death when trying to get on a train.

We found our carriage and settled into our little section. We had two single seats facing each other, with the large window on the right of us and the aisle on the left. Above us was a bunk and the seats we were on could be cleverly folded to make another bunk. Quite comfy.

Train set off on time. At about 9pm a train chap wandered past and said did we want dinner. Hearing that the grub on the train was a treat not to be missed we replied 'Bring it on big boy'. Food was great, served on a little plastic tray. Had dhal, some other unidentifiable stuff that was tasty, chupattis and rice.

After dinner a chap came round with pillows, blankets and sheets. Taking this as a big hint that we should prepare for bed; Jo scampered onto the top bunk whilst Sarb sorted out the bottom one.

Soon we were comfortably lying on our bunks, with the curtains drawn; our main rucksacks padlocked below us and our small day sacks containing our valuables in our little cabin.

Sarb wasted no time in slamming in his ear plugs and rocked by the motion of the train fell into a deep sleep keeping everyone else up with his snoring.

Day 72 (Sun 17 Sep) - Jaipur

After a deep sleep we had a tasty breakfast in the guest house.

We discovered that the combination lock on Sarb's large rucksack was refusing to open so after Jo threatened divorce proceedings if Sarb didn't change his clothes, Sarb went off for help. Sarb soon found the local handy man. Thinking that he would use a cunning set of tools to pick the lock Sarb was mildly disappointed when the chap simply took a set of large pliers and cut through it.

After a quick change we were ready for Jaipur.

As it was Sunday most of the small shops we were hoping to walk through would be closed and coupled with the fact it was baking hot, we took an auto direct to the Palace of Winds (Hawah Mahal).

The palace ( [1], [2] )is made of pink stone and is based around a central courtyard with walkways around it extending up some 5/6 levels. Each level has small shuttered windows that allow you to look out at the teeming streets below.

It was incredibly hot within the palace and so were thankful we managed to find a sheltered area complete with a cool breeze. As we sat there a group of young male indian tourists asked us if they could take a photo, which basically means Jo. We were pretty hot and bothered and Jo irritably said 'No!'. So they basically arranged themselves around her and took them anyway!

The views from the upper levels of the palace are superb. We were able to see a fort perched high on the rocky escarpment outside the city, the busy town streets, the huge triangular gnomon of a sundial constructed by a previous ruler to pursue his interest in astronomy and the Jaipur palace.

From the Palace of Winds we walked through some covered bazaars to the Jaipur palace. Went through the museums/exhibitions in the palace which were very interesting indeed; one displayed the raiments of previous rulers and their wives, another an awesome collection of fearsome looking knives and swords used in times past to settle disagreements about who should pay the bill, an exhibition showing precious artwork including scrolls of Hindu religious texts. These scrolls were no longer than an inch wide and two feet long with text so small it was absolutely amazing. The last exhibition displayed the old carriages and automobiles belonging to previous Maharajas.

We pottered around the artisans' hall where Jo bought a beautiful painting.

Breezed into a courtyard that had the most magnificent doors we've ever seen.

After the courtyard we went onto the palace cafe, past some accommodating guards, where we refreshed ourselves ie. Sarb had a beer and Jo a soft drink.

Had a look at an urn used to transport holy water to Britain with the maharajas when they popped over for a canter round the polo field. Apparently the largest in India.

Left the palace and whilst deciding where to go next Sarb decided to try out a rickshaw. After Sarb stopped playing we got the same rickshaw to the Heights bar; which we discovered upon arriving was closed. Had drinks in the cool hotel lobby and then walked back to our hotel.

Relaxed for a while and then got a rickshaw to Om. This is Jaipur's revolving restaurant. Bagged a table and watched the city twinkle away around us. As we sat there we discovered that Om was a vegetarian and alcohol free restaurant! Sarb rallied well to this devastating news and we went on to have a lovely spicy meal.

Day 71 (Sat 16 Sep) - Agra / Jaipur

Up quite early this morning as our bus left at 8.30am. Got to the bus station at 8am and by now it was already hot.

Sarb dozed for most of the journey; rousing himself only to buy some cold drinks when the bus hit a chai stop. Travelled on the dusty roads past brown and hot looking fields. If this wasn't evidence enough that we were passing through an area practically a desert the sight of two camels ploughing a field certainly provided it.

Got to Jaipur and forewarned by our guide book that the auto touts here were a particularly unsavoury bunch we studiously ignored a small gaggle of them that had formed as we collected our bags. This crowd was practically salivating to get to us and we were perplexed as to why they kept their considerable distance of 10 feet. Had Sarb's new plan of not using any deodorant (to help save the planet) resulted in a positive side effect? All was made clear when one excitable tout stepped forward and tried to hassle us. He made it about 2 feet when an hitherto unnoticed policeman grabbed hold of him and marched him off. This was bad for him and bad for us, because as soon as the copper exited stage left the remaining touts felt it was open season and got stuck in.

Fought them off and walked through the crowded hot streets about a half km to our hotel, the Athihi.

Well from some of the hotels we have stayed in the Athihi is lovely. Basic, clean and bright with a small neat garden out front. Lovely. Also serves beer. Brilliant!

Had some lunch and went for a power nap. Up late afternoon and as we were peckish walked to an italian resteraunt, the Mediteraneo. Both had very good pizzas and Sarb managed to get bitten by a couple of mozzies.

Walked back through the dark streets, past puddles of dogs rubbing the sleep from their eyes ready to start barking and howling the night away.

Day 70 (Fri 15 Sep) - Agra

Had another restless nights sleep. The power failed for a good two hours so we just lay awake sweating buckets - not a pretty sight.

We popped up to the roof top restaurant for breakfast. We are getting used to having our meals with the Taj Mahal in the background; we will miss it when we leave.

Before we got down to the serious business of sight seeing we decided to sort out our travel arrangements for the next few days. First we went to the train station and arranged our first sleeper from Jaipur to Mumbai. It is the first time that either of us have been at a counter reserved not only for Foreign tourists but Freedom Fighters as well. Then to the private coach station to risk another deluxe coach to take us to Jaipur the next morning. The rickshaw driver who had driven us around so far seemed keen to spend the day with us so we asked him to take us to Agra Fort.

Agra Fort is a massive red sandstone fort and palace. Strangely only a small port of this Fort is open to the public, our driver says only 20%, the remainder is used as an active base by the Indian Army. As we entered we had to dodge the usual tour touts but Sarb came up with an imaginative reply. He told them that Jo was an expert in Indian history and probably knew more about the fort than they did. They were quite shocked by this response and it shut them up long enough for us to escape into the fort.

The fort is on the bank of the Yamuna river and as we walked round we could see the Taj Mahal in the distance. Jo was hassled again to have her photos taken with Indian tourists but she was getting tired of the attention so said no.

We spent some time wandering around the buildings in the fort, admiring the archways, small courtyards and fountains. ( [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6] )

We left the fort to find our rickshaw driver was still waiting for us. Asked him to take us somewhere for lunch. We stuffed ourselves on a delicious Thali and then headed across the river to the Himad-ud-daulah which is affectionately nicknamed the 'Baby Taj'. ( [1], [2], [3] )

It was a small, slightly less impressive, version of the Taj. Whilst we were sitting in the gardens appreciating the view a motley crew descended upon us. Again Jo was asked to have her photo with a strange looking fellow. She refused but in the commotion we didn't notice that one of the group had swiped Sarb's binoculars which he had put down on the ground next to him. Sarb told some officials what had happened but they did not seem overly bothered.

We left the baby Taj and went to the river where we took photos of the back of the Taj Mahal before going back to our hotel. ( [1], [2], [3], [4])

We raced up to the roof top garden to see our last glimpse of the Taj Mahal before the sun set.

Later we packed up our gear whilst trying to dodge the mouse running around our room.

Day 69 (Thurs 14 Sep) - Agra

We both didn't sleep very well as there were quite a few power cuts through the night which meant our fan stopped working. It was very hot.

We got up and went up to the roof top restaurant for breakfast. We sat admiring the Taj as we munched through our breakfast - this is definitely the life!

Got an auto to the tourist office about 5 km away from the hotel to find out about trains/buses to Jaipur.

Got an auto back and headed to the East Gate entrance to the Taj Mahal.

After wading through the guides offering their services, a quite thorough security check we entered via the East Gate. Walked past lawns to the main arch through which the first glimpse of the Taj.

It is truly magnificent, set in gardens that have lawns as smooth as a snooker table, lined with a great profusion of trees. Very crowded with people jostling one another for the photo of the Taj reflected in the main rectangular pool.

Decided to escape from the masses and walk around the perimeter of the complex ( [1], [2] ). It was incredibly hot. Sarb insisted on taking a few arty ( [1], [2] ) shots!

To actually walk on the raised marble platform on which the Taj rests you have to wear cotton overshoes that were being given out free at the entrance. We are so used to being scammed that we thought that this was just another ruse and ignored it. As it was so hot walking with barefeet on the marble would be too painful but luckily an enterprising soul near the steps leading up to the Taj was selling 'second hand' overshoes.

Suitably clad we walked up and onto the dais. Walked around the mosque to the West of the Taj, past a minnaret, and then into the Taj itself.

It is surprisingly plain inside the Taj. Inside we could see the coffins of the Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife (who was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal).

Walked out and around the Taj, to view the river flowing alongside it and the minnarets. Jo was accosted by a family of Indians who asked if they could take a photo of her with a few of their party. She agreed and so Jo the Indian celeb was born. Sarb took a few piccies of the photo shoot ( [1], [2], [3] ).

As we walked back to the East Gate we were again accosted by another couple who again wanted their picture taken with Jo.

Walked out through the East Gate and onto the Taj Gardens some 300 metres up the road. Not very inspiring as gardens go. Simply a tarmac path, leading past some small lawns surrounded by trees. However it did have a viewing tower from which we could hopefully catch some different views of the Taj.

Clambered up it to find it already occupied by two couples and a male gooseberry; all teenagers. Pretty cramped up top as the teenagers deigned to look cool by ignoring us and then, when they thought we were deep in conversation, looking at us so hard that their eyes crossed.

The view of the Taj was a trifle distant but great all the same seeing as that we only had the tops of the trees as a foreground.

Left the gardens and as we were feeling slightly cooked decided to unwind by getting an auto to one of the poshest hotels in Agra for a drink, the Taj View. Considering this hotel is some 6 km from the Taj to say it has a view, whilst not untrue, is slightly optimistic. Anyway we didn't care a fig about the view as what we were interested in happened to be in bottles.

Sarb had a couple of beers whilst Jo interrogated the waiter as to what wine he had. The poor chap unfortunately mentioned 'Chardonnay' to Jo thinking, perhaps, that this was the way forward. Jo's reaction caused a mini tsunami in Sarb's beer. Once he had mopped himself off he was thankful to see that she had settled for a glass of Indian white wine and soda. All was finally well in this particular corner of the world.

Got back to our hotel and as we couldn't be bothered getting dinner went to bed.

Day 68 (Wed 13 Sep) - Delhi / Agra

We stopped for breakfast at about 6.30am. Not surprisingly the bus was running very late; we should have been in Delhi for 7am but instead we were nowhere near.

We finally drove into Delhi at 9.30am. As we drove in we passed a very polluted river. It was disgusting and very worrying to see people and animals washing in it.

When we arrived at the bus station we were mobbed by the usual rickshaw drivers but we pretty tired after our 18 hour coach journey so we were in no mood for their scams. We thought we'd found an autorickshaw driver who didn't speak English, well that was what he said, and we thought he wouldn't try to take us to his brothers shop or uncles restaurant on the way. However he quickly learnt English during our trip and tried to convince us that there were no more trains to Agra today but luckily we could stay in this hotel he knew. He was pretty persistent but finally took us to the train station where we were able to book on the 12.50 train to Agra!

As we sat waiting for the train we struggled to keep cool. We had got used to the pleasant temperatures of the north but now we had to get used to hot weather again. Jo luckily had her trusted hand fan which helped a bit.

We got to the platform in plenty of time but there was the usual confusion as to whether we were on the right platform. A train arrived and we just dived on and found our seats.

As we drew out of Delhi we witnessed some pretty disturbing and upsetting sights. People seemed to be living in huts amongst rubbish and animals we just sitting stunned in filthy water. It is probably the poorest area we have been through.

We arrived in Agra just after 4.30pm and were very surprised to see a chap standing on the platform holding a sign with Sarb's name on it. We'd booked a room at the Shanti Lodge a coupe of days previous and because we were not too sure what time we would arrive, we declined their kind offer of a pick up. Clearly this was lost in the translation as this poor chap had been waiting for us for some 3 hours.

Anyway we boarded his rickshaw and set off towards Agra old town. As we left the train station the auto rickshaw didn't sound very healthy and it finally broke down at the traffic lights. We had to laugh as we sat waiting for the chap to try and fix his rickshaw. He finally gave up and flagged down a fellow rickshaw driver who promptly turfed out his passengers and told us to get in. Who were we to argue.

We finally arrived at Shanti Lodge where Jo decided to check out the rooms. She wasn't very impressed as they were filthy but then remembered the reason they were staying at this delightful place was because it was meant to have a roof top restaurant with stunning views of the Taj Mahal. We checked in, dumped our bags and headed up to the roof top to catch our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal before sunset.

When we reached the roof we were expecting to see the Taj Mahal in the distance but we had a really amazing view. We were so close. Of all the other hotels with rooftop views it looked as though we had bagged the best one. The Taj Mahal was stunning - it seemed to glow in the early evening light. It was a lot more beautiful and imposing then either of us had imagined it would be. We sat mesmerised by it as the sun set. Even when it was dark we could see it's silhouette against the sky.

We had a bite to eat, Sarb decided to take an arty nighttime photo from the rooftop, and then headed back to our room to bed. Jo slept in her sleeping bag liner but Sarb braved the bedding.

Day 67 (Tues 12 Sep) - Manali

We had a great nights sleep. Jo wanted to have a lie in and watch "Oprah" on TV so Sarb went to have his fix on the internet. Later we had breakfast and spent the rest of the morning on the internet blogging.

We had a final lunch of momos at Chopsticks, said adieu to Manali and then gathered together our stuff and went to find the private bus stand to locate our deluxe coach. En route we spotted an excellent example of colour coordination. Did sting the eyes though.

We found our bus which didn't look that luxurious but the seats were quite comfy. We settled ourselves and the bus left promptly at 3.30pm. We thought this was a good sign but we were wrong. We had just left Manali and we stopped. We thought more passengers were coming on board although it was already pretty full but then we heard someone on the roof. After a while we set off again only to stop again. This time we saw large, heavy boxes being put on the roof. They finally ran out of room on the roof so put some in the aisle - we were not impressed.

After about 20 minutes we continued but stopped at a small garage. Sarb went to see what was going on. Only later, once we got to Dehli, did he tell Jo that a small man was going about the axle with a hammer, as no axle he was sure before or since has been set about. This rather unorthodox manner of running repairs seemed to do the trick as we are still here to tell the tale.

We finally reached Kullu at 6.30pm which meant we had only travelled about 40kms in three hours. This was going to be a long night! Just as we were leaving Kullu we stopped to let some passengers on. A couple of them were Isreali tourists and they were not happy about their seating arrangements and started arguing with the driver and then other passengers. By this time it was 7pm and it was getting dark, we started wondered whether we'd ever get to Dehli.

Eventually the coach got going and we were able to doze off as we travelled down the highlands towards Mandi and then to Chandigarh.

Suddenly Jo woke up as she heard a noise coming from one of the tyres. Sarb was still asleep but fortunately the driver wasn't as he stopped to investigate. Sure enough we had a flat tyre so we had to wait another half an hour for them to change the tyre. When we got going again we both dozed until morning.

Day 66 (Mon 11 Sep) - Kaza / Manali

Fortunately we got up early as our driver arrived at 4.30am to pick us up. Jo was not very happy as there was already four other passengers in the jeep and the only place left for us to sit was squashed up on the front seat - not really the best place for a nervous passenger to sit. Anyway the driver strapped our bags to the roof and we were off.

In the vast darkness our headlights seemed to make a pitiful attempt at illumination. As we travelled however we would occasionally spot a pair of piercing yellow eyes relecting the light from the headlamps. And we once spotted the small form of a fox scampering away.

Just outside Kaza we overtook the public bus as it bumped along - Jo was so pleased that she wasn't on that bus. We don't know if we were safer in the jeep but we felt a lot safer and it was a more pleasant, smoother ride. We arrived at the Police Check point in Losar village at just after 6am where Jo and the driver had to wake up the policeman to log our passports.

Later we stopped for breakfast and Sarb made friends with a local. Not sure what his name was but a woman shouted at him and it sounded like Scooby.

It seemed in no time we left the rocky, dry valley and arrived back in the green forest mountains. We were making great time and thought we would be back in Manali for lunchtime. However, when we stopped for a mid morning break we noticed that there was an enourmous traffic jam down the side of the mountain below. We edged our way down the mountain towards the queue and our driver cockily overtook the queue of traffic and headed to the front. It emerged that a truck was stuck on the same piece of road as we had witnessed a truck having problems with on our way to Kaza.

This time it was a lot worse as there must have been a heavy downpour as the road was just a mud bath. There was no way any trucks or buses would be passing on that road - good job we weren't on the public bus. Fortunately cars seemed to be light enough to pass on the road so our driver decided to lead the way and drive down the road. It was very muddy and we were a bit worried that we were going to slide off the road and down into the valley but we made it. However once we got the other side we were in a right jam as trucks and cars had driven up both sides of the road so there was no way we could pass. We slowly edged our way forward but it took ages as no one was taking control so vehicles were all over the place. We finally made our way through but that had taken over a hour.

We finally arrived in Manali at 1.45pm and were not impressed to be hassled by the hotel touts as soon as we got off the jeep. Jo spotted a reasonable looking hotel nearby so we went to check it out. The Snow View Hotel seemed fine so we checked in. Jo was happy to chill out in the room but Sarb was restless and hungry so he went off to find food and an internet cafe.

We had decided that the easiest and quickest way back to Delhi was to get a deluxe sleeper coach so later we booked some tickets for the following day.

We had a relaxing dinner and went to bed.

Day 65 (Sun 10 Sep) - Kaza

Sarb was restless so got up early and went off in search of an internet cafe. Everywhere was closed but he thought this was just because it was early. Jo was quite happy just chilling in the room as she still didn't feel well. Sarb finally found an internet cafe open and he happily caught up on a few emails. We have realised that Sarb needs his regular fix on a computer.

Later in the afternoon we decided to have a little walk around Kaza ( [1], [2], [3] ) and look into how we could leave the next day. It was very hot and everything in Kaza seemed pretty closed. We did find a helpful travel operator who explained our options. We could either hire a jeep, get the public bus again or go in a shared jeep. He said hiring a jeep would be the safest option followed by going by bus. He explained that the problem with the shared Jeep was that they usually tried to fit as many people as possible in so there could be ten people in one jeep. We decided to mull over our options.

We decided to reserve a place on the public bus but also go back to our helpful tour operator to see if there was shared jeep available which had a driver who was not intent on taking the whole of Kaza back to Manali. He said he'd try to find one and should call back later. Returned and found out to our relief (Jo especially) that there was a shared jeep, leaving in the morning, and we were the only passengers so far and that the driver wouldn't carry more than five passengers.

We decided to book a place and after dinner we met our driver and arranged to be picked up at 5am the next morning.

Day 64 (Sat 9 Sep) - Kaza

When we woke up Jo didn't feel to well. We weren't too sure whether it was due to the altitude as we were some 12,500 feet up, or just her cold getting worse. We lazed around, Sarb taking some random photos from our room, and then went to find some breakfast. We ended up going back to the Willow restaurant which was deserted again and we had to wait for some time for someone to come out of the kitchen to take our order.

Whilst we were waiting for our breakfast Sarb said that we needed to decided how long we would stay in Kaza and when we would get the bus back to Manali. The mere thought of going back on the bus filled Jo with panic. There was no way she could face that horrendous journey again - she prefer to spend the rest of her days in Kaza. The conversation got a bit emotional as Jo was not feeling well and couldn't communicate her feelings to Sarb. In the end we decided to postpone discussing leaving Kaza and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

It was really hot so we made sure we were well covered up and walked towards the river.

When go there it had virtually dried up but what was left still had a pretty forceful current. Looking down the valley we could see the start of the mighty Himalayan Range, snow capped in the distance.

Quite strange but the only sounds we could hear was the murmuring of the river and the occasional shout from the locals or of a tractor being driven in the distance. No sounds from any birds or any insects at all.

We watched as locals washed their clothes and children played in the river. Sarb attempted to cross the river but decided the current was too strong. Then he saw an old woman collecting fire wood across the river and decided to give it another go, only to be thwarted. In the end he decided to build a bridge across with stones but didn't get very far.

Whilst Jo was watching all this activity two local boys came over. They gestured for the binoculars she was holding, so she handed them over. The boys seemed to enoy looking at their friends in the distance. They introduced themselves and then troddled off. Decided that sounded like a plan and slowly made our way up the steep bank; the air is remarkably thin here.

As we walked back through the village we noticed that people in Kaza seem a lot friendlier than in other places we have been. They are just happy to say hello, rather than wanting money or gifts - it was such a refreshing change.

Day 63 (Fri 8 Sep) - Manali / Kaza

We both had an awful nights sleep - dogs were barking all night and people were slamming doors until the early hours.

We got up and headed across the road to the bus station for 5am. The bus station was very quiet and people were sleeping everywhere. We found someone who directed us to an old, clapped out bus - for some reason we expected a newer bus to take us on our 11 hour epic journey. We were the first ones on the bus but it soon filled up with locals and then we felt a bit happier when more western tourists joined the bus. It was the first time we had travelled in India with other western tourists.

The bus left a dark and quiet Manali at 5.30am. As we left Manali we started to climb up the mountains. We stopped for tea about halfway up one mountain . It soon got lighter and we could see snow on the mountain tops. The road was pretty muddy as there had been a fair amount of rain. At one point a truck was having problems getting round a bend because it kept getting stuck in the mud. After a number of attempts he finally made it.

As we climbed up the side of the mountain the road got worse. It was very bumpy, we were sitting at the back of the bus which didn't help. We had to hold on to the seats in front of us otherwise we would have been bumped off our seats. At one point we hit a very large bump and Sarb, who was not paying attention, took to the air. The phrase he almost hit the roof seemed fitting.

As the bus continued to slowly climb the side of the mountain our ears began to pop. The views around us were breathtaking but the roads were seriously scary - so we decided to concentrate on the views. When we got to the top of the mountain we went down the otherside, into the valley at the bottom of which runs the Bea river. Going down was worse as the driver seemed to swing around the bends - it was particularly scary when another vehicle came the other way and one of us had to reverse along the tiny roads. The roads were definitely not built for two vehicles.

As we travelled up and down mountains the scenery changed. When we set out it was very green and lush but as we continued it got drier and like a desert littered with rocks of all sizes ( [1], [2] ). The time seemed to fly by because the scenery was so amazing - good job as there was no hope of reading as it was just too bumpy.

Before we knew it it was 11.30am and we stopped for a break. We were in the middle of nowhere; there was just a few tents where a couple were selling drinks and food. Obviously there were no toilets so Jo had to go behind a rock.

After our break we set off again. It was amazing to see locals camping or just walking in the middle of nowhere with their goats or sheep - no a village in sight.

At the summit of one set of mountains we came across a Tibetan stupa , strung with prayer flags. The background provided by the snow dusted mountains and the blue sky was incredible.

Just on from the stupa we came across an unlucky truck driver who had managed to snap the axle of his truck.

We had been travelling for some eight hours before we came to a village of permanent buildings. We had to stop at the Police check point and show them our passports. The roads got more hair raising as we continued. The bus was driving through rocks which had been carved out of the side of the mountain on one side and there was a sheer drop on the other side. It was impossible to figure out how the bus was staying on the road.

By the time we reached Kaza at 4pm we were shattered - it had been an exhausting journey not just physically (surviving the bumps) but mentally (willing and praying that the bus would stay on the road). The scenery however more than made up for the hardship ( [1], [2], [3], [4] ).

We stumbled off the bus and had the fun of trying to find somewhere to stay in the scorching heat. After looking at a few dodgy places, Sarb found Dekyit Gatsel Guest House which was only Rs 250 and had a stunning view over the valley.

We went to sleep for a few hours and then went for a snack in a deserted restaurant nearby called Willow restaurant. We then went back to bed.

Day 62 (Thurs 7 Sep) - Mandi / Manali

We got up and had a surprisingly nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We packed up our gear and headed off to the bus stand to catch a bus to Manali. Luckily just as we arrived at the bus stand a bus was leaving for Manali so we clambered on.

The bus took the busy valley road which followed the river. There was some impressive sheer drops on our right hand side as we started to climb up the valley. As we travelled we could see temples perched high up on the sides of the valley. Now again elegant 'rope' bridges appeared strung across the river.

Our bus driver seemed intent on overtaking every vehicle, even on blind bends. It was getting pretty scary as he was driving really fast and recklessly. Suddenly we had to stop as there was a queue of traffic in front of us. People were getting out of their vehicles and looking over the side of the road down into the valley. It became obvious that a vehicle had left the road and was at the bottom of the valley. People were trying to help but everyone on our bus seemed to think there was no way the passengers would have survived the fall. We thought after witnessing this our bus driver would slow down and take a bit more care, but no he seemed more intent on getting to Manali as quickly as possible.

We drove on for another half a hour and came to another queue of traffic, as normal our driver decided to over take everyone. When we got to the front we noticed that a bus and a truck had had a head on collusion and both vehicles were pretty smashed up. By this time we wanted to get off the bus and walk! Sarb looked terrified .

Our bus driver continued driving like a mad man until we had gone through a large tunnel in the mountain ater which he seemed to drive at a snails pace. We have no idea what was going on in his head but we were grateful that we had to change buses when we got to Kullu .

When we arrived at Manali the Bus stand was mad. Manali seemed to be a busy tourist place and there were loads of hotel and tour touts. We fought our way to the booking office to find out about buses to Spiti Valley and booked a ticket for a bus early the following morning.

We needed to sort out some accommodation for the night so we popped into Chopsticks restaurant for a late lunch whilst we considered our options. We had a tasty tibetan lunch - Jo had vegetable momos in soup whilst Sarb, being more adventurous, had the fried mutton momos.

Sarb then headed off to find a place to stay. He managed to get a really cheap room at Pushpak Hotel which was ideally located near the bus stand. When we settled in the room we realised why it was so cheap - it smelt damp and it was dirty but we were only staying one night and were getting up really early the next morning so we stayed put.

Later we explored Manali a bit - it could easily be an alpine tourist resort in Europe. The surrounding scenery is stunning and you only remember you are in india when you hear and see the mad auto rickshaws beeping down the road.

We had an early night as we had to get up at 4.30am.

Day 61 (Wed 6 Sep) - McLeod Ganj / Mandi

A warm overcast morning as we left our hotel and caught a bus to Dharamsala.

Once at the bus stop we soon found another bus that would take us to Mandi.

Weather started to get very warm and bright as we traveled through valleys covered in tall pines and over rivers ( [1], [2], [3]).

Mandi is perched alongside the wide Beas river. As we approached we could see some splendid temples.

An autorickshaw ride from the bus stop took us to the centre of Mandi, from which we walked to our hotel. En route a procession passed close by complete with a colourful elephant.

Our hotel is a large rambling affair; apparently a rajas's palace of old. From the gardens we could see the moon rise.

As it was about 6pm we went to the bar to get a drink and some food. The unfriendly waiter told us that there was no food and then proceeded to a table of men behind us where he started taking food orders!!!! We were not impressed and so after a drink we headed off to the centre of Mandi.

The centre of Mandi is made up of a sunken shopping centre with a nice neat garden right at the bottom and lined with shops.

We went to the Treat restaurant and had a fine feed. Traipsed back to the hotel fairly tired.

Day 60 (Tues 5 Sep) - McLeod Ganj

We got up and found a nice tibetan cafe for breakfast.

After breakfast we headed off to the small village of Dharamkot - this time we made sure we were on the right road.

The road took us up quite a steep climb ( [1], [2] ) up the side of the mountain where we came across a small temple full of playful monkeys ( [1], [2], [3] ). We watched for a while as they played around a small idol and pruned themselves.

The round winds itself back into McLeod Ganj. Sarb uploaded some photos onto the blog as Jo went back to the room as she had a headache.

Late afternoon we walked to the Tibetan temple complex. Jo stayed below whilst Sarb had a nose around the temple, spun the prayer wheels and saw the gated entrance to the Dalai Lama's residence.

Walked back to the hotel where we were lucky to witness another spectacular sunset ( [1], [2] ).

Went for Tibetan grub at the Snow Lion restaurant. Excellent. Sat with an Israeli couple and chatted through dinner.

All four of us then went to McLos for a beer. The couple recommended we try to get to the Spiti valley as they had recently arrived from there. Seems like a good call.

Checked how to get to Spiti once back at the hotel. Seems like a long journey but we are up for it.

Day 59 (Mon 4 Sep) - McLeod Ganj

We got up, had breakfast and went to see what delights the tourist office could give us.

We asked if they had any information on short walks in the area. The tourist official just looked at us blankly as if we'd asked for a ticket to the moon. Then just said no he didn't... and that was that! No other suggestions, he just went back to reading his newspaper. After we didn't budge he finally suggested we go to a local bookshop.

After some searching around we found a map at a bookshop but it didn't have any short walks. We decided to head off to Dal Lake a few hours walk away.

Our map wasn't very helpful so we followed the sign posts out of the town. We were following the main road out of McLeod but we realised that it was the wrong road; from our map we saw another road marked that would take us to the lake. Tried to find it with no luck.

By this time we have been walking for over half an hour and we were pretty hot. We decided to turn back. Not long after we found our missing road. We realised how unfit we are, especially Jo, as we had to stop every couple of metres on the steep road to catch up our breath.

We finally reached the "sacred lake" and were surprised to see two brightly coloured pedalos tied up at the edge of the lake. We didn't have to wait long before a loud indian family took the pedalos out into the lake - what a sight!

We decided to walk higher up to the little village of Naddi. It was quite a struggle but it was worth it for the amazing views of the valley. Sarb then spotted a sign for a cafe further up the mountain, Jo reluctantly followed him. When we finally reached the cafe it was closed down so we sat down on some rocks to catch our breath. Suddenly a herd of goats came along, and one of them decided to rub himself up against the rock Jo was sitting on. He was very persistent and nearly pushed Jo off ( [1], [2] ).

As we sat admiring the view the clouds came down so we couldn't really get any photos to do the view justice, or to show how far up we had climbed.

Headed back to McLeod Ganj. By the time we got back we were pretty hot and tired so we dived into McLos for a drink. Jo just had a soft drink but Sarb had a couple of beers which went straight to his head.

We went back to the hotel for a rest, witnessed a beautiful sunset and then had a fabulous dinner at Nick's Italian kitchen. We sat on the roof terrace and had delicious home made ravioli and garlic bread. We walked back to the hotel, Sarb managing to walk twice the distance as he zig zagged the roads, and a good nights sleep.

Day 58 (Sun 3 Sep) - McLeod Ganj

A cloudy start to the day saw us drop off our laundry and then have breakfast at Nick's. Took some piccies of the view from our room ( [1], [2] ).

Nice way to have breakfast; the soothing music, basically drums and cymbals but very slow was very relaxing (reminded Sarb of Blade Runner).

Walked to a small village called Bhagsu where we took in the great views. Through Bhagsu we passed some ornate Hindu temples and then out onto a path that led to the waterfall.

This path winds itself along the side of a green valley the bottom of which is strewn with boulders of all sizes. We could see the path of massive landslides/rockfalls that had completely denuded parts of the valley of all vegetation.

Walked to the waterfall at the end of the valley. Very beautiful.

On the way back the weather quickly closed in ( [1], [2], [3] ) such that we could not even see the waterfall some 200 yards away!

We passed a woman herding her goats as we walked back to MG through the market street; full of colourful stalls and enticing smells.

Done some internet stuff and had lunch at a rooftop resteraunt. Whilst sitting there it was amazing to see the clouds literally roll in, obscuring buildings that were not that far away. However it never became cold.

Went for dinner at McLos and had a couple of beers. Met a young American who had clearly come to 'find himself'.

Walked back to the hotel, past the cows that seem to take up residence in the town centre at night.

Day 57 (Sat 2 Sep) - Dalhousie / McLeod Ganj

Up to a drizzly morning.

At 9.30am there was a knock on the door. Sarb answered the door to Herman. 'Would we like breakfast?' said Herman in a style that can only be described in as exactly the opposite you would expect from someone in the hospitality industry. Nope, we will not be having breakfast and Sarb made to close the door.

'So will you want the bill then?' pressed Herman. Nope, said Sarb, we will come down to pay it in one hour once I get out of the cold damp air and I have put on some more clothing.

'You know check out is at 12pm?' warned Herman. Thanks Herman, but Sarb was sure that the hordes of monkeys that were now sitting watching this performance were not too troubled that they may have been delayed checking in by a few minutes.

Finally Sarb managed to get rid of Herman. 15 minutes later Herman reappeared with the bill!!! We paid it and felt it was a small sum compared to the prospect of repeated visits from Herman.

Got packed and headed out in the light rain up to the monument. Saw some really cute shaggy mutts having a sleep on a heap of rubble in the rain! Had breakfast in Shere Punjab looking out at the valley below and watching the monkeys. Slightly spoiled by a group of Indian tourists that sat directly behind us with the fruits of their fertility. To say they made a racket would be an understatement!

We wandered onto the bus station and got there at about 11.30am. The next bus was meant to be at 2pm but luckily a bus was there, with its motor running, headed to Dharamsala. We loaded up our bags and settled into the crowded bus.

The bus seemed to stop every 5 minutes which was a relief as otherwise it was basically hanging onto the edge of the valley with two wheels and a prayer.

After an age we arrived at what we thought was Dharamsala. The conductor beckoned to us to get off and then led us to another bus. Totally confused Sarb stood by the back of the bus, shouting at the new conductor asking if this bus took us to Dharamsala. The conductor shook his head. In India this means; Yes, No, Maybe, I don't know.

Sarb thankfully resisted the urge to pummel the conductors head in with a blunt instrument. Anyway as this spirited exchange was occurring Jo decided to take matters into her own hands, and laden with the two small rucksacks, proceeded to climb the stairs at the back of the bus and then fall in.

Things got a bit hazy from here. In a spirit of solidarity Sarb initially decided to follow Jo up the same stairs, however his path was impeded by a spreadeagled Jo. So lugging the two big rucksacks he scrambled onto the bus via the front stairs. Since the bus was absolutely crowded we could only make eye contact from opposite ends of the bus.

After about 10km we finally got to Dharamsala but couldn't make out where the bus station was where we were to catch the bus to McLeod Ganj. Found a cafe where we decided to regroup and have a coke.

Got a cab to McLeod Ganj and tried bartering for a hotel. Jo came up trumps with a bartering style that left Sarb and the hoteliers bemused but did get us a top room with a brilliant view for half price!

Dumped the bags and went in search of booze. Sarb had a beer whilst Jo persevered in her quest that someone, somewhere must have a bottle of Pinot Grigio tucked away somewhere. Unfortunately for Jo she ended up with a bottle of paint stripper.

Went to a nearby restaurant for a veggie pizza and basically passed out back at the hotel.

Day 56 (Fri 1 Sep) - Dalhousie

Up quite late and headed down to the dining room for breakfast.

After placing our orders with Herman we could hear him shouting below us. It turns out that he was shouting to find out where the cook had got to! Breakfast finally appeared and just as we were going back up to our room the rains started in again.

It was so miserable that we decided to watch a little telly in bed. So while the rain pelted down we watched some crap tv. Just like being in London really.

Sarb got up at about 2ish stating that despite the weather we needed some money and to find a new place to eat. So he went off and walked round Dalhousie in the pouring rain. Couldn't find an ATM, but managed to find a good place to eat for later. On his travels he managed to find some beers and some pineapple juice for Jo.

Got back to the rooms and after resting for a bit we decided to both have a walk round town ( [1], [2], [3] ). Went for a long amble on which a friendly dog decided he would take us for a walk. We named him Benjy and he led us round the town, peering over at us as we stopped for shelter when the rains became really bad.

Had a nice dinner in Shere Punjab and toddled off back to the hotel.

I slept soundly however the sound of the heavy rain kept Jo up.