Aurangabad- Delhi

After Hydrabad I went to a city close to the Ajanta and Ellora caves called Aurangabad. Aurangabad was not so interesting itself. It is a fairly big town surrounded by lots of fields. The hostel I stayed in was great, but the manager was a cranky old guy, who wanted things done only the way he wanted, even if it made no sense to anyone else. He got upset if I did not take breakfast in the hostel. Though he was actually quite a sweet man underneath it all.

The girl in my dorm was off to the caves, so I joined her. The cave carvings were wonderful. A mix of Jain, Hindu and Buddhist carvings and sculptures. The caves were full of bats too, which scared me at times. Suddenly they would all just fly around. It was exhausting in the heat looking at the caves. We had to climb so many stairs and I think they would have been better after the monsoon as the river was totally dry.

The carvings were spectacular. I do not know how they have remand to be in such a great condition with the heavy rains that happen in India. The detail and precision of the craftsmanship was amazing.

I needed to make my way to Mumbai to meet some friends. Thought I would break up the long journey and stop in a town called Nasik. The guide book recommended it as it is one of the holy sights in India. When I got there, I would not agree with this. The landscape was interesting, but the town itself seemed to be like anywhere else. My expectations were too high. I went to have a walk by the river, and it was full with activity. People were bathing, doing laundry, buffalo's were taking a soak and more besides. A huge market and a few temples surrounded this part of the river too. The temples were unusual as they were made from black stone.

Then I made my onward journey to meet up with Greg and his teacher friends, and soon I was off to Kochin. It felt like a long journey to get to Kochin. We stayed in two bungalows on the beach. The two guys had one and the three girls had the other. For me it was great to have magazines, and make up and a hair dryer and hair straighteners. I loved looking through all the gossip magazines that the girls had brought over.

The two weeks in Kochin just flew by. We drunk beer on the beach. Everyone, except me enjoyed watching the lightning, which was amazing. One morning we went to the elephant sanctuary and had a cuddle with some elephants. We also took a boat out on the back waters. We played a lot in the sea and cycled around town. It was very relaxing and so beautiful. Lots of palm trees. Warm sea water. Great food and a little bit to drink. I had not drunk beer for quite a while and felt very drunk after just one bottle. It was great to be around friends and relax.

We headed back to Mumbai and spent a few days there in a lovely hotel. Went to have a look at the Taj Mahal Hotel and shopped a bit around Mumbai. We attempted to dance Indian style in one of the bars. I really enjoyed Mumbai and preferred it to Delhi.

I found it sad saying goodbye to everyone and realised I was really missing home. I really wanted to be around people I know and places that know. The heat was getting too much for me, so I decided to catch my train to Delhi instead of where I had planned and moved my flight to come home a few weeks early. So I am now back in the UK.

Jodpur to Hyderabad

It feels like so much has happened since my last update! My memory is already fading, which is a really bad sign.

The night train to Jaisalmer was fine. Very comfortable. I think this was my first over night train. I chose to go 3rd class with air con. The carriage was mixed with foreign tourists and army men. I did not know that Jaisalmer is one of the Indian Air force bases. The guys were nice and friendly.

I slept surprisingly well, and was pleased that Jaisalmer was the last stop otherwise who knows where I would have ended up. I met my hotel owner at the train station and had to give my apologies ad the train was two hours late getting in. It was beautiful to see the sun rising, the colours of the sky changing, and seeing people walking around with blankets wrapped around themselves. It was 5.30am and pretty chilly.

I checked in to my hotel and slept for a while. Pleased that I had two thick blankets to snuggle in to. Once I got myself together booked myself on to a camel safari.

Camel safari was great fun. There was me, a French couple and four English girls. Everyone found it very painful on their thighs. Each time we got off the camel we had to kinda dance around to shake out the pain. The trek was great. We would walk for a few hours then rest under the shadow of the trees and shrubs. The food cooked was amazing despite everything being so basic.

Once we arrived at the sand dunes the sun was quite low and the dunes looked golden like butter. The ripples in the sand were getting bigger and bigger as the sun sunk lower and lower. We all finished playing around on the sand once there was no more light and dinner was ready. A man wanted to sell us some beers but none of us wanted any. We were all so tired and wanted to sleep. The beer seller was not too happy with us. I think he thought we are a sure thing.

We all enjoyed looking up at the stars and trying to work out star constellations, shooting stars, planets and of course satalights. The sky was so bright and beautiful. Gradually we all fell a sleep and were all surprisingly warm under our blankets.

We were all awake early, well with the sunrise, and after breakfast were ready to get back on the camels. I think camels are one of the smelliest animals. They fart and poo so much.

Once the trek was over I was walking a little bit funny and the locals made fun of me. The following few days I explored the fort and surrounding areas with some people from the hotel. The fort might be the prettiest I have seen so far. Every where there are intricate carvings in the sand stone. Everything of such fine detail. I am so impressed that it is still standing as sandstone is so soft, but Jaisalmer rarely sees the rain.

My time in Jaiselmar came to an end and it was time to move on. I had to take two over night trains to get to Udaipur. The first one, I thought I had booked myself on to a women's only carriage, but I was the only woman on the carriage. Everyone else were army men. No one spoke to me, except to ask where I was getting off. Once a few women and families got on I felt more comfortable. The guys did not speak to me again except to wake me up 10 minutes before the train pulled in to Jaipur- where I was changing trains. They woke up the entire carriage like it was a military exercise. I was grateful and a bit shocked at the same time.

I spent the day in Jaipur. Decided to do the city tour, which I never did before and had plenty of time before my next train. I had a lot of fun. I did not go in to all the attractions, as some of them I had seen, so I hung out with the driver, whilst everyone else was inside the palaces and forts. He was very interesting and brought me lots of chai. We went to the local markets and chatted with everyone.

Once the tour was over I had a bit of time spare before my train. I met an English and a Canadian girl in the waiting room. We all had a great chat and exchanged our stories of India so far. We were all going in different directions, though our trains all left about the same time.

Train to Udaipur was okay. Waking up to the sunrise and the mist and the hills were a delight. I had spent the best part of two weeks in barren land, and mostly flat that it was a real pleasure to see water and hills and greenery.

Udaipur is a medium sized town. There is a modern part and the older part. The temples and the palaces were again so beautiful. The art work is of such fine craftsmanship. No patterns are repeated. Everything is perfect.

I spend my first week here volunteering for an animal hospital. I cycled there and the locals found this quite funny. The setting of the hospital was in the middle of rural farm land. All the animals had problems. Most had mange, some had broken limbs and others paralysed. The dogs and cat were so loving. I would do basic chores of walking them, brushing them and just giving them lots of attention. I really enjoyed it. There were lots of tiny cute puppies and the most beautiful cat I have ever seen.

All the staff and volunteers were great too. Got on with everyone so well. They were patient with me as I was scared of some of the dogs as they liked to bark a lot, though managed to over come this fear after a while.

I had the intention of volunteering for two weeks, but I was finally struck down with Delhi Belly. I had not been this ill since I was a child. I think it was a combination of working out in the heat all day and I do not want to think what else. I felt so bad for the people in my dorm room. I am sure I kept everyone up all night. I asked to see a doctor and was getting better quickly with the anti biotics he gave me. Once I was over the worst of it I manage to get out and about again. People in the dorm were so kind and friendly. We all started to go to yoga together and explore further sights in Udaipur.

It was time to get on the road again, well train. I took the sleeper train to Delhi. Normally I prefer the sleeper train, more air and more comfortable than 3rd class air con. I had forgotten how much cooler Delhi was and froze all through the night. I met up with some friends that I had first met in Delhi for the morning and afternoon, then in the afternoon met up with some friends from home.

We all celebrated Holi together, which was throwing colours at each other and looking ridiculous, but it was all great fun. Next day we took a flight to Goa.

Getting of the plane at Goa was great. Back in the hot humid tropical weather. The guys found the heat a little bit difficult to deal with then me, having come fresh from the UK. We checked in to nice beach side apartment. It was wonderful to be out of the tourist scene for a little while.

Goa is a total contrast from Rajasthan. It was the first time in months I had seen bars and bottle shops. There are great big, beautiful churches here. There are a mix of men and women working. The beaches were beautiful. Soft sand. Plenty of shelter. We were not able to walk on the sand in the middle of the day as it burnt our feet. The coast is full of palm trees. Goa is very relaxing.

We checked out a few of the bars. I had not really had much to drink since New Year's Eve so had to take it easy, and nor could I drink very much so boringly switched back to lime sodas. The bars were fun, but I could have been in Phuket, Byron Bay or Ibiza. It is a fun, party beach town. Sure there was more to explore than the beach, the bars and a few churches. It was nice to take a break from rushing around from place to place.

Time flew by in Goa. The guys were heading north and I wanted to make my way to Hampi. We all said our goodbyes and I went off on my first night bus in India. I feel that the guys miss out here as the bus was filled with half dressed Russian girls. The bus journey was fun. Chatted loads and exchanged stories as usual.

Arriving at Hampi was fine. Checking in to my hostel with someone from the bus, then we went out exploring the ruins of Hampi. There were so many. Not sure if they are all real, but the sculptures and scenery were amazing. There were boulders scattered everywhere. Huge rocks and a lovely river that ran through the village. Not sure where the water source started from. It felt like a desert here and I actually got sunburnt here.

The sculptors and stone carvings were of so many different things. Battles, gods, goddesses, and various erotic images. Every space that could be decorated was. I am sure back in the day there would have been precious stones and much more decoration.

It was clear that there was wealth from tourism here in Hampi, though people claimed to still be poor. I am not sure if this is still the case. People here were very relaxed too.

I am now in Hyderabad. It feels a bit like Kuala Lumpur . It is a modern city. The roads are full of traffic. There is a big Muslim presence here. Its also very well developed. It could be a city anywhere in the world. There are thriving businesses here.

I am off to see the local film studios tomorrow then in the evening will be off to Ellora to explore the caves in the surrounding areas.

Delhi to Jodhpur

I was very apprehensive about going to India. I had heard so much about the country that my head was spinning. I was told I would hate it and would be sick through out my trip, its really hard work and I would be scammed by everyone. I think I have been told this about every country I have visited. I was expecting things to be very different from South East Asia and did not know what to think.

Arriving in to Delhi was great. Passengers on the plane welcomed me to India. They were very pleased to have foreign visitors. Once I checked in to my hostel and had a good sleep I went out to explore the city, but could not see anything due tot he thick mist everywhere, and had to run back to get a jumper. Delhi is so cold. I got so confused and got harassed by so many auto rickshaw drivers. I had to pretend I knew where I was going. Then random people would say hello and that they wanted to practise their English, then people offered to be my guide for the day. It was getting too much for me so I went back to my dorm and hid for a while.


Everything was unfamiliar and confusing for me. The city is so loud and busy. I thought the best thing for me was to book on to a city tour. Thought this would help me to get my bearings. Well, the trip was so rushed. Not sure what I saw, but go to chat to lots of people visiting the capital as it was one of the national holidays. Everyone told me that they work for the government and wanted to know everything about me. Maybe I spent more time talking then listening to where we were going. So I still did not really understand the city.


I went in again on my own and was fine. Asked where certain places were and got plenty of help. Maybe too much help sometimes. I would ask one person in a shop to help, then I was surrounded by 5 or more people trying to help, getting confused and not always answering the question I wanted the answer too. All so funny and quite testing of my delicate patience that I thought I would hop on the Internet for some relief. Though this proved to be a challenge too as everyone in the Internet cafe wanted to talk to me, so I caught the bus back to the hostel and relaxed for a while.


People in the hostel were fantastic. Lots of people were so willing to help me and chat about what ever. I never realised Indian people were so chatty. They all helped me with the trains and the buses and places to go visit. All very sweet lovely people.


I left Delhi and made my way to Agra on the train. I went in the lowest class and the locals told me not to do this. The carriage was a little fuller than normal, but less so then rush hour in London on the tube. Again, everyone wanted to talk. The chai, chai, chai and kofee kofee kofee men were annoying at first, but the noise soon blended in to the back ground. I arrived to Agra and it was such a contrast from Delhi. All the roads unmade, goats, cows, chickens, monkeys, dogs running wild everywhere, along with their mess too. Goats were eating out of the seats of motorbikes and sleeping on top of the market tables. It was so crowded. I was amazed how many motorbikes, rickshaws, cars and people could move so efficiently along the smallest of streets. This place was louder then Delhi. The noise never stopped, until I stepped in side Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. Then there was peace. So much peace that I never wanted to go back out to the streets of Agra.


Agra is a very interesting place. It is so tiny. People are using old fashioned machinery. There is a huge mosque in the middle and people have built their homes all around it. The streets are a mess. I went to Agra Fort first and the building and art work their is spectacular. Huge red brick fort and palace, but the Ta Mahal was something else. I tried to go for sunrise, but my auto rickshaw driver had different ideas. I still got to to see the marble changing colour with the sunlight and the mist clearing to reveal it in its beauty. The contrast of peace and tranquility inside the Taj Mahal and the chaos outside also adds to how amazing the palace is.


Next stop from Agra was Jaipur, known as the 'Pink City', and it truly is. Apparently it was pained pink to impress King Edward. Jaipur was a great shopping haven, with a lot of heavy sellers. Jaipur has a wonderful aroma of spice and sweets. The shops are full of colourful sarees. People are dying fabrics in the streets. The city is organised and pretty. The forts and palaces are stunning and so are the of rocky mountains that surround the city.


I was very fortunate to be able to stay with a friend's family for my time spent there. I was fed the best Indian food I have eaten and it was great to be off the traveller's circuit for a few days.

From Jaipur I took the train to Pushkar. This place was recommended to me as it is peaceful, and its was a great place to relax. There are 500 temples here, and it really is set up for tourists. The shops are filled with everything for the traveller plus an Internet cafe every two meters. I climbed the two hills there to check out the temples and the views of the desert landscape and villages. The climb up the hills was hard in the heat, plus I am pretty unfit these days, but the hard work was soon forgotten once I got to the top. I was so relaxed leaving Pushkar, and was finally getting in to India. My white skin attracts so much attention and often I become the tourist attraction, the noise from the traffic and the bossy demands from the shop sellers and auto rickshaw drivers were causing me many frustrations. I know this was happening to everyone , but it took me a while to get used to this.

So I am now in Jodhpur. I now find India and Indian people beautiful. Jodhpur is very friendly, though I find some of the people a little bit odd, but in a good way. Its wedding season here, so have taken to watching the wedding processions with men and children on horses and camels, the master bands playing their tunes and people happily dancing in the street. Only seen the grooms so far covered in flowers!

India has a rich history, people living here are very proud of their country and the way things are developing. People are very sweet and kind. It would help if I could speak the language, but the way things are done are getting clearer to me. I did find it very hard at first. My mood would change so many times a day. Everywhere I have been so far is so very different. I am off to Jaisalmer tonight, which is the Thar Desert and hope to go camel trekking for a few days so will have to wait and see how that goes.

Singapore

The weather has been great this time round in Singapore. Blue skies and hot, humid sunshine.

I had a look around Orchard road on my first day to have a look around the gigantic shopping malls. There are so many and they are all 8 floors and more high. People enjoy shopping here for sure.

The next day I went over to Sentosa which is an island just south of Singapore. I was not that impressed with this island. It was pure make believe. It is also soo tiny. Managed to walk around it in 30 minutes. The island is a big tourist resort with man made beaches. The sea view is of huge tankers and boats going to Indonesia. The water was full of fish, but it did not tempt me enough to take a dip.

I have been chilling a lot this week. Taking in all the buildings and surroundings. I did the China Town walk, and Little India walk and visited the small Arab district. The buildings and people change quite dramatically on this small island. I am staying close to Little India. It is fairly quite Monday to Saturday. Then on Sunday the district is overflowing with people enjoying their one day off.

I spent one day on the east of the island and hopped over to Pulau Ubin which was a fun island to cycle round. It was full of coconut trees and swaps and huge spiders. The area on the east of Singapore is different from the city centre. Here is the prison and the RAF barracks. I could not say it is run down, as no where I have been in Singapore could be described quite like that, but neither was it the same atmosphere of the city. It looked out of place, like it did not belong to Singapore.

China Town is pretty and decorated with lanterns and orange blossom. I went down for the Lunar New Year's Eve. I did enjoy myself, but everything was in Chinese and really quite cheesy, with local pop groups and dances. so I did not really understand what was going on. There was a small lion dance too which was cool, but I could not see the stage so well, though I was right in front of the fire crackers, and thought I was going to die when they were lit. They went off very quickly. so much smoke came out of them. All the crowd close by all jumped away from the barriers.

Walking back to the hostel from China Town was interesting. The air smelt of incense as people were attending the temples and making their prayers for the New Year. People were offering flowers and mandarins and incense. And of course it was raining, so it made me feel like the New Year has really begun.

Today most things are closed. Will head out today and tomorrow to take my final pictures of Singapore. Tomorrow night I head for Dehli so will a new place to encounter.

Singapore is very easy. There is clear information for everything and is so well organised. It is clean. There are details about the history everywhere and it is quite difficult to get lost as everything is signposted. People compare Hong Kong and Singapore. I felt that Singapore is very friendly as people will just offer their help, kindly. Singapore is very flat and does not have the dramatic views that Hong Kong does, which makes Singapore even easier to walk around.

Penang to Melaka

I am now in Melaka. I leave for Singapore tomorrow. I have been so lazy over the past two weeks.

I was so happy to leave Penang, with all my bed bug bites. Arriving in Kuala Lumpur was great. The bus journey was quick and easy. I booked in to a different hostel than the one before. This one was fine, but not as nice as the previous one, but it was only 2 pounds a night. Can't complain.

I was in the girls dorm, but the dorm we walked though was the guys dorm, and every morning is smelt so bad. The guys always drunk so much every night and smelt that way too. Unfortunately I had to walk through this in order to get to the bathroom, so there was no way to avoid this.

The main reason for me returning to KL was to get my Indian Visa. So this was the first thing that I did. I went to the Malaysian Tourist board to find out where I needed to go. They gave me the address, and I knew where to go. Well so I thought. The address they gave me was incorrect. The address was now something else. They vaguely told me where to go. I had to keep asking people where I needed to go. A few hours later I finally got there, and it turns out that it has moved and is only a 2 minute walk from where I am staying. Great as I had to return to get the paperwork sorted, but not so great as it took me all day to find this place!!

I had seen most of the sights in KL already, so decided to teach myself how to crochet and knit. Thought that this may help me with some of the long bus journeys I have to do. I was also inspired by the haberdashery that was opposite the hostel. So I spent some of my time learning how to do this. It was actually a great way of chatting to people in the dorm too and picking up travel and craft tips. I know all you guys in the UK could do with scarves, gloves, hats and thermals as I hear it is so cold. Here in the tropics I guess its not needed so much. Maybe you will all have some handmade crafts as gifts when I return.

My Australian friends got in touch with me and said that they had some friends in KL, so I hung out with them for a while. It was great to chat about non-travel things. We went out for a banana leaf curry, and I know I should be eating with my hands now, but shamefully I am still asking for cutlery. Once in India I guess I will be eating with my hands all the time. For now, I will use cutlery.

I spent more time in the different parts of KL. The city is getting ready for the Chinese New Year. There are red lanterns everywhere. Where Christmas trees there are now ox's as this year is the year of the ox. There is orange blossom with red envelopes on, sadly I don't think they contained a red banknote. The shops are just filled to the brim with decorations, the same way shops in the UK fill up with Christmas decorations.

I spent sometime in Little India eating all the great food, and looking at the bright silk clothing. I admired the temples and the buildings. I also walked through the City Jungle and went to the park. The park is full of monkeys. People stop and feed them peanuts from their cars. The monkeys were actually very cute, especially as there were babies and the mother was carrying the babies under her.

I finally left KL once my India visa came through. This journey was very quick, and a little bit too bumpy for crochet.

I am now in Melaka. Its fun here. The hostel is very friendly. We go out for dinner every night together. The food here is great. There are lots of churches and temples. There is a Dutch and Portuguese influence. Big Chinese population too. The entire streets are decorated with lanterns and we get spoilt each evening with a Chinese Dragon Dance and Chinese music, though the karaoke is not great.

The art in the shops is wonderful. There are lots of local artists here. All painting and carving away. Its quite a dreamy sort of place. Again a mix of European, Chinese and Indian people and buildings.

I went to one of the Islands just off of Melaka. It was empty. The boat journey was very rough and over crowded. We walked around the island and watched hermit crabs and monitor lizards on the beach. The sea was totally calm on the other side of the island as though we were in two different places.

I leave for Singapore tomorrow afternoon. Looking forward to seeing the Chinese New year in there, then I fligh to Delhi the day before my birthday. So I will end up sleeping all day on my birthday. I arrive at 2am Indian time.

Once I am done with India I will be home! The time has gone very fast. Looking forward to seeing you all, but am enjoying being away too.

Penang, Malaysia and Christmas & New Years in Thailand

Leaving the Cameron Highlands was a bit sad for me. I became very attached to the place. Thought about it a lot even though I was not there and had other places to think about. Descending 1000 meters in to the tropical heat was a little bit of a surprise too. I acclimatise so quickly these days to the temperature changes.

The journey to Penang was simple and easy. The hostel was an interesting place. It was dark wood inside and like a kung fu house. I really liked it. Though the two ladies sharing the room with me liked to be naked a lot. It was there way of dealing with the heat, but I just did not want to see them that way. I was still wearing a lot to sleep in as I was used to wearing so much in bed in the Cameron Highlands, and I guess the nakedness was too much for me. The ladies were actually really lovely and interesting people, but would not talk to each other, so I was often in the middle.

Penang is a real mix of cultures and buildings. A lot of colonial buildings left from the British with Chinese, Hindu and Islamic temples and architecture. Very interesting place. I got to see a dragon dance outside on of the temples, just by chance.

The people are all very friendly, always asking where you are from and how old are you and if you are married. It puzzles the locals that people are not married in their early 20s.

Penang was not my favorite place though. I did not explore as much of the island as I should have. There was much more to see than George Town. It kinda seemed a bit lost to me. Stuck in the past and trying to come forward in to the modern day, with out trying.

Plus I was looking forward to seeing my friends in Thailand and getting back on the beach. The bus journey was dreadful to Thailand. I can't believe how fast we were going. The driver could win any Grand Pix. We got to our destination alive. I just kept my eyes closed. What else could I do. I kept telling myself this is the way they drive over here. The other drivers know what to do. It will be ok.

I was heading to Phuket to be picked up by a friend of a friend. She is managing a yatch and it was beautiful. I spent some time with her and her family before heading north to Khoa Lak where we met up with Brian. I could only stay out for a couple of hours. I was so tired and hungry. I was dizzy and was only drinking soda water.

Next morning I got to appreciate Khoa Lak. Beautiful beaches. Sadly this area in Thailand was the worst hit by the tsunami. The area I was staying in was destroyed by the tsunami. The hotel I stayed at was on the beach front and the wave came in 200 meters from the hotel. Scary. There are warning signs everywhere. We went to look at the memorial sight. There is a ship that was one nautical mile out to sea and was washed in 2k from the shore. The boat was a police boat. It was somber but beautiful at the same time. Everyone has gotten on with their lives.

The town was very quite, but fun. We went to a waterfall and found a temple off the beaten track. We should have used a 4x4 but the car managed to get us there.

Christmas eve we went to a bar with live music. I drank a bit too much. I was dizzy again and this time it was from the vodka and tonics. It meant that I spent far too much time in bed on Christmas Day. When we got up at around 2pm we went to have dinner by the beach. It was beautiful, though it was raining. Just like being in England, although I heard it was sunny over there. My starter was a spicy fruit salad with peanuts, which was fantastic, then Thai green curry, and of course I asked for it to be spicy too, then I had vanilla ice cream, which is not Thai but was decorated with an orchid. I loved my food, plus I was drinking coconut juice from a coconut. Then proceeded to alcohol a little later on.

Boxing Day was lazy too. We soon moved on to Phuket. We stayed on Kata Beach, which was beautiful. I tried to have a go at diving. I think I will have to try it again. I managed to relax in to it but definitely need to try again.

New Year's was fun. Spent some time on the beach, watching the thousands of fireworks go off. Some nearly hitting us. Safety is not a priority here in Asia. I set off a baloon to welcome the New Year wishing everyone good fortune for the year to come.

On New Year's Eve during the day I went on a boat cruise to caves and islands off of Phuket Island. We saw these amazing limestone caves that opened up in to a lagoon. We kayaked in to the caves. The colours and shapes were very interesting.

We went out at high tide, so the entrance to the caves was very small. I was unsure that we would be able to fit though the gap. Once inside it was so dark. We had a flash light which helped. The passage was not very long, and opened up to this perfect lagoon. We were enclosed by the rocks that were above us and in the middle of a mangrove. It was beautiful. The roof of the cave was so low that we had to like down in the kayak. Which made coming out of the cave even more spectacular as above were beautiful green leaves of so many colours and bright blue sky and the water around was an aqua green.

Once we had finished in the caves we took a look around James Bond Island- the Island that is in 'Man with the Golden Gun'. I could be misquoting, but I think it was from that film. The island itself is tiny. We were on an island opposite as it is too small to actually go on, so we got some great views.

Shortly after the New Year arrived I had to make tracks back to Malaysia. They only grant 15 days when you travel by land into Thailand and I did not want to get another fine.

The journey back was fine. Changed buses three times, which is the Thai way to travel! I went to Penang. I wish I had not. I needed to get back to Kaular Lumpur and wanted to break up the journey. I had an encounter with bed bugs. Everywhere was fully booked. I had to stay in a disgusting place. I have so many bites on my body. Next morning, I got straight on a bus to KL. I can still feel things crawling on me!

Today I queued up to apply for my Indian Visa. Hopefully it will be ready in 5 days. So I will be here for at least a week.

I am not sure of my plans from here. I may head to Singapore and go to India early or visit nearby areas. Just waiting for some inspiration then I will know what to do.

Happy New Year to you all. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx