Ginger Hotel Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

... of time really. We get back into the white antique car and drive along which I can describe as one of the most harrowing experiences ever. No traffic rules, with full families on scooters, auto rickshaws, trucks, cars, people...endless honking, running, swerving, shouting. This is driving in India. We pass crowds, ladies selling fresh fish on the road, food stalls, meat stalls with meat hanging out, small houses, stray dogs darting between cars, trash pickers, men ...

... threw the flowers and powder onto the base of the brass lamps which symbolized the mother's feet. The priest was giving all kinds of offerings at the front. For the Ganesha ceremony which was held to clear any forthcoming obstacles for new students, we felt the love when we threw rice puffs into a larger fire in the middle of the yantra. Both ceremonies ended with us bowing to the teachers, recieving a tika blessing bird poo dot on our foreheads, drinking coconut ...

... I knew what it is called so I could order it elsewhere. So far the only other light food I've had is the tandoori fish, which I'll have tonight if possible. An English couple who spend their winters in Portugal are going to dinner with us. A woman who runs a shop has a baby. It is only 1 month old and is very small and delicate. She sleeps in a tiny baby hammock. I've been meaning to buy something from her and did ...

... in the backwater from our guides. After a dinner of egg curry and being taught card tricks by our hosts effusive & erudite youngest daughter, we retired for the sleep of the dead. The next morning we caught the local ferry back to town, happy with our lot. Waiting for our train south the Varkala the next morning, the train station hummed; Indian families in their Sunday best, especially the kids. For the first time we saw little boys in over-sized suits and little girls ...

... camp bed I've ever experienced. My mosquito net was completely useless, because it didn't fit the bed and I kept getting tangled up in it. I was really hot and couldn't sleep and was considering just sleeping on the floor. And that's exactly what happened, but it wasn't out of choice. It started to rain. At first it was just drizzle, so I just lay there thinking it would pass, but it didn't ...

... bowls and tops-that-look-nice-but-will-shrink-and -fall-apart, and cafes promising beer, spirits and cigarettes, and a subtle hint of more should we pear through the cloudy haze of Bob Marley worshippers cross-legged on floor-cushions, and venture inside. We, however, are are on the hunt for fish, having been two months on a fish-free diet, and perhaps, oh go on, one of those tops which shrink. Love to all, Em xxx

... palms. Trivandrum was short and sweet, and we breakfasted in the Indian Coffee House, where the waiters have bypassed Starbucks training school in favour of a more formal look ad disposition (see photo). The building was shaped like a lighthouse,with booths spiralling up into infinity (or thereabouts). Most magical. And then we were off again, up the coast to Verkala where we quite need some time to sit down and relax. This isn't a bloody holiday you know! xxxx

... to live upto the full quota but it was fairly pleasant and we went to the zoo for a few rupees which was good fun, if not a little bit depressing for the animals, especially the birds, who were barred up in very enclosed spaces with no space to take a leap and fly around a bit. So, after anight, we packed our bags to Kovlam, resorty Kerala, but beach, tick, sand, tick, seafood, tick, made it paradise, finally!

... school had tipped out to watch the scene, with lots of kids with enquiring minds and lots of questions. I felt I had the tough job looking after the kids... A few elders who normally came for a wash, also asked lots of questions of me and very kindly delayed their bathing until Jiff and Meng had finished. It was all great fun.. None of this was organised excursion but a simple question to an Indain tailor after dinner one ...

... cheap, cheap. We bag a room at Seawin Resorts (it's on your left as you drive up the dirt tack to Bamboo Village) and highly recommended). We got a first floor room with balcony; satellite TV and a bath for 250 rupees a night! It's quite a walk to the cliff top restaurants and shacks but worth every rupee so check it out next time you are there. I fill the bath with water and enjoy a nice soak my first in months - I really miss laying in the bath! There ...