Srinivas Hotel Mangalore

... at work. The rest of Udupi involved eating and nothing else: fried plaintain chips, pav bhaji (little fried dumplings) with coconut sambol, butterscotch ice cream, murruku (like the big fat bits you get in 'bombay mix'), south Indian 'meals', more iddli, and of course masala dosas. Obviously this wasn't all in one go, dear no, not even Paul and I could manage that. Everything was suitably delicious and there wasn't a meal exceeding a pound for both of us. So Udupi had lived up to its name.

... aforementioned thalis. We had one last night, and it is the best so far. Of course, being in the South, its spicier, and also eating with your hands is mandatory - I'm sure I could have cutlery if I asked, but I'm not bad at it, and it seems to cause less of a scene by joining in as everyone else does. Yesterday we went to see the temple, where they have an elephant outside giving out blessings instead of a priest, quite a funny ...

... y *nd he likes to trek too. It's the first experience for Ar*thi, so I w*s * bit concerned *bout her. I st*rted re*ding *ll the tr*velogues online to collect *s much inform*tion *s possible. I'm sc*red of heights. I w*nted to ensure if this is something which I c*n do. Whenever I c*lled Vinu, I *sked him, "Vinu, *re the bridges sc*ry?" M*ny tr*velogues h*d the first timer's experiences *nd they seemed to h*ve covered it smoothly. I checked with Reshm* *nd Soumy ...

... stops there. We point at the coconuts so that they understand that we want one, and they actually went and picked new ones for us instead of taking from their already huge pile. Then they cut them open for us with a big machete. The thing about eating fresh coconuts is that there is the juice in the middle and then you can eat the flesh on the inside of the shell. So they had specifically given us very large coconuts so there was a TON of ...

... off a stomach bug, doing everything he could to keep everything in. Mangalore, however, was worth the trip. It was described in the LP guide book as basically just a place to refill on supplies before moving on. But they also mentioned that it was a place where people are quick to smile. That's what sold me. It's a university town, with dozens of campuses (many medical related), a large ...

... in which case, carry on. Drinking a little less and getting up early helps you to keep your wits about you, and even enjoy your trip a little more. Remember, there will always be another "party" in life, so it is not the end of the world if you miss one. You will thank yourself for giving yourself the full experience of Goa and not spending your mornings nursing a headache or worse. Again, follow your heart, it speaks, and one needs to but cut out the noise and listen ...

Palolem is considered to be the most beautiful beach in Goa, and truly it is a wonderful place, but the half-life of beach towns is growing smaller for me, there is only so much relaxation one can have, and even the nicest ways one can spend a day-- awakening near dawn, swimming in the sea, having curds and fruit for breakfast, philosophical conversation, playing guitar to the whole place at around sunset, then superb and cheap healthy food for dinner, and ...

... in the morning....and that too is a very low flow....for the past few weeks there is some work going on in the water system and many places are having major water cuts....also since our house is on higher ground, we get much less pressure....but i am glad that i am here because both my uncle and grandmother are quite old and have difficulty walking and picking up things....so i am at least able to help.....so currently i am ...

Not much to report from Mangalore...really cheap food (we are not obsessed with food!!!).. thalis (all you can eat mixed plate delights) for 11 rupees (about 40 cents) and masala dosa (stuffed savory pancake as long as your arm) for 4 rupees!!!!! After a couple of lunches (one before we found a place to stay and then one after checking in) Mark was struck down by a ...

... After all only one more managed to bite me before we arrived back the village. I had much more luck than some of the other fellow travellers. In a small house we cooked some 'instant' Indian food. Rice and curries. Nothing special but nice. Mixed with your fingers on some banana leaves, I try hard to get as much as possible only with my fingers in my mouth and I succeeded, think I was really hungry. Only few dry clothes are left for the long night bus back to Bangalore.