The Muthoot Plaza Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

... very humid. Kerala was India's first Communist Party run state and there are a few hammer and cycle signs painted on walls and buildings. It is the most literate state in India - above 90% and fairly prosperous. <br><br>Wild Palms By Sea is on the Arabian Sea. Outside the hotel wall were several small fishing boats that had been put away for the day. <br> <br>We arranged for a car and driver to take us into town. Kip ...

Hej Alle Saa er vi naaet til Varkala Beach. Et sted man skal passe paa ikke at lade sig fortrylle af, saa tiden ikke flyver af sted og man inden man for set sig om, har vaeret her i flere uger. Her moeder vi igen de to svenskere som ender med at bruge rigtig meget tid sammen med. De har foer rejst i baade Indien, og hele Sydoestasien, saa de kan nogle tricks og giver os nogle gode raad. Som I kan se paa billederne er vi ogsaa en tur ude at ...

... i will do upon my return.. Also just a quick mention for the massive spider i saw yesterday (size of my hand), it was sitting on a shop window and i couldn't sleep at all last night even when i'd checked the bedroom twice, why do they have to grow so massive?!?! We are moving to northern Kerala tomorrow and then to Mysore near Bangalore to see the palaces and hopefully white tigers and white peacocks! Hope the snow is still epic in England and will write again soon!

... we saw the hundreds of houseboats of all sizes tourists can rent overnight. Basically you sit on your **** while being waited on hand and foot. Not our cup of chai, we needed something a little more interactive. With the friendly ticket collector's nod, we hopped off at our destination and walked to the house to meet our guide. The family was warm & welcoming; in a way we hadn't seen in India thus far; charming & charismatic while not being insincere or invasive. We were ...

... more likely extort money from us), we checked out 8 hours after we checked in and ran for a little coastal resort called Varkala not far away! Ok, so we wasted 440 rupees on a night's hotel accommodation but there was no way we were staying there and everywhere else in Trivandrum seemed to be full or even more ropey!

... the state's unforgiving monsoons. An hour into the drive, we have exited Kerala state, entered Tamil Nadu and, before long, are in Marthandam, the first major town across the border. The signboards now are more in Tamil, but for the records the folks living in the entire stretch manage each other's languages with reasonable comfort. 60 kms into our journey, we approach Thuckalai, and the busy as ever conductor nudges us ...

... one by now!? But for me, India remains a place of mystery. Why do they all have those moustaches? What long term hope can there be for an 80% moustachioed country? How does such a culture evolve and does it not put all of Darwin's theories into question? Do you ever see Shiva sporting a handlebar moustache? I think not. Did Vishnu woo the shepherdesses with his finely trimmed moustachio? No! Buddha ...

... for stops in local towns and great photo opportunities, but before you decide, consider your back and the abhorrent state of indian roads and traffic. and before you presume a peaceful sleep, envision the musical bus horns, singing out the same initially funny eventually maddening 10 note tune every time the driver needs to warn a car of an impending, opposite side of the road pass - essentially, the indian way of saying "i'm bigger than you ...

... then good. His life, and family life are amazing - leaving Britain, fearing British Intelligence, coming to Australia and being held in a detention centre, from the Canary Islands to India - it was mind-boggling. India - truly, something for everyone. Ultimately, if Oban or Bowen is destroyed - please get to the Kodaikanals in Tamil Nadu, for as the great philosopher told us personally - it's the safest place on Earth, when the destruction of mankind comes rolling around.

The day we got on that plane, searching for a new life, We knew we wouldn't regret it even when we got into strife! We touched down here in Delhi, around 2 am, Cleared customs at last, our bodies tired and lame. We booked a taxi to Paharganj, In need of some sleep, in this very strange land. The sights and sounds of Delhi, we never will forget, Here is the place where a cow is your pet. There are pigs and chickens just wondering the streets, All hoping they won't ...