Brindavan Boarding & Lodging Hotel Udupi

Udupi is home of the masala dosa and not a lot else, so this blog entry is going to be fairly food-oriented. Udupi is famous across the country for its food and restaurants all over serve traditional 'Udupi breakfasts' or 'Udupi meals', so by the time we got here our mouths were watering just thinking of all the culinary delights we'd be sampling. We arrived in Udupi at 4.30am and were so grateful that our hotel was visible from the bus stand. We weren't so grateful to discover that our ...

... again, and the cleaners not going to get cracking that early! Why not let us stay until 9 at least?? We decided to pay for the room a second night, even though we have a train, at 11pm, just so we have somewhere to go and don't have to hang about on the streets for 17 hours! Udupi is the home of the rice plate (thali) and masala dosa, and so we'd been looking forward to eating to here. Not only is the food good, but it is inexplicably ...

... Ganeshas födelsedag märktes tydligt i gatubilden, då det överallt fanns stora tält med altare längst fram där någon munk bad och spred rökelse kring gudabilden. I tältena stod oftast många människor och det spelades allt från klassisk indisk musik till klassisk indisk techno vid ceremonierna. Vid bussresorna hamnade man också allt som oftast att vänta på någon parad. Folket hade prytt en trakorkärror eller pickupflak och satt en Ganeshastaty därpå, sedan kom dansande människor ochn ...

... a couple of times a week in their honour. The temple elephant led the procession around the temple grounds, but first a band and drummers led the deities of Krishna and Garuda out of the temple in a golden hand held chariot and they were taken up the ladder into this massive 'vehicle' - watch the videos as they show what happenned! The chariot, looking like a hot air balloon on an ornately carved plinth, was hauled around the grounds by a 200 strong crowd of ...

... etc this place is just off the main road and is 5 mins bus ride into mapusa. So, is still the best location. The lack of Air conditioning is really getting to me this year, maybe cos Ashwin has AC at home now..not fair! I am planning to eventually one day get married and buy a flat of my own, but with all these visa trips, money gets really tight. When are India going to change their Visa system and become more like Sri lanka ...

It's nearly 10pm so I should be tucked away in my little beach hut, but like last night I can't sleep, especially this early. After having got virtually no sleep at all last night, I asked to change huts. It was crazy last night I was so on edge with the cockroach and the trendies downstairs talking til 2am and then it got really cold and then the sea became insanely loud and I lay awake at 6am desperate for a third wee (lots of water drinking) but daren't go ...

... met some lovely people and ate great food. We got hassled on the beach and walking down the road by jewellery and clothes sellers and bought things we didn't want like sarongs, ankle chains, toerings and thai trousers. My stomach was churning on January 9th when we left for our 16 hour train journey to Kerala, but if we hadn't left then we would mess up our schedule and leave ourselves much less time in Kerala and Sri Lanka. And we'd already overrun by a few days as it was.

... the motorbike the other day we did manage to find a go kart track so one bonus of being lost for 4 hours. Now after days of listening to Adam talk it up about his supreme driving skills and his feroza is so powerful it was now time to show Adam how to really drive. So we waited for some rain then it was into a 10 lap race and i was a little disappointed i only beat him by a lap and half. He drives like an old lady and i do have bragging ...

... gesture, a sort of wobbling of the head, which means either yes or no, or both, or hello, or something comepletely other. . Got out of that one alive at least. This is a typical experience on a typical day on a typical Indian road. Don't worry, all, I do wear a crash helmet, picked up at a motorcycle mechanics' on the Arumbol road, and strangely enough, barely worn and a good fit. . . At long last I reached Palolem. Stopped in for a Limca at a small hole-in-the ...

Merry Christmas everyone. Things here are going well, it doesnt feel like Xmas though because its hot (again). I am going to Ashwin's house for Xmas dinner (curry!) and will be attending a Xmas Ball on Christmas day. The Carol singers came around last night, it was really strange for me (not being religious at all), they come into your home to sing, bless the home and stay for snacks. (I was the only western person there - so was a bit of an attraction ...