Blimey time flies. Finally got 5 minutes for more frustration on rubbish internet cafes, i think they call it slimband not broadband :) cool i still have a sence of humour.

We went from McCloud to Amritsar and saw the Gloden Temple, and a visit to the border with Pakistan, really hillarious they have a mini stadium where Indian and Pakistanis shout insults at each oher and then the border guards perform the most rediculous parades in front of the gates all this is orchastrated by a bollywood style cheerleader and Officers who bellow the exact same orders and see who can shout for the longest!!! guess it beats shooting at each other:)

Amritsar is like something out of blade runner the air polution at night was absolutly the worst i have ever seen. Imagine neon lights flasing every mode of animal and combustion engine transport, beeping, mooing, spitting and grid locked at 3o degrees you have Amritsar. Nice temple though :)

We left Amritser on the overnight train to Delhi and flew out to Bangalore the next afternoon. Spent a great night in Bangalore. Good hotel shower change 17th floor rooftop resturant and the best Indian meal of the trip lookin at the lights. Headed for Puttaparty next day on a pukka pink super delux coach. Well it was super delux untill it reached forty mile per hour then it was like an episode from star treck "scotty, we need more power" cried the conductor as the coach shook"I,m givin it all shes got captain!! she,ll blow if i pusher any harder !!" screamed the driver:) Yea the coach deffinately needed some more dilithium crystals !!

I,ll let Diane write a bit about puttaparty, its an Ashram where a chap called Sai Barba is based. After a very enjoyable day and night we then headed for Chenai on the overnight and down to Malathaparomm and Pondycherry. Pondy was a great place probably because it was built by Europeans with a bit of prior thought. Hired a scoota and chilled on the beaches for a few days recharging the batteries. From Pondy we headed for Madurai, unbelivable Tenples in the middle. You can suffer from templeitous in India but this was a bit special, all the carvings and watching bizarr rituals with camels and elephants decorated, bangin drums and general hero worship by the locals. Strange night was spent killing mozies in the room, before giving in and fitting the net doh after i,d been hit at least 5 times. Fans had one speed which almost lifted the roof, little bit like standing behind a jet aircraft i imagine :) The morning brougha beutiful 5 hour coach to Munnar which is the heart of the tea growing area in Kerala. Spectacular scenery, classic rural India of rice and palms and climbing up over the Western Ghats, amazing 17 hairpin death defying bends with mad max at the wheel of the coach. White knuckle stuff but worth the 90p for the trip. Over the top and into the highlands. I,ve never seen anything like it. Its like the lake district covered in tea !! Just breathtaking. We spent 2 days in a pukka little place and hiked through the hills of tea gardens, and not another soul in site, just the birds and the bees for company. From Munnar we headed onto Fort Kochi which is where i,m sat right now. Lovely lttle portugese settlement on an island just off the coast. Had my beer served in a tea pot and mug !! And lookin at the sun go down over the ocean. Saw the chines fishing nets in action and will stick some pics up when we stop in Vakala. We,re gonna head fof the backwaters and a few wildlife parks over the next 2 / 3 days and will then be spanding xmas in Varkala by the beach. Strange that the whole christmas thing is passing us by hee but we,re thinkin about home at the moment and all the xmas fun we,re missing out on. Cheers to all and hope the lads aren,t missin me 2 much on a friday night !! sorry for the spelling i don,t have Diane to check it :) she is just having a 1 1/2 hour massage and stuff !! ciao for now - jonny