Hi, It was suggested to me that I put a copy of our travel blog to North India on here in case anyone might be interested in reading it...??!! Unfortunately i will not be able to show the accompanying photo's, which make it come much more alive than mere words, but hope it will not be too boring!!! it is a bit personalised in places as it was mainly written to keep in touch with friends and family and i apologise for that, i will remove as many private comments as possible but bear with me please!! so here goes...

part one ....

Well after a few months doing little in Goa we are off again....
NOT LONG NOW!!
Goa, India
Friday, Apr 25, 2008

Well only a week before we leave!! in fact this time next week we will be on the train to Delhi!! We leave Margao in Goa at 11am on 2nd May, so will have to leave home early morning, arriving in Delhi 24 hrs later at 12 noon, and rather than risking missing an earlier connection which we could have booked at delhi (been there, done that!!) we booked the later train from Delhi to Amritsar leaving in the evening of that day and arriving in Amritsar 11 hours later!!so we MAY have some time to kill in Delhi...but at least if we have a breakdown (like last years that lasted 8 hrs!!) we have some hope of making our connection...I have been told that this is a really (quote) 'upmarket train' we are getting to Delhi...UUUmmm really!!?? lets reserve judgement on that for now eh!! lol

Its absolutely boiling here in Goa at present and the humidity is draining us... i know that Delhi and Amritsar will be worse right now but things should cool down as we get further North to the Himalayas... thankfully!! We are still tweaking our itinery and trying to fit in all sorts of 'extras' ..or rather I am... but think we will have to play it by ear.... I have started to get together all the essentials (essentials!!??... unbelievable what becomes essential!!) i will need to pack... knowing that i had better do it in good time in order that I then have plenty of time to decide what has to come back out again!! a slight weight problem!! nothing new!! and i just know my rucksack will be hellish but despite all I refuse to leave my feather pillow behind...or the cockroach spray...definite essentials.... no arguments!! will update more nearer the time... really looking forward to getting away from Goa now and doing something!!

Part 2 Started Packing!!
Goa, India Sunday, Apr 27, 2008 22:27

Well I hope I have made the right decision to start a 'travelpod' as opposed to sending a roundrobin email to everybody, friends and family, who (might) be interested...or not LOL!! in where we are and what we are doing...(Mum, if you or any other (as you would say) 'wrinklies' are reading this then.... LOL or lol = laugh out loud... you know...as you do!!

Anyway I just think it might be easier doing this blog on here, as in some places where internet access can be 'dodgy' to say the least...powercuts abound... and broadband not always what we call broadband, this website has a little shortcut where you can easily (??) leave messages an load pictures...(very optimistic!! from past experience) although I have to say it does feel a bit weird to think all and sundry (oops sorry that sounded bad!!) but well, total strangers, can read our 'Blog' ... there is an option to 'privatise it' haha (I think you have to pay??) but i thought, well what the hell... who cares!! ..nobody out there I shouldnt think!! and it will probably be of little interest to others, although i have to say, I personally quite like reading peoples travel blogs and it can be really useful to hear others opinions, when you yourself are traveling to similar places...

so anyway... yes I have got my rucksack out and unzipped it .... umm and have a pile of things on the spare bed in anticipation.. I find it really difficult to travel light and always end up with far too much anyway.. so will eliminate things as i go along,, after much umming and arrring!!i hope to trial run it tomorrow...properly ... in its entireity!!

Today was our last Sunday in Goa and although we rarely eat 'continental' food in 'tourist' type restaurants, we thought we would have a lush last roast dinner ..well actually by coincidence we did have one last week too !! but its only about our 4th roast lunch in many months!! and who knows when we will have the next one? certainly not in the next few weeks thats for sure....so we had the full works, well almost, they managed the cheese sauce for the cauliflower.... which last week they didnt quite get!! language barrier/confusion/whatever! but today they forgot the rest of the veg... I hadn't noticed until i was half way through (yes I know thats a surprise) i was so busy drooling over the roast potatoes and yorkies , it wasn't until Mike pointed it out!! then of course I was all disapointed and felt cheated!! typical, but thought i had better not say anything as the cauli cheese was gorgeous and it was all so delicious anyway.... of course there is always a price! in this case about 580 rupees an astronomical amount here.. but it did include a bottle of mineral water I suppose! so that was about what?? £7.35 ... yes very expensive considering our meal last night was only about £4.50 and included a sweet (for me) and drinks!

So I have read my list from last years travels re what i have to pack and updated it to include a few other bits.. my iPod, and speakers... I think they (the speakers) might fit in Mick's rucksack..! for a few days at least and then removed by him on D Day as being a non essential!!

One of the reasons I am writing this further entry before we leave is that I want to be familiar with this travelblog thingy before i am somewhere other than 'home' ... so bear with me and sorry if this is boring!! Hopefully it will get better... getting very excited now and just keen to get away now its so close

Actually we are both pretty upset as due to unforseen circumstances, Suresh, the Nepalise lad who does our garden, is now unable to travel with us, he too is soo devastated.. he has been counting the days for months.. ah bless, such a shame..... we took him traveling last year and he was brill, not only having the language, hindi... a great help and of course much better than my limited vocabulary, but he also carried my rucksack... a real boon!! HELP!! I shall have to really travel light now, still we shall have a great time i hope, but will really miss him...AND NOT cos he carries my rucksack i hasten to add!! ..... but I WILL miss him if i find a cockroach, snake or creepy crawly!! he's so brave!

so off to bed now.... OMG just checked the weather for Amritsar next week 40+ degrees!! Apparently all of north India is having a heat wave, help! and just about everywhere else looks pretty hot hot hot too.... I thought Manali and Shimla would be cooler? the weather here in Goa is just unbearable and they say hotter (humidity wise) than it has been for years, but then the whole season this year has been 'different' from usual.... must be global warming...and our AC is STILL not fixed in the bedroom... mind you perhaps we should get used to that as probably wont always/often have AC on our travels... Mike will find that harder than me i think ...

I do hope i will receive some replies along the way to make us feel more connected to 'home'..where is home i ask myself!!! so for now au revoir!!

Part three
D DAY has arrived !! We leave in the morning!![/size]
Goa, India Thursday, May 01, 2008 23:05

So its here, we are all packed and leave in the morning...
its been hectic since I last wrote, we have seemed to just spend all our time... well a lot of our time... running round getting all the last minute things we need .. well to rephrase that 'all the things I think we need' ...and believe me running round here isnt like running down town at home and popping into Tesco's ... or curry's etc Oh no!! even the most simple task becomes a major operation, from the chaos on the roads (actually for once very quiet compared to usual but mostly because all the tourists have left as the last charters have gone) to the trying to find a shop that sells anything you want!! I was trying to get a smaller camera as mine is heavy and too large, we tried Mapusa first but that was hopeless .. we got sent to loads of tiny little 'shops' that sold mobiles mostly and did repairs...then were told apparently theres no market for digi camera's 'here' ... I mean we are in Goa...I just cant believe that, (or can I ??) so we got back on the bike and went to the capitol Panjim, after walking around for ages looking for the place we were told had lots of cameras to choose from of different makes, we found it... they had a display of about 5/6 mostly sony, a couple of others, and only one of each in stock, and when I asked to look at one (unchained out of the locked cabinet) they were horrified and the poor lad was scared to let me hold it.... it got worse when i asked to see another one too as I wanted to compare them....we felt all eyes were on us and I even asked did he want to hold my passport, I really wasn't going to run off with it, but I did want to hold it and get a feel for it and explore the buttons etc he seemed to find this quite odd and said 'you can see it there mam' (through the glass) anyway we then found the sony shop a vast improvement about 6 or 8 cameras there but of couurse all sony... so I settled for the smallest the cybershot w120....now i know all you out there are thinking OMG she usually buys online to get it cheap cheap cheap...but 'what to do' this is India and it probably wouldnt arrive!! thats if i could find it online here!!

The packing went quite well really and i (I think!!) I got it down to the bare (ish) minimum but still felt like I was going to collapse when I tried the rucksack on this evening... so when we went out for dinner tonight, I made sure I got lots of small change rupee notes, as I told Mick I dont intend carrying that 'bag' one step more than I absolutely have to!! and will pay a 'coolie' at Delhi and wherever else to carry it for me!! I dread the thought of fighting my way onto the train with it...its like a warzone when the train arrives and we never seem to be anywhere near the right carriage and these trains can be 3 miles long on occassion!!!!!!!!!! Great!! .. cant wait... !! I also went and bought one of those little heating elements to ensure i could always have a cuppa on demand!! just in case as i do love my tea!! .... chai is ok but its in a tiny cup and very sweet and not everywhere does 'ordinary' tea!! unlike here...

Goa is really lovely at the moment as all the beaches are empty with barely any shacks left on them and many of the 'touristy' restaurants are closed... we have also been saying our goodbyes to lots of our friends who are leaving till next season .... and the roads were really so quiet going to Panjim I could see places I hadnt seen for years!! in the tourist season the place is full of restaurants and makeshift stalls and goodness knows what else..now it is mostly locals and some 'Indian' tourists... bombay and Delhiwallahs!! its lovely ....so like it used to be years ago,, there are so many little altars and beautiful temples in the most obscure places, like along the side of the road or in the middle of a field..or on some rocks out at sea.... and i took a few pics enroute from the speeding bike.. we have been making the most of the pool as not sure when I will get in another one!! God I shalll miss my daily swim for sure.........

We had a poisonous snake roaming in the garden opposite (see pics in last entry) and would be interested to know if anyone knows what type it is??? also there is a very large cobra on the loose in my neighbours garden!! lovely!!

So I am off to bed now and hope i can find an internet somewhere between trains when we reach Delhi in a couple of days.......I shall no doubt be tired and dirty after 24 hours on the train....(Oh NO forgot the immodium...!!) never needed them yet but you can bet if i havent got them I will!! Oh well too late now unless i see a pharmacy in the morning... actually talking of pharmacies.. take a look at the pic of Boots... its a 'first copy' as they say here cos of course there are no 'Boots the chemist' here in India..Nike (who works in Boots Pharmacy) thought it was hilarious when we passed it going to palolem when her and Tom were here, especially with all the cows wandering about outside!!

but i am sure it will be fun, all the food and drink is free on this train and we have 'beds' ..well bunks.. to sleep in, 3 tiers each side of the carriage..and of course I will have my nice feather pillow and cotton pillowcase that belonged to my Gran.. nice and soft!! ahhh ...hope my 'neighbours' dont snore......well they will have to compete with Mick if so ..

... so for now .... byeeee.. got to be up at 6am!! not used to these early starts!!

chilly x