India

(Rich typing)
We've decided to take respite from the extremely hot sun in the relative solace of the local 'internet cafe'. With the air conditioning on, it makes a real haven from outside! It seems to be getting hotter by the day at the moment, although the sea makes a refreshing, if warm, break!
Yesterday we dragged ourselves off the beach to the hustle and bustle of Anjuna Flea market. (a one and a half hour bus ride from here) Originally this was started back in the swinging sixties by "hippies and freaks" as they're affectionately known in the lonely planet and by locals, wanting to extend their stay in India, by raising money by selling little trinkets, souvenirs and cakes etc. Nowadays it's a huge affair, where you need at least 4 hours to do it any justice! We went with our new found famous friend - an English-American called Sam, who is an actor, and has starred in films such as, Snatch, Hackers, Eyes Wide Closed and can now be found gracing the West End in Porgy and Bess! Hes here on his own and is staying a little down the beach at some other beach huts.
At the market we bought a selection of ultimately useless things, such as little coconut boxes, jewelery and (admittedly mre useful) a couple of pashminas and some handmade salad servers for our house in newcastle. (made from yak horn shonah states!) The market was incredibly hot, only made bearable by the frequent drink stops at little bars.
Upon returning we went for a swim as the sun set, in warm waters and slightly cooler air temps. All very romantic! haha.
After having showered we went to the local restaurant for our first proper meal together since shonah got ill. Was like luxury to order what we both wanted, instead of ordering what sho could manage to keep down! We even had starters and two bottles of beer - splashing out for the evening. Our frivolties cost us back the equivalent of 6 pounds - money well spent we reasoned!
This morning we spent another few hours on the beach, contemplating if and when, (or more like, if we can actually be bothered to move) we will move elsewhere. Our logic at the moment jleads us to believe we'll be hard pushed to find anywhere else worth moving to permanently, so for now, we stay firmly put. If we do decide to move, we're going to hire mopeds for the day and go and see whats what.

Gilly - no idea as to why australia couldn't read our diaries - the address you gave is correct and should work fine over there?

Hope things in the UK are alright.
Love to all,
Rich and Sho
xx

Hello everyone,

Thanks for your messages( Mum, Jim, Dad, Nikki). Its great to hear that things are good back home! Not long now Nickki and John!. Mum Tulip , i'm pleased the flock is ok!. Pa Dobson... We arrived fine took 1 hour. Jim, it's hard to make it look like we've both been writing each entry, so accept our apologies if its a bit biased towards certain people at times!!

So... we got the bus from Udaipur to Bombay on the 2nd March. This was an overnight bus in which i vomited 3 times (why do indians insist on making everything smell so horrible!) ... it's worse when you feel sick already. Our bus started to the sound of a Bollywood movie (or 5) which drove uus insane. It is basically Indian men dressed in shellsuits dancing around gyrating their hips in a perverted fashion.

The hotel in Bombay was fine and relatively quiet! so that was nice.
I did not step foot outside the hotel room for the 2 days we wetre in Bombay as my illness got worse. I had eaten nothing for 2 days. Rich insisted on getting a doctor to come to the hotel as it wasn't getting better. Doctor came and asked me if 'my shit is like water'! he appologised for the language but i was too faint to care although thid did make us chuckle! He then decided i needed 3 injections to my utter HORROR! He said "in your bottom"... so i got it out then felf like a comlete fool as he really meant "in your hip". It felt like he was using a wooden spoon and so i shouted at him to which he replied "be quiet maam... you are not a child"! lol. It seems to be alot better now anyway but the doctors motto worried me abit when he said it is really god that heals and we must trust in him! . Im am only to eat toast (no butter)for 5 days!

Rich ventured out of the room at one point in search of some good old English foddr (macdonalds!). He returned to the hotel covered in paint of all colurs from head to toe! He has been attacked by a group of teenage lads who were celebrating the Hindi festival of colour called 'Holi'. This made us both have a good laugh!

We flew from Bombay to Goa on the 5th March. We are staying in a 'coco hut'. It is a hut ( a bit like a teepee) built of bamboo and palm leaves. The beach is fab and it really is a haven although it is very very hot! You can't walk on the sand in bare feet as it burns them.

Will update soon. We will probably be staying here in Goa at a place called Benaulim for a while.

Loads of love 2 all

Shonah and Rich (Dobber and Dicky)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello!
We leave Udaipur at 4pm, today, on a coach destined for Bombay - a city more perplexing, intense and equally as large as Delhi. Neither of us are really looking forward to it, but we're viewing it as a means to an end, as we fly to Goa from there a little under 2 days later. We've both got a lot riding on Goa (south) being relaxing, warm and beach infested!! I am certainly looking forward to a life without temples, palaces and prayer ceremonies for at least a few days. Many of the people we've met on our travels so far have said that we wont be dissapointed, especialy seeing as this time is classed as the end of the high season. Hopefully the beach bars wont be too busy!!
We're both suffering at the moment with a few stomach cramps, although so far, Rich has managed to steer clear of the dreaded Diarrhoea. (Touch wood and keep your fingers crossed for me!) However, his stomach cramps are really painful and are certainly putting a tiny tiny damper on things. Am eating plenty of fruit though and drinking plenty of fluids so should get over it soon!!
On a big big plus note, we managed to find an elephant ride the other day!! It was certainly a hi-lite of the trip so far. She was so graceful and unbelievably huge!! It did make me think though, that maybe she wasnt that happy traipsing through the city? Maybe this kind of thing, although obviously highly lucrative to the owners and even more attractive to money flashing tourists, is a sad indictment (sp?) of the way people are willing to do anything to make their 'buck'. Is travelling realy this selfish?!
(protest over)

Hope everyone back home in sunny England and Scotland are well. Kepp posting comments! It's excellent to read them and they certainly give us a smile!!

Love to All,
Dicky and Dobber

To all our followers back home!
Last night was certainly a strange one!! We ended up in what must be Udaipur's poshest restaurant, where we had (Riich certainly anyway, Sho possibly as she was erring on the side of caution with her 'Delhi belly') possibly the nicest meal yet, with definitley the best views of any restaurant I've ever eaten in! It was right on the lake, about 3 storeys up and we managed to wangle a window seat (which are usually reserved days in advance). The sun setting over the lake was brilliant and set the mood for an excellent night!! After having finished our meal, (Rich ventured in to meat territory, as a result of growing bored of vegetarian food), we walked back alongh the lake and somehow ended up in a tailors! We were living like kings, not the eternal travellers who wear the same t-shirts for 3 or 4 25 degree plus consecutive days and think nothing of it! We had eaten at the poshest restaurant in town and Rich was then getting measured up for a couple of suits, made from fabrics that would undoubtedly cost near to thousands in England! Kind of surreal! Anyway, the 2nd fitting is at 8:30pm this evening, where the final fit can be determined and what not! Postage back to england then has to be arranged, probably also including various elephant themed souvenirs for sho and our house in Newcastle!! (I secretly think she wishes she was an elephant 'mahmoot' - the term for an elephant trainer she convincingly assures me, employing the knowledge no doubt picked up from the numerous elephant books she appears to be studying!!hehe.) Anyway, I won't be getting a tan sat hunched over an indian computer, so I must escape!! It's very much like being in the library basement at university, with very little natural light and many computer boffin like souls, with long spindly fimngers seeming designed for rapid keyboard crunching movements!!
Love to all,
Rich

Dear all Blog Readers!
We've decided that we NEED to get to Goa, in a search for sun sand and relaxation, so have started travelling there by various means (Trains, ,buses, taxis, flights and rickshaws!), stopping in Udaipur for 3 nights on the way. (udaipur is south of Pushkar)
We got the bus from Pushkar at midday, and eventually arrived in Udaipur 9hours later, both having been shaken to bits by the most rickety bus in the whole of the indian sub continent! As it was, ,we didnt even make it all the way to Udaipur as the clutch broke about 3km from our intended destination. "5 minute wait, 5 minute wait" we were ensured, although we weren't convinced, ,as all he had to fix the problem was a hammer and one huge stick! We jumped off and into the throes of numerous rickshaw drivers, obviously rubbing their hands in glee at our misfortune and their iminent financial gain from tired, hungry and completely lost english travellers!! We paid 40 Rupees for a lift to our hotel, which is porbably vastly over priced, but neithe of us were in a state to argue, predominantly as a result of a lack of food and sleep!
On arriving at our guest house, we were confronted by the tallest, steepest, narrowest set of stairs ever seen!! Apparently the house was an old Haveli?! After climbing the stairs on all fours (literally!!) we walked in to our room, ,which was more akin to an iraqi prison cell!! The bed was like sleeping on slate! And the shower was seperated from the room with bars!!haha. it certainly had a charm about it!! However, too tired to complain, we slung our bags on the "beds" and made our way out for tea - Pasta with curry sauce! It tasted alright at the time, but as Sho would later find out, did not entirely agree with her digestive system!!
Woke up this am, for the 6th time, after being kept awake from 1am onwards by someone using a pneumatic drill!! We couldnt believe it!
Anyway, Sho got up to go to the toilet and complained of being faint. Next thing I know, I was having to pick her up off the toilet floor and dump her in bed!! Not sure why she'd fainted? Made sure she was properly hydrated with a rehydration sachet, and plyed her with paracetamol for her headache - she appears to be getting better as the day goes on, thankfully. Although she insists the air smells of pasta everywhere we go!! hahaha. She has a laugh about it now anyway!!
Shonah perked up a hell of a lot when we were relocating to a better hotel this morning, when she spotted an elephant!! Her eyes lit up! Neither of us could believe how big it was, just strolling through the narrow streets (Think The shambles in York, ,kind of narrow!) with people on its back! On a similar, animal related note, shonah almost got attacked by an angry cow last night!! It had huge horns and an even bigger attitude!! Haha, neither of us could stop laughing!! Hoping to meet up with Jayne and James, a couple we met in Pushkar at some point, as theyre following a similar itinerary as us and get in to Udaipur today at some point. We'd defo reccommend our new hotel - the rooms appear to be a bargain!! powewr cut, t alk later!!
Sorry about that, had to leave it, as just had power cut!! They are becoming the norm now!!
Anyway, going to leave it now, as people will no doubt be getting fed up of us rambling on.

John and Nik - thanks for the comments, nice to know people other than family read it! Bet you're getting excited now hey!?

Mum and Dad Holland - Hope all is well, going to endeavour to make use of a phone at some point, and give nan a call as well! Hope the cat is alright!?

Nan - How was max's haircut? Bet hes a smart dog now yeah? Hope you have a brilliant time at the spa place! Speak soon.

Jim - stop reading this and get back to studying!! lol.

Andrea and Steven - Hope things are coming along nicely, ,with the baby and the house!! Let me know if the builder has started at the house. Cant wait to come up and see you both.

Mum and Dave Tulip - Hope things are good at home. Did Dave get to Kintyre alright? How is his back? Are the chickens producing more eggs now? Looking forward to an aga style egg when I get home!!

Dad, Sue and Rachel - Hope you enjoy reading about our exploits!! Got any good prints for your exhibition yet dad? Will call when we find a phone!

Gran and Granddad - Missing you lots. (No baksheesh Granddad!) Going to use a dobi whaller soon!! haha. The pillow and sleeping bag liner you got me for xmas have been a god send!

Granddad Fee - I see what you mean about the constant begging in India now! I hope you feel a bit better and have got over your cold! Miss you!

We've sent postcards out, but are unsure as to when/if they'll arrive!!

Love Rich and Sho