Thank God for that

Ok, back to the present, or to be more precise 6:00am IST. As I write the sun is rising on our second day in India and I'm thinking of good ways to get to sleep.....I really need some sleep, must be jet lag- (very annoyed that Sarah is sleeping like a baby, might have to wake her up).


Sarah’s quote of the day: “I haven’t seen one leper yet."

The main emotion I felt when I stepped off the plane and onto Indian soil for the first time wasn’t excitement or anticipation, as you might expect, but relief. This wasn’t because I am a nervous passenger nor was it because I was sat next to a smelly, drunk Chinese man who liked to talk and spit at the same time. No, the cause for my relief was that at the point of arrival, I realised that all the stress of getting packed, saying goodbye to everyone and their cat, filling forms, last minute DIY and generally rushing around like a blue-arsed fly had, in that instant, gone.
So, what follows is a little advice on planning for anyone thinking about a similar trip.

There are two schools of approach here:

1. The Sensible Road
Plan everything to a ‘T’ and end up endlessly worrying about some small detail that you’re sure you’ve forgotten.

2. The Reggie Perrin
Decide one day that you’ve had it, sod it all, pack your bag, book your flight and go.

In an ideal world I would plump for option number 2 every time. There are, however, a few unforeseen issues with this method (trying, for example, to enter a country requiring a visa without one doesn’t tend to work out-as I found out a few years back).

Luckily, my better half, Sar, is a natural born planner and what she doesn’t know about spreadsheets isn’t worth knowing. As such, our planning has been a fine blend of the blindly reckless and completely anal and, on reflection, it has worked out pretty well so far(bear in mind this is still our first day!)
Three Golden Rules of planning

1. You will always forget something

2. All you really need is a passport, visa and cash.

3. No-one looks good wearing a head torch





Mumbai- What a Shithole!

Before you object, I say this in admiration and not in a desire to criticise. Because overall as far as I can tell, Mumbai is just that and more, and a dirtier, smellier, more interesting and alive place I have never come across before.
This city is an assault on all the senses, from the streets filled with endless sleeping figures at night, to the constant, choking smog pumped out by the wall to wall traffic, with drivers honking horns at every opportunity in a bid to be heard in the crowd. Add to this the oppressive, unforgiving heat of the Indian sun and you have a metropolis which sucks you up and spits you out leaving you shocked, exhausted and bewildered by the sheer amount of life on show.
Right enough from me. Sarah’s take on things so far to come in the next post...................Im off to slzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


Please note: Sarah fully intends to show her face once her cold sore has gone.




Bit of scrabble on the plane





Why do we always get twin beds?





The Taj Palace Lobby- Security has increased somewhat since the attrocities last November
A rare quiet street in Mumbai - It was Eid, so apparently much quieter, we thought it was pretty hectic till we went out on tuesday.
Waiter serves Roast Hedgehog - Chicken in salt dough - in the Taj palace- The food here was excellent, and a bit pricey. Well worth it though for a one off indulgence.

Midday Monday Market Madness-Mumbai
The pleasures of beer for breakfast.

In the back of a Mumbai taxi - Hot, dirty, with the stink of stale sweat. "You want A/C? Open the window."
Our future transport - Don't tell sar.


"No Photos please!"
"That's far enough thankyou."
What a View!



The Local brew - good stuff!

Sleeping Lions - Sar Doing what Sar does best.

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