India

Hello everyone, it's been a week or so since we've dragged our sorry butts off the beach to update you all on our Indian escapades, for that we apologise. Being honest the frequency of updates we imagine will continue on this same path as we realise that sitting in an internet shop whilst the sun beats down through the window and we loose half of our body mass in sweat isn't as much fun as sipping cocktails and frolicking in the sea, but we'll try our best!

Bit of a mixed week, after our early confidence in the local food we were brought down to earth with a bang (well an explosion of some description) I think we just got a bit cocky and started ordering just about anything on the menu that was meat or seafood based. The straw that broke the camels back was the shark and chips and Tuna and chips we shared for breakfast last Sunday. Even as I (Ant) started to eat it I thought 'hang on a minute, theres something fishy about this ummm fish' and low and behold about 6 hours later we were both suffering from acute rapid vomiting and explosive diarrherea simultaniously (sorry for the graphic description if youve just had your lunch, especially if it was a tuna and mayo sarnie! yuck). We've chalked it up to experience after a few days in bed we're just about back on form.

We've moved a few times since our last update, from Anjuna to Baga which is like the costa del sol on India absolutely 'orrible place with 'orrible British people taking in some "Indian culture" LOL. We made a sharp exit from there onto Benaulim which was a quieter town again on the beach but nothing too exciting to report from our 2 days there just lots of sunbathing, swimming and drinking (how is the weather back home?!)

We are now in Palolem which is the beach featured on most of the pictures you see of Goa, it's stunning! we're staying in the cozy nook beach huts and they're bloody great, slightly more pricey than what we've been used to (about IRS900, which is 8 quid(ish)) but well worth the extra, theres a coconut tree growing through our main room (looks lovley but can be a pain when you get up for a wee in the middle of the night),a bed outside in our own little garden area, along with comfy chairs and chair hammocks just in front abd its dotted with lots of candles and seashells, it's proper like! oh and most importantly its faces the nicest beach we've been to yet! Unfortunately our budget wont allow us to stay here forever but we're going to enjoy the few nights we've got there before we move back to another cheap cockroach infested fleapit (cant wait!)

We've booked to go on 2 boat trips, one to spot dolphins on Monday and another to go snorkelling on butterly island we've realised that sitting on a beach all day isn't all we can do! we'll let you know how they go.

We've found the camera cable that Tan lost but the connection is slower than Bob is putting his hand in his pockets for a round (just kidding!) so we'll have to wait until we get to probably Singapore (26th March) before we can upload any pictures.

Speak to you all soon, Anthony and Tania xx

Having a bit of a problem with the photo's someone naming no names (tania) forgot the USB cable we need to upload them, so we're going to have to wait untill possibly Thailand before we can buy one. (T-maybe I wouldnt have forgotten it if someone (no names!) had put it back in the right box!).

The introduction of meat and seafood into my diet has yet to have any dramatic potentially explosive consequences so I dont know if thats down to my iron stomach or the lack of hygine in our home cooking but so far so good, Tan's still not ventured outside the world of fried cottage cheese and lady fingers (we have no idea what these things are but they appear in every vegitarian meal here) but she did say that the rat kebab and dog hair in pitta sounded almost irrisistable so she may yet be broken.

We're spending our second day in Anjuna which is picture postcard stuff. The beach is miles long and the waters crystal clear (jelous anyone? sorry) theres lots of beach bars and cafe's pumping out techno from about 10am and loads of stalls selling rubbish hippy clothes (Eric would love it) it's like a small Glastonbury by the sea, but with beatiful weather (again sorry)

Looks like we're going to stay here for a few days and i might have to show Tan my moves on a scooter which there are millions of locally, (I wonder if they have Scarabeo's?)

There are far few beggars here only the odd Blind man and one legged cyclops about on the beach but the shop owners are still more pushy than Ian Huntley at bath time.

Right we're off for a dip in the sea (sorry once more people) will write once we've done more than just laze about eat and get drunk ..........which could be a while.

Anthony and Tania xx

O.k it's been a few days and a fair bits happened. The first day in Bombay was how can I put it, how about Hell on earth! the heat was ridiculous the people stare at you the whole time like you've just crawled out of your own arse, and the worst bit of all is all the poverty and namley the beggars. Hundereds of little kids, OAP's and disabled people accost you almost permenantely asking for change or something to eat, Tan found it pretty hard to cope with initially and after a few hours in the city we both wanted to bail ASAP. We went out for food the first night and we're convinced the grub would guarantee us sh*tting through the eye of a needle the next day, so much so Tan got her sewing kit out so we could prove/disprove this theory. Thankfully the food was great and as yet (touch wood) we've not had any cases of the trots to report. Although as yet meat and seafood are unchartered teritory!

We got talking to lots of different Indians and they all have been some of the friendliest and most genuine people we've ever met, our first impressions were most definately way off the mark. The staring thing is apparantely down to them being inquisitive about us and they also find it strange that 2 white people are on holiday in the armpit of the sub continient! and to be fair they have a point Bombay isn't the most attractive city we've ever been to, in fact Merthyr is more asthetically pleasing, but it does have a lot to see and do and it's impossible to be bored there for even a minute. We're both glad we visited and ended up staying for 4 days.

In our 4 days we visited lots of impressive (some tired looking) buildings from the colonial days, Elephanta island and we got to watch the last day of the England Mumbai cricket match which Tania was ecstatic about, to be honest she's still brimming with excitment even today, 3 days later! we've got quite a few photo's already so will have a go soon uploading them.

We left Mumbai on the train yesterday, we thought as it was our first train journey we'd splash out and get 1st class A/C which was about 18quid each for about a 1000 mile journey which we had been led to believe took 8 hours, 13 hours after getting on the train we arrived at old Goa sweaty tired and suffering slightly with cabin fever, the trains here are straight from the 1960's and are using a different clock to the 24hour one the rest of the world uses. The toilets on board were interesting, basically 2 foot rests and a hole to aim into which evidentally went straight onto the track, nice! (im just suprised that someone has the time to scoop all of it up and take it all the way to central Mumbai to drop off)

Went to our first beach today Mariman wich was really nice only spent 2 hours sunbathing but we both managed (even with factor 25 on) to get frazzled we'd only need to order egg and chips and a pint of carling and we'd be the quintessential British tourists!

We passed a resturant near the cricket stadium which we had to eat in, from what the owner says they do a cracking toad in the hole and the sausage curry is not to be missed.....the photo will explain all.

We're off now to have a go at uploading some photo's then im going to bite the bullet and have some tiger prawns which are a bit of a speciallity down this neck of the woods.

Speak to you all soon, Anthony and Tania.

Well we're here, flight was fine weather's nice and hot and its pretty much as we imagined it to be. Coming into land we flew over what can only be described as Blaen Y Maes X1000 hundereds of shanty houses packed together like sardines how people find there way home from the pub after a few Cobra's is anyones guess. We then caught a pre-paid taxi to our hotel (about 2 quid 50 for a 40 minute white knuckle ride) Either India is full of lots of very good drivers or they are just very very lucky, we certainly wont be hiring a car anywhere on the sub continent thats for sure its bazzerk!

Not done anything as yet just been checking out our view from our hotel room, its of an off white dust wall, and very nice it is to.

Off now to soak up some culture and have some sort of chicken dish at the local fast food joint i think its called TajDonalds!

Will write more soon, Ta Ta for now.

Ant and Tan.