Pad Thai and Foot Massages, what a life!

It was 9 30am local time, on Thursday when we arrived at the Viengtai Hotel, in the Banglamphu district of Bangkok. Thailand is 7 hours ahead of us, which meant we had been travelling for 21 hours and we were both knackered!

However, by this point I already knew I was going to like Thailand, I had been sent a sign, for as soon as we set off in our waiting car, we were passed by numerous taxis ... And they all were PINK!! Electric pink if I were to be precise!

On arriving at the hotel we were informed that our room would not be ready for another two hours! Seeing as we were situated in one of the 'quieter' roads in the middle of the main bars and restaurants, we thought we would go for a little reckie - But we got as far as approximately five shops up the road, found a 7eleven, each bought a bottle of water then returned to the hotel lounge, were we sat in an exhausted comatose state until our room was ready.

Unpacked and ready to ... sleep!

The hotel room is great and it didn't take long to settle in and pass out on the bed just for a little forty winks.

Four and a half hours later we woke up!

After a quick shower, we were off over the road to one of the many restaurants for dinner where I had my first of many authentic Pad Thais.





The restaurant was called 'My Darling' and as I ate, I looked around at the various statues of Buddha scattered around us, each one different in size and composure and then I looked up to see sitting in the tree above us, was one of Spider-Man?!

After eating we went for a walk amongst the market stalls and traders, i was excited about all the things I was going to buy before the trip was over. It was a pleasant surprise that we weren't hassled or stared at, or pestered to have our picture taken, as had happened to me on too many occasions in India. So far we have only had one person ask if we are sisters! And that was by an American woman at Heathrow airport! She had asked Karen after seeing us talking together and assumed that we must be seeing as we both have ginger hair!

Anyway back to our first night in lovely Thailand ... Having walked around so much that my feet and ankles had literally swollen, I had the perfect excuse to treat myself to a foot massage, available at numerous shops along the strip. With so many to chose from we decided on the one nearest the hotel. What a perfect way to end the day, a nice relaxing half hour foot massage and all for the grand price of ... £2.50!!




This morning the alarm went off at 9 and after a sumptuous breakfast of banana and pancakes, ( somehow I am not sure that I am going to lose the same stone and a half that I lost in India!!) we walked along to the Ratanakosin district where we went in search of The Grand Palace.

En route we were distracted by the amulet market, so went for a little nosey I there. The amulets come in all varieties, mainly depicting a Buddha or Monk. There were some strange carvings about the size if a finger that I picked up to look at, declaring, "Oh these look like whistles". Karen burst out laughing and quietly muttered under her breath. "You may want to put those down, they are the religious penises worn to help fertility!"

Without enough time to go red with embarrassment, I dropped the wooden phallus back on the counter and moved on to admire a rather nice carving of a cat! But do you think I could now be pregnant!?

The Thai Royal Family are highly respected out here, so much so that it is a criminal offence to criticise or make any defamatory remarks about them. Practically every household will display a picture of the King and Queen. In fact as you make your way along the busy streets you will find various enormous pictures and 'shrines' to them. There is even a special language called 'rajasap' (royal language), when either addressing or talking about them.

When Rama 1 was crowned in 1782 he gave the capital a 43 syllable name ... Ready for it? Krungthepmahanakhornbowornrattanakosinmahintarayutthayamahadilokpopnopparatratchathaniburiromudomratchaniwetmahasathanamornpimanabatarnsathitsakkathattiyavisnukarprasit!!

I'm sure you won't be surprised to know that this name can be found in the Guinness Book of Records! But can be shortened to Krung Threp - phew!! More commonly known as Bangkok!

We reached The Grand Palace on foot and were instantly told that our three quarter length trousers weren't respectful enough and were each duly handed a sarong to wear. This was confusing as there seemed to be plenty of women walking around with dresses/skirts above their knees.

The Grand Palace is absolutely stunning and absolutely enormous!! It was officially opened in 1785 to mark the rebirth of the Thai nation after the invasion of the Burmese.

After being practically stunned into silence by the beauty of the buildings we made our way over to the northeast corner of the Courtyard, where The Wat Phra Kaeo stands. This is the holiest temple in the country and Houses The Emerald Buddha.

We removed our shoes and entered. I cannot begin to describe how beautiful it was decorated in gold and jewels. Then high up on the top of everything sat the Emerald Buddha, this holiest of holies and he was tiny?!

The Guards immediately told us we had to kneel. Something I generally find quite painful to do. Luckily we had studied the etiquette of what and what not to do and one of the "what nots" is to NEVER point your feet towards the Buddha. And so with a huge amount of cracking joints and stretching of ligaments and tendons, with great difficulty whilst wearing a heavy sarong over my clothes, I managed to get down on my bottom and turn my legs under me at a side angle so that no one would find them offensively pointing in the wrong direction. All around us, various Thai people would kneel down, rock back and forth as they say a prayer and then elegantly jump back up to their feet and quietly walk out. As for me, well, it was hard enough getting down onto the floor and even more of a struggle getting back up, without grabbing onto some poor unsuspecting praying Thai for support! But I managed - eventually and feeling proud of myself I turned and hobbled out in quiet agony!

After lunch we grabbed a Tuk-Tuk and were taken on a hair raising journey by 'Sterling Moss' through the streets to go and see the Sao Ching Cha, aka the Giant Swing. This used to be part of a religious ceremony to Honour the Hindu god Shiva on his annual visit to the earth. Whereby young men competing against each other would swing up to 25m and attempt to grab a suspended bag of gold with their teeth! However this was outlawed during the 1930s when, after numerous accidents, it was considered quite dangerous!?

It was time to return to our hotel and we hailed another Tuk-Tuk. This driver not only took us at warp speed but ended up driving down the wrong side of the road against opposing traffic to get us back here!

At the end of the journey and with our stomachs now in our mouths, we climbed out of the Tuk-Tuk, turned to the driver and in true British style, smiled and said "Thank you", then made our way into the lobby in stunned silence.

Dinner consisted of Thai Curry and a beer and for dessert ... A foot massage! Oh I could get used to this life!

Tomorrow evening we meet up with our fellow companions for the next for weeks travelling with Intrepid Travels. There are supposed to be twelve of us, all different ages and different nationalities. So until then I will bid you goodnight ...

London to Bangkok in 21 hours!

And so the day started yesterday at 6am UK time. I managed to carry the faithful backpack downstairs to the waiting taxi. Feeling quite pleased with myself that I hadn't had to have half of its contents removed by disapproving friends and family - I obviously learnt from last year! But I had made a stand with regard to my hair gel and took an extra supply (see last years trips posting 'Hirsute in India'), another lesson learned!

Karen and I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 4 an hour later, checked in and went for breakfast. And then ... I got lost! Now those of you that know me well are aware that my sense of direction makes no sense! As I have always said, I could get lost walking around a Christmas Tree! It's not my fault, apparently it is genetic! From my mums side, well the Lasky side to be precise, where it is common practise to find oneself taking a 'scenic route' from 'A' to 'B'!

You see I had popped to the loo and arranged with Karen to meet her back at WH Smiths. Simple? Nope! I got confused as to which Smiths; there were three and then there was a corner to turn down at the end of the walkway and that was it, I had lost my way! After making a quick phone call to the other red head, I managed to find my way back, to a bemused Karen, who was wondering how on earth I managed to find my way around India last year! Then she pointed out, that it didn't really bode well for the next few weeks and I could end up spending a fortune in phone calls!

The flight left on time ( I managed to find my way to the plane!) and we were off to Mumbai to pick up a connecting flight to Bangkok. And then a familiar aroma hit the back of my nostrils and the blood drained from my face - curry!!

I hadn't eaten Indian food since my last trip and in particular nothing hotter than a Korma since I was really ill out there.

But of course! It was an Indian Flight we were on, so they were obviously going to serve curry for lunch, dinner AND breakfast!

We landed in Mumbai and had to rush for the connecting flight. Where we queued for 20 minutes to get through to passport control only to be told we were in the wrong line and had to join 'the women's queue' that had appeared out of nowhere! I could see the look of concern on Karen's face as we took on board how long the line was and time was ticking away fast to get to our next flight.

And then I realised, we didn't have to be British and queue up politely, we were in India now; we could just jump the queue and if anyone tried to say anything, we could just look them in the eye and wobble our heads! (Another lesson learned from last year!!) And, it worked, we were through in about 10 minutes.

Then with only 25 minutes to go, came the final hurdle; putting our hand luggage through security. And I was safe! No one questioned my decongestants, no one confiscated my chocolate and no one arrested me for attempting to take a packet of Percy Pigs across the border. We were home free ... I smiled at Karen with relief and then, everything seemed to move in slow motion, as her hand luggage was taken off the conveyor belt and over to the side to be examined!

The Indian security Guard looked up at Karen and smiled, then wobbled his head ... Karen looked confused. He walked up to her and said " a lighter? You have a lighter in here?" Karen explained that she didn't smoke. He smiled and wobbled his head.

I was trying not to panic as I knew time was running out, the flight was due to take off soon!

He slowly squeezed the bag, unzipped it and slowly took out her camera plus various attachments for it. Karen, the keen photographer, tried to explain what each part was for, the Security Guard smiled up at her, then wobbled his head.

By this point I was hoping Karen couldn't hear my erratic breathing as I tried not to think about missing the flight and having to spend the night at Mumbai airport.

The Security Guard slowly picked up her day pack and put it back under the x ray machine. Karen and I both exchanged a look wondering what it could be. We watched as the security guard walked over to one of his colleagues with the bag, they both looked at it, then they both wobbled their heads.

Then he walked back over to us, by which time I was already trying to work out if I should call Karen's parents before or after contacting the British Consulate, to let them know that she had been arrested. He looked at her and said " Mosquito". Then he wobbled his head.

We stared back at him, then he made a strange pinching gesture with his fingers and said "Mosquito" ... And wobbled his head.

Suddenly Karen exclaimed "Yes, yes I have a mosquito bite zapper stick in my bag!!". He smiled and handed her back the bag, said he was sorry, then wobbled his head and left us to re pack the bag!

And that was it, with 5 minutes to spare, we grabbed our belongings and dashed across to the farthest end of the airport to catch our flight! I thought I was going to pass out as we ran breathlessly with our hand luggage.

At last we reached the boarding gate with one minute to spare, only to find the lounge was full as the plane was running about 10 minutes late!

Well we were in India!

Finally we took off and were on our way to Bangkok! The flight was another 4 hours and curry was served for breakfast!

I'm Back, I'm Packed and I'm off!!!!!

Testing ... testing ... one, two, three ... yes, yes it's me again! I know it's been a while, in fact it has been almost a year since I returned from my 'Indian Adventure' and tomorrow morning at 6am I am off to Asia again! Only this time round I am going to take you through my trials and tribulations in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia!!

2012 has been a great year for me. Full of fun and loads of laughter. And I have to say, I am finally ... 'in love'!! Yes you saw it here first, I am IN LOVE!!! And the recipient of these feelings of mine ... as cheesy as it may sound ... is my LIFE!!!

India was a major turning point for me. She seems to have given me some of the tools I have needed, to help shift a lot of the 'baggage' I was carrying - and I don't mean my backpack!!

I won't bore you with all the details of last year, but I will say that I saw in 2013 dressed up as a 'Christmas Mutant Ninja Waxer' with fellow Beauty Therapist and house mate Sandie.

I should point out that it was for a fancy dress party, this is not regular attire for us Highgate dwellers!!

With Winter's arrival and my desperate need for some sunshine and the need to see more of the world, I decided it was time to plan my next trip.

Believe it or not, I loved travelling round India and even knowing there is plenty more of it to see, with Claudine being unable to join me this time around. (don't worry we are still talking to each other!!), I knew Mother India would not be the same without her - and neither would my blog!?

And so  I felt it necessary to go slightly further afield, across the Andaman Sea and venture around the Indochina Loop.

Another friend of mine for many years, Karen (a fellow Red head), stepped in to the breach, assuring me that unlike the lovely Claudine, she is neither OCD nor neurotic.

Relieved with this news, we sat down and booked our five and a half week trip with Intrepid Travel. And then, for some reason known only to herself, Karen went and watched a series of programmes on Extreme Border Control Issues!!!

She is now worried that I may be deported for taking a packet of Lemsip Day and Night Capsules and a bar of chocolate over the Thai Border!

Suffice it to say, my next blog may be written from a prison cell In Bangkok! However, I would like to point out that if that is the case, I will not be taking a leaf out of Bridget Jones' diary and teaching my fellow inmates to re-inforce their bras and sing Madonna songs! No way!!!! I am more of an ABBA fan myself!

Well it is already midnight and my alarm is going off in 5 hours time!! So I will bid you all "Goodnight" and hope to see you all in Bangkok.

I hope you will all find this blog as entertaining as you found last years. And feel free to read Karen's perspective on our trip on her blog: redheadedroamer.blogspot.co.uk

So hold on tight, because we could be in for a bumpy ride .... Thailand here we come!

The End of the Roller Coaster ... or is it?

I must apologise profusely for having not posted for over a week now, it's just that things have been a bit non-stop since I got back to the UK and it is typically rather ironic that now I am home it is more accessable to get on line that I should find less time to do so?!?! (does that maken sense or have I not had enough sun recently?!)
And so I would like to take you all back a few weeks, back to my last few days in the sunny village of Varkala, in the lovely State of Kerala in the strange but wonderous land of India.
I awoke on my penultimate morning in Varkala to the sound of the waves of the Arabian sea not far from my hotel room, as the sun shone through my window and I debated as to whether or not I should 'accidentally' miss my flight the following day ... with that on my mind I left for breakfast then a day on the beach!
It was lovely, the weather was just perfect for a day relaxing on a sun bed and doing ... nothing!! Well nothing apart from the odd dip in the sea - which is the perfect way to describe it: having waded out as far as I could, so as to still be able to stand and jump over the large waves that kept rolling in, I was suddenly hit with such force and knocked off my feet. Coughing and spluttering I stood up as quickly as I could and tried to act casual and not look like the pratt that I felt, then I realised that my bikini bottoms were fast approaching my knees!!! I yanked them up, hoping that no one had seen my 'tan line' when I saw a small black fin approaching me in the water! I yelped and jumped back, knowing that sometimes dolphins had been spotted quite close to the shore and therefore why not sharks too! Then I noticed that the fin was in fact floating on its side and looking slightly 'disembodied'?! And suddenly I realised that the little black triangular shape bobbing towards me was not part of some marine killer but in fact the padding from my bikini top that had been sucked out by the 'killer' wave as it dropped me to my knees. (Brings new meaning to the saying: "Getting the stuffing knocked out of you!!!")
After that the day continued to be pretty uneventful.
That evening on my way out to dinner, I popped into the jewellers to pick up the two rings I had bought and was having made smaller, (had originally gone in with the intention of buying one!) I tried them on, they looked great, I paid the rest of my money and was about to leave when the jeweller asked what else I would like. I smiled at him and explained that whilst I could be quite tempted into buying a whole lot more of the lovely jewellery, I had in fact spent all my money, so wouldn't be able to. I am not sure which part of 'spent all my money' and 'unable to' he didn't understand but his response was: "well if you buy something else I will give you a good price for it". 
I left and made my way over to the restaurant 'The Gypsy Kings' (serving authentic Indian, Chinese and Tibetan food!!) where I met Faye and her husband Carlos for my last supper.
The food was very good despite the fact that I had ordered the 'sizzling chicken' and it arrived in full flame looking like it was about to be set off down The River Ganges (please refer to my time in Varanasi!!) It nearly took out both my eyebrows and a good portion of my frizzy hair, but luckily I managed to shoot back in my seat before I caught fire and reversed into a gentleman sitting behind me trying to have a romantic meal with his lady friend!!
Romance seemed to be the 'dish of the day' (sorry but I had to), because at the end of the meal when I asked the waiter for the bill, he walked over looking all coy and smiled at me then said: "Rose". I smiled and nodded back, having given up on correcting peoples wrong pronunciation of my name Ros many, many, many years ago. Then he said - and I quote: "Rose is red, red is blood, blood is heart, heart is love, love is you, you and me?" He then sniggered and scurried away!!
And that was it! The end of my last evening in Varkala.
The following morning I left at 7, said my last farewell to the beach and headed off to Trivandrum airport and caught a plane to Bangalore, where I had a five hour stop over before catching a flight to Dehli!! I was hoping to get some form of breakfast whilst waiting at Bangalore, but unfortunately I was not allowed to check my baggage in until two hours before my connecting flight and not only where there not any lockers to store my heavy bags in and enable me to go and sit in a restaurant and have a hearty meal in preparation for my long journey ahead, but there wasn't a restaurant in which to have the said hearty meal in preparation for my journey ahead! The only thing on offer was a coffee shop selling various unattractive sandwiches, of which most were curry flavoured!! I decided to go for the chocolate muffin and a bottle of water ...
The flight from Bangalore to Dehli was thankfully on time, the only food on offer for the two and a half hour flight was ... a rather unattractive 'triple' sandwich that would even put a doorstop to shame! I picked out the tomatoes and ate them ...
I arrived at Dehli airport and phoned the hotel where I was going to be staying. At the other end of the phone, Amid welcomed  me to Dehli and assured me that the driver was on the way and would be there in five minutes. An hour later and three phone calls with a driver who could speak as much English as I could Hindi I was finally on my way to my final hotel in India!
Amid was at the front desk when I arrived and checked me in. The time was nearly 9pm and I was starving!!! And so he informed me that there was room service available and I would find the menu in the drawer by the bed.
I was quite pleased that Claudine wasn't with me that night! The room would not have come close to any of her standards and I really wasn't in the mood for trapsing around the building trying to see if another room was suitable. So I decided to settle for it, despite the hole in the sheets and the lack of space and the dodgy looking bathroom with the extremely noisy busy Dehli street outside.
I pulled out the food menu, the choice was either Chinese or Indian from the local restaurant! I chose Chinese noodles, thinking that having a curry the night before a 9 and a half hour flight back to the UK could be asking for trouble. I phoned Amid at reception with my order. He told me that I would not be able to have the Chinese food as it was considered a snack?! But he would be happy to get anything from the Indian menu!!! I took a deep gulp and ordered a bowl of Dahl and some rice - not spicy. It arrived a short while later, I took one bite and could feel my hair frizz out even more merely from the heat of the spice in it!!!
The following morning I checked out and waited for my cab driver to take me to the airport. Amid pointed to him standing outside by his car waiting for me - he had one eye!!!!
Someone was watching over me that morning, because by some miracle, even though my one eyed driver was talking on the phone as he drove, narrowly missing various 'obstacles' in his way, I made it back to Dehli airport in one piece!!
My feelings were kind of mixed as I checked my luggage in; mixed between wanting to stay and wanting to leave. I think that if it wasn't for my nieces Batmitzvah that I was coming back for, I may just have stayed in Varkala for another week or so. But I do think things happen for a reason and I was meant to come home after eight and a half weeks, refreshed, recharged and ready to get on with my life ...
I ambled around the Duty Free shop, trying to decide on which perfume to buy that would remind me of my adventure, (I would usually have bought a fragrance on the way out, but Claudine advised against wearing any perfume in India for fear it would attract Malaria ridden mosquitoes!) I picked up various bottles and sprayed, taking in each aroma, when one of the shop assistants walked over and asked if I needed any help, to which I replied: "No thanks, I'm just smelling".
It took a couple of minutes for me to realise why she was looking at me in an odd way after that.
The time was fast approaching 10am and so I hurried over to the restaurant section for a hearty breakfast. I smiled to myself as I sat down and reflected on all the events that had happened over the last few weeks as I tucked 'heartily' into my MacChicken burger.
Finally the flight was called and I made my way onto the plane. (no upgrade this time!!) As we took off I smiled at the obnoxious looking man sitting in front, who had got tetchy with me because I had managed to get my hand luggage in the overhanging locker, just where he wanted to put his. Then I took out my book and started to read.
About an hour into the flight, lunch was served. Believe it or not I was actually looking forward to some airplane 'delicacies'!! Well we were on a BA flight and so I finally wouldn't have to choose between Chinese or Indian food!!!
The Air Steward pulled the cart up beside me and asked if I wanted the Chicken or vegetarian option. I asked him what it was, he said ... CURRY!!
After lunch, I leaned back and thought about how I had felt about myself and my life on the way over to the sub-continent officially known as The Republic States of India. Then I put on my earphones, switched on my ipod and listened to my all time favourite song: Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good'.
To be continued ... 

Hotel Move, Harrowing Weather, Happy New Year and Hunger for Momos

It's January 2012 and I can't believe that my Big Adventure is nearly over!!! Only one more day in Kerala then it's back to Dehli for the night and finally back home to the UK!
Yesterday I moved to the hotel nearer the North Cliff, delighting in the fact that I could just step out of my room and cross the road, then walk down the steps to the beach. However, the weather had changed quite drastically and there had been heavy rainfall the night before resulting in an extremely overcast sky and a blustery wind with more rain on the way! Apparently, this was all the tail end of a cyclone going on in Chennai!!
ow I know it might sound selfish and shallow, but all I could think about was the fact that my tan was going to fade before I got back to England, as well as the fact that if I got caught out in the rain, my hair was going to be extremely frizzy for the New Years Festivities!!!
I spent the afternoon in one of the restaurants with my new friends Dee and Brid, (two nurses from Ireland) then managed to make it back to my room just before the heavens opened again and the heavy rain plummeted from above. Thankfully it stopped just in time for me to get changed and make it back out to another restaurant for a New Years Eve dinner with Dee and Brid and a few more of their friends from their Yoga group.
I felt that as it was a celebration, I should really push the boat out and have something a bit more exciting than my usual Chinese Vegetable noodles or Fried Egg and chips, so I dared to order something called MoMos, which were absolutely delicious! They are basically just like steamed dumplings/dim sum and I could have kicked myself for not trying them out weeks ago!!
The evening was lovely: great food and great 'new friends'. As we all sat and chatted I looked around the table thinking that all six of us had been total strangers, from five different countries, (Ireland, England, USA, Switzerland and Germany) all united by two things: India and speaking English!!!
But at 11 o'clock we all said our goodbyes; the others didn't want a late night as they were all getting up in the early hours of the morning to go to see 'Amma, The Hugging Mama' at her Ashram.
And so after an exchange of e mails and telephone numbers and promises to 'come visit' I made it back to my room in time to see the New Year in with a phone call to a friend back home in London.
After the phone conversation I sat on my bed and thought back on all that had gone on for me that year and the events that led up to me taking this trip out here. How scared I was to be by myself again and  I realised that I didn't actually care that I was physically alone on the stroke of midnight, but I was in fact really content to be where I was and strangely enough I didn't feel alone at all?! And then with perfect timing, my phone bleeped and I opened a text message from my brother Daniel wishing me' a happy new year' and I just had to smile.
This morning I woke up and the sun was back!!! I hurriedly got dressed, slapped on my suntan cream and threw some breakfast down my throat at one of the local restaurants before racing down the cliff steps to the beach.
I spent most of the day on the beach, every now and then I would remember that there was in fact one more temple I was going to visit nearby, but then I would look around at the white sand and the blue waters of the Arabian Sea and think: "Nah".
By the end of the day I had a few more freckles to add to my collection and a dinner companion - Rob from Essex. We went to The Little Tibet Restaurant where I had a plate of Momos!!
Oh what a lovely day ......

My penultimate challenge!

Today is Thursday, I have just under a week left in India and Claudine left today! Don't worry we didn't fall out, it was part of the plan, she left for Dehli today and returns to the UK on Saturday and I didn't want to spend New Years Eve in the bitter cold, sunshine on the beach somehow seemed more appealing, so I am here until the 4th?!!
By now you must have guessed that we had no problems crossing the border back to Kerala, mind you, it helped that we flew over as all other crossings bar trains and planes have been cancelled.
And as we found last time round in this lovely State in India (known as God's own Country), it is sooo hot and humid, needing to constantly have a shower and therefore not really minding that there only seems to be cold water available where we are staying!
Varkala Villa's is very nice, the room passed Claudine's inspection and Sunil, the owner, has been very helpful and welcoming. We are situated on the South Cliff, however, as expected most things happen on the North Cliff! It is only a 25 minute walk over, but climbing up and down a cliff side even with steps, is quite an effort in this heat!
Apart from the two cockroaches we caught (ok we screamed and Sunil caught them), our room was fine. However, now that Claude has left - at 3am this morning! - it all feels very strange and defly quiet!!
We had a great adventure over these last eight weeks - can't believe all that time has passed - and I am not saying it was perfect the whole time, of course we had the odd little 'tiff', but through it all I think we realise we do have a very good friendship that has survived all sorts over the last 27 years and should continue to do so, despite the fact that she drives me insane with her bloody OCD!!! (nothing you don't know already Claude).
And so I have decided to switch hotels and move on New Years Eve to one that is just off the North Cliff and the room not only has a TV but Wifi, which makes me very happy (yes I know, now I am turning into my dad!!). But I feel I need a few home comforts to guide me through the next few days whilst I am out of my comfort zone and alone in a 'strange land'.
At present I seem to be resembling a noughts and crosses game!  you see I have had so many mosquito bites and my ex once informed me that to ease any itching or soreness for bites and stings, one should press one's nail into them and making an indentation like a little cross mark so that the centre of the cross hits the centre of the bite/sting! Strangely enough it works!!! But not very attractive; good job my collection of freckles is building up substantially and acting as fantastic camouflage!
This morning as I woke to a half empty room and no sounds of Claudine tip toeing around trying not to wake me whilst walking into tables, chairs or anything else and crying out 'oh shit', I asked nana, who I think is watching over me, to guide me to meet some nice friendly people that I can spend time with. Then whilst having breakfast at the homestay, I got talking to an Irish woman called Deidre, who arrived two days ago and is here on a yoga break with a bit of touring thrown in. And now I have been invited to join her and her friends for dinner this evening at an Indian lady's home. So I am off to get ready for some home cooking - Indian style. (so much for 'no more curries!!!)

Bye bye Tamil Nadu ... another border crossing on it's way!

For someone who hates shopping, I seem to have been taken over by some kind of spirit that needs to spend money!! (maybe it is 'The Ghost of Christmas Presents'?!) but since my last posting I have managed to buy myself another pair of earrings, a little hand made bag, a shawl, a bespoke pair of sandals and put a deposit down on a little summer dress that I have designed and is being made!! Unfortunately there is yet another strike out here! Not exactly sure what it is this time, as there are various stories going around, either something to do with the problems at the border that is on going, or something about the local government wanting to knock the shops down to make a clear pathway around the temples in the village?! Either way, nearly all the shops are shut today and Ruby the tailor is unable to make it over with our new clothes but has promised to post them to us in the UK - I won't hold my breath!!
Yesterday we had the best weather so far since arriving in Tamil Nadu, it was just perfect for a Christmas day lazing by the pool. Especially as I didn't get to bed until the very early hours of the morning, having spent all night at a cafe chatting to a cute looking, funny 21 year old 'Indian Hippy'. Until eventually he asked me to go back to his for a party ... for two!?! I wasn't sure what was more off putting; the fact that he was young enough to be my son and I didn't really relish the idea of playing Mrs Robinson to his Benjamin Braddock (The Graduate) or the fact that when he told me his name was Borat, I couldn't get the image of a moustachioed Sacha Baron-Cohen in a bright yellow mankini out of my head!!
I mean please!!!
And so I let him down slowly, with a smile and a pat on the knee and left.
Today we are catching a plane to Varkala back in Kerala, fingers crossed the planes will not have any problems crossing over the border. But this is India and who knows what she has in store for us next ...