I’ve always had India on my list of places to visit. I found a cheap ticket on the internet took a bit of time off work and left on christmas day to meet up with 3 Swedish people I’d met while they where in South Africa. Everything just felt like it was pulling me there and came together nicely, plus I really felt I needed a break from the norm and my feet where itchy (as usual) If you want a break from the norm India is the perfect place.
Lisa who I was travelling with most of the time said it felt like people where putting on a show for us.. thats just how different it is to anywhere I’ve been. I did’nt get to the north as I flew straight into Kochin which is in Kerala district of the south.
But we got to see a lot of diverse places, some amazing temples, dirty noisy crazy cities, cold hilltop villages, deserted palm lined beaches.
Kochin with its Chinese fishing nets, the high cliffs of Varkala with its beaches below, Kanyakumari where we watched the sunrise behind two sea temples with hundreds of Hindu’s cheering and welcoming the day, Madurai one of the dirtiest noisiest places I’ve been to but with temples that made it worth it, quick stop at Mysore to see the biggest palace I’ve ever seen, crazy crazy overnight bus through dust roads, punctured tyre and dodging cars up mounain passes to Ooty with a day hike to a mountain with breathtaking views where elephants had been only a week before, beautiful world heritage site Hampi to chill out among the rice paddies and boulder hill tops and wander around the ruins dating back to an empire in the 1300’s. “Sleeper” bus to Goa to relax with the package tourists sizzling on their deck chairs for a few days, then down to Gokarna where all the hippies have fled to after Arambol got too crowded, and finally sad goodbyes and a 14 hour train back to kochin and flight home. Definately a place I’ll hopefully visit again.
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