I am now back in Delhi, and will give a brief recap of the last week and half of my trip around north India. After leaving the holy city of Varanassi, we travelled on a coach for 14 hours due to our train being cancelled - not suprised. The coach had more drivers than passengers, as each person in the front part of the coach would lean out the window and shout move right or left if a cow or person was in the way. We finally arrived in Agra and saw the famous Taj Mahal and Red Fort - which were as incredible as the photos depict. However, once again two others and I were shoved in a picture with an Indian family (wife and two kids) whilst the husband took the photo! - this was happening on a regular basis - not that we minded too much. We moved from Agra to Jaipur which was a city that represented modern India and old India with a Subway and Levis Jeans next to a man selling tobacco and random tourist souvenirs. Jaipuir was a little intense in terms of the hassling as the sellers would not stop following us and would even lean into our Tuk Tuks to sell random stuff that no person would ever find useful. Also there was a lot of children begging which was quite difficult to deal with. However, the highlight was going to the cinema and watching a Bollywood movie - with no subtitles. The atmosphere in the cinema was "different" - as the audience would whistle at certain times during the movie and cheer and clap! After Jaipur we stayed a night in Roopangarh Fort - which was more than comfortable as we sat round a fire eating and drinking - true Maharajah style. The trip of the North came to a close with the last two nights in Pushkar where half the group including me were all suffering from Delhi Belly. So now I am back in Delhi looking ahead to my next month in Kerala.

FIRST WEEK

Hello from India! This is my first post with an update of what's been happening over the last few days I have been here. I have enjoyed Delhis finest public transport, such as the Tuk Tuk, where we encouraged the driver's to race each other to the hotel (nearly crashed a few times). We spent the last few days on small boats going down the Ganges, where we sat listening to music and chilling - the life of Kings! At night we camped by the river banks and enjoyed the peacefulness of untouched India. All food was cooked freshly on board another boat - best Indian food I have ever had! With regards to food - it is totally different to Indian food in England - there is no comparison in taste and look - hence why you have to come to India to have real Indian food. The group is pretty cool - as most people are young but we have the wisdom of older generations aswell. With regards to the people of India, most have been warm and we have been approached a few times by Indians to have photos with them. The funniest story was the BONG MAN - where this small Indian man selling Bongs would not stop following us in Delhi, and when we thought we had lost him, he would appear in front of us saying Bong Bong Bong! He even jumped on the moving Tuk Tuk to secure a sell from us. Well I am now in Varanssi, and have just visited the famous Budhist temple - where we sought enlightment and this is where I will leave you with a saying that I have copied down from this temple: "Those who know the essential to be essential and the unessentuial to be unessential, dwelling the right thoughts, do arrive at the essential"

THE BRIEF

Not quite like Charlie Boorman, but as good as. I leave for Delhi on 9/01 and will be adventuring around the North of India, riding on tuk tuks and Camels, whilst also experiencing the pleasures of the Indian Train Service. After two weeks, I will be catching a flight to Kerala and teaching in a poor rural school for a month. Then will fly to Bangkok to experience delicacies such as fried cockroach and other tasty dishes. From this buzzing city I will travel across Cambodia and Vietnam all over ground to reach the destination of Hanoi and Halong Bay (as seen on top gear Christmas Special). The last part of my trip will be a flight from Hanoi (Vietnam) to Sydney where I will spend six weeks travelling up the east coast.