Mumbai

Nameste from Mumbai, what a phenominal day! I feel So exhausted from today’s trip. Where to start…Back on another tour, this one was the ‘city highlights of Mumbai’. The day started with a visit to The Gateway of India and from the minute we stepped off of the coach we were swamped with people offering us postcards, religious chants, bracelets of flowers that they just knot around your hand without asking if you want it. Strangely enough, everything was a dollar.

Behind the Gateway is the Taj Mahal hotel, the best in Mumbai and one of the best in India. Our day ended here and I have to tell you about the ladies toilets to show you how posh this hotel is. You are greeted when you enter the bathroom, someone directs you to the toilet, she goes in first to clean the seat, then as you come out she runs the tap for you. Then you are given a moisturised enriched flannel and bid farewell.

After the Gateway of India we took a long drive along Marine Drive and Peddar Street, the mass overcrowding was apparent from the start. There were people at every corner and even the expensive houses on Malabar Hill were shrouded by people.

We visited Dhobi Ghats which is a large public laundry. The Dhobi is an uneducated man who collects your washing on Sundays. They take it to the Ghats where they pund the clothes against stone to get out the stains. Apparently the washing come backs washed, stain free, bleached, pressed and ready to hang in the wardrobe. Even though the Dhobi can collect lots of different type of washing, it is never mixed up. The site from the bridge is spectacular, a chocolate box of firsty water, colourful lines of washing and dhobi’s pounding the clothes.

Our next stop was to where Mahatma Ghandi once called home. A three story building on a street that you wouldn’t look twice at but as you go around the exhibits you can’t help but to get pins and needles through your body how one man could devote his life to peace, an inspiring story.

I was naughty and forgot to put my shirt back on before going to visit the temple. I hasten to add I was wearing a vest. I was leant a shawl by the tour guide to visit the Jain Temple, an order where they wear masks over their nose and mouth because they do not wish to swallow the small bacteria in the air, the sweep the floor before they walk on it just in case there are creatues there and needless to say, strict veggies.

Our day finished in the Prince of Wales Museum, Hanging Gardens and watching endless games of cricket. We had lunch and a shower back on board the ship and then did the same tour all over again but backwards! I asked three tour guides if the morning tour was different to the afternoon tour and all said yes, but it wasn’t! It was exactly the same. Well, one way of learning is repetition J

I love Mumbai, I have yet to find another tourist on this trip who liked it but the city buzzes with life. Its on the list too J

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in utter shock, so I need to write this down. Today I played Bingo for the first time in my life. Mum helped me and I treated myself to a 'dabber' to mark off the numbers. Jo won the first game and shared £13.33 with 2 other people. It was great fun. Then I won the fourth game. I was in utter shock because I won £80 and didn't have to share it with anyone. Then it was he last game for the jackpot so it was eyes down for a full house. Dab Dab Dab Dab, wanted 72 and it was called, then stratight after I wanted 31 and then BINGO!!!!! I won £1300!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it. Lucky mum was there becuase I couldn't speak, mum called it and they checked the numebrs while I sat there with everybody staring at me clapping! My eyes were wide, my hands over my mouth. I was shaking so much I couldn't get up but I had to collect the money, They had to sit me down and mum checked it becuase I was about to faint. I'm feeling much better becuase I have just spent £18 on a round of drinks for all, big ones. A great end to the trip!

Mumbai tomorrow and god I'm going to shop.

kerala, India

Hello from Kerala, India. I know that I shouldn't have been lookuing forward to going to the last country but I have been really excited about seeing India.m We were eating breakkie as we pulled into dock and what a view, luscious coconut palms at every corner.

Our day started a little unorthodoc. Between going to the meeting point and out coach Jo lost her security card and tour ticker. She wasn't allowed off of the ship as while Jo ran to reception for a new card I had to run to the coach and stop it at all costs and IT WORKED!

Our first stop was to a weaving factory and the temperature inside was unbearable. Fifteen or so women sat in dark rooms crossed legged in noisy conditions.

Our next stop was a boat ride through the backwaters, or morelike a canoe with patio furniture through the backwaters. It was so cure as we punted down the narrow channels passing people washing, washing clothes and children playing in the water.

We stopped at one of the villages where they gave us coconut milk to drink, followed by eating the flesh which had a jelly texture to it, not like tesco's. We saw banana leaf weaving and I bought a yoga rug!, rope making from cocnut hair, pot making using a woman to turn the wheel and different spice plants. I bought one of everything.

Speaking to people on the way back from the tour, everybody likes Kerala. Its green, lush, great views, nice waters, good people and a great culture. A must for my 'places to go back to' list.

Sri Lanka

A special Ayubowen to my good friend Portsmouth, so many memories. So today we are in Sri Lanka, the home to the worlds first president.

I have very very strong opinions of the whole 'cruise' tourism and today they came out in abundance. I really had to bite my tongue a lot of the time. However, I didn't appreciate the impact until we saw 35 coaches, carrying a maximum of 17000 people to this tiny island. 1700 people who don't like bartering and who have an obsecene amount of money to spend. More to follow on this subject when I have more time becuase I won't shut up. I have spent the entire day telling everybody what a fantastic island Sri Lanka is and they should not go on first impressions. I think my opinion is falling on deaf ears.

Portsmouth and I did most of the Sri Lankan site son our trip but we couldn't go to Collombo becuase of the war with the tamil tigers. Today I got to see Cololbo. The day started at a highly decorated hindu temple but we were only allowed to gaze from afar and not go inside becuase we were against the clock, much to my anoyance. Our next stop was to the nation museum which houses artefacts from the sites Portsmouth and I visited which don't mean much to the tourists who are visiting Sri Lanka for the first time. It was much stonework from Polonawura, Kandy and Sigiriya. My favourite visit of the day was to the Bhuddist temple, our 2nd on this trip but they are so colourful and majestic. Great pics to follow. We had a shopping oppurtunity but it was slightly odd becuase it was in a convention centre, its like us going to Birmingham NEC to buy nic nacs, eird. However, I did manage to haggle a free massage!

All in all I didn't relaly enjoy Colombo and can see why the tourists on the ship weren't impressed with Sri Lanka if they just visited Colombo. However, I am still a strong believer that you cannot judge a country by visiting it for one day, Sri Lanka has so much beauty and life that cannot be seen in one day.

Day at sea

I'm writing this 180 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, We arrive tomorrow moring. Its absolutely boiling hot and we have had 2 days at sea and to be honest its more than enough for me and my family have started to say 'go find a friend' or 'go have fun somewhere else'. I have been to a letcure on massage, a lecture on perfume and even watched a samba class!

Last night was fantastic. The entertainmentr was in the form of a british pub night. Jo and I put our names in a hat to go in for the horse race, and Jo got picked and won a bottle of bubbly, our third! And because I was shouting too loudly an elderly gentleman made me do a barn dance with 20 other couples who knew the dance! I never had a clue and they all knew it!

I have re-read Thailand and missed an important bit out. They asked for volunteers and my hand was first to go up, I never even knew what for. I was told to lie face down on a carpet by the elephant who then progressed to walk towards me. What went through my head was 'oh god, could I take the weight of an elephant'! dah! I had an elephant massage, he tapped me on the back with his foot while he slobbered my face with his trunk. The 3 people after me were fine as they didn't have all of the mud from his trunk, oh no, I had it all over my white shirt! Oh god, it was so slobbery (I know its not a word, I have just invented it:))

So anyway, I'm off to photograph my milllionth sunset from the pointy end of the ship (still don't know the difference between port and stern, aft and something else:))

Thailand

I have been Miss Keela all day and then even called Sir at one point! The Thai people address you but you first name and never by your surname.

So we have arrived in Phuket, Thailand. We actually arrived last night but couldn't go ashore cos of immigration. We had Mardis Gras on ship and I can't trell you how weird it is to dance to the Macarena, S Club7 and, the pogues, a scottish jog followed by tom jones when you are in Thailand. Surreal. And then an australian lady asked which part of australia I'm from!!!!!!

I can't bvegin to tell you how fantastic today has been. It started by getting in a lifeboat to get to the shore. I have never been in a life boat and the fact that the sea was as rough as hell made it more fun.

Our first stop was to ride and elephant, to say I was petrified is an understatment. I rode and elepghant in Sri Lanka and never intended to ride one agai. However, it was fantastic! Uphill and downhill was a bit hairy. Look forward to the picks. I should have been carrying the elephant though, I was the same height as it!

We watched some Thai cooking followed by a demonstration on how to harvest rice and then to0 Wat Chalong Temple.

Miss Vica - I ate Green curry as promised and it was out of this world
Madam - Sorry about the camera, its best to check when we are in port. We are 7 hours in front of you tho. Keep trying :) Try two days time, in Sri Lanka

Love to all
XX

Malaysia

Today was invasion of the yellow stickers into Malaysia. We docked an hours coach journey from Kuala Lumpur so we were all given yellow stickers to wear on our person and sent out to Kuala Lumpur. What we didn't bank on was not being able to walk anywhere, we got 5 taxis in the space of half aday! The first taxi journey wasn't as successful as we had hoped. As there are six of us we needed two of them and asked to go to the railway station. Me, mum and dad went to the old one (I hasten to add the right one) and aunty, cous cous and jo went to the new one. An hour later we were reunited.

China town was quite a site. Its a covered market and not for the faint hearted. Our next taxi ride took us to the Petronas towers which are the second highest building in the world. The highest being in Taiwan. However, its the highest twin tower. We went half way up and across the sky tower for an amazing view. But the best view was from the KL tower (another taxi ride) which is the forth largest free standing structure. The biggest being the CN tower. We even got to pass another tallest (in another cab) and that was the higest flagpole in the world. Wooohooo!

So now we are back on board for a day before Phuket, I'm off to play shuffleboard!

Singapore

Its me again and I apologise in advance for my spelling but this is costing me a bloody fortune. So we have arrived in Singapore all dafe and sound after 2 days at sea. 2 days was long enough for me, but I have good news. Its boiling! Its more than boiling, yesterday on the deck it was 37 degrees in the shade. Today we are just 85km from the equator and its even hotter than yesterday.

Today we had a full day off a battlefields tour followed by a singapore sling at Raffles Hotel. I love Singapore and its also going on my list of places to come back to. Its a odd island though. The street signs are american looking, the cars drive on the same side as england, the number plates are the same as england, you get fined for J walking, fined for spitting, fined for dropping litter, fined for making excessive noise :) We felt 'naughty' when we J walked but you have to break the rules sometimes.

Tomorrow we are off to Kuala Lumpur when I will be writing again.

xx

Vietnam

Today we were in Vietnam and I'm writing this as we are docked. It is such an amazing country and I have to come back again soon. We were told to meet in the Theatre Royal and Jo and I stuck out like sore thumbs as everybody was at least twice as old as us. We drove through DaNang and through the mountains to the imperial city of Hue which I can't explain how beautiful it really is. I shall publish the pictures. We visited the citadel, pagoda and tomb of the emperor who had one wife and 100 cancubines! Lucky Man.

Btw, Miss Vica and Dzsini you need to visit here, its bike heaven and motorists hell!

So all is well and we are having a fantastic time, we have yet to see the sun and its cold!

Hong Kong

Well, we arrived in Hong Kong all safe and sound after a whole weekend of travelling. our first highlight was sharing a 'family room' with my mum and dad followed by a 12 hour flight with smokers. However, Hong Kong is a monster. I never imagined it would be as big as it is and I did think back to Manhatten when I wondered how the island didn't sink, its the same for Hong Kong. Jo and I went walkabout while mum and dad went to bed. We ventured across the Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong island and then found a tour bus which took us to Victoria Peak which we thought would be a great way to see the island. If not for the fact that it only took us around the corner and then we had to get out. We should have guessed seeing as it was only 15p.

Every tourist to Hong Kong goes to the top of The Peak. However, not every tourist can say that they went to the top of Victoria Peak and saw nothing!!!!! We were surrounded by cloud but I had never walked in the clouds before so I thought it was quite good. To make up for the fact that we couldn't see anything, I took a picture of the map of what we should see followed by the view we could see.

Hong Kong is a strange mixture of English and Cantonese, English road signs, English traffic lights. Very odd.

In the afternoon we went to the Man Mo temple or incense temple and gosh do they use it. It was quite a spectacle.

In the evening we had to get our lifejackets and go to our muster stations. Nobody seemed to be enjoying quite as much as I did. We were all stood int he Theatre royal tying up life jackets! I thought it was hilarious.