We've just finished up our first week in India, and have had an amazing time. Our journey to Jaipur Rajasthan was an interesting one. We got to the train station to buy our tickets, and when we found out that the next available one was in 12 hours the most sensible thing to do was to sit and wait in the train station. With this decision we lost one of our travel buddies, Austin, and got the deck of cards out in preparation for the long night. When 5am rolled up we boarded the train for our 6 hour journey. Luckily it was a sleeper train, so we just passed out and got to Jaipur in time to check into a hotel and get a feel for the city. Jaipur is very different to Delhi, and we met some lovely people. A man asked if I could scribe a love letter for his girlfriend in Cambridge because he can speak English, but isn't very good at writing it. For payment he gave us necklaces from his jewelry shop and some very big kisses. After getting out of that situation pretty quickly we hopped on a bus up to the Amber Fort which is incredibly impressive. We got a lovely tour guide and understood about 70% of what he was saying. We met a lovely Irish couple on the bus and we all went to see a Bollywood film which was terrific! Apparently we went to the most famous cinema in India!! There were lots of whistles and "whoop whoops" from the audience, but I was able to put aside my strict cinema conduct code and enjoy the ride. On the way back to the hostel, we heard some loud music...so thought we better check it out. It was a massive street party in a tent to celebrate the Gods, and they invited us in with open arms. They gave us loads of free food, and invited us in to meet everyone. I still can't get over how friendly everyone here really is. We got flower garlands and red paint on our foreheads...and a serious workout from the dancing...I thought one old guy was gonna keel over. Brilliant experience.
The next morning we got on our train to Goa, and prepared ourselves for another long journey...29 hours. We were in a sleeper compartment with two really sweet girls from Israel, and we all played cards and hung out. We met a lovely family with two little ones who want Sian and I to come back for a family home stay! Goa is beautiful and very different from any of the other places I've been to in India. We made it to the beach for an hour after finding a hostel and sorting ourselves out. I stepped on a nail, so hopefully I get to keep my foot...otherwise Sian better get ready to carry me. We're looking forward to hanging out here for a couple of days, and then heading back to Delhi. Hope everyone is well at home! xxx
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