India, India, India

What a place. Full of contradictions. One moment I am loving it and the next I am hating it. You meet or chat to really some interesting local people or you are [I am at least] left clueless at all the tourists who 'indian-fy' themselves for some reason.

Goa
I came 10 years ago and toured on the back of a motorbike with Adam but I can't remember that much. Its now full of tourists looking for enlightenment, whatever that means, but the Goans are really generous and curious of visitors that stop looking at the naval for one moment. The beach landscape is great, tranquil and full of fish. Panaji, the region's capital, is a beautiful city. Completely Portuguese in architecture and predominately christian in religion and outlook. We stayed for a couple of days exploring it. We found an amazing soon to be open art centre.

Kerala
All the tourist info brands this area 'God's own country' and for good reason. Famed for the backwaters and although they are nothing like Venice in India as the publicity says they are breath taking. The landscape's colours are so vivid and alive. Sunset and sun rise are peaceful and amazing, worth a trip by itself. In contrast Munnar is situated high up [1450m+ [I have a watch that tells me]] in the Western Ghats, a town with over 22 tea plantations spread over its hills. It was beautiful, similarly to the Chianti region of Tuscany but with the occastional whiff of tea in the air. The town itself was full of shops selling dried fruit, nuts, spices, oils and teas. Even homemade chocolate. I loved the place and if I return will spend much more time than we did hanging out there.

We have made Fort Cochin our base in Kerala before we head to Chennai tomorrow night on another overnight train. Another old Portuguese town but with Syrian Christians and one of 3 Jewish communities in India alongside the Hindus and Muslims.

I have had an insight into India which is nothing like we get told back in the UK. I have found/experienced so much I hate and find frustrating about this country but I discovered so much more that is fascinating and requires so much more thought and reflection and of course another trip. It is 3 days before we leave and come back to the UK and the FIRST big adventure will be over. Both Emma and I have different reactions to this. We are both travel tired, desperate for the same comfortable bed and being able to cook our own food but sad know that we won't wake up in a new town full of new discoveries and hassles after a relative sleepless night on Indian railways. Our big adventure has been great, amazing but very difficult to explain, particularly in writing, with lots learned about the countries and regions we have visited and ourselves. It really has made me reassess what the hell I do for the next part of my life because maybe it wasn't that correct.

Kerala

We are making our final leg of the trip through Kerala and it's beautiful. It is certainly the best place to end our trip. We've been here a week now and we've spent a few days in Fort Cochin at a homestay set in a 500 year old house, we've done a Keralan cookery class and generally wandered lazily around the streets of the town. The last 2 days were spent on a houseboat (a converted rice boat) and sailed between paddy fields, villages and past the greenest of scenery................so peaceful. Today we arrived in Varkala, a coastal town perched on top of a cliff with a beautiful beach at the bottom of the cliff. All lovely.

It's far too hot to be doing anything energetic so we are making the most of it before we have to head to Chennai for our flight home.