Happy out in Mammalapuram

stonecarving,scooters,yoga, massage, spices and lots of chai..happy days for me :-)

Had a great day yesterday,totally relaxed I spent a few hours on the beach with the local kids,women and men,some who were intially trying to sell me stuff but after a while they came back just for a chat and it was so interesting to talk to them.Great fun,and ive started picking up a little bit of Tamil,their language.I was playing with three kids who i thought the whole time were girls,theyre actually boys.Have made a few friends now,all locals which i love,spent the afternoon with some of the stonecarvers on the street who invited me in for chai and a chat and theyre gonna teach me how to make something today.Im just after starting a 7day course of ayurvedic treatment,which involves massage and all sorts of other stuff,two sessions a day with all sorts of lovely oils,so im feeling great now,so relaxed and my muscles are like jelly after the first massage by Krishna.Yummy breakfast of fruit salad and chai masala,and the sun is splitting the stones.Speaking loads of french,and will stay here for at least another week.Dont wanna leave here at all :-)

the most welcoming town ive ever been to,tonight ill be dressed in a sari with all of the traditional jewellery and bindis and am going for dinner with a local family....

Mammalapuram

A recent conversation with a waiter in India:

Me: Could i have a milk coffee please?
Waiter: (deadly serious) No maam the cow is sleeping.
Me: Ok could i have a chai then? (indian tea)
Waiter: Ok maam we can wake up the cow for a chai.

Totally serious conversation.Oh India.

Well ive landed on my feet in Mamallapuram and am a happy lady.After alot of searching,3or 4hours i finally found a gorgeous room with my balcony on the beach and i can hear the waves from my bed.So nice after the misery of Kodaicanal.Spent this morning having breakfast on the beach watching the fisherman unravel their nets and set themselves up for a day of fishing.Counted 23 cows on the beach,wandering around aimlessly.There are gorgeous shops in the little town here so ill make a few purchases,its a breath of fresh air,quiet and relaxing and the locals are so so friendly.I needed a break from the craziness of the busier and noisier places ive been in.Going to rent a bike now and try not to get killed on the roads :-) might stay here for longer than planned.

Kodaicanal

Oh India,i find myself saying that alot recently,peaks and troughs are so high and low on this trip,but i think im on the up now based on the last two places ive been and the place i am currently.Kodaicanal was horrible,wet cold windy and just gross,kinda got stuck there for a few days because of the cyclone that has hit india,flooding everywhere and couldnt move really til it stopped raining but once it did i made a quick getaway,and was so happy to get out of the horrible room i was staying in.A pity because Kodaicanal,weather permitting is supposed to be beautiful.
I was lonely,had no electricity and hated the place.The walls of my room were smeared with all sorts of disgusting things,there were reminents of cockroaches and the remains of what looked like a child's frantic scribbling on the wall.Half of the light switches worked the others did on occasion.My bedsheets were dirty and had traces of hair and stains.I threw my backpack in the corner of the room when i arrived and didnt even want to open it because it was soaking wet and all the contents were too.My initial plan to dry the clothes with my hairdryer was no longer an option when the electricity went so i sat in my room with my book,the light from my phone and felt sorry for myself.What a trough.
My bathroom contained a blocked toilet, a big bucket and a jug.At the bottom of the bathroom door there was a big hole,i wasnt sure had the wood just rotted away or was it the gnawing of some sort of rodent that had caused it,anyway i didnt want to leave it open so shoved a tray which was there for coffee and tea up against it attempting to shun any little creature that might try to pay me a visit during the night.
I had ventured out earlier that day,to purchase toilet roll,the latter is an absolute luxury in India,they use bum guns,a power hose type accessory which usually hangs by the toilet but i havent availed of this service as of yet.One day I may surrender to the Indian traditions wholeheartedly but for the moment ill pass.So i had bought toilet roll and spotted a cadburys dairy milk bar in a little shack type shop in the village.So these two items were my only sources of comfort on this particular night.sad i know.toilet roll and chocolate...leaving the little shack where i had purchased the latter,i had turned to say goodbye to the little 4foot indian man,with the massive pot belly and skeletal little legs,and didnt see the massive bullock behind me,the little man shouted at me but it was too late i got a big root into the arse with the bullocks horns.Toilet roll and chocolate fell on the ground,i didnt know what was going on and the little indian man chased the cow up the street screaming at him,trying to keep in the laughter as were the other by standers....By the time i got home the toilet roll was damp and when i opened the chocolate i looked at the sell by date........it was gone off.I gave up at that point,attempted to cover my bed in some dry clothes so that i wouldnt have to lie on the rotten sheets,and fell asleep eventually despite the incessant beeping of cars outside,the wailing of babies outside cold and miserable no doubt and the revving of motorbikes underneath my window.A rough day.I questioned my reasons for wanting to go travelling at that point.

Varkala,India

This is a very quick post,in Varkala India,by the beach,its beautiful,relaxing and exactly what i wanted to relax after the week at the ashram in Neyar Damm...leaving here tomorrow and heading for Madurai with an English couple i met at the ashram.Trying to book a flight now for Dubai for Christmas...and make a rough plan for the next month...woke up yesterday morning with an elephant outside my window,ate shark last night and theres monkeys all around the place.Love this place :-)

Settling into India...

so I finally feel like ive settled in India,i think im doing well considering.
Today was amazing even though I didnt do anything in particular.I decided to brave it and walk down the main street,something that I had been dreading doing alone since I got here.So i did it and it felt great.It was a challenge but i loved it!Its the most random place Ive been yet.Crossing the road is the hardest part so i usually stuck behind women who looked like they knew what they were doing cos the men just walk straight out,how they dont get knocked down i dont know.
I had lots of interesting encounters in the shops that i ventured into,a man who i bought water off,touched my arm and looked like he was waiting for some sort of magic to happen.He looked a little disappointed when nothing occurred.He was sporting a lovely little dhoti(thats the nappy type pants i was talking about before) another store i went into to get some yoga pants,there were 3people working there,one woman literally dropped her food on the ground when i came in.I smiled and laughed and she did that head wiggle a gesture that i have been trying to figure out.Its a little head wiggle they do,to say hello,yes,ok,everythings ok.So if you ask a question sometimes its just a wiggle back.the first few days i was wondering what this was all about.wiggle wiggle wiggle,all the time.I tried it on Sashi the other day and he was weak with laughter.Its like they have an extra elastic bit in their neck for it.ill keep trying,but i look ridiculous.Its annoying though,cos if i could do it back,theyd love it.Instead i look like an eejit with a crick in my neck.
Ive also figured out that when you smile,no matter how mean or serious they look,you get a big shiner of the biggest smile you could imagine,and a little nod of the head,so ive started nodding now too,their smiles automatically put you at ease.Ive gotten used to the stares now,and dont feel threatened by them like i did the first day.The biggest stares of course come from the elderly who im pretty sure have never seen a tall white girl like me.
Sashi has unfortunately started to stalk me,not in a threatening way,but he's literally around every corner i go and has called me,wait for it, 7times today.How do i draw this on me??
As i was on my way home,through the droves of people and the chaos,I spotted two backpacks....so just going past them,i said hi and we got talking,a californian couple who are going to the ashram tomoro too.Was great to talk to someone like myself,3days in india without any foreigners is a long time!So ill be seeing them tomoro.On the last leg of my walk home(about 15mins to go) there was a massive powercut,I mean everything went black,gone, all in a second.I didnt know what was going on- all i could hear was hindi,beeps,and laughing and all i could see was white teeth.So it was bad enough getting through the crowds even with the lights coming from the shops,but this was so weird...people everywhere,trafficlights gone,not that they pay attention to them anyway,and i just crashed into one little indian after another,nearly crushing them-theyre fiesty little things though,well able and well used to bashing their way through the masses.So i had another long stretch to go,and i had to call on good ol nokia back up,i have an emergency light and this was my emergency,thank you nokia.I was tripping over god knows what aswell and afraid id stand on a rat,on many occasions i nearly fell into the gutter.They dont really have the luxury of footpaths so there is random crap all over the place.

But of course the light drew attention to me,and people wanted to see what it was.I could only laugh.Thats the last thing i wanted was to draw more attention to myself. Quickly enough the place started to light up with candles here and there and I finally made it back. I could see that the only building that wasnt in darkness and using candles was my hotel.Sweaty and exhausted,feet filthy, like a complete traveller i nearly fell in the door.The receptionist folk are finding me hilarious.I usually land in looking like ive been dragged through a bush and they always just laugh and wiggle.I laugh but dont wiggle....yet.
So tomoro is ashram day,ill actually miss the hustle and bustle of trivandrum.Theres always so much going on.I have so many more stories from just today.but ill save them for a book someday,at the rate im going id have one written in a few days...
Total mosquito bites= 3

Day3 Trivandrum

Travelling isnt as easy as one might think.I have to admit,India has been the biggest challenge so far on the travelling front.It fabulous,exhausting petrifying and intense all in one.But today is the first day where im beginning to feel like Im settling in a small bit.
Yesterday was amazing- i drove a tuk tuk,Sashi's of course on a relatively quiet part of the road,such fun!after that we went and saw crocoldiles,monkeys and elephants,god i love elephants....went on an elephant ride through the jungle which i loved....
After that we went all the way down the coast,over the roughest of roads,and nearly crashing on numerous occasions,how i am still alive i really dont know,ive really adopted the saying 'inshallah' which the arabs and indians use basically it means ' its in gods hands'....not when youre driving in a three wheeled tuk tuk its not,but anyway...so we went to kovalam beach where there was a lot of commotion because the local fishermen were dragging in nets full of fish...it was amazing to watch so i went straight in amongst all of them to get some shots....ive never seen such excitement.
Had a real indian meal after that,and watched sashi destroy the plate of food,with his right hand,its rude to use your left hand,his fingers were his fork and knife and he looked at me strangely as i used mine.Its the small things like this that are fascinating.Tired and sweaty,we got back on the tuk tuk to face the long journey back,but i was so caught up in watching the people on the streets as we drove that the journey flew....
Last trip was to an indian supermarket,another experience in itself.All the different rices and spices,was fabulous,but again i could feel eyes on me every move i made,people looking in my basket to see what i was buying....
So today im taking it easy and am more comfortable walking around the city on my own,tomoro is the beginning of the yoga ashram so im looking forward to that and getting away from the intensity of the city...

first 24hours in India

well im absolutely exhausted after the last 24hours.To say i was out of my comfort zone would be an understatement :-)
its going to be difficult to describe this place but ill do my best.
my initial fears started boarding the second plane from oman to trivandrum(india) i was the only woman on the plane,and the only white person.heart was pounding to say the least.the stares would go through you and i felt nervous and out of place and uncomfortable.being the only white person in such a place is really intimidating.the reaction towards you is hard to deal with.but i have already learned alot of the time they're just staring out of curiosity and not for any other reason.my trips to romania and central america have served me well in that regard.
during the flight i could not sleep aware of the stares coming from chocolate skinned men,one in particular who incessantly tried to grab my attention by coughing loudly and banging his food tray.i know ridiculous.i later realised that he was drawing me on a napkin,with a pen he had borrowed from me.i pretended not to notice and when i was picking up my stuff to get off the plane,he had carefully placed the picture on the napkin on my bag.amusing.
getting out of the airport is something i could never have been prepared for.ive never felt anything like that.there were kids and adults all over me in a second,in broken english shouting at me and asking me to come with them.i will find you taxi.good price.no problem.i was so overwhelmed that instead of jumping straight in a taxi(a white lada type shitbox :-)) i took a seat on a nearby wall.i just need a few minutes to get my bearings.just like in the book im reading shantaram,i decided to find the man with the biggest smile to take me to my accommodation.however,the nice man directed me to another man,who i had spotted earlier wearing a nappy type 'pants'??he was as fat as a fool and had a ferocious look about him.massive eyebrows and i was not happy that this was my new 'driver'.he was surprisngly nice,just not blessed with the friendliest of faces..He threw my lovely backpack into the boot with petrol all over it and struggled with the door to get it open,revved up the engine and immediately nearly crashed shouting at the others on the road,a phenomenal change from the top class taxi treatment i have been receiving in dubai for the last two weeks.
We started out journey,i couldnt believe that at 6.30 in the morning the place was so alive,ox carts nearly crashing into us on several occasions.tuk tuks emerging out of every corner,women in saris carrying all sorts of baskets,and generally speaking absolute mayhem.near crashes left right and centre.my jaw just dropped and i couldnt believe the poverty i was seeing.families of 20 huddled together on the side of the street,men who looked so worn from living a hard life.cows being lead along the road....and the smell that everyone always talks of in india,a stench you cannot describe
1st hotel(lonely planet approved) no vacancies.
2nd hotel (a rude man at reception who looked at me like he hated me) im sure he had rooms he just didnt like the look of me....
3rd hotel,i finally got lucky and its all gone well since then.

so i retreated back to my hotel,exhuasted but couldnt sleep.I started laughing half from nerves half from disbelief of what i had seen and asking myself why the hell i was here.....

after taking a sleeping tablet i drifted into sleep and woke up,dreading the thought of leaving the surroundings of the hotel.Quick shower and out the door,hoping for the best,i started walking with no idea where i was going just taking in the surroundings so to be sure id find my way back....after a quick Atm visit i walked and
walked,soaking it all in,hoping to catch a glimpse of a fellow backpacker but no,instead i became increasingly aware of my misfitting self amongst the indians.The stares,the stares the stares.From head to toe.And the whispers and the laughing,you become paranoid and self conscious wondering should i have worn pants instead of a long skirt.Your mind is just all questions with no answers.But hoestly i think i could cover myself from head to toe and id still be stared at.Having two different coloured eyes isnt helping my case. :-)

Next thing a tuk tuk pulled up beside me,where you go madam,good price no problem,and there began my introduction to Sashi....my new friend.The tiniest little man with the biggest moustache about 4foot 10 with dark skin and a little beard sprikled with grey.Initially i told him i was fine,trying to look like i knew where i was going,but for about 1km,as i walked he would drive away around a corner and pull up again a few mins later,you certain u dont need my help?i make good business.no be afraid i help you.you m y friend i make you happy in india.after 5/6 reappearances from Sashi i finally gave in.,i told him i would love a coffee,and he brought me to the most beautiful indian coffee house,after that we did a full tour of trivandrum,in the pissing rain,going from market to market and temples and just everything he could possibly have shown me,i felt so safe with him,and it was so brilliant to have my own personal guide of the place.walking through the markets,my flip flop broke,sashi tried to fix it with his key,to no avail so i had to walk through the slum like streets with no shoes...people came out from behind their stall to put flowers in my hair and to give me fruit.....unbelievable.it didnt feel dangerous at all.and i soon forgot about my flip flops which were balanced on top of sashi's little head.I am actually the only foreigner in this place at the moment,or so it seems.he did all of that with me for 500 rupees(less than 10euros) and i think i overpaid him cos he nearly fell over when i gave him that much.
We had a quick beer together and hes collecting me tomoro at 10 to visit some elephants and lions,and a beach.
its only been a day and im amazed so i cant imagine what ill see over the next few weeks.An eye opening experience for me,even if i had to leave tomorrow.

Costa Rica-Cahuita to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca and Panama

Ive neglected this a little lately so its gonna be a quick update.....reaching the end of my first trip now,everyday has just gotten better and better...ive found myself repeatedly saying im the luckiest girl in the world......so many beautiful places....flew from Antigua to San Jose and made my way down to Cahuita on the Caribbean coast,where i met Jon, from England and Jean Noel from France,.they were so much fun,so we stayed there a few days visited Manzanillo and Puerto Viejo and i convinced them to come to Panama with me for a few days,they ve left Bocas del Toro now so im spending my last day on an island,beautiful beaches and gorgeous weather so im a happy lady...Have met bunches of people so am not lonely at all...
Next stop-Panama city, where im hoping to get a trip to the San Blas islands organised and possibly a 5days boat trip....

My little angels at the orphanage

I had all of them under my supervision today on my own which was a handful!A new born, 2toddlers,3 girls and two lunatic boys!Such fun but im so exhausted..We did so much,english,painting,games,dancing,football and reading....They are the sweetest kids ive never gotten so many hugs and kisses in my life.They hang off every part of me all day...

the best roommates yet- numero uno

Rule no.1: no snoring

Rule no 2: no peeing during the middle of the night, just piss yourself

Rule no 3: No humming to music, take note Raam.

Rule no4: do not tell mairead not to talk to strangers.

Rule no5:Approach room no.1 with caution.

Doritos,gummy bears,copious amounts of deet, bedtime stories and giggling.

"you wanna know something?i know who you are...whats your name again?you will never be welcome as long as im here".... (Mariam)

Chimaltenango

First day of work at the orphanage done,had a great day although im pretty tired now..the kids are absolutely adorable and it's gonna be very hard to leave....youngest boy is only 18days old and the oldest 12....had a very busy day and had them hanging off every leg...Paula (pronounced pow ooolah) and i became great buddies....and i cant wait to see them again tomoro...
Look how adorable paula is...that's her new bag which she doesnt let out of her sight...

Antigua,Guatemala

I've fallen in love with Guatemala..everything about it,the people,the culture and it's going to be extremely hard to leave...Was very anxious leaving ruth behind me, but ive enjoyed every second here.Ive even made guatemalan friends,crazy ones!It's such a relaxing city and where were stayingis fabulous too,fresh fruit for breakfast every morning and I wake up to sunshine.Went partying on Saturday night,lots of fun and had a great day yesterday too.Tomoro im starting work in an orphanage of ten children between the ages of 1 and 12 in a little village about a half an hour bus ride away from where i am...im really excited about it even though i know it will be tough going.The children were either abandoned or abused so im imagining it will be emotionally demanding.Will be working from 8to5 everyday...im lucky that i can speak spanish because they wouldnt have allowed me to work there otherwise.So an early start tomoro.There's only one other volunteer there apparently.Depending on how this week at the orphanage goes ill be leaving here in a week or so and heading for Nicaragua...then Panama.The days are flying by unfortunately only 1 month left now.Making the most out of everyday though!

Horseriding and the mayan community

yesterday was truly unbelievable...im in a rush writing this so itll be short and sweet...we were brought by horse up the mountains through the forest and unbelievable scenery to a secluded community of indigenous mayans......as we entered into the community of about 15houses, kids came out from every little crevice....we stayed there for an hour or so and the kids were so gorgeous...theyre so secluded from everything up there, none of them work but theres a school there.....Fascinating to be exposed to such a different way of life,reminded me alot of the volunteer work in Romania....on the way back roberto,our horse guide,spiced things up a bit and we went gallopping the whole way down through muck and water...we were a mess at the end but laughed the whole way down...my horse mariposa was very competetive with ruth's,who didnt stand a chance,so we were neck in neck at the very end :) after that we were exhausted and went about an hour outside Copan to the hot thermal springs, where we soaked surrounded by nature...so relaxing...I fell asleep by 8pm last night...leaving for Guatemala shortly, heading for Tikal and hoping to do a week of volunteer work if possible in some town...

White water rafting and ziplining

Think i have finally overcome my fear of heights...such a fun and scary day yesterday-ziplining was amazing...went from one side of the jungle to the other over a river about 50metres high...all was going well until ruth miscalculated her route and crashed into a tree..quite amusing all the same...white water rafting was absolutely brilliant...three of us fell out..leaving la Ceiba today and heading for Guatemala with Ruth have to say bye to Irish girls and were going tubing and horseriding later...an action packed couple of days!still have a touch of food poisoning but its bearable!more photos will be up soon....

3days of sailing

Im not gonna say much about the last 3days because its very hard to put into words how amazingly beautiful the belizean coast is....the photos will tell the story.We had the most amazing time,we slept on the deserted island (1st picture) on tuesday night it was in the middle of nowhere and no bigger than my back garden and front garden put together.We swam onto shore,pitched our tents and cooked the fish we had caught that day on the boat...there was 15 of us...toasted marshmallows and drank lots of rum punch...never seen so many stars and ill never forget that day.This was Rendezvous caye and then we went onto Tobacco caye which was equally beautiful...and from there weve come down as far as Placencia...one night last night there and we were up at 5.30 this morning to catch the bus to Hopkins....the bridge on the way had fallen to pieces so we had to struggle across the river backpacks and all in tears laughing....we then had to hitchhike to the nearest town so we were loaded onto the back of a pickup truck to our destination.Weve landed on our feet once again and are staying right on the beach in a gorgeous beach house....the best week of my life so far..no exaggeration.Photos will be up very soon!Utila is next on Sunday where we'll be doing lots of diving...

caye caulker islands

Yesterday was such a great day,decided to go on a boat and go snorkelling but didnt think wed see so much,so relaxing and i cant believe i actually got into the water with sharks...A little scary!We saw three turtles,a big fat manatee and all sorts of crazy coloured fish, barracudas-needle fish and sting rays...ruth swam under a cave.Laughed all day and the captain of the boat made potent rum for the trip home...and of course the reggae music was on....2more days here and then were jumping on a sailboat so we'll be sailing for 3days down as far as Honduras.Camping on islands for each night....something so relaxing about being on the water all day...

belize

belize

belize

BELIZE

im not doing a great job at this blog am i?just got to belize yesterday......its like jamaica......so unbelievable,everyone is so friendly and reggae music blasting out every window...everyone is so chilled out and we ended up finding the most random brilliant hostel,once again totally landed on our feet....next door to the hostel there was a belizean family, a crazy family who called me and ruth and an american guy,an english guy and a canadian girl from the hostel over to drink on their porch...we stayed their for hours and they were hilarious...who'd think that you could have such fun on a porch with a bottle of rum and reggae music and a guitar....picking up the creole,such a mad language..broken english-very interesting, a little hungover today so gonna jump straight on the boat over to the islands and go snorkelling....the mosquitos are in love with me....feelings are not mutual.Have learned not to listen to what people tell you about certain places, belize was supposed to be horrible and dangerous and a dump and weve had such a great experience here...daniella, the belizean girl wants us to come back over on friday to take us out to party here....weve plans to rent an island in honduras and then go to the sunjam festival on august8th, which is apparently one of the biggest music events in central america...

rest of my cuba photos are on my kodakgallery website, ill send ye a link..this takes too long!will update the blog soon

Cuba

Sunset on sunday evening

floating for the day on a lilo

Sunday breakfast at the beach

Domingo el 6 de julio

Spent from 11.30 to 8p.m on the beach today....freshly made ice cold smoothies served to us this morning by the water, fresh fruit brought along by an old mexican woman selling the most delicious fruit-mayans....so refreshing.Swimming and floating all day long, listening to ipod and writing a diary....my body is seriously thanking me for all of this relaxation....Skin has never been so soft from all of the sand which were using to exfoliate our skin...Watched the sun set.Sheer bliss....and the next island of Tulum is supposed to be even more beautiful....The best holiday ive ever had so far and only one week done...Que bueno :)

2nd day on the beach...the most relaxing day ive ever had

a wedding venue isla mujeres

ignore the pasty whiteness of me on my first day at the beach-the photo doesnt even do justice to this paradise....

cancun, isla mujeres

Just flew yesterday from Mexico city,a big change here- so glad that we saw the real mexico cos its way more touristy here....decided not to stay in Cancun and come straight out to the island bout 20minutes by boat...its such a cute village, loads of little restaurants and bars so we had gorgeous seafood last night, so fresh and lots of mojiitos.....fantabulous...hostel is cool, its on the beach, so relaxing but so damn hot- it must be over 30 degrees here and its only 11am.Fingers crossed no burning on the first day...want to stay here a few days, its so gorgeous.Will throw up a few photos soon....Nice to have my feet in sand at last :)

mexico city

Only here 2days and it feels like ive been travelling weeks.....So Mexico city, an eye opener for definite...a little scary, wouldnt like to be doing it alone for sure....People so friendly but we stick out so much its a little unnerving....spent lots of time people watching,having beers,eating gorgeous mexican food, spent the afternoon at the pyramids...very cool.Weather´s not great yet, but thatll change once we hit Cancun...I´m slowly but surely adapting to backpacker lifestyle.....A little homesick but i guess its only been 2days...