Tour of Sri Lanka – Kalutara and Galle

After the challenging tour of South India I landed in Sri Lanka to find, with some relief, that it is positively different to India. They actually bother to collect rubbish on a regular basis, which is always nice, plus there is a genuine warmth and laid-back attitude in the locals. The driving is quite bad, but nothing compared to India’s roads. They actually stop at pedestrian crossings! Sometimes. I was met at the airport by Tumee, a friend from Travbuddy.com, who took me to his recommended first destination of Kalutara. Although he is biased, as it’s his hometown! It’s a pleasant, but slightly dull seaside resort with a notable landmark of the Gangatilaka Vihara buddist temple. And that’s it. Continue reading →

Tour of South India – Kochi and Tiruchirapalli

Kerala backwater cruise

After another tiring overnight bus journey (but at least I had a bed on my own this time!), I made it to Kochi in Kerala.  Kerala is modestly refered to as ‘God’s own country’ by the locals. Parts of the state have beautiful tropical beaches and mangrove-lined backwaters, but Kochi itself is a laid back fishing town, with picturesque old colonial architecture and a stunning view from the jetty of the massive Chinese fishing nets used by local fishermen. And of industrial silos and cranes from the nearby port. But it’s still a worthy addition to the tour schedule. It has a distinctly un-Indian vibe; for example, it has a huge Christmas tree and it’s the first place that I’ve visited in which no-one complains when they have to give me change. Continue reading →

Tour of South India – Hampi and Bangalore

“You don’t have a girlfriend?!” Not again. This is starting to irk me. “Ha ha this must be some kind of joke!” No, it’s not. “Do you not like girls?” Yes, I do. “But you are handsome.” So I keep hearing. “Ha ha. Why no girlfriend?” Ha Ha back. Okay, I’m tired of this now. Unfortunately I was a captive audience for the taxi driver taking me to the overnight bus travelling inland from Goa to Hampi.

I had a terrible sense of foreboding about this trip. Sure, I had booked what was called a ‘bed’, but this is India, so I was worried that there would be three of us stretched across two beds or some other hassle. The other passengers were a mix of tourists and locals, including a party of fourteen Koreans, one of whom had taken the bed next to mine. Continue reading →

Tour of South India – Mumbai and Goa

No, that's fine, you finish it. Thief.

I finally left the hell hole of Delhi, before losing my sanity, although not without more hassle; this time a long delay to my flight. Never mind, I’m sure this is a one-off, I thought. Surely there is nowhere in India that sharply demonstrates the chasm between rich and poor than Mumbai, optimistically referred to as ‘India’s Big Apple’. In your dreams. Rotten apple, more like. 55% of the population live in slums and that doesn’t take into account those who live on the streets. Having said that, it is still an improvement on Delhi, being slightly less hectic and with some interesting colonial architecture.

Not that I saw much of it, as I was still suffering from Delhi Belly and finding walking too much of an exertion, Continue reading →