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Our Adventure

February 2017 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Charlotte Read more
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  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 11

    The longest journey ever!

    February 27, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Today was the day that we had all been dreading; a 7 and a half hour bus journey, followed by an 8 hour sleeper train to Mumbai! Luckily the bus wasn't until 10.30 so we were able to get sorted in the morning and have breakfast. The journey was long and the bus had beds above the seats but it was okay. I even caught our tour leader watching fifty shades of grey on his laptop-he claims he didn't know what the theme of the movie was! After a long Tuktuk ride we ended up at Gandhi's former house although I'm not sure everyone was feeling up to reading all the information. It was still interesting to see. We went to a very posh mall after where you were security checked upon entry. After some great KFC we watched a film with the group which made a nice change and for £1.20 each you couldn't go wrong! It then came the time to board our train. It was surprisingly cleaner than expected and although I found it hard to sleep it was a swifter journey than day travelling. Mumbai, we made it!Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 12

    A flying visit

    February 28, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    After arriving in Mumbai after our epic journey to get here we were all pretty wiped out. After checking into the hotel and sharing 3 rooms between the group to shower and freshen up we headed out for a day of sight seeing in the taxis. Nick and I went separately around the sites so I can't speak for him but for me staying awake was such a struggle. We did go to some amazing places though; Gandhi's house (he has a few), Mumbai beach, the richest man's house in India which is more like a sky scrapper and to see the clothes wash houses. It felt such a shame that we weren't more awake to appreciate what we were seeing more. After a rest back at the hotel we headed out for dinner then a bar for some drinks. Nick was tearing up the dance floor and Jai, our tour leader, was trying his best to keep up! A very long tiring day but a great fleeting glimpse into Mumbai.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 13

    Go Go Goa!

    March 1, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We headed to the fanciest airport I have ever seen in Mumbai to board our flight to Goa. We had a very long wait at the airport but it was made better by Costa offering a free muffin when you bought a cappuccino! After a rocky flight we touched down in Goa and it felt like we were in another country completely. The temperature had grown from 28 degrees to 35 and instead of sparse fields of dried vegetation, with the odd crop field, we were greeted by luscious palm trees and prolific greenery everywhere. We'd entered a tropical paradise. We checked into our hotel and headed out around the markets for some food. It felt a lot more comfortable walking around on our own here then anywhere else in India. Everyone was pretty exhausted from the travelling of the past few days so we headed home to conserve energy for our leaving night tomorrow! I can't believe tomorrow is the final day with our amazing group.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 14

    Sandy toes and a wet nose

    March 2, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Goa is beautiful. Today we headed off in the morning to explore the old churches of Goa. We were all dying to get to the beach but I'm so glad we experienced some of the history of Goa first. In the afternoon we set off for the beach and after quite a walk from the taxi we finally made it to golden sands, palm trees and rolling blue waves. Jai our CEO (Chief Experience Officer) had not been in the sea before but he braved it with us and absolutely loved it! We had such a great afternoon frolicking in the sea and chilling on the beach with the group. It was so sad to think it's our last full day as a whole group but that made the time even more special. After showers and dressing up we headed to a lovely restaurant which had a guy singing live with his guitar. A few drinks and food later we were all up on the floor with tables moved out of our way. Many shapes were thrown. We even got some of the older tourists and restaurant visitors to join in. The plan was to head out with the group but unfortunately Nick felt ill so we headed back in the end after dinner had wrapped up. Our last meal as a whole group! It honestly has been one of the best experiences of our lives with such amazing people.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 15

    Being beach bums!

    March 3, 2017 in India ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    Today was the last official day of our tour! A lot of the group are staying on for a day or more so we decided to pack up and spend the day together at the beach. Saying goodbye to Jai was hard. He's been so amazing this whole trip and it's unnerving venturing off without him; we'll miss his knowledge, his ability to speak Hindi and him! He has invited us to stay at his house to experience the real India which was so lovely of him. I'm very keen to either organise another tour that he's running or to take him up on his offer of staying at his village. After a few more goodbyes we headed to our first hostel to dump our bags and then to Ashvum beach. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. We definitely made the most of the warm water and crashing waves with the whole group. We spent pretty much the whole afternoon there and the factor 50 sun cream was a life saver! We headed back to check into our first hostel, a dorm room with 4 other guys. I'm unsure how I feel completely about this currently but we have to give it a go when dorms are so much cheaper. I'm trying to be open minded and keep thinking that it's just a room to shower and sleep in. I have been reassured that hotel rooms/private rooms in other countries like Thailand are super cheap so hopefully after these next few weeks we can opt for these if the difference in price isn't too great. Fingers crossed it all goes well!Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 16

    Sun, sea and cows!

    March 4, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Another day, another beach! We had our first night in a hostel last night! I found it quite strange waking up and seeing random guys in the room asleep and I think because that thought was on my mind I had a pretty restless night. It wasn't helped by the fact that I was bitten alive on my legs and feet during the night- even with insect repellent on! We woke up early but had a lovely lazy morning in the reception; it was nice to just hang out and talk to whoever fancied joining us. We headed down to the local beach with another guy from the tour as well and hung out there for a good few hours. The beach was crowded and lots of people were staring and taking pictures with me without my consent so it wasn't a great first impression. One highlight was when a cow just walked past the end of our sun loungers casually! You would never think that cows would venture onto the beach, even in India. We later met some friends who were further down the beach in another cove before we headed back for showers. Our block had had a power cut so showering in the room by torch light was an experience. We met the remainder of the tour group for dinner at a lovely informal restuarant where you sit on the floor on cushions with a low down table. The whole day was another pretty relaxed day but we feel we needed that after such an intense packed trip.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 17

    Take me home...

    March 5, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Today was our worst day by far... We spent 5 hours waiting around in the hostel for our washing to be done. Despite us asking regularly how it was going the woman failed to tell us until the end that the machine had broken. We had to rinse all our clothes off in the shower before we would hang them to dry. By this point we just wanted to go out and do something so Nick rented a scooter as he has a motorbike license and we headed to a juice bar near our hostel. At this point I wasn't feeling too great but thought I was just hungry and needed some food. However once we had ordered and we began to eat the feeling of sickness was overwhelming. I lay with my head on the table for a while but in the end had to go to the toilet to be sick, lovely I know. We managed to make it back to the hostel and video call home which initially made me feel better but very homesick. I would of given anything to be able to go with my sisters to take my niece swimming. After chilling out in the room the sickness hit again. At this point we decided we needed our own space. Nick was a God send. He organised a private room in another hostel, sorted out the taxi and packed up all our stuff while I led on the bed feeling helpless. We made it to the room where I just passed out and Nick went out to dinner alone. I've also been bitten 18 times and counting. The day couldn't of gotten much worse really. I've included a photograph which was taken on the last day we saw my sisters and niece as a reminder of much this day made me want to go home.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 18

    Reunited with Dehli

    March 6, 2017 in India ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    And we're back in Dehli! I woke up after a very restless night feeling better but not 100 percent. I didn't risk eating anything for quite a while and we focused on just getting to the airport. It's scary to think that this is it, it's just the two of us from now on. I'm sad that I was ill and therefore wasn't able to have a proper goodbye with the remainder of the group but they all seem very understanding of the situation. We managed to negotiate the airport and the whole day without another sickness incident which is a result. Once we landed we had a 2 hour drive to the hotel because it is rush hour but we finally made it. We're having a chilled night in with room service so I can fully recover. At least I was ill for our 2 and a half hour flight and not our longer flight to China!Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 19

    Last full day and night in India

    March 7, 2017 in India ⋅ 🌫 27 °C

    We fly to China tomorrow at midnight so technically today was our last day and night in this mesmerising country. We had the most amazing lie-in which was so needed after being ill and tired from the whole day of travelling yesterday. Our hotel is a stones throw away from the Red Fort so after some breakfast we headed over to see what this had to offer. The fort did not disappoint. We paid extra for an audio guide which was so worth the money to give us information at each point. I particularly love the photograph of Nick with his guide on looking like a security guard! I still won't get over how we pay 500 rupees (£6) to get in and yet Indians pay only 50 rupees (60p). They are really capitalising on foreigners in India! We met a man and his nephew in a museum about how India struggled for independence under British tyranny; he held vast knowledge on the topic. Turned out he was after a photo of us with his nephew- surprise, surprise- but it was worth it after all he told us. We're still not completely used to being asked all the time for selfies. Sitting down is a big mistake as you will get swarmed so it was a long day being constantly on our feet. We briefly walked for what felt like an hour to find the spice market just to see the colours and smell the spices. It felt like we found the real India, off the tourist path with stalls also selling colourful powered paint ready for Holi, the festival of colour, happening next week. It's such a shame we will miss it. We had planned to return to the Red Fort for a light and sound show in the evening but we were recommend by the guy at the audio guide desk not to do their show. He suggested going to one at the Old Fort on the history of Dehli and we were so glad he told us about it. The strength of the colours, visual effects and sound was brilliant when we weren't trying to waft off swarms of mosquitoes! We even managed to flag down a Tuktuk by ourselves! I'll always remember how driving in India is like a race on Mario Kart when you start off from the traffic lights.Read more

  • TravelerOur Adventure
    Day 20

    Being proper tourists

    March 8, 2017 in India ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Tonight we leave for China so today for our last day in India we hired a taxi for the afternoon with our last stop being the airport. Our driver took us to all the main sites Delhi has to offer, including; the Gate of India, the Lotus temple and Ghandi's memorial. A highlight was definitely the Lotus temple which was of such beautiful design and we were able to go inside as well which really made the experience. We arrived at the airport 5 hours early for our flight so had a lot of time to kill. After lots of games of cards we were able to finally check in which involved queueing for about 40 minutes which was surprising seeing as we were so early for the flight. Once inside we did treat ourselves to a dominoes pizza but have definitely come to the conclusion that they will never taste as good as they do back home so are not worth the money! Our flight was delayed so we didn't board until gone midnight when we were both pretty much falling asleep. A very stereotypical last tourist say in the beautiful but testing India.Read more

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