On Tuesday it was time to say goodbye to India for good. Before I came many people warned me how intense India is and said that I'll either love it or hate it but I disagree....some parts I have hated and many other parts I have loved. This is the land that seems to contain ten countries in one with mountains, deserts, cities, jungles, beaches, palm tree fringed rivers, waterfalls, endless green fields, hills and forests. I've seen some of the most beautiful scenery and landscape and this is by far my most favourite thing about the country however it also houses some of the most dirty places I could ever imagine.
India is where babies wear eyeliner and fall asleep on the back of speeding motorbikes, women in saris wield pick axes whilst they work on the roads, a 26 hour train journey is perfectly normal, women cover themselves from head to toe in saris and yet some can be spotted wearing Playboy flip flops, sex is a massive taboo and yet this is where the Kama Sutra was invented, a head bobble is an acceptable answer to anything, discarded flip flops are around every corner, people's lives are shared with cows, dogs, pigs, monkeys, goats and chickens that are allowed to roam freely, you never go long without being offered a cup of sweet chai tea and there's a temple/mosque/church on every street.
Since I left England at the end of July I've had some of the most scary, shocking and frustrating moments of my life...however I've also seen some of the most beautiful places and had some incredible adventures! I have trekked in the Himalayas, stayed with Indian mountain villagers, meditated with monks, gone white water rafting, paragliding, had a monkey wee on my face (!!!), driven a rickshaw on a Delhi motorway, philosophised with new friends over many Kingfisher Strong beers, seen a dog eating flesh from a human skeleton on the banks of the Ganges, been harassed at the Taj Mahal, planked on an elephant's head because my trousers had split open, had a midnight BBQ held in my honour, eaten bread cooked in cow pats, driven a moped through a mass cow orgy, slept under shooting stars in the desert, been headhunted in Mumbai and asked to be in a Bollywood film, visited a slum, hired a houseboat for the night, been kayaking, paddle boarding and I've been pulled over by police for riding a bike with no licence.
I've also had hundreds of mosquito bites, eaten ridiculously spicy food, shared chai tea with the locals, learnt so much about Indian life and culture, had 'Delhi Belly' six times, met many people who had never seen a white person before, clocked up over 200 hours of train journeys and most importantly met some brilliant people from all around the world!
Now it's time to explore Myanmar and in order to get there we have to stop over in Bangkok, Thailand for three nights to obtain a visa.
Markha Valley, Ladakh.
Pangong Tso Lake, Jammu & Kashmir.
India is where babies wear eyeliner and fall asleep on the back of speeding motorbikes, women in saris wield pick axes whilst they work on the roads, a 26 hour train journey is perfectly normal, women cover themselves from head to toe in saris and yet some can be spotted wearing Playboy flip flops, sex is a massive taboo and yet this is where the Kama Sutra was invented, a head bobble is an acceptable answer to anything, discarded flip flops are around every corner, people's lives are shared with cows, dogs, pigs, monkeys, goats and chickens that are allowed to roam freely, you never go long without being offered a cup of sweet chai tea and there's a temple/mosque/church on every street.
Shimla.
Varanasi.
Since I left England at the end of July I've had some of the most scary, shocking and frustrating moments of my life...however I've also seen some of the most beautiful places and had some incredible adventures! I have trekked in the Himalayas, stayed with Indian mountain villagers, meditated with monks, gone white water rafting, paragliding, had a monkey wee on my face (!!!), driven a rickshaw on a Delhi motorway, philosophised with new friends over many Kingfisher Strong beers, seen a dog eating flesh from a human skeleton on the banks of the Ganges, been harassed at the Taj Mahal, planked on an elephant's head because my trousers had split open, had a midnight BBQ held in my honour, eaten bread cooked in cow pats, driven a moped through a mass cow orgy, slept under shooting stars in the desert, been headhunted in Mumbai and asked to be in a Bollywood film, visited a slum, hired a houseboat for the night, been kayaking, paddle boarding and I've been pulled over by police for riding a bike with no licence.
Varanasi.
Pushkar.
I've also had hundreds of mosquito bites, eaten ridiculously spicy food, shared chai tea with the locals, learnt so much about Indian life and culture, had 'Delhi Belly' six times, met many people who had never seen a white person before, clocked up over 200 hours of train journeys and most importantly met some brilliant people from all around the world!
Mumbai.
Goa.
Now it's time to explore Myanmar and in order to get there we have to stop over in Bangkok, Thailand for three nights to obtain a visa.
Goa.
Sounds like an epic adventure, looking forward to hearing about the next one xxx
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