Today is our last day in India. I woke up at 9am and lay listening to my MP3 player, I do feel really sad as it brings it home to me how quickly the time has flown by. Over the past 2 months we have travelled around 3500 miles, through seven states and 13 cities.
We have learnt about the Hindu religion and the caste system and I have found, with a very few exceptions the Indian people to be helpful, kind and friendly.

There are fewer differences between England and India than I initially thought. India is a place of huge contrasts, although poverty is obvious wherever we have been, there is also great wealth here. Some of the people have habits that are difficult to like, for example the chewing of paan. This is a mixture of herbs, spices, sugar and tobacco wrapped up in a betel nut leaf. It is chewed and eventually spat out. It can be addictive and stains the mouth and teeth red, eventually rotting the teeth away. In north India the streets are covered with red spit and the ability of some people to hawk snot still amazes us.

I have seen lots of things which I would like to see adopted in England, for example women only carriages on trains and separate waiting areas for women and children in stations. It has been interesting to see the Indian government's response to HIV infection and there is a mass polio vaccination programme taking place here at the moment.
It is simple and cheap to buy any medications over the counter and although I feel that this must lead to a lot of dangerous self diagnosis it does make the prescription charges in England even harder to stomach. Our experience of healthcare here although brief was excellent.

Although many children go to school and education is very valued in a lot of states, child labour is still a huge problem here and I think we all could have cried at times seeing tiny kids begging on the streets, dressed in filthy rags with no shoes. This isn't just confined to children though and many old and disabled people seem to have an equally tough life here.

The climate is great, for someone who loves the heat the temperature is perfect and has never been too hot although occasionally too cold. Although bearing in mind it is winter here, I'm sure cities like Chennai and Delhi must become quite unbearable in the summer.

Everywhere smells, the food stalls are amazing this is something else I would love to see at home, although they would of course be governed by lots of health and safety legislation consequently driving prices up. We have eaten for less than a pound and had some amazing snacks and fruit juices very cheaply. The smell of frying food is often tempered by stinking drains and in some places the streets and pavements seem to serve as good toilets. After all why use a loo when you can piss up a perfectly good wall.

We have been lucky enough to see some fantastic sights, The Taj Mahal was as beautiful as I expected and visiting Varanasi and the Ganges River was one of the best experiences of my life. India has an interesting and varied history and Ali and Maisie have learnt so many things here that would have been out of their reach if we had decided on a new kitchen and a better car instead of this trip.

I wonder if I will ever come back here. You could, I'm sure spend years here and still not experience everything India has to offer. As I had read before we came away that it is one of the harder places to negotiate your way around, I am encouraged on to visit other places and already thinking of future trips perhaps to places like South America, Canada and Africa.

There could never be a last thing to say about India as it is so overwhelming in so many ways but finally we have met some inspirational people here and I think I can safely say we have all had the most fantastic time and loved every minute of our travels so far.

Our apologies for the break in service.

We promise to make every effort to update as often as possible.

Today we got up at 7 so that we can leave early for the days sight seeing at the town of Mamallapuram. We have hired a car and driver and expect it to take around 2 hours to get there. After about an hour the driver asks if we want to stop for breakfast and we agree this is a good idea as we haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon.

I'm slightly apprehensive when we're told there isn't a menu but we agree to try the south Indian breakfast. We have had tried it before but today there is no choice and idlis and dosa's arrive on a banana leaf with their accompaniments. Idlis are salty steamed rice flour balls and dosa's a kind of rolled up thin crispy pancake. The accompaniments are sauces made with mint, coconut and chilli of varying spiciness. I can't eat this, early in the morning and like a complete philistine and to Simon's disgust I pour sugar on mine and encourage the kids to do the same!

We eventually arrive at Kanchipuram Temple, this isn't where we asked to go but still we're pleased the fella has brought us here as there is a festival for one of the gods taking place and we see him being paraded through the street in a palanquin and fire offerings taking place.

There is an elephant at the temple entrance and we ask if the kids can have their photos taken with it, before he knows it Alister has been whipped up onto its back and is going for a ride. For someone scared of heights this is a little out of his comfort zone especially as there was nothing to hold onto except its skin which he said was hairy and tough!

The Brahmin of the temple shows us round and talks us through the history of the temple pillars. He points out "women with big boobies" to Ali on the sly and seems to like showing us the Kama Sutra pillars the best.

We stop for lunch at a beach shack, this beach was affected by the Asian tsunami in 2004 but everything appears to be back to normal. We have some seafood and then walk down to the waters edge. It is one of the most overcast days we have experienced since arriving in India and although it's not cold I'm not surprised when it starts to rain.

Next we stop of at The Shore Temple this temple was built around 700 AD and represents the final phase of pallava art; it depicts images of the Hindu god Shiva. Sadly though, we found the corpse of a huge turtle more interesting and probably spent more time examining that.

Lastly we visit The 5 Rathas and Krisna's "butterball" these are stone carvings and a large precariously balanced looking rock. The Ratha's are temples and animal carvings and include a life size elephant carving. These both make good photo opportunities and we get some shots for the website.

We start back around 5.30, this is a little early, we think as Chennai is only 55km away and we are not due back until 8pm. So we're not surprised when the driver suggests we stop off at a few shops on the way back. We have read about other travellers really experiencing a hard sell but as Simon is no push over and there is no one more stubborn than me, the carpet, wooden carving, jewellery, painting and ironwork merchants can't persuade us to buy anything and we leave empty handed but having had a good look around.

Despite the lack of sales the driver seems happy enough as he has been given a small commission anyway in the form of a gift just for taking us there. When he suggests more shopping we insist he takes us back to the hotel citing the mosquito's as the reason we need to get back and covered up.

7.45pm… the internet provision is poorer here than anywhere else we have been; I'm not sure whether this is just in this area or in Chennai in general. Going out now to eat and to try and update website. Next time we do this will probably be from Singapore. We are leaving India tomorrow night at 11pm…. How exciting is that ?

Someone's screaming baby woke me up this morning, I was dreaming about home and it took me ages to get orientated to where I was. Still I felt glad to wake up early as we have quite a lot to do today. We have moved rooms and are all now on floor 1 which means that Simon and I are back in the same room and the kids are opposite us.

After breakfast I start to sort our gear out, we want to post some things home such as the India guide book and maps, postcards and admission tickets that we have collected over the past 8 weeks. We are also ditching more of our clothes, some things we haven't used and some that is too stained to get clean properly. I think we will give these to someone in the street. Although the overall opinion is that giving to beggars just encourages them more, we have found it impossible to ignore them and Chennai is full of people asking for anything you can spare.

We have seen people here so physically disabled that you wonder how they have survived. One man at the station appeared to have no lower body at all and yesterday I gave a young women a few rupees who looked so heavily pregnant it seemed she could have her baby at any moment.

I try to imagine what a difficult start to life her baby will have and think about our little niece Hope and my friend Marie's son Ben. They are also tiny babies but have such a huge advantage just by being born in England with ready access to education and healthcare. We are very lucky in that respect and being here has definitely reminded me of that fact.

Chennai is just about the busiest, hottest and most polluted city I have visited. With none of the history and sights of Delhi or the modern feel of Mumbai it would be easy to stay
in our hotel room and watch TV for the next few days but we have found by getting out and about we have seen sights here that we haven't experienced elsewhere and I'm definitely enjoying it here.

In the afternoon we have planned to go to the snake farm, but unfortunately our crappy planning comes into play and we arrive there to be told it is closed on Tuesdays. No surprise when we check in the guidebook, which quite clearly states open Wednesday to Monday! As it is quite late in the afternoon we ask the driver to take us to the American burger bar and spend an hour or so completely stuffing our faces.

We get back to The Orchard Inn and lie on the bed. I have been reading the local paper which has some interesting stories today including one about a leopard that was found in someone's bathroom and news of the arrest of 38 people in connection with illegal cockfighting in Madurai.

As we ate so much earlier we decide not to go out for dinner and make do with a couple of beers and some 7up on room service. Tomorrow we are going out for the day to Mamallapurram, this is a coastal town famous for temples and stone work and hopefully we have organised it a bit better than today's outing. It is Tamil Nadu's premier traveller's attraction and a World Heritage site and we're hoping for an interesting day for our last full day in India.

Today we have had the best day. I woke up at 9 o'clock to Simon banging on the door, as our rooms are on 2 separate floors I decided late last night that I would feel more comfortable if we each slept with one of the kids.

For breakfast I decide to try the more healthy option and choose fruit salad but this is slightly spoilt by the fact that it is covered in sugar and bits of sweets!

We then go shopping, we have to buy a few things, nothing too exciting but it's good to be able to get the stuff we need, that we have been unable to find in some of the smaller places we have visited. I found my sunglasses broken in two a few days ago and we both buy ourselves a new pair. We bought Maisie a skirt. Ali a book and a CD called The Alternative Album; it has The Doves, Radiohead and Supergrass on it as well as some other stuff. Although we have brought lots of music with us we are always buying CDs at home and I have missed that.

Most exciting of all, we buy The Lonely Planet guide to Singapore and Malaysia. It only costs us 11 quid which is much cheaper than in the UK and as I haven't a clue about what to see and do in Singapore and have given it no thought, past drinking Singapore Slings in The Long Bar at Raffles Hotel I'm looking forward to reading up about it over the next few days.

The shopping plaza has a food court, an area selling traditional Indian clothing and craftworks and a large department store. Not quite The Bullring but good enough and we have a great day. The time flies by and we go back to the hotel, tired and all shopped out.

After a rushed early dinner we get in a rickshaw and head for the circus which starts at 7pm.The big top is lit up and we stop on the way in and buy candy floss, popcorn and cokes. We pay 100 rupees for ringside seats but it is well worth it for a good view, the acts are really good. Our favourites are the trapeze artists and the performers riding bikes backwards whilst juggling fire sticks.

Maisie liked the animal acts and these included huge parrots riding bikes, dogs carrying umbrellas and a performing pony. Although we enjoyed most of it, it was difficult not to feel that the animals are being exploited. We found an elephant dressed up, with its tusks sawn off playing cricket especially sad.

Last act of the night were 4 wild camels, which despite their trainers best efforts were determined to gallop madly around the ring, rolling their eyes and snapping at each other. It was an abrupt and chaotic end to a great night out and we agreed we had a great time.

We get in a rickshaw and the driver seems to think that we haven't had enough thrills for the night. He drives so fast and madly I think he must be on drugs. Chennai at 10pm is amazingly busy still and when we turn into on coming traffic at breakneck speed I just close my eyes.

The kids think it's all a laugh but eventually Simon tells him to slow down. When we arrive at The Orchard Inn in record time, we haven't got any change and I begrudge having to pay him over the odds for a scary experience. Still there is no choice and he seems thrilled with the extra. As I watch him swerve off into the night I hope he will be ok and console myself with the thought that if he does kill himself tonight by driving like a total lunatic, then at least he will die happy.

Following a very restless night, I awoke properly around 5am and decided to brave the train toilet. Western style toilets are available but the Indian squat toilets are usually the better choice and it's just a matter of being brave and getting on with it. A pretty vile experience though at that time in the morning.

We pull into Chennai Central on time at 6.15am; this is a bad time to be arriving anywhere as the hotels often don't kick their previous guests out until mid- morning and we may not be able to get into our room until later. We fight our way through the station which is absolutely packed and make our way to the pre paid taxi service desk.

Despite it being early it is already hot and really busy, the taxi driver drives like Michael Schumacher and we arrive at The Hotel Himalaya just gone 7am. It looks ok and I'm relieved when the chap on the desk says our rooms will be ready in 10 minutes as we are all tired and need to crash for a few hours. We are informed that there is no restaurant but room service is available. Our initial optimism soon disappears though when we are shown to the rooms, what a dump. The beds look clean and are comfortable but these are the only positive points.

The paint is peeling off the walls in both rooms and the toilet cistern is steadily emptying all over the floor in one of them The windows are barred up and so dirty I can't see a thing through them. Both rooms smell damp and horrible and as we have to spend at another 4 nights in Chennai we quickly agree we will look for somewhere else later.

By now we are hungry so we order room service, my appetite soon disappears though when 2 cold masala omelettes and 4 toasted jam sandwiches arrive wrapped in newspaper and tied with string.

We crash out for the morning and Maisie and I don't wake up until 12.30, we have been disturbed twice by men knocking on the door claiming they had the wrong room and although it doesn't feel unsafe here, I feel that may change tonight and definitely want to leave. We really need a good wash after a night on the train and even though it's horrible here I'm desperate for a shower, but when I go and find a fella and ask him for towels he shakes his head and tells me not until after 2pm.

We get dressed and jump in a rickshaw, and after a long drive around town we arrive at The Orchard Inn. I ask if there are any rooms available and although it doesn't look promising Simon intervenes and eventually the fella decides there will be rooms available after 7pm tonight. We check them out and although they could hardly be described as top end they are a big improvement on The Himalaya.

We have lunch in their restaurant and the food is cheapish and good. Maisie and Ali insist on having paneer masala which they love eating with their fingers, they are really getting into Indian food culture and often now eat with their hands like the locals. Eating cheers us up and we decide we will return to the other place, shower and collect our gear. By the time we get back there seems to be a party going on with plenty of whisky and rum being drank and a rowdy crowd of men congregating outside our door. We choose the best room, (which is a difficult choice between horrible and horribler) and all pile into one, it seems good natured enough at the moment but I feel a bit safer all together.

Eventually we manage to get some towels and to my amazement there is a plentiful supply of hot water, despite the notice on the door urging you to use water and electricity sparingly I figure that as we have paid for 2 rooms that we won't be spending the night in we are entitled to use as much water as we like and we all shower and wash our hair.

The area we are staying in is called Triplicane and seems to be a centre for medical services. A kind of Harley Street for Madras, opposite is The Shifa Jaundice Clinic and Simon suggests I could go and offer my services and do a bit of work…………..
I don't think so!

We leave The Himalaya at 7pm and transfer to The Orchard Inn which is in the district of Anna Salai. As soon as we have checked in we get in a rickshaw and head for The Galloping Gooseberry American Diner. An hour later and we have had the best burgers, with chicken wings and deep fried mozzarella sticks for starters, a Greek salad and washed down with fresh fruit milkshakes, it was yummy and such a welcome change from Indian food for all of us.

We head back for the hotel around 9pm, make a quick call home and then lie on the bed reading the complimentary Chennai Chronicle. Very informative, it gives us some ideas of things to do, starting with a visit to the circus tomorrow evening, looking forward to that.

We didn't wake up until 10.30 and after 12 hours solid sleep I feel great. We spend the morning packing up our stuff and have a quick breakfast of toast and fresh juice.
The kids watch a DVD of The Blue Planet and I get them to write a story about life in the ocean from the perspective of a dolphin, imaginatively called Flipper. To encourage them on I make it into a competition where they get a point for each fact and they seem quite enthusiastic about it.

We get some lunch at the hotel next door, although up until this point we have avoided this place as judging by the number of empty rum and vodka bottles piled up in the alley behind it is obviously a local drinking den. As we are pushed for time we decide to go for it and although the place is smoky and everyone already has a beer on the go we have decent veg thali's for 30 rupees each.

We arrive at the station with time to spare and eventually The Chennai Express leaves as planned at 4pm. We are always a bit apprehensive about who we will be sharing our compartment with but the fella who gets on at the next station is friendly and speaks good English. He tells us he lives in Chennai and works as an accounts manager for Heinz, he has been in Kerala on business and he spends an hour or so advising us on places of interest in and around Chennai. He gives us his email address and mobile number in case we have any problems in Chennai and readily agrees to swap bunks with me so I am up higher and more out of reach from groping hands.

After a few hours playing cards, scrabble and reversi we settle down for the night, I can't sleep and lie there listening to my MP3 player, my much loved birthday present and an essential for drowning out the snoring that is shaking the train carriage.

I have spent the night absolutely freezing my arse off, partly due to the fan and I guess the temperature must drop out on the water. At 5.30 am I got completely dressed and although I was really tempted to watch the sunrise in the end the bed won and Simon went and got some photos which I admired later!

Breakfast was toast and fruit and evil tasting coffee and we arrived back in Alleppey around 9 o'clock. Unfortunately the Cherukara Nest was all booked and we are therefore spending our last night here at The KTC Guesthouse. This turns out to been clean and comfortable and even though I have to have a cold bucket shower I feel refreshed and revitalised by mid morning.

I spend an hour or so doing science with the kids we have been working our way through the body systems and complete the circulatory system today. We never did dissect a heart; although Simon found a chicken heart in last nights curry and we all had a good look at it I don't think that counts. We make a start on the skeletal system which I don't think will take too long and they both try hard which is good.

We will be travelling to Chennai (Madras) tomorrow and are due to catch the train at 4pm. I feel very sad about this as it will be our last stop in India, before we fly to Singapore next Thursday. We spent ages last night with the fella's on the boat showing them our trip photos and some pictures from home. Looking back over the past 7 weeks it seems such a long time ago since we were in Delhi but also the time has flown by.

Simon goes out to get Ali's guitar case re stitched; we have already had this done once but as it is stuffed with music it is very heavy and has ripped again. He has been printing tabs off the net and is learning some stuff by The Raconteurs, The Fratellis and Razorlight.

We get some lunch and then spend some time on the internet; we are researching information on accommodation and things to do in Singapore. As we won't be there for long we want to use our time well. I have a few emails from friends to catch up with and it's good to hear their news about how they spent Christmas and New Year which now seems absolutely ages ago.

We are going to try and get some tandoori food tonight. Simon and the kids are quite uncomplaining but I am getting fed up with our curry and rice diet and we have all been fantasising about having a roast dinner. Although we love curry and will eat most things, often the choices are quite limited and non-veg is not available in many restaurants here. In fact I have been reading in the guidebook about an American style diner in Chennai that sells great burgers and for me who hates cooking but loves junk food it sounds like my idea of heaven!

Its 10pm and we have just got back, we found a good restaurant and had chicken tikka, chips and salad. Until this point we have eaten very little salad as I have been worried that it may have been washed in tap water and have relied on cooked vegetables as a means of getting the green stuff in but tonight I think stuff it, we'll take our chances. With less than a week to go in India and no serious episodes of the shits for any of us this may be a risky choice to take, I'll let you know tomorrow.

We set our alarm today and had breakfast on the veranda before packing up our stuff yet again. Tony the guesthouse owner has been great, very friendly and obliging and Simon pays him a little over what we owe for his troubles. Which have mainly been making lots of coffee and finding us cokes and beers at night!

He orders us a rickshaw and we are taken to the houseboat, it is a converted rice barge with an upper and lower deck, a dining area and two bedrooms and is quite luxurious. At our disposal for the next 24 hours are 3 fellas including an on board chef. All our meals are included and we ask a lad to stock up on soft drinks and beer before we go.

At around 12ish we're off and within 5 minutes are gently floating across a huge still lake, the only noises are ducks quacking and the hum of the engine which is frequently
turned off so that we can drift peacefully. The fella's propel the boat using long poles and several smaller boats paddle past. Someone offers us 3 lobsters for 1000 rupees but I'm glad we turned him down when Suresh the chef produces a simple but tasty meal of fried fish, salad, chilli green beans, spicy cabbage and plain rice. We also polished off 3 strong beers and 2 packets of cashews and all agree we are completely stuffed.

The backwaters consist of a massive network of canals, lagoons and lakes and with the sun beating down and a warm breeze the houseboats are the perfect way to explore them.
We pass temples and small villages and Suresh points out a coir factory. The backwaters are lined with palm trees and flat rice fields stretch either side as far as I can see.

We stop off at the riverside, Simon and Ali go to inspect some huge fresh water prawns and they decide to buy four as an addition to our dinner tonight. I was worried that we might go hungry and we brought lots of snacks onboard but I needn't have worried as there is a large basket of fresh fruit on the table and soon a snack of a sort of deep fried sweet bread and cups of chai are produced.

I spend the afternoon lying on the front of the boat watching the peaceful backwaters go by and Simon does an hour or so of maths with the kids.

At dusk we moor up at the lakeside and watch the beautiful sunset. Sitting in the darkness in the warm night air, with the sweet smell of the mosquito coils and the sound of cicadas and some distant drumming from across the water is an absolutely awesome and magical experience. There is a full moon and although far across the lake I can just make out faint lights from other houseboats, in the blackness it is easy to imagine we are the only people here.

Our only light comes from a single light bulb and it is literally alive with buzzing insects from small flies to huge flying beasts. These in turn attract lots of small lizards which dart everywhere on the walls of the boat. My friend Nicky bought me a lovely fine mesh sarong a few months before we came away and I remember her saying to me that I would find lots of uses for it. It has undoubtedly been the most useful thing I brought with me and I have worn it as a scarf, skirt, top and dress. I have slept on it and under it; it has been my comfort blanket on bus journeys and protected me from the sun and the cold. Tonight I'm so glad I have it as it makes a perfect mosquito net and I think thanks Nicky for such a great present as we get bombarded by hoards of winged creatures.

At around 9pm Suresh tells us our dinner is ready, it looks fantastic and so much food, we'll never be able to eat it all. The prawns have been cooked with spices, coconut and lemon and there is a spicy chicken curry, vegetable rice, chapattis and several different types of vegetable dishes. We finish our meal with some fresh pineapple and then sit listening to Ali playing his guitar; today has been a perfect day.

Kerala is described in our guidebook book as "India showing its gentle and relaxed side"and when we woke up this morning to the sound of exotic birds we agreed that sleeping under a mosquito net feels both romantic and adventurous and Kerala is everything we had hoped for.

Alleppey is the main hub for getting a houseboat and Simon decides to go out fairly early and try and book something. The boats all return to Alleppey around 10.30 and I'm pleased when he comes back at 11.30 having booked us a boat for 110000 rupees (120 pounds). This is for 24 hours and the prices have risen considerably since the last Lonely Planet edition. The fella tells Simon that there is a huge demand for boats and although there are over 400 in this area we had no option but to pay up in order to get a decent boat.

We spend the day quietly at Cherukara Nest; the kids do an hour or so of literacy and write a comparison of Indian and English culture concentrating on food and the landscape. I am reading a novel by John Grisham and am pleased to spend the afternoon sat on the veranda. It's very indulgent to do nothing for such long periods and far more relaxing than a holiday where we are usually busy trying to have a great time. I always try my best to get a sexy tan when we are away but as we still have 5 months of hot places to go I have found I'm not so bothered!

We sit and have a beer with an Australian called Liz who tells us some interesting travel stories about her previous trips around South East Asia and decide to try and get an earlier dinner. We put our faith in an auto rickshaw driver by asking him to take us to a restaurant and as usual this turns out to be a mistake as he takes us to the most expensive place in town. We have a quick look at the menu but as it is a set curry meal and costs 660 rupees each we ask him to take us somewhere cheaper. We end up at The Indian Coffee House which is in a good location on the beachfront and our total bill comes to 208. Much better value!

Back at the Cherukara Nest we head for an early night. The houseboat is booked for 11.30 in the morning and we want to be up bright and breezy in order to have a great day.

We have now come from Mumbai to Goa so that we can spend Christmas here. Goa has changed a lot since we came 5 years ago it has become a lot more commercialised , however it is still very good and were we are staying is peaceful. It is nice to be staying in one place for more than three nights, travelling is cool but a rest is well appreciated by us all.

On Christmas Eve it was really weird as instead of having a lovely meal at Nana and Granddads with our Aunty and Uncle, then going to bed early and waking up way to early the next day as you are so excited about your presents! But here there was a power cut and we had a Chinese takeaway in the dark and when the power finally came on we had to wait to go to bed as the mosquito coils burnt. As we waited me my sister and my dad all played cards, but when we got bored we played charades and that made it feel a little more Christmassy! So by the time we actually got to bed it was all ready Christmas day!

We woke up really late unlike usual a Christmas morning to a bowl of strawberry cornflakes they were ok until we smelt the bacon cooking down below! I and my mum were drawling on the balcony.

I got lots of sweets and chocolate as they would not be hard to carry and would probably be eaten by the next day. I also got a hundred pounds and a Jet Ski ride which I loved so much I used some of my money to go again the next day. On my second ride I was a lot more confident, I had already done a full 360 degree spin but unfortunately on my second attempt my Dad flew off the back and it was really funny.

We spent Christmas night at a 5star hotel and there was an amazing buffet. I had a small starter and main course as I was saving my self for dessert I had loads of strawberry coated in chocolate and a chocolate mouse a chocolate/strawberry jam log roll thing! It was heavenly.

We are now in Kerala and tomorrow we are going to live on a boat. On the way here we stopped off at Mangalore for New Years Eve the food was slow and not that nice but the party was great there was no countdown but fireworks went off and every one started shaking our hands over a 5 to 10 minute period of time.

I'm looking forward to the boat tomorrow it should be really exiting, but for now the hotel is pretty cool and a rest is nice.

As planned we caught the train to Kerala at 11pm last night. We quickly got the kids settled and I went out like a light. As long as I can lie down I can sleep anywhere and I have found that we are sleeping better on the trains now we are getting more used to them.

As we are travelling 3rd class sleeper we have to share our 6 bed compartment with 2 others so it is a bit of a surprise when I wake up at 8am to find 4 extra people.
Simon tells me it was like an episode of Eastenders when this family got on with tears, arguments and a lot of stress. Apparently the little boy got in the bunk with him and then fell out later and it sounded like me and the kids slept through a right drama!

We arrive at Alleppey station at 10.30am and the taxi drivers seem to be completely obstructive and refuse to take us to Cherukara Nest where we have booked 2 nights accommodation. We guess this because they want to take us to some other hotel that they will get paid commission for but eventually it becomes apparent that some sort of strike is taking place and they won't take us anywhere.

Simon decides to phone the guesthouse and a fella soon turns up on a motorbike and explains that a hartal is taking place over 3 days in protest at the execution of Saddam Hussain. This means that from dawn until dusk none of the restaurants, internet, phones, buses or taxis will be working. This isn't really a problem for us as we aren't planning to do much anyway for the next few days but we do need transport at this point, as our hotel is 4km away. He explains the only thing to do is to travel by motorbike and as we don't really have much choice, when he rallies 3 of his mates around we have to climb on.

They all zoom off leaving me clinging on to the fella for grim death and yelping after Ali and Maisie "Hold on tight kids". As if they cared – they loved it and thought it was all a great laugh!

10 minutes later and we arrive at Cherukara Nest- oh wow what a beautiful place, it is over 100 years old, there are only 4 rooms and they are all huge with white washed walls, antique dark wood Portuguese furniture, ceiling fans and mosquito nets over the beds. You couldn't wish to be in a more serene and peaceful setting and I'm so pleased we will be staying here for a few days.

We go through the reception and out to the garden where we have a lovely breakfast of coffee, fruit, omelettes and toast. There is a dove cote in the middle of the grass courtyard and it has the look of the jungle about it with tall palms and overhanging trees.

After a refreshing cold shower we decide to go and check out the house boats. We have been chatting to an English couple who are holidaying in India for 3 weeks and they have found a luxury boat just up the road with 2 double beds for 8000 rupees. But when we enquire we are told it will cost 14000 (around 150 pounds) We expect that the houseboat trip will be a major expense whilst we are in Kerala but feel that as we have some time here the best thing to do is get a feel for the place before we make any decisions especially concerning ones that will cost a lot!

On the way back we see a dead bat on the grass verge, its body is the size of a small melon and although its wings are a bit crumpled under the weight of a million evil looking giant red ants, Simon reckons they would span 3 feet. I have never even seen such a big bat on the telly and I hope there aren't any out tonight waiting to get tangled up in my hair.

We walk up to a pretty restaurant for dinner but are told we can't have any of the food we order. Although the only explanation we get is "Strawberry milkshake not possible, tandoori platter not possible etc" we guess it probably has something to do with the hartal as the butchers and fishermen have all been on strike today. So we leave there and head for a busy place in town where we eventually get some decent vegetarian food.

On the way back we stop at a shop and I quietly tell a fella I need to buy "women's things". Within 2 minutes we are surrounded by 5 Indian men all looking very interested and I'm getting a bit embarrassed – no matter what I say to them I can't make myself understood and I decide I will sort this out tomorrow when an old wizened man says to me very slowly like I'm the village idiot - "Can you please try speak in English Mam, it would be better if you can try speak in English !!"

We get back to our guesthouse and put Ali and Maisie to bed, sleeping under a mosquito net is a novelty and they are a huge problem here along with millions of other biting insects because of all the still waters. The guesthouse owner also burns coal with incense which creates clouds of thick white strong smelling smoke and give us coils for our rooms. Despite all this and the industrial strength repellent we have been using which contains 50% deet we still get a few bites. Still this is a small price to pay for staying in such gorgeous surroundings and I wouldn't change a thing.

Happy New Year!

We didn't wake up until gone 10 and as we're feeling quite ropey don't actually manage breakfast at all. We eventually make it up the road to a local restaurant and order some food for lunch. We have a few cokes and some fantastic vegetarian food including lemon and coconut rice and mixed vegetable korma and are soon feeling more up for it.

When we come out of the restaurant I see some electronic scales and it’s a major cause for celebration when I weigh myself and find I haven't even put on a pound since we've been travelling – Hurray!!

We call home and spend ages talking to everyone on Skype this is by far the cheapest way to call England and it's good to catch up on the news. We were saying earlier that we would be complaining about having to go back to work tomorrow and it is such a good feeling to know we don't have to worry about any of that. I haven't missed work at all and it seems a million miles away from here.

We also check our emails; glad to hear the old New Years resolution to drink more, smoke more in 2007 is going strong in Alli, Adrian and Reefer's household - love you long time! I hope our friend Jack Daniels made it to your mum and dads!

We are leaving Mangalore tonight at 11pm on the Malevi Express train to Kerela. I'm really excited about this as Kerela is meant to be the most beautiful state in India. We are going to hire a houseboat and spend a few days cruising the backwaters which sounds very relaxing and peaceful and we're looking forward to finding out if it really is as idyllic as it sounds.

Well I guess this will be a different New Years Eve to any we have experienced in the past. As Ali and Maisie often go to their Dads in Bournemouth at New Year we alternately either spend it at the pub with friends or go to a party at mums depending on whether we have the kids with us or not.

It was around 8.30 when we woke up this morning and we made our way over the road for a Poonja breakfast which consisted of fresh pineapple juice, cereal, eggs, toast and coffee - plenty to keep us going until tonight and not bad for 120 rupees.

We got our tickets for tonight's African themed party and decided to visit to the beach which is apparently best accessed through a hotel called The Silver Sands Resort around a 20 minute taxi ride away. Unfortunately when we arrive there is a sign on the gate saying hotel guests only for the 31st December. What a pain and the fella on the gate is having none of it when we try and persuade him to let us in.

We ask the taxi driver where to go and he takes us to the public beach 1.5 km away. It turns out to be quite pretty and we feel like real travellers as we are certainly well off the beaten track here. A deserted beach comes at a price though and we soon realise this also means no sun lounger, umbrella etc and there is very little shade apart from a few scraggy palm trees. We decide to stay for a couple of hours max and this turns out to be long enough. Simon and the kids have a good time playing in the sea but I feel far too self conscious to strip off to my bikini and stay covered up. Despite this I feel like the local tourist attraction as men and young boys all keep wandering over for a good stare.

On the way back from the beach I take the opportunity to have a good look around. Despite there being very little to do I like Mangalore, it seems to be a very laid back and peaceful place and we have been laughing at some of the sights we have seen here.

Maisie now has a bad ear and when we asked for a pharmacy we were directed to "Chemist for all sex problems". We have also seen lots of signs advertising "The Worlds Last Cannibal" – not too sure whether this is a film or live show but we decide against trying to find out. There are also signs everywhere for palmistry and I would like to go and have our palms read but Simon thinks it's all a load of crap and refuses to spend a single rupee on it!

At 8pm we make our way across the road to The Poonja International Hotel. The party is on the rooftop and we sit in the bar for an hour first having a drink. I'm developing quite a taste for gin and it goes down well with fresh lime juice and soda water.

When we go through we are fairly bemused to find cat masks on the tables and hats with Happy Birthday on them but put them on anyway and enter into the spirit of it. You would be hard pushed to find any evidence of an African theme but the evening starts off well when Ali beats a group of little girls in the musical statutes competition and wins himself a Bacardi Breezer umbrella. There are a number of competitions some of which we enter and the kids are pretty game considering we are the only westerners there.

These are followed by singers, dance acts and a live band which are all entertaining. Although I don't think they are necessarily meant to be funny, we can't help laughing at some of them and have a great night.

As we haven't eaten since breakfast we are hungry, but by 10.30pm the food still isn't ready and we get quite drunk on the complimentary whisky and soda. By the time the food arrives I'm too pissed to eat much but I do remember it looked quite nice with lots of different types of curries, fried fish, mixed salads and rice and noodle dishes.

There is no countdown to midnight but suddenly there are fireworks in the street and everyone is shaking hands and saying Happy New Year. The four of us must have looked a bit strange linked arms singing Auld Lang Syne on the dance floor but as we are a bit of a novelty here anyway I don't think the Indians are particularly surprised by any thing we do.

We try and make some calls home but the lines are all busy and we decide to call everyone in the morning. Can't remember going to bed guess the Indian whisky must be quite strong then.

We arrive at the bus station in Mangalore and try to ring a guesthouse recommended in The Lonely Planet but it is full so we ask the rickshaw driver to take us to The Hotel Parkway that Simon found on the internet yesterday. It turns out to be nice and we take one large room with three single beds all pushed together. There is a TV which we have all missed especially Maisie and by 7.30 am we have showered and lie on the giant bed watching a film with Ben Afleck called Surviving Christmas.

Mangalore is on the west coast of India in the state of Karnataka and only 15km from Kerala which is where we are heading. We are going to try and book our onwards train tickets later but don't want to travel overnight tomorrow. We go out for breakfast but can't find anywhere open apart from a hotel over the road so we go there. They are advertising a New Years Eve party, interestingly with an African theme and are selling it as the looniest and craziest bash in town. As it will cost under twenty quid and is only over the road with live music and food and drinks included I guess we will probably go for that.

When we are walking back to The Hotel Parkway I'm upset to get groped by some fella. He pretended to bump me and then stepped in front of me and stuck his hand in between my legs. It happens so quickly and although I shouted at him and shoved him on the back he just waltzes off like nothing happened and although Simon and Ali are only just a few steps ahead they never even noticed.

I'm not easily offended but I feel really pissed off about it and angry. I haven't dressed skimpily anywhere except Goa's beaches where it is acceptable and would like to have to the opportunity to tell the cheeky sod where to get off. Still I think you have to keep it in perspective and not get too uptight about it. After all I had read that many female travellers get sexually harassed in India and until this point we have had a relatively hassle free time.

We spend the day dossing around, we have searched the book for somewhere of interest to visit whilst here but there really aren't any attractions to speak of. I guess it's like visiting Derby having been spoilt in London. The train that we need to get to Kerala only runs three times a week though, so we are stuck here and will use the time to catch up on some school work.

We have an early dinner of a very hot and spicy mushroom masala and rice and then catch up with emails and update the website. I chat to mum for ages before we head back to our room. On trying to bolt the door I jam my thumb which hurts so much I can't even cry so I swear a lot instead, take 2 paracetamol and eventually get into bed.

It was a early start to the day and we all felt pretty miserable and we where not looking forward to our 12 hour bus journey. But we went to the beach had a nice day and had a nice dinner and we felt not so nervous about the bus journey.

We got back from the beach and had a shower, but we all had to use the same towel, and we got in the taxi to take us to the bus station. We waited for about 25 minutes and finally the bus came we thought it was the big roomy one but dad took us to the small cramped one with no working lights and filthy sheets, but we made it through the night luckily.

Today is our last day in Goa; I have mixed feelings about this. When we started on our trip I kept thinking if we didn't like the rest of India we would just stay in Goa for 8 weeks but now we are ready to move on and I can't believe it has gone so fast.
Having travelled around the north I have viewed Goa in a different light. It remains for us a fantastic holiday destination and I would recommend it to anyone but we have of course encountered touristy elements here that we didn't see elsewhere.

As with any holiday I feel we have over eaten and drank too much and I am looking forward to eating a bit more healthily and spending less money doing it. I am sorry to be leaving; it has been great having the apartment and more space. On the other hand we seem to have become embroiled in some type of turf war over business, with the taxi drivers which is a pain and you soon realise if you stay anywhere for long, all the same little niggly problems you encounter at home arise, such as whose turn it is to do the washing up!

We are due to catch the night bus at 8pm to Mangalore. After our previous bus experience I have blocked this fact out until now, but I do know now at least, that although the buses are noisy they are reasonably comfortable. In some ways I feel like we have had a break from travelling for a few weeks and we are going back to it now. This leaves me feeling excited and slightly apprehensive, in fact a little like when we first left.

We spent the afternoon at Bambolin beach, it took us all morning to repack our rucksacks but I have ditched some stuff and left some clothes with Aruna who is going to take them to the orphanage at Saligao. So it does seem like we are travelling a little bit lighter.
After an early meal of baby kingfish, rice and salad and a speciality Goan dish of spicy sausages we head back to our apartment for the last time.

We say our goodbyes to Aruna and promise to email and then get in a taxi to the bus station. When we arrive the bus is late and it doesn’t bode well when the crappiest looking bus turns out to be ours. I suppose it serves me right for thinking after the last bus ride that it couldn't get any worse as this one turns out to be way worse. The sleeping compartments are smaller, filthy and the only concession to any privacy is a pair of tatty too short curtains. I have brought some sleeping tablets with me for use in an emergency only and they are looking tempting at this point.

The bus also stinks and I lie in the darkness for a few hours alternately trying to imagine if we would fare better if the bus crashed to the left or to the right and fantasying about how I will describe the horrible smell that is completely turning my stomach. This doesn't quite cut it, but the best I could come up with is a combination of diesel, wet leather, something dead, something dying and urine.

We stop briefly at midnight and I take half a sleeping tablet, I would hardly say it results in a good nights sleep but the next time I am fully conscious is 5am. I'm absolutely desperate for a pee and after enduring every rattle and bump of the bus for an hour I finally ask Simon to empty a water bottle and decide I will try and pee into that somehow. At this point the bus slams to a halt and I virtually throw myself down from my sleeper and run to the front. There is no alternative than to crouch by the side of the bus with another woman whose modesty is a bit more protected than mine as she has a skirt on and doesn't flash her bum like me, but by this point I am totally past caring and would have peed in the middle of Trafalgar Square if need be.

We wake up quite early and mooch around our apartment for a few hours. Simon does some maths with the kids and I wash a load of clothes, although we had hoped to give up on that we haven't dared give our stuff to the local laundry as it took so long to get it back last time.

Maisie is sill complaining that her arm is very sore and so to err on the side of caution we walk up to the hospital and ask for an x-ray. It is quite busy but seems to be quite a large hospital with all recognisable departments although I don't see a sign for Hepatology.
After making our way from casualty to radiology we are seen by a friendly Dr who examines the x-ray carefully and pronounces there is no fracture. He re straps Maisie's arm with the bandage we had bought and sends us on our way clutching the x-ray and a bill for around one pound fifty.

This all took around an hour and although the hospital was an old building it looked very clean and smelt strongly of disinfectant. We were treated efficiently and there was certainly none of the complete chaos that greets you when you are admitted to the acute medical unit at Derriford. As someone who has always been proud to have worked as a nurse, I think it's sad when I find myself wondering if patients would be safer here than in an NHS hospital in England.

We catch a taxi to Bambolim which is a local beach, Aruna told us it is the safest beach for swimming as the sea is very shallow and there are no waves. Although it doesn't turn out to be the prettiest beach, we have a lovely afternoon there and it's good to be able to relax and read in peace without wondering if Ali and Maisie are being munched by the sea every five minutes.

There are just a couple of shacks playing my favourite sort of cheesy love songs including Leo Sayer and Elton John. The food is simple and cheap and we enjoy watching the cows on the beach who seem really naughty like spoilt pets! One in particular keeps nosing around everyone's stuff looking for food and they run in and out of the sea kicking and bucking like rodeo horses.

We are going to Panjim for dinner and get a taxi at 7.30. Aruna left us a note inviting us to a party at her place tonight but by the time we have eaten it is quite late and we need to catch up with a few phone calls home. I have a chat with mum, it sounds like they had a lovely Christmas and we get back to our apartment around 11pm.Feeling exhausted again- how can you get so knackered doing so little?

Our intentions of getting to Candolim early fell to bits as we didn't wake up until 9.30.After yesterdays performance by Ali I am determined we are going to crack on with some work today and once they have had their breakfast (of chocolate toenails as they call them) we start some literacy. I have found this quite difficult to teach and today ask them to write a story about the day they got lost in India concentrating on presentation, punctuation and paragraphs. (They didn't actually get lost mum!)

Looking through Ali's SATS revision guide I'm not particularly thrilled to see there is quite a large section on Shakespeare. I don't have a clue how I will go about teaching that and will maybe have to contact the school for some help.

Eventually we get a taxi to the beach and have some lunch of butter/garlic tiger prawns first which are yummy. The waves are a bit stronger today and I watch the kids like a hawk. Ali finds Lewis the boy he played with on Christmas day and they have a fantastic time with body boards and a rubber ring. Simon takes them for a walk up the beach to play the "flicker game" at one of the shacks and Maisie stays behind with me.

No sooner have they gone and we have a bit of a disaster, as I watch from the sunbed a huge wave crashes into Maisie and knocks her down, I run down to her but can see straight away she is hurt. The poor thing is holding her wrist and I have to almost carry her back up the beach as she is so shaky and upset. It takes me ages to calm her down and when I examine her wrist it is so tender I wonder if she has broken it.

As a nurse I rely on a combination of learnt skills, 18 years of experience and instinct to tell me if a patient is unwell, but have always found when any of my family have been ill or hurt that I have to ignore instinct and instead completely rely on assessment skills in order to make the right decision about what needs to be done. Eventually I decide that I don't think it is broken and needs to be strapped up tightly and I will see how it is tomorrow. I give her some paracetamol which helps a little bit and decide if it isn't any better in the morning we will have it x-rayed.

By this time it is quite late in the afternoon and we sit at Deva's shack drinking gin and tonics. Maisie has a sip and then a big gulp which makes us laugh as we have never known her to like the taste of anything even vaguely alcoholic and I figure it will help her wrist pain!

We made the decision this morning to bring a change of clothes with us and stay here for dinner as there is such a large choice of restaurants but in the end we play it safe and go back to After Seven. We know the food is great and figure that if we go elsewhere and have a crap meal then we will wish we hadn't.

Over dinner Maisie talks about "her friends" - The Simpsons. Every night for the past 3 years at least, we have had an hour of Bart, Homer, Marge, Maggie and Lisa and we tease her that the viewing figures have been noticeably affected since we left for our trip.

We get back to Dona Paula around 10.30 and after a quick shower go to bed. Maisie tells me she is "pour me into bed tired" and looks it - bless her.

As expected none of us surfaced until gone 10 this morning. Having tidied up the place I set the kids going on some science which unfortunately Alister objected to so strongly he ended up having the privilege of his PSP and internet removed for the rest of the day.
Needless to say Maisie and I carried on while he and Simon had a little chat!

We have now started on the circulatory system and I have had the idea of going to "The Lucky Mutton Store" and buying a heart to dissect. Neither of the kids seem too keen but even if we aren't able to locate any valves I'm sure we will be able to see some of the major vessels and 4 chambers. Simon isn't too keen either but that is because he will probably end up with the job of buying it and bringing it home!

At 3pm we eventually wander down to the beach, we take a path Aruna told us about and end up scrabbling over rocks but eventually get there. A long drawn out discussion between Simon and the sun lounger fella ensues over money but we get settled at last!

Ali has decided to spend some of his Christmas money on a further jet ski ride and they go off, while Maisie plays in the sea and I read my book. After a game of frisbee we make our way back and decide where to eat tonight. I'm of the opinion we are on holiday so we should sod the expense but when Simon reminds me of how I was moaning about how fast we are spending our money I see his point and we decide to go to a local restaurant with a good reputation for Goan food.

We walk to The Goan Delicacy, down a tiny dark pathway lit by Christmas lights it seems so difficult to get to that I wonder how their business survives but when we get there it is a large place with quite a few customers. The owner brings us a book with comments in from previous customers and it certainly all looks good!
When the food arrives we're not disappointed and Simon's Chicken Xacuti is definitely the winner dish. Ali and I have strawberries and cream for pudding and we leave there stuffed and knackered!

We get a taxi home and although it's not too late Maisie goes to bed and Ali plays his guitar to me. Simon goes to update the website and I have fallen asleep by the time he gets back. We are planning another day at the beach tomorrow and want to get up early. Must make the most of it, we are leaving for Mangalore on Friday night and our holiday will be over, for a little while anyway.

It was the day after Christmas and we where having a brilliant day and me and mum we're saying how lucky we are and what we would be doing at home (working)
I just came out of the sea and Ali was going to go and play a flicking game with his 10 year old friend and I said I was going in the sea again.

I was playing happily when a monster wave crashed on me and I landed on my arm.
I came out and as I pushed on my wrist I rushed out In case I got hit by another wave. I came out crying and mum sat me doun on the bed and asked what was hurting.
After a while dad came back and got me a bandage and a cake to cheer me up.

Today we went to the hospital for an X-ray there was nothing broken and it feels better but I can't move it very well.

Other than that it was a pretty good day. (kind of)

Merry Christmas! As usual we are awake way before the kids and lie in bed willing them to wake up. Eventually we hear a little voice warbling "We wish you a Merry Christmas" and go in to find them grinning at us! Santa has made it to Goa and after they have opened their presents we have our breakfast. Ali asks for bacon and eggs but I miss the champagne more and strawberry cornflakes just don't cut it in quite the same way even with the added novelty that they turn the milk pink.

We get a taxi to Candolim and make our way to the beach. We choose sun beds right by the waters edge so I can keep a close eye on the kids and Ali quickly makes friends with a boy called Lewis. We have a lovely morning; the sea is quite rough with big waves but no under current and it's very warm. After a lunch of grilled fish and chips, we pack up our stuff and walk along the road to phone home. We have a chat with everyone and I do feel a few pangs when I hear everyone laughing in the background it sounds like they are having a great time.

Still no time to feel down, I'm too busy feeling scared as we make our way to the para glider, my heart is pounding, I hate heights and yet before I know it Maisie and I are strapped into the harness and the parachute behind us is being lifted to catch the wind.
Then, like I have a string attached to my belly button, I'm yanked and we're airborne.
Maisie loves it and although I don't look down, I do look around and the views are wonderful. Too soon I hear the whistle from the fella in the speed boat which means we are going to come down and before I know it, it is all over. An experience that I never thought I would have the bottle to do.

For Ali's present him and Simon are going on a jetski and I run through the waves trying to get some good pictures of them. They zoom off across the sea bouncing along the waves. Maisie and I laugh as we see them doing donuts on the thing and when they come back and tell us they fell off it I'm not surprised!

It's now 6.30 and we get a taxi back to Dona Paula, 4 quick showers and a bit of pampering later and we're ready to go. We arrive at Cidade de Goa and make our way to the garden where the dinner is being held. I'll try my hardest to explain what it looked like but my first impression as we walked through an arch way was that we had stepped into a winter wonderland.

As far as the eye could see the garden was lit with strings of fairy lights and suspended from the branches of the trees was what looked like a carpet of blue and white streamers which almost created a ceiling. The tables were all beautifully laid on the grass around the dancefoor and the waiters were smartly dressed in silver waistcoats with santa hats.
Everywhere I looked amongst the trees were Santa's, dolphins, stars and elves amongst other things.

In the centre was a cold buffet and it looked so delicious it almost seemed a shame to eat it, suckling pigs sat beside some evil looking fish with big teeth. There were hams, beef and chicken and maybe 30 different types of salads. I had tomato, mozzarella and basil. pasta with olives, and a spicy chicken and bean salad. Big green ice sculptures of Christmas trees sat in amongst the food.

Down one long side were steel serving containers with all differet types of hot food including roast turkey, tandoori prawns, beef dishes, noodles, rice, Goan specialities, fiery curries and so much more. The chefs stood behind were barbequing on request.

We had ordered some beer and a bottle of wine and as we finished our main course the entertainment started Firstly a sort of gospel choir of children sang a mixture of well known English and Indian songs and carols. Santa Claus appeared and as well as handing out a few presents danced a few moves accompanied by the live band who were excellent. At this point there was a huge firework display and it was so good I started crying. The DJ was brilliant and played a great mixture of English pop and dance music and Bhangra which was so lively lots of English people including us joined in. Ali amazed me by dancing around and although he looked a bit self conscious at times he seemed to have a great time and was well up for it.

The desert buffet reminded me of Hansel and Gretels house, backed with snowy mountains there were real gingerbread houses amongst the peaks and a choice of nearly 100 different miniature puddings. I had blackcurrant mousse, strawberry tart, chocolate log and strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Then the circus acts arrived and did their thing with acrobatics, fire throwing, twizzling sticks and other stuff. Until this point I always said I would never want to be away from home at Christmas and of course I would have loved for all our family to have been here tonight but I can honestly say this has been one of the best Christmas days I have ever had.

Because we have spent quite a bit of time at the hotel we actually know quite a few people who are staying there and we chat to various people including Aruna and her family. She invites us a party at her place one night this week and as we walk home at 1am we're all full of it and what a great time we had.

Finally get in, in 20 years of dancing in unsuitable stupid shoes I have never had to soak my feet before but that's what Maisie and I have to do as our feet are killing, it is the first time she has ever worn heels and she looked quite lovely and grown up. She has learnt a lesson tonight- oh the price of looking good!

Mum and Dad came in and woke us up. For once we weren't the ones skipping in the room on Christmas day! So after slowly waking up me and Ali found our way to the dining room. We didn't really know what to expect.
But soon we came to a surprise that we got lots of small games like lasers, flashing ball, guns, games and lots of biscuits but no tea! and best of all £100 and to go parasailing!

So after cutting my new skirt up because it was way to small so mum thought we could cut the sides and it ended up with no elastic!

But after getting ready we decide to go to the beach and Ali met a nice boy and I join in with them. As he was very tall and looked older than Ali we came to a surprise when he said he was ten! Ali said "why can't I grow!" and we all laughed at him!
After giggling at Ali we went to make Christmas calls and go on the internet.

We then make our way up to the water sports. As I am begging for me and mum to go first mum is saying she doesn't want to go at all! But in the end I persuaded her to.
It was the most fun thing ever! Mum said her arms hurt at the start and the next thing we knew we were in the air! And it was soooooooo fun and I know I'll do it again.

In the night we went to a five star hotel and when me and mum arrived in our high heals
we just gasped as we saw all the blue and Wight string and the light up plastic sea creatures and the fire eaters and I could go on but the thing that caught Alis and dads eyes was the buffet that we walked along and at the end the houses made out of chocolate, the strawberries covered in melted chocolate and the sweet tower stuck together chocolate!

The funny thing was that it was the first time I've worn proper high heals and after the party me and mum actually had to soak our feet in cold water as they where the first and the most uncomfortable shoes EVER!!!!!! I would rather go in converse.

Today was a weird Christmas and I felt a bit like an Indian but I know I will come here again, maybe not in India.

Today we have decided to stay in for the morning and get the place tidied up a bit. It is very windy although still boiling and I can't face putting sun cream on my bites and going to the beach as I think it will irritate them more.
Simon does an hour or so of maths with the kids, I have told them they can have tomorrow off and they said I'm tight!

In the afternoon we catch the bus to Panjim, I have decided that Maisie and I need to look smart for tomorrow's dinner and I want to buy myself a dress and us both some shoes.

Before we reach the clothes market we have to go through the fish and meat market. The women are sat on slightly raised platforms with piles of fish in front on them. I watch as they sprinkle water with their hands on the fish to keep them wet looking. There are lots of different types of fish, squid and prawns.
In this heat the smell is unreal; I have my hand clamped over my nose and try desperately to breathe through my mouth. The flies are everywhere crawling all over the fish and the women don't make much attempt to swat them away, I think that this can't get any more horrible until we reach "The Lucky Mutton Store" – and there suspended from hooks are 3 sheep's heads chopped off at the neck and dripping blood.

Not very lucky for them.

At this point Ali starts heaving and we rush away I don't want him throwing up everywhere. Maisie surprises me again, I would have thought she would have hated it but all she said on the matter was- "Some of those fish looked nice didn't they Mom?"

I buy a dress and shoes for us both for under a tenner, not the most classy outfit ,as I realise when I try it on at home that it is quite see through at the back but I solve that problem by wrapping my sarong around my hips underneath like an underskirt.

We walk through the park after buying an ice lolly, by now it is red hot, the temperature has rocketed up again and it must be over 35 degrees it certainly feels hotter than at any other time since we arrived in India. We skip from one shady bit to another and decide to make our way back to Dona Paula as it is too hot to wander about.

I want to phone my best friends and we get the auto rickshaw to drop us by the telephone, I manage to speak to Shirley and Nicky for ages, which is lovely listening to what they have been up to. Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year, I love the anticipation of what's to come and we have missed out on that this year. Speaking to my mates does bring that home a bit and it’s a shame that I miss Lou. I manage to have a quick word with her mum though and she says she will pass on my message.

We then check emails and we have one from Dad and Pauline. Pauline describes a dinner she has cooked for my brother and Tarl and for the first time I get really strong cravings for some English food .I'm not sure what to expect from tomorrows meal but I don't suppose it will be roast turkey and all the trimmings.

We get back to our apartment and try and decide where to go for dinner. I am a bit reluctant to go out anywhere as I don't want to put insect repellent on my hands and arms.
My vision of looking good on Christmas day with a sexy tan has disappeared as I look like I have some horrible tropical disease!

In the end we decide on take out Chinese, Simon goes of to get it and the power goes off. Needless to say it doesn't come back on for about 3 hours. We sit in the dark eating Chinese and drinking beer by candlelight, playing charades and listening to Christmas songs we have a laugh and I'm sure we won't forget tonight in a hurry.

After an early start to the day we head off for Cidade de Goa. Simon leaves me and the kids lazing by the pool and goes off to Panjim to get them some Christmas presents.
We didn't bring anything with us and don't want to carry extra stuff so he is going to have think carefully what to get them. I have written a few things down though and they know not to expect too much.

We never go too mad at Christmas anyway and I try and put a limit on what I spend, particularly on Ali and Maisie. We have got a big family and they are always very spoilt, although I love Christmas sometimes the cost of it does seem a bit obscene and I try and curb it a bit. We have decided to pay some money into their savings accounts for them and go and do some water sports on Christmas day.

We unfortunately then get busted by the hotel staff and they come and ask me for our room number. As I can hardly make one up I have to come clean and admit we aren't actually staying there and we're not members of the health club either!
Its bad timing as I haven't got any money to offer to pay for the use of the facilities so I just act dopey, tell the fella I know nothing and he will have to sort it out with my husband later!

He clears off and leaves me in peace anyway and I carry on reading my book, it's really good and I decide that I want to visit Japan to see the tea houses and Geisha district of Gion. I have no idea whether Geisha are still trained today but my ideas for travel usually come from reading novels and I start to investigate places I get interested in based on stories I have read.

We did think about adding Japan onto this trip but time constraints mean we will be rushing from place to place as it is and although we have seen a lot in India in some ways I feel we have hardly scratched the surface. I would have liked to have gone to Calcutta also but it was too far from other areas we have visited and I have to remind myself that this isn't our only opportunity for travel.

After a couple of hours Simon comes back and sorts it out with the hotel staff ,we end up paying just over a fiver for the use of the pool, 3 sun beds and 4 towels and I don't feel this is too much at all. We get some lunch, burgers and chips for everyone and eventually make it back to our apartment around 5pm.

I'm upset as I now have similar bites to the kids and although they aren't too itchy they burn and are painful. Maisie plays Doctor Maisie and sits for ages putting calamine lotion all over my arms and back what a sweetie! I spend the next hour wrapping the kids presents up, Simon has done brilliantly and got them lots of bits and pieces I know they will like. I don't need my Christmas CD on as I can hear Boney M blasting out from the apartment above us!

We found a leaflet from Domino's delivery service stuck in our gate and order take out pizza for dinner. Simon gets some beers and cokes and nips across the shop to get chocolate and sweets. We bought Casino Royale on pirate DVD in Mumbai and although there is the slight problem of it being in Hindi there are subtitles and I reckon it makes a welcome change from The Wizard of Oz or re runs of Morecambe and Wise.

We didn't wake up until 10.15 today, that sounds so lazy but we have been going to bed late and because I usually make us get up earlyish we're all tired.

I 'm not sure what has bitten the kids; they look more like mosquito bites now. We counted them last night and Maisie has 130 and Ali over 250 so they look terrible -poor things. I spoke to a fella last night who reassured me that as we have been very careful about taking our malaria tablets and not missed any they will be fine but still it must be horrible for them. Also because we have been using repellent every night and burning mosquito coils you get complacent and think you won't get bitten now, how wrong could we be?

I can't be bothered to get up and lie in, listening to Ali playing his guitar, he has written a song about travelling and it's very good. I might record him on the webcam and put it on the website. Simon has gone to book our Christmas dinner, it turns out it is going to cost us about 150 quid but I don't worry about that. I want us to have a lovely day and I'm sure it will be great.

I was thinking about the changes we have seen in this place since our holiday here. Certainly I don't remember any internet cafes and it is a lot busier now. The roads have improved and I haven't seen any cows wandering the main roads. I saw more signs advertising roast beef than Goan food and it is a shame but maybe that is the demand of British tourists. That said outside Calangute and Candolim it still seems very quiet and if we came back here in the future I would probably head further south for a more peaceful time .Dona Paula on the other hand is a lot quieter but for us still doesn't really fit the bill as it is an expensive area and quite exclusive here.

Maisie and I spend a couple of hours doing some literacy while Ali makes a Christmas video we are going to put on the website. I guess that counts as IT for him and don't push it and make him do anything else.

We go for a walk around 5pm as it has now cooled down a bit. We have booked dinner on Noah's Ark, this is a converted rice barge and Aruna tells us has a reputation for fine dining. This sounds a bit posh but the boats look very pretty lit with fairy lights and as we didn't have chance to do this before we want to go tonight.

There are other boats with no food and more of an 18 -30's atmosphere but I don't want to do this with the kids and we decide we have definitely made a good choice when we have a lovely evening. The boats travel up the river, past a large catholic church that has been beautifully restored and is all lit up. We are sat at the front of the boat and even though it goes quite fast and gets breezy it is still really hot.

There is an extensive menu and we have a Goan prawn curry and Thai style red snapper .The obligatory Kingfishers are ice cold and we end the evening with Irish coffees which are extremely strong and I wonder if they have been laced with the local fire water feni instead of whisky.

After updating our website with our Christmas video we catch an auto rickshaw back to our apartment, another lovely day has come to an end and I'm off to bed now.

Hi there all back at home

Please click the link to see our Christmas Greeting from Goa

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year
From
Simon, Charlotte, Ali and Maisie.

Ali woke me up at 5am asking me to look at a rash and I'm upset to see he is covered in bites. I spend ages looking for Piriton and by the time it's found I'm wide awake and don't manage to get back to sleep. I sit reading my book which is a fascinating story and get really absorbed in it and soon its 8.30 and I hear the alarm. We go and wake the kids and Maisie also has a similar rash. I'm sure it's not an allergy and am convinced its bed bugs. The kids tell me it is really itchy and it looks very similar to the rash Ali had in Mumbai. That did clear up quickly so I hope this will too.

Simon goes to get the milk and again asks about our laundry. It was supposed to take a few hours but they have had it for 3 days and still no sign of it. I'm hoping they haven't lost it and now especially want our sleep sheets.

We spend the morning doing some science the kids are really coming on now and I'm proud that they are coping with the high level of work I have set them. We finish the digestive system and start on the kidneys and they do really well.
I'm not giving them any break over Christmas as I don't want to get behind our schedule and there seems to be so much to cover, I may let them off Christmas day!

Our laundry eventually turns up and we start to make plans for the day but the rashes they have now look awful and I am reluctant to let them go in the sun too much. They both shower and I apply some cream to their bites but we decide not to go to the beach after all.

Eventually we catch a bus to Panjim and from there get the bus to Candolim. The journey takes ages and the bus is packed. We all sit separately and it's so hot, I feel really drowsy and nearly drift off to sleep whilst daydreaming. We arrive in Calangute and jump off and decide to head for a Chinese restaurant where we had some great food before. The service is excellent but the food isn't very good and we are a bit disappointed.

We decide to walk to the beach and wander along the shoreline in bare feet for over a mile. The kids find Hermit crabs and as it’s a lovely walk we soon find ourselves in Candolim. I know we have arrived there as we reach The River Princess. This oil tanker broke free of its mooring out at sea around 10 years ago during the monsoon season and drifted inland until it eventually ran aground just off the beach. Apparently some efforts to refloat it were made but eventually everyone gave up and now it's a part of the seascape.

We share a beer at one of the beach shacks and the kids play bat and ball with some little toddlers. It all makes for a laid back afternoon and we sit and watch the world go by. As the sun starts to set the stray dogs seem to take over and a large pack run around and play fight. I watch some paragliders gently drift down and I can hear a jet ski in the distance.

I love the beach at this time of day when it's not scorching hot and it looks busier with people running and playing games. Some people of course just come to pose and we have a laugh at some fella marching along in his thong with that type of dark tan you can only get if you live here and spend all day lying in the sun.

For me though, wandering along the shoreline, carrying my sandals and admiring the sparkles that are caused by the low sun reflecting of the water is enough and I feel very happy and relaxed.

We decide to have dinner in a restaurant called The Bom Sucesso, we have been here before on Dad and Pauline's recommendation and although it's not the best food we have had in Goa it’s a really friendly place and the owner is nice. There is live music which is terrible and it makes us laugh listening to some well known songs being massacred.

Lastly we check our emails I have had an e card from one of my friends with a snowman on it and it reminds me that most people will break up from work tomorrow. I remember how pleased I was the last few years to have a week off, after working a crappy night shift on Christmas Eve for the past few just so I could be home on Christmas day exhausted having been up all night but at least there.

It makes me appreciate how lucky we are to be travelling this year and I'm definitely going to make the most of it.

Woke up at 7.30, hardly surprising, the combination of red wine and Chinese food isn't good and I never sleep properly after eating Chinese. We put the Christmas CD on and try and rouse the kids who aren't too impressed with The Little Drummer Boy so early. Still they wanted to be woken up early as we are planning to go up to Cidade de Goa and spend the day there using the pool and lazing on the beach.

By the time we actually get sorted out and ready to go its 9 o'clock but it is slightly overcast at the moment so I don't think there will be a huge scramble for sunbeds.
We walk up to the hotel and as we know where we are going we probably look like we are in fact staying there. Simon gets us some towels and we're sorted.

We have bagged some loungers in a prime spot on a wooden veranda, facing out to sea.
Lying there listening to the waves, I am sheltered from the sun by a coconut tree and I notice on the temperature monitor it’s a bit cooler today- 32 degrees.
I have only stayed in a hotel like this a few times and its lovely here, especially as it is fairly quiet around the pool. Simon and Ali walk down to the beach and play cricket with an Indian family, Maisie jumps in the water and I daydream about people at home.

I have always felt I wouldn't enjoy staying somewhere like this for more than a week at the most. We have enjoyed more independent travelling over the past few years and feel that in order to experience the culture of somewhere like India it is better to stay in smaller places. Looking around today, I think that if someone told me I was in Malaysia, The Maldives or The Seychelles I wouldn't be able to see much around me to enable me to dispute that. There is also of course the cost factor and I'm too tight to pay well over 2 grand each for a 2 week holiday!

All that said I wouldn't swap being here for anywhere else today. It's perfect and we have a lovely lazy day, so much so that I don't even make it to the beach and only venture in the pool a few times to cool down. I do however manage to drag my bum to the boutique and have a look at the jewellery and eventually buy a book (Memoirs of a Geisha) to read when I get fed up of doing nothing.

We spend an hour doing literacy with the kids. They read stories and then answer questions and Maisie does quite well and is able to tell me a lot about The Blue Whale. Alister is tired though and can't be bothered to put in too much effort. We talk about this and decide it is expecting too much of them to start school work so late in the afternoon and will do some science tomorrow morning before we go anywhere.

Back at the apartment now, its 6.30 and we are going to a restaurant called Sea Pebble for dinner. Aruna recommended it so we thought we would give it a try. We walk there which is about a mile and we're not disappointed when we arrive. Its on the beach and the waves come right up to the tables, its very dark lit only by the stars, candles and fairy lights wrapped around the trunks of the palm trees.
We ask the waiter for a mixed fish platter and get huge tiger prawns, kingfish, red snapper, dressed crab and mussels. The kids have mocktails, we share a couple of beers and round it off with caramel custard and ice cream – Yum!

Power walk back to the apartment, it would be easy to put on loads of weight and sometimes eating healthily has been difficult as lots of food is deep fried here. We have also eaten lots of fattening curries and Maisie and I march everywhere chanting "hips thighs and bum" like a mantra to each other.

We are going to Calangute and Candolim tomorrow as the beaches are postcard gorgeous there. I'm sat on the balcony listening to Ali playing Oasis on his guitar now and looking at the lights on our Christmas tree, the best ending to a perfect day.

We seem to have lots to do today and get up at 8.30. Ali goes up the road and gets the days supply of bread and milk. Yesterday we made sandwiches for lunch and all really enjoyed some homemade food so we will do that again today.

We have decided that we are going to leave Goa before New Year. Aruna has been doing her best to persuade us to stay and it is very tempting but if we don't leave here until January we would be very pushed for time to make our way to Kerala and then across to Chennai ( Madras) where we catch our flight to Singapore on the 11th.

Subsequently we have to go to Panjim today and try to book our train tickets, because it is the holiday season we want to get them in advance and will also start looking for accommodation in Kerala. We figure that New Year will be celebrated everywhere and neither of us are too bothered about it anyway. Having a good Christmas day is much more important. We are going to try and get a Christmas tree and also want to buy the kids some presents and get some decorations for the apartment.

I could hear Bing Crosby's White Christmas yesterday as I sat by the pool. This was fairly surreal, as the temperature monitor next to me said 34.4; I reckon the odds on a white Christmas here are about a billion to one. I haven't spent Christmas day away from home before so it will be strange, but we did have Christmas day at mums the weekend before we came away. My brother Will, Tarl and Hope were there and as we had presents, Christmas dinner and went down the pub as usual I don't feel like we are missing out.

Simon gets the kids going on some maths this morning, Maisie is doing long divisions which are a complete mystery to me and Ali is doing shapes and areas .They are both really bright and are thriving on one to one tuition. Ali is in the top sets at school but despite this they are lacking knowledge in some basic areas for example Ali didn't know all the months of the year and Maisie struggles with telling the time.
We have been surprised that they have put up no resistance to schooling and in fact have asked to do extra which is nothing short of miraculous.

I also want to write some Christmas emails today. Christmas is always a massive stress for me as I can never think what to buy anyone. I don't mind wrapping presents or writing cards but as I don't like shopping much anyway I have got myself into a complete mess previously by putting it off and leaving all the shopping until Christmas Eve. I reckon I have got off scott free this year and I'm so pleased about this and feel very lucky.

Just got back from Panjim, we can't get the train to Kerala as the tickets are already sold so are going to catch the sleeper bus to Mangalore on the 29th.
We bought some Christmas deckies and managed to get a tree, baubles and lights for under a tenner, a bit of a change from last year when I spent nearly 50 quid on a tree alone.
We went and checked our emails, Shirley's made me laugh, she was complaining that I hadn't written anything for a few days but internet access isn't always easily available to upload it. She tells me that I should think of all the poor bastards left behind who are hanging onto my words- somehow I doubt that!! But we will try and update it as regularly as possible. If I was at home or stuck at work I probably would be glued to a site like ours. So I do see her point!!

We got back to the apartment and made mulled wine, we bought red wine, brandy, oranges, cinnamon sticks and apple juice. Traditionally I always decorate the tree and we get pissed on mulled wine whilst listening to my cheesy Christmas album that I have had since about 1997 and this year is no exception. Actually the only difference is that I have my bikini on, I've just had a mango ice lolly and am about to light the mosquito coils.

My favourite Fairy Tale of New York has just been on; I'll probably be blubbing by the end of the evening!! Feeling surprisingly Christmassy now, every one has their deckies up around here. I'm getting really excited, don't know why, we won't be having any pressies but I'm a sucker for Christmas and I can't wait!

Just got in, we have been for a Chinese and I telephoned home. Simon and Ali have gone to find internet access and Maisie and I have come back to the apartment. I am feeling tired and the mulled wine has kicked in so I'm off to bed. We have planned to spend the day at the beach tomorrow so I need a bit of sleep as we will be getting up early. Oh the hardship of lying around all day on a sun lounger – how jammy are we!

Today we have had a quiet and relaxing day. Simon went out early to get some water, fruit and breakfast cereal and we eventually wandered up to Aruna's apartment around 11am. I lay in the sun for a few hours and listened to my MP3 player while the kids had a good swim. I did make it into the gym, but decided that 81 calories burned on the treadmill was more than enough energy expenditure for one day and gave up on that quite quickly.

Goa is India's smallest state and has a completely different feel to it from the rest of India. The Portuguese colonised Goa in 1510 and didn't leave until 1961 and this is reflected in the character of Goa. Catholicism is a major religion here and huge catholic churches sit besides tiny Hindu shrines. There are also lots of derelict Portuguese villas and some beautiful architecture.

The beaches here are supposed to be the best in India and there is a large expat community. The food is wonderful and there are lots of interesting markets and shops to see. When we visited Goa in 2002 we completely fell in love with it and I remember climbing up the aeroplane steps after a 2 week holiday here and swearing to myself that I would come back as soon as I could.

At 2.30 Aruna took us to Cidade de Goa which is 5 mins walk away. This hotel was Goa's first 5 star hotel and we have decided that we will spend Christmas day there. The cost of the gala dinner is 5000 rupees per couple (57 pounds) but Xmas on the Beach sounds good and we sit and have a drink at the bar and check out the facilities. The hotel is fantastic and in a gorgeous location right on the beach. Simon is quite brazen and strolls into the healthclub and asks for some towels and although I am a bit worried as he signs for them and scribbles down some random room number nothing bad happens and we have a lovely afternoon chatting to Aruna.

She is quite an amazing and inspirational person and has travelled all over the world to 26 different countries mostly alone. She has me completely hooked listening to stories about South America, China and South Africa especially and I think to myself maybe sometime in the future we will travel to those places also.

We get back to our apartment around 6pm and have a quick shower. Tonight we are going to Candolim to a restaurant called After Eight that we visited a couple of times when we were here before. We met a weird but lovely Asian couple from South London when we were here on holiday and spent a lot with them and it will be strange going back to a familiar place.

10pm and we are back in Dona Paula, the restaurant we visited is now called After Seven and is of course bigger and smarter than we remembered. The areas of Calangute and Candolim are also much more developed, when we came the roads were little more than tracks in places but now are all tarmaced and there are loads more bars and restaurants.
We were pleased though that the food was just as good and had a fantastic meal.
Simon, Ali and I all had fillet steaks and the combination of good service and great food washed down with a couple of Corona's definitely made a top night out that would be hard to beat.

Its 9.30pm on Sunday evening. We caught the train to Goa as planned last night and fortunately it all went smoothly with no hitches. We travelled through the state of Maharashtra and when I woke up at 8.30 this morning the landscape passing by is very different to anything else we have seen with lots of trees, flat green fields and rivers.

We pulled into Karnali Sation at 10.30 and immediately the place seemed familiar although we didn't travel to this part of Goa when we came on holiday a few years ago.
There are signs everywhere for The Rotary and Lions International Clubs and the Goan people are very friendly. Although most educated Indians speak English many of the Goans speak almost perfect English and I can remember being surprised about this before.

We got in a taxi and 20 minutes later arrived at Casa Kailash in Dona Paula. We had arranged to meet Aruna who owns the apartment and she seems very nice and showed us around. It is complete bliss to have a bit of space after our stay in Mumbai. The apartment is quite big with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a kitchen and living room. Each room also has a balcony off it and it seems very spacious and luxurious to us.

We then walk up the road to Aruna's apartment, this is only 2 minutes away and she tells us we are very welcome to use the pool and gym facilities which will be great. The beach is 5 minutes away and apparently one of the best beaches in Goa for swimming, this is good as the sea is extremely dangerous here due to a strong undercurrent and swimming isn't advised on some of the beaches.

We spend a few hours lazing around by the pool and all have a swim. Ali and Maisie have a great time splashing around and Maisie who has been a bit off colour with a sore throat for the last few days looks better already. The sun is really fierce and although I plaster the kids in factor 20 I am worried about them burning, I saw on the Mumbai news before we left that it is 33 degrees here.

I walked back to the apartment around 3pm and lay on the bed and went out like a light for a few hours. I am feeling quite knackered after all the moving around and just want to rest for a few days and do nothing. We have planned to get back into a bit more of a routine with our bedtimes and diet from tomorrow. I spent a couple of hours learning about the digestive system with the kids yesterday and we want them to do some more regular schooling.

We went out for dinner around 7.30 and had some butter fried prawns and pomfret fish, the food in Goa is simple and tasty and we all remember having some fantastic meals here previously. We sit and watch a small firework display and decide to walk back to the apartment, its uphill all the way but I want to walk our dinner off a bit before crashing out and it's not too far.

I'm lying on the bed now, listening to the fan whirring away, we've got The Killers on in the background and have just realised our bed which is a big old wooden art deco style thing has a light up headboard. Wicked! What more could you want than that.

We had a horrible experience last night that I never want to repeat.

We arrived at the train station around 10pm and found our platform, someone told us the train was an hour late but we took that bit of information with a pinch of salt and the time flew by as we got talking to a family from Leicester. At 10.50 the train arrived and we battled our way through and found our carriage. As our tickets were 3rd class sleeper this means we have to share our compartment with two people and when 2 scruffy old hippies get on I'm a bit nervous. They seem friendly enough though and we help them decide which station to get off at in Goa.

Ali is tired so he gets in the top bunk and settles down and I start to get Maisie sorted out. The conductor then appears and asked to see our tickets and imagine our horror to realise we have in fact got tickets for the 16th which is tonight. We offer to pay extra for any available tickets but he insists the train is completely full and boots us off at the next station. The feeling of being stood in a train station in Mumbai past midnight with no accommodation and no train ticket and two brave looking children was awful and I had to bite my lip not to cry.

Lots of people seemed to want to help us but no one from the train station was interested and trying to think clearly and make a decision about where to go was really hard. The conductor told us there was another train to Goa in an hour but the taxi drivers seemed to be saying that the chances of us getting a ticket were nil.

Eventually we got in a taxi, as most hotels close their doors at 11pm we had to ask the driver to take us to a hotel he recommended and we were both painfully aware that this would put us at risk of paying well over the odds and we could end up somewhere really dodgy. The drive to Victoria seemed to take ages and neither of us could recognise any landmarks to get our bearings. I had to fight to stay calm and not panic.

Eventually we pulled into a side street and outside a hotel, Simon ran in while I stayed in the car and came out giving it the thumbs up. I ignored the monster rat sat watching us on the steps and we finally made it into our room at gone 1am, exhausted and furious with ourselves for not checking the tickets properly.
This has been a lesson to us both; we have tried to be so careful and mindful of the fact that we have precious Ali and Maisie with us and I guess until something like this happens its difficult to foresee every possible eventuality.

We are now a bit lighter in our wallet, but this hotel is fine and a vast improvement on the last place. In the cold light of day it's easier to stay more objective and actually everyone last night was really kind. From the old hippie on the train who gave us a hotel number and carried my rucksack off the train, to the taxi driver who, seeing me clutching the kids hands tightly kept saying" Don't worry, I'm a family man, Bombay is very safe at night and everything will be ok"


I was just asking Simon what to call this document and his suggestion was "Simons fuck up" I know he feels bad about it but I don't blame him, I didn't check the ticket either and all we can do is learn from it to ensure nothing like this happens again.


Its 5pm now and we have had a very quiet day, I rang home this morning and had a chat to mum who was surprised to hear we were still in Mumbai. The area we have found ourselves in is not touristy at all and when we went to a café across the road the menu wasn't that appetising with a choice of brain plain fry, brain butter fry or brain masala fry.
We settled on some fried rice and pepsi.

We spoke to a friendly Muslim family from New Zealand who were on their way to Mecca for their sons pilgrimage and they told us we are in fact not far from Victoria Station and weren't skinned too much last night by our taxi driver. In some ways I guess we were lucky but this does remind me that although I often worry about stuff and am quite wary of people on the whole most people are good hearted and kind and will help you out in a crisis.

We are going to check our emails now and then plan to go out for dinner, if everything goes to plan we should catch the train to Goa tonight at 11pm. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Second time lucky I suppose.

Happily this morning is the last time I will wake up in this dump. Simon went and got us some coffees and I had a look at Ali who is covered in a rash that I think may be bed bug bites.
Simon realises that he can't find his sunglasses and I feel sorry for him as he's so pissed off about it. They were expensive and we bought them especially for the trip but still we can't do anything about it and put it down to bad luck (eventually)

We have our breakfast, I'm getting braver now and have a fruit salad, although eating fruit in India isn't recommended unless you peel it yourself, I can not face another egg and decide to take my chances.
Today we are going to walk to The Gateway to India and catch a boat to Elephanta Island. These group of caves are Mumbai's top tourist attraction and very little is known about the origin of them except they were probably carved around 750 AD. Inside the caves are large panel sculptures all relating to the Hindu god Shiva.

We get the deluxe boat which costs us 120 rupees each and the boat journey takes an hour, as usual we are among a handful of western tourists and attract a bit of attention. This has been much less though in Mumbai than in other areas of India where the kids said they felt like part of a freak show at times!

As it is so hot we jump on the miniature train when we get off at the pier, which takes us up to the steps at the caves entrance. We are by this point completely melting in the sun and decide to stop for lunch before we tackle the steps and the stall holders who are all clamouring for our attention.

Simon and the kids have a snack and I make do with a lime soda and we're ready for the climb. There is the option of travelling in a palanquin but I would just feel too guilty for the poor fellas who have to lift you in this heat so we give that a miss.

20 minutes later and we reach the cave entrance. It's quite expensive to go in, the sign says the equivalent of 5 US dollars for foreigners and it turns out to be a bit of a disappointment. The museum is very small and although the sculptures are good, only 3 of the panels are worth photographing and we don't visit the other caves as the information provided says they are of very little importance.

The highlight of the afternoon was in fact watching a monkey and a goat fighting over the contents of a bin.

We call off at a magic shop on the way back and the kids buy some cards and the information to do some tricks. This keeps them entertained for the majority of the boat trip back and we have a laugh when Maisie and I stand up on the bow of the boat with our eyes shut and our arms outstretched and pretend to be Rose from Titanic. Ali gets embarrassed and tells us we are sad.
Simon takes Ali off for a haircut when we get back to the hotel. I am a bit nervous that he will come back with a big wedge cut in the back of his hair so he takes a photo of Daniel Craig with him. This has to be one of the cheapest haircuts ever at 30 rupees, roughly 37 pence and Ali makes a passable Bond when he's done.

We are going out for dinner now and catch the train from Victoria Station to Goa at 11pm tonight. We're all excited about this as we feel we are going on holiday. It will be great to stay in an apartment and have a bit more space and I am looking forward to having a massage and doing very little for the next few weeks.

Its 9pm – just got back from dinner, we went to The Darba Delhi restaurant and had some great food. The evening was quite strained though as we found ourselves sat next to 6 of the most cakey people I have ever met. When they arrived they spent the first 20 minutes or so singing to each other and we spent most of the evening glaring at the kids who were doing their best not to laugh!

Mumbai is India's most cosmopolitan city and in some ways I'm sorry to be leaving. Originally we had planned to stay for longer and I don't feel we have scratched the surface of what there is to offer here. The contrasts of India are more apparent here than anywhere else we have seen, with designer shops selling westernised clothes next to a sign advertising Slum Tours 40 rupees.
Tomorrow we will be in Goa – India's smallest state. Its 10 days until Christmas - not feeling the cold yet.

We have arrived in Mumbai and found it easy enough when we got off at Central Station. We jumped straight into a taxi and asked the fella to take us the Colaba area where we are staying. This area is very popular with travellers as its central and we did have some trouble finding somewhere to stay but have made a reservation with The Volga 2 Hotel.

When we arrive there it is 7.30 in the morning and eventually the miserable night porter lets us in. He tells us our room is not available until 12 so we leave our rucksacks and head off to find some breakfast. Downstairs is a very popular restaurant called Leopolds and I'm pleased to see bottles of Corona lined up on the bar- hurray!!

I consider having one but decide it can wait until later and have scrambled eggs and coffee instead.
We then walk to The Gateway of India which is 2 minutes away. This huge archway is Mumbai's icon and a symbol of colonialism. But only 24 years after it was built in 1924 the last British soldiers symbolically marched through it as India gained independence and the British left.
Its good to see the sea and after nearly a month of eating vegetarian food supplemented only by a bit of chicken and occasional goat I am looking forward to eating some fish here.

We decide as we have a few hours to kill to blag it and walk into the lovely Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel this gorgeous old hotel is in itself an institution and we do look out of place but we just act like we are staying there and make our way to their dining room where we order some coffee.
I want to use the toilets to freshen up but when Maisie and I go in there the toilet attendant is too posh for words and I just don't have the bottle to get my toothbrush and wet wipes out so I leave it.

We make our way back to The Volga 2 and are informed that there is only one room available. It is no bigger than 13ft by 8ft and like a cell without a bathroom. We tell the fella that we reserved 2 rooms and want a private bathroom but we are wasting our breath and he just shrugs his shoulders. As we are so tired agree to take it anyway , I'm not sure how we are all supposed to fit on 2 single beds, especially as it is over 30 degrees here but I'm sure we will manage. The cheeky sod then tries to charge us an extra 150 rupees for the "privilege" of all being in the room together but Simon's having none of it and tells him where to get off !

Its now 4.30 in the afternoon and we have just come back to our prison cell after having lunch at Tendulkars. I've never heard of Sachin Tendulkar but Simon tells me he is a famous Indian cricketer and it’s a bit like The Hard Rock Café with balls on the wall instead of guitars. We had some great food there, I had seafood risotto and crème brulee and I'm now lying on my bunk next to my cellie Maisie planning to diet tomorrow.

Mumbai is India's most cosmopolitan city and I can't wait to get out of here and explore it. From what I have seen so far it reminds me a bit of London, there are lots of signs of British colonial rule here and the architecture looks very familiar. Many of the landmarks such as Victoria Station now have Indian names which were changed when the city of Bombay was renamed in 1996.

We have a busy few days planned and are planning to visit the Colaba market, Mani Bhavan (Mahatma Gandhi's old home) and Chowpatty Beach tomorrow. Simon and Ali have gone out to buy some sunglasses and for now I intend to lie here peacefully and soak up all the atmosphere that The Volga 2 has to offer.

I didn't wake up until 9am today which is late for me, despite this I'm feeling pretty tired. We stayed out last night until about 11.30 and made some calls to home. Mum was telling me about our little niece Hope, who is apparently growing fast. Maybe my only regret about the timing of this trip is that we won't be around for her first year and I have asked my brother to email us some photos of her.
I then spoke to Dad and Pauline they are following our journey closely and enviously by the sounds of things! It was great to talk to them and again I am reminded of the powers of the lovely internet. As Pauline says, we sound as if we are around the corner and could almost just drop in for a mince pie and a drop of sherry - That does sound quite tempting!

The Skype connection was excellent and our total bill at the end of the night for over two hours of calls to the UK, two hours of internet for the kids, one beer, 2 cokes and 2 litres of water is about 4 pounds 30, what a bonus.

Simon manages to get the hotel owner to agree to a late check-out on one of the rooms at no extra cost. This is good as it means, if and when the power comes back on in the daytime we can charge our various gadgets that will help the bus journey to go quicker.

I was a real baby earlier and started crying at the thought of the bus. I read the information in The Lonely Planet and have discovered that bedding is not provided and long journeys can be very uncomfortable, couple this with the thought of no food for hours and no toilets and to say I am shitting myself would be something of an understatement. There is however, no alternative other than to fly straight to Goa and then we would miss Mumbai altogether. I am trying to stay calm and compare it to all those vile night shifts that I used to hate so much. At the end of the day I guess I did get through them and they, like this bus journey were a means to an end.

Simon is spending some time teaching the kids maths this morning. I have never understood even the most basic mathematical concepts and I get very frustrated about this as I am unable to help them at all. I've decided when we get to Goa that I am going to spend some time looking at the kids work and try and learn some simple maths myself.

It's now 5.30 and we have been on the bus for 2 hours, when we arrived at the bus station I had to go and pee through nerves and made Maisie come with me. The toilets were quite horrible, we have adjusted to the Indian toilets well and I actually quite like them as at least no part of your body touches anything.
But these were something else entirely; no hole just a gently sloping tile back to a gully of unmentionables and no water to rinse the thing down with. I never realised I had such a talent for holding my breath.

The bus on the other hand is ok so far, it is a private sleeper bus and the sleeping compartments I suppose are something like the overhead storage lockers on planes but a lot bigger. Although there aren’t any sheets its hot at the moment so that’s not a problem, Maisie and I are in one compartment and Simon and Ali in another and although we have several bags and a guitar in with us we aren’t particularly cramped and there is room to sit up and lie completely flat.
It is very noisy though, our main travelling companions seem to be women with children although they are mostly in single berth compartments with at least 2 children each in with them. The lady opposite gave Maisie some sweets and I watched her little son while she nipped out to get some chai.

5 am and I have had 2 hours sleep max. Maisie and Ali have slept on and off all night and this amazes me as Indian pop music has been blasting through the crackly speakers since we started our journey.
As we left Udaipur we stopped for half an hour whilst the roof of the bus was loaded up with tin buckets and its now unloading time. Then noise of men scrabbling around on the roof and the clanking of the buckets is slightly nerve jangling especially as I have spent the last hour or so alternately smacking my head against the window as we bounce over yet another bump and trying to stop my teeth from being rattled out of my mouth by clenching them together. It has been a very long night.

Had a great day today, we woke up at 8.30 all feeling much better and went up and had some breakfast, a bowl of banana and honey porridge and toast and jam each and I set the kids onto some work. We spend at least 3 hours going over what they have already learnt in science and discussing the structure and differences of plant and animal cells. Looking through the books we have brought with us they cover similar stuff but as Ali is at Key Stage 3 his work is much more in depth so I pitch it at his level. Maisie seems to be lapping it up and when I test them later does really well and remembers almost as much as he does.
They then do some literacy and write a formal letter to Tony Blair asking him for money to provide education and condoms for young adults in a remote village, with high rates of HIV infection, I can see a big improvement since they last practiced letter writing and its very satisfying to think I have taught them this.

We are going to visit the city palace and Lake Pichola, it isn't far from where we are staying so we walk there. When we get to the ticket office we can choose to visit various sites of interest and we get tickets costing about 10 quid in total. These will cover us for entrance to the palace and museum and a boat ride on Lake Pichola.

We decide we want some lunch first though and choose the most expensive looking place, well worth it though, we have club sandwiches, fries and baked onions and they're yummy! After the last few days of sickness none of us want Indian food today and I am not being too fussy about what we eat.

We catch the boat and have a half hour ride around Lake Pichola, we go past the floating palace where much of Octopussy was filmed. It is now a hotel and although it from a distance it doesn't look anything special, close up it does look nice and for over 400 US dollars a night I guess it must be ok.
We of course opted not to stay there on the basis that we wanted to experience more of the real India.

We then wandered around the city palace, this is a truly amazing place it's like a maze with lots of tiny corridors leading up and then down narrow winding staircases, these then open out into rooms which are all decorated differently. Some rooms are themed with colour, pale china blue bedrooms with tiny brass beds and floaty curtains and a dark red balcony overlooking the courtyard. Other rooms are huge with intricate inlaid jewelled walls and ceilings and big imposing portraits of royalty. We also visited the palace stables and the kids went in a portable tiger cage.
We said it would be a great place to play hide and seek although I don't know if you would ever find each other.

The weather is lovely here, hot with clear blue skies and a warm breeze. Now I'm feeling better I can appreciate Udaipur and for me it has definitely been the highlight of Rajasthan. Surrounded by mountains and with the clear calm lake it is as lovely as the guidebook says. Since our arrival we have slept much better and the noise levels are bearable although it is quite lively here.
We end the afternoon with a beer and puddings for the kids on Sunset Terrace. This overlooks the lake and the floating palace and the perfect location for a cold Fosters and a few crisps.

Simon spent the morning sorting out our tickets to Mumbai and we catch the bus at 3.30 tomorrow afternoon. I am scared about this but trying to stay calm and keep thinking even if it's really horrible it's only 16 hours and anyone can get through that. Also from then on we only have to catch trains. We should be arriving in Goa in 6 days time – hurray! Really looking forward to this, we had a lovely holiday there a few years ago and I can't wait to get on the beach and do nothing for a week or so.

I'm feeling very happy tonight and lucky. Travelling is wicked, so far I have absolutely loved everything about it and even though we have some interesting experiences over the last few weeks I wouldn't change a thing. Not sure if I will still feel the same after the bus trip but I'm fairly optimistic and I hope so.

I woke up at 5am to the most awful racket; this hotel is, Simon reckons the noisiest place he has ever stayed in and I agree with him. I did sleep but only because I think a combination of being completely exhausted and ill overwhelmed me. The noise here is unreal and although Simon is usually pretty tolerant of most things the sound of what we think were Krishna's dancing and singing outside our window while it was still dark was enough to have him swearing like a trucker.

He is now ill also and has been up half the night with belly ache and sickness and when I get up at 8.30 I leave him in bed and go to sort the kids out. Maisie is as fit as a fiddle and Ali and I haven't been sick again so things are looking up.
Ali doesn't want any breakfast so Maisie and I go up on our own and have a lovely breakfast overlooking the James Bond lake. Apparently lots of the hotels play Octopussy non stop on a loop so I guess we will get to see it sometime while we are here.

Our guidebook describes Udaipur as whimsical, serene and surrounded by misty hills. I'm not too sure about the serene bit but the hills are very pretty.
We have planned to visit The Lake Pichola and The City Palace and Museums while we are here and also want to go and see the Maharaja's classic car collection which includes the Phantom Rolls Royce used in Octopussy.

As we will be having a quiet day I decide to get some stuff sorted out and send our clothes to the laundry, I ask the fella if we can stay an extra night and I'm not too sure if he agrees to this or not! I then have a cold shower which wasn't very pleasant as I have to wash my hair and it takes ages. My Lush solid shampoo has run out and I haven't got anymore so have to make do with the hotel soap.
The power then goes off (this conveniently happens between 8 and 10 am every where we have been and doesn't come back on till the evening.) so I am unable to dry or straighten my hair and now look like a wiry haired scarecrow. Couple this with the fact that I am wearing Simon's jumper as mine has gone for washing and I feel pretty scruffy. Good job we won't be having any photo's taken today!

I take the kids out for a bit of lunch and we have cappuccinos, toasted cheese sandwiches and strawberry cheesecake. (Very Indian!) We sit next to an English couple and their little toddler daughter and they tell me they are also travelling. They have made their way from The Himalayas to here and plan to move on to Goa soon. I think they are brave travelling with a 2 year old; at least Ali and Maisie will eat anything and can tell you if they are ill.

We are back at the hotel now; it's difficult to know what to do when you can't go out and I am a bit reluctant to go very far on my own with the kids. They seem to be happy enough watching the telly but I'm not a telly lover and practice my guitar playing instead. I am getting a bit better I think and Ali says he will teach me some new chords soon.

Been out for dinner, I have given Simon some Dioralyte, but he isn't feeling much better and we go to the hotel across the road. Udaipur is very busy at night with lots of small shops selling hand woven goods, paintings and lacquer work boxes. Most other businesses seem to offer internet and "ISD" calls to the UK and we also see such services offered as henna tattooing, body massage and hair arranging.

Like all the other cities and towns we have visited in India dogs, cows, goats and pigs roam around freely scavenging whatever they can to live on, it's surprising how quickly we have got used to seeing them and they are a part of life here as much as cars are a part of our lives at home.

We watched Octopussy and really enjoyed it, along with the other 5 or 6 couples all glued to a small screen. It actually was a great experience as we are right by Lake Pichola and it looks very pretty all lit up with fairy lights. What a classic line when Bond chucks a load of rupees at this fella and tells him "Here you go, that will keep you in curry for a few years"
Maybe you had to be there but it made me laugh anyway.

We got up at 6am as we have to leave at 8 for Udaipur. Iram tells us the journey will take around 6 hours as "no good roads". I'm feeling a bit sick and don't have much breakfast but just put this down to being tired. Ali also feels sick and when we get in the car I let the kids go back to sleep for a few hours.
Despite Iram's prediction the roads seem ok and we seem to be going at a good enough pace. By now I am looking forward to getting to Udaipur and saying goodbye to him. I have enjoyed travelling around Rajasthan but it has been very tiring and I can't wait to get to Goa and lie on the beaches in the sun.
Rajasthan has also been much colder than Delhi and Varanasi, this has meant that we have had to wear the same clothes for a week as we each only have one set of warm stuff and I am fed up with this.

On the way we have planned to stop off at Ranakpur, this is one of India's oldest Jain temples and an incredible piece of architecture. To get to Ranakpur we have to cross over a mountain range and the roads are very twisty. The landscape is completely different to anything else we have seen so far in Rajasthan. Very mountainous and green with lots of lovely flowers, almost tropical looking. There are big monkeys sat on the roadsides watching us go by and we see signs saying this is a wildlife sanctuary and pictures of leopards. I say to the kids that they probably wouldn't be satisfied with West Midlands Safari Park again after this and they agree.

The Jain religion was set up in the 6th century BC; Jains believe that liberation can only be attained by achieving complete purity of the soul and in order to do this, all matter that attaches itself to our soul by our actions, must be shed .Right conduct is essential and non violence to any living thing is fundamental. This means the Jains do not eat any meat or vegetables that may have caused damage to insects during their harvest. Some Jains sweep the floor in front of them to avoid treading on insects and at the temple picking flowers, wearing leather, smoking and wearing shoes were amongst many other things that were strictly forbidden.

The Jain temple was absolutely beautiful and I hope the photos will do it justice although we weren't allowed to photograph the idols that were on the outside of the temple walls.
The carvings were very intricate and delicate and the 1444 milk white marble pillars are all different. When we first entered the temple Alister said "oh wow its amazing isn't it" which I guess sums it up if a 13 year old is impressed.
It was without doubt the most amazing thing we have seen other than The Taj Mahal since arriving in India.

Sadly though Ali and I weren't able to enjoy it for long as our slightly nausea turned into full on throwing up. We were followed to the toilet by a little girl who wanted money for the privilege of standing and watching us being sick and I wished she understood enough English for me to say to her "sometimes honey when you got to puke you just want a bit of privacy!"
We got back in the car and then had to drive what seemed like hours across "no good roads" this was an understatement if anything and I can only really describe it as something like torture. I lost count of the number of times we had to stop for poor Ali to throw up and I think we all had whiplash injuries by the time we finally arrived at around 5pm. We had booked a hotel and we all staggered in weighed down with all our stuff.
Eight and a half hours later and I vow not to travel in any car, anywhere, ever again for any longer than 4 hours max.
I thought Simon was going to sort Iram out in the hotel reception but apparently he had paid him earlier and I felt really bad when I realised he had gone and me and the kids hadn't even said goodbye or thank you to him. Simon said he seemed happy enough with the tip he gave him, baksheesh is a way of life here but I still felt awful and I hope he realised I didn't mean to be so rude.

We got in the room and Ali and I promptly both threw up again, today has not been a good day, got straight into bed aching all over hopefully will feel better tomorrow.

Its 3 o'clock in the afternoon on Thursday 7.12.06 I was just saying to Simon that I couldn’t think of too much to write today as we haven't done much but he seemed surprised at this and said he couldn't remember a time before when I was stuck for words and can usually talk shite for hours – how rude!

We have now arrived back in Jodhpur, our next and last city to visit in Rajasthan is Udaipur and we will leave Iram there. But as Udaipur is 600km from Jaisalmer and too far to travel in one day we are breaking up the journey and spending a night here in the same guesthouse as before.

We decided this morning that although it was good in the palace hotel it is hard to justify spending a hundred quid on 3 night's accommodation when this place is only costing us just over a fiver and in fact has all the same facilities just not as nice.

Ali has been playing his guitar a bit this afternoon, he hasn't played that much since we have been away but at home sometimes doesn't play much for a few weeks either.
He refuses to teach me anymore until I agree to pay him for it so I am teaching myself which is actually fine. As I only want to learn a few songs with a year to practice I reckon I will have nailed them by the time we get back.
My friend Alli and I subjected the pub to our own special version of Michael row the boat ashore on New Years Eve a few years ago and I'm sure if I had been able to play any of the chords at all it may have sounded better so that is my aim!

Been out for a few hours checking emails from home- our fence has blown down and mum tells me the weather has been terrible in Plymouth with lots of storms. I don't miss that at all. I can't stand the winter and hate the cold and for the last few years we have always had our main holiday away during the British winter so we could catch a few rays and reduce the seasonal affective disorder. It is warmer here than in Jaisalmer and should be warmer again in Udaipur as it's another 300km further south.

Simon and the kids have been complaining they are a bit saddle sore today so I guess being a girl, with the fattest ass in the family does have some clear benefits!

We are ordering room service tonight, eating out every night is tiring and Ali and Maisie like staying in the room watching TV. I have to force myself not to feel guilty about this as its hard not to feel that we may be missing out on some experience or other.
We can't be on the go constantly though and at home all have some down time where we just doss around, they all watch the telly I tend to listen to music.

Got to get up early tomorrow, leaving at 8am for Udaipur. The James Bond film Octopussy was mostly filmed there and I'm looking forward to seeing if I can get a Martini – shaken not stirred of course.

This is my first bit of diary writing! We started in Delhi and are now at Jodhpur for the second time. Delhi was cool, the traffic was crazy and the whole place had a really mad vibe to it!

We then went to Varanasi to see the river Ganges I really liked it and seeing the burning bodies on the ghat's was weird, Maisie found it scary but I was more scared of the supposedly one hundred and three year old woman! She blessed us and apparently gave us good Karma or something like that.

We then went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. It took 13 hours on the over night train and Dad woke us all up 3 hours to early but when we finally got to Taj the next day I knew it was worth it.

We then went to Pushkar, it was hot so we went to a really posh hotel and used the pool! We spent two days there and visited a very big fort!

Then we were off to Jodhpur with our driver Ihram who had picked us up at Agra, when we got there we all had a bowl of soup! The room was nice but we all had to share one and peace was completely impossible to find but I'm sure they all thought the same about me!

We then drove to Jaisalmer and it was raining. Everyone one was a bit depressed because of this, so we decided to stay in a Palace for three nights. I had been waiting since the start of Jodhpur to watch 'Gone In 60 Seconds' but frustratingly for that one night the channel it was on was broken. I was unhappy but we watched 'Spiderman 2' and that was quite good!

After our three nights of luxury we hit the road for another five hour journey back to Jodhpur we are now in the same hotel and room as before for one night and will be driving to Udaipur for another 6½ hours tomorrow!

So far I have liked the trip however I am really missing my friends and family at home.
But all in all I am looking forward to the next place!!!

The day of the camel has arrived and I feel sick. We woke up at 8.30 and after showering went and had a long and leisurely breakfast. We took the kids schoolbooks with us and Simon spent an hour or so doing maths with them. I can't do maths so it gave me the opportunity to sit and study our guide book and start to plan our next few weeks in India.

The kids then had a game of cricket with the waiters from the hotel we are staying in. I am surprised and pleased that they have been getting on so well together and although their PSP and Nintendo DS have seen plenty of action, they had a great time today with a ball that cost 10 rupees and two empty coke bottles for bats.

We went and found Iram who seems very happy to be staying here and tells us he has a very nice room. We have decided that the best option is for him to take us out to the sand dunes where the camels are and try and negotiate a fair price when we get there.
Neither of us like organised themed trips and wherever we have been we have always found them to be very overpriced and generally shite.

We set off at 3pm, I am dreading it being cold as much as anything else but as I only have one cardi thing with me the only option is to take my waterproof jacket as well and I stick it in the rucksack.
We drive for about an hour and eventually see signs for Khuri village, Maisie makes us laugh when she tells us "I've just seen some massive eggs, I think they're camel eggs".
I have to explain to her that camels don't lay eggs which leads to more discussion about mammals. She is surprised to learn that foxes don't in fact lay eggs either – bless!

We get out the car and are immediately asked to sit down. The camel safari is explained to us and apparently includes an hour or so on the camels, out to the dunes, watching the sunset and then on return sitting around a fire watching some dancing and dinner. We're having none of it though and Simon explains to the man that we only want to ride the camels and then will return to Jaisalmer for dinner.
Eventually we agree a price of 450 rupees each (about five pounds) and we set off for the camels.
I'm a bit worried to find that the camel drivers sit behind you on each camel as I have read that this is advised against especially for women but there isn't much we can do about it and I clamber on. Simon and the kids all seem excited although Ali looks a bit apprehensive.

We set off at a good pace, the camel driver seems quite nice, he picks me some flowers for my hair and tells me he has six camels and the one we are on is called Lalu when I ask him. I'm not too sure if this is only my camels name though or if they are all called that although Maisie tells me later hers was called Baby.
Eventually the desert changes to perfect, rolling sand dunes. I've never seen anything like these before and it's really beautiful. We don't see anyone else and listening to the drivers singing and clicking to the camels in the dusk I realise I am actually having a great time.
We arrive at the top of the dunes there are lots of other people here but quite a long way from us and we get down to sit and watch the sunset. The kids love it and spend the time free running up and down the dunes. We write our names and the date in the fine sand and take lots of photos.

We get back on the camels and join the large groups of people also making their way back on their camels. The camel driver gives me the reins and shouts at Lalu to make her go faster, soon we are cantering along and although I'm hardly Lawrence of Arabia it is lots of fun and I am enjoying myself and pleased when we whip most people back to the village.

We get back to Jaisalmer and make for a restaurant called The Trio the food is probably the best we have had so far in India. We share a Rajasthani speciality mutton curry, tomatoes stuffed with goat's cheese, raisons and almonds, chicken mughlai, mixed vegetables and special biriyani.We have banana fritters for pudding and wash it down with Kingfisher beer and cardamom spiced coffee Yum!

Today has been good, better than I thought and I should learn not to dread things so much they may turn out ok after all.

Today is bright and sunny, although not too warm at first. We get up slowly and I decide to wash some more of our stuff. It takes me ages and I will be glad when the travel wash has all gone and I can't do it anymore.

We have our breakfast in a restaurant next door, the breakfasts are very good so far in India and I have noticed that the kids are eating loads. Usually they have cornflakes with banana and honey followed by toast and jam but today they go for an omelette each as well.

It's nice to have a look around where we are staying as we weren't able to see much of Jaisalmer yesterday due to the rain. It is divided into two areas – inside and outside the fort. Although we are staying in this expensive place it is outside the fort walls and this is recommended as a more ethical choice.
The fort is India's second most important monument next to The Taj Mahal but unfortunately is slowly being destroyed by the impact of tourism. It is carved out of golden sandstone and has 99 battlement things around it called bastions. Since 1995 three of these have fallen down and this fort is now on the worlds top 100 list of monuments to protect.

Around the fort entrance there are lots of small market stalls and women selling silver jewellery, carpets, saris, postcards and other touristy stuff. We've hardly bought anything as our rucksacks are already heavy but we can't resist a leather cowboy hat today and Maisie and I decide we'll share it.

We spend most of the morning doing schoolwork; they don't seem to object to this too much and seem to have enjoyed most things we have done so far. I give them a paragraph of information about our trip so far and ask them to rewrite it in a much more descriptive way and they both do quite well. We then go over what they have learnt for science and I tell them they have done the brain and the liver. Tomorrow we can start on the heart or lungs and I will chase Simon into doing some maths with them.

We are going to try and eat a bit earlier tonight, we never eat until 7pm at home anyway but I have noticed we are having dinner quite late and subsequently going to bed late. Although I'm strict on bedtimes at home I don't mind this but as I make us get up before 8.30 sometimes this is a bit of a struggle.
Alister loves to speak to his friends on MSN messenger but because of the 5 and half hour time difference he can't do this until at least 9.30pm as they will still be in school. We are restricting his internet use to an hour every other day much to his disgust but as he is restricted at home also he knows better than to argue with us over it!

Just got back to the hotel, we had some great food tonight in a tented restaurant where some little kids entertained us playing the drums, singing and dancing.
I am now completely freezing and from the reports of the weather at home I reckon it's at least as cold here as in Plymouth. Get in to bed with two extra blankets and some vile sweet drink that would never pass for coffee in a million years!

We have decided tomorrow is camel day, I can't put it off any longer and am looking forward to it so much I can hardly contain myself.

The best things that we've seen is the Taj Mahal: wow too hard to explain, it was so beautiful I know I will remember it!
The Ganges River: the morning and evening boat ride was fab except the body burning creeped me out and gave me a nightmare.
We drove through Rajasthan and the area was interesting but polluted and hot.
Now we are in Jaisalmer and the first impressions weren’t great because it was raining and empty and grey. But that soon turned around as we are now staying in an old palace
which still has some of the royal family living in it so that was a surprise!

The only thing I miss is not much but family and friends not much else.
Mum is now sitting in our room shivering and moaning she is cold so dads got a blanket for the bed and a coffee to warm her up.

Our standard of living has improved dramatically since yesterday. We didn't succumb to food poisoning and had a lovely meal last night in the most amazing setting.
The terraced top of Meharangarh Fort is a very romantic restaurant; we were greeted at the fort entrance by waiters in traditional Rajasthani dress who took us up to the very top of the fort and sat us at one of only 6 small round tables lit by the moonlight and candles.
We ate Thali's and drank Kingfisher beer to the sound of Indian music and the feel of the warm desert breeze.
In case this all sounds too good to be true I have to point out that Ali and Maisie were only reasonably behaved and dressed in my combats, battered converse trainers and with dirty hair I really didn't feel all that glam but still we had a great time.

We leave for Jaisalmer at just gone 9am. Jaisalmer was once an important trade route and a very wealthy town. I have read that there are lots of elaborate houses and temples here. It's as close as we will get to the India / Pakistan border and although it’s a peaceful place the airport is closed due to border disputes. Iram said the journey would take around six hours and I was feeling a bit apprehensive about this but the kids are in a better mood today.

We start the day with some science, we discuss what we learnt about the brain previously and I'm pleased they have remembered it all. I can't teach them about any other organ of the body without study support so I teach them about the structure and functions of the liver. We then talk about food groups and how proteins, fats and carbs are processed by the body and they do really well.

Schools over for a bit and we put some music on. Today's choices are The Killers and The Scissors Sisters. The Scissor Sisters could only remind us of one couple, our friends Di and Jimmy and a mad night we had out in Birmingham a couple of months ago.
By four o'clock in the morning following quite a large amount of beer and vodka we decided we were all at least good enough for The X-Factor and recorded " I don't feel like dancing" on our phones. When I heard it back the next morning I'm surprised the taxi driver didn't chuck us out of his cab when we were practicing it!

By the time we are half way to Jaisalmer it has started to rain, it was cloudy in Jodhpur this morning and soon its pissing down and not very warm. We have to stop as Alister's guitar is strapped to the roof rack and swap it over for one of our rucksacks which have waterproof covers.
The road to Jaisalmer is quite good and we don't see much traffic. I have noticed that Iram seems to speed up a bit when we get closer to places and I'm glad when we arrive safely. The main risk to us on the road would be hitting a cow but sheep, goats, camels,
dogs, horses and large birds in no particular pecking order also think they are the kings of the road and completely ignore car horns.
The landscape is flat with lots of scraggy trees and occasional scruffy looking little ruins. We see a few people, the women dressed in the brightly coloured saris that are typical of Rajasthan and men all wrapped up with just their eyes showing.

We discuss where to stay on the way, there are lots of good quality hotels in Rajasthan and as the weather is crap we don't want to be stuck in some grim room for the next 3 days. The Jaisalmer Palace is just inside the town walls and has been partially converted into A Welcome Heritage Hotel called The Mandir Palace. As we have read some good reviews about it we decide to have a look.
Some of the Royal family still live in the palace and as soon as we pull into the courtyard I want to stay there. It's much more expensive than anywhere else we have stayed and while the kids are swayed by cable TV for me it's the fact that loo rolls, soap and towels are supplied.
After a bit of haggling we get two luxurious rooms for 15 pounds per room per night and I can't wait to phone home tomorrow and tell mum Maisie and I are princesses in our palace at least for the next 3 days.

I hope the weather clears up, we have brought waterproof jackets with us but as the main reason for coming to Jaisalmer is to go into the desert on a camel safari I want it to be dry. I 'm dreading this anyway, I've been on a camel before and I remember they stink; they won't go where you want them to and it hurts your arse.

I may take some persuading to swap my bed in a perfectly good palace, for a night under the stars with a wet camel.

For the 6 months prior to coming away I trained myself to sleep with only one pillow. I knew from holidaying in Asia previously, that the chances of being supplied with anymore than this were zero.
Even so I couldn't train myself to get used to sleeping on mattresses that are about as soft as concrete other than by sleeping on the floor and I wasn't about to start that. So subsequently every morning I have woken up feeling like I've been in a fight and this does take a bit of stretching to sort out.

We have our breakfast on the roof terrace, the view over The Old Blue City and up to Meherangarh is really fantastic and I'm looking forward to spending the morning there. We have arranged to meet Iram and after a bit of confusion we finally get there. Simon thinks he may have never been to Jodhpur before as he doesn't always seem to know where to go which is slightly surprising for a Rajasthani guide!

The entrance cost to Meherangarh is about 10 quid, nearly every main tourist attraction in India is free for under 15's but we have to pay for the kids here as the audio tour is recommended and we don't want them to miss out. Ali has woken up evil though and really we waste our money as he refuses to listen to it properly and ambles around looking miserable. This attitude soon rubs off on Maisie and before long we have 2 sad looking kids trailing after us. It’s a shame because it's really interesting here and I would have enjoyed it a lot if Simon and I had been on our own.

The fort is still run by the Maharaja of Jodhpur and inside there are gorgeous courtyards and palaces with lots of interesting exhibits in the museum such as elephant seats, armoury and royal baby cradles.

Still I am conscious that we need to try and do things at their pace. Ali is missing his friends and so far they have been really great so I'm fairly patient with them.
They have always been the best of friends and really enjoyed each others company until the last year when Ali has started to grow up and leave her behind a bit.

We then go up to Jaswant Thada which is a pretty, milky white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh and they brighten up a bit. Maisie has a go on a strange Indian musical instrument and manages to make us all laugh with her efforts.

I suggest we go to The Garden Restaurant for lunch this is on the other side of town and where all the Jodhpur trendies go. Simon gets a beer and we all have mixed kebabs but they're not piping hot and I convince myself I am going to get salmonella and don't really enjoy mine which is a pity!
We go and check our emails I have two best friends Shirley and Lou and get an email from Shirley today, as she lives in Birmingham we don't see each other a lot and I'm pleased she's been following our progress and doesn't seem to think I'm writing a load of crap!
It's good to email but not the same as talking on the phone and as we can talk for England I promise you Shirl I will call soon!! Miss you lots XX

Tonight we are going back to Meharangarh, for dinner at their restaurant which has excellent reviews, so looking forward to that it's now 3 hours since we ate the kebabs and so far no signs of food poisoning – fingers crossed!

Woke up at 8am today, we spent over an hour on the phone last night to home using Skype.This is good as it only costs a penny a minute. We have been using the internet a lot, most days and it's good to keep in touch with everyone. It seems weird though to think it's nearly Christmas and cold and wet at home. I don't miss any of that and I can remember thinking to myself every single day last winter that in 2006 I would be in India.

We have our breakfast and leave Pushkar at around 10.30, Iram seems pleased enough to see us and we set off for Jodhpur. The roads are absolutely terrible, some of them are no better than rocky tracks. We are travelling over The Great Thar desert and Iram estimates it will take us around four to five hours.
I talk to Alister and Maisie on the way about money and wealth, this is one of the topics that Ali has to cover for R.E in year 8 and his teacher has been very good and supplied us with the curriculum. Having seen extreme poverty first hand it is easy for them to make comparisons between our lives and the lives of some people here. I'm pleased that they can discuss these issues in a sensitive and thoughtful way.

We don't see much traffic on the way, only a few camel carts and motorbikes. The car we are travelling in is a small Indian made hatchback, called Tata Indicia. We pass through tiny villages and I notice that many of the women have their faces covered. The children are working on the roadside and we see a little girl mixing cement. She is smaller than Maisie although probably older, it's difficult to gauge the age of children here as they are much smaller than our children.
This also means that Indian people think that our kids are older than they are and I have caught a few young fella's looking at Maisie. The Indian people we have spoken to have guessed that she is aged 13 although she is actually only 10.

We stop off at a truckers stop, Simon suggests we have some lunch but I'm having none of it and tell them to make do with crisps, biscuits and coke. I will try almost any food and I'm not a fussy eater at all but I wouldn't choose to eat somewhere like that at home and am not about to start in India.
Also of the 4 of us I am the only one to not have had even the slightest upset tummy and I guess that is through being fairly strict about avoiding badly cooked "western food" and being a bit picky about meat.

Another hour or so goes by, I'm quite an expert daydreamer and the time flies by. The kids are being great, we brought travel Scrabble, dominoes, Suduko and cards with us and bought mini chess and a Rubix cube here but we haven't really used them so far.
We also brought a small radio with us and use Ali's MP3 player as a transmitter and play our C.D's through it.. Its quite surreal driving through the deserts of Rajasthan listening to The Stereophonics and Razorlight and what Iram makes of it I'm not too sure!

We arrive in Jodhpur, around 2.30pm and head for The Shivam Paying Guest House, this place was recommended to us by the Canadians we met in Agra and turns out to be as nice as they said. We agree a price of 1100 rupees (6.40) per night; this is for a huge room that we all share. After lunch in their lovely rooftop restaurant, we spend the afternoon generally lazing around. Ali practices his guitar and Maisie practices her Nintendo DS muscles.
We are all knackered and decide to have a quiet day; tomorrow we are going to Meherangarh. This huge palace/fort dominates the city and we have fantastic views of it from our hotel.

I have a shower and wash my hair, we have all showered every day even if the water has been cold (Often) but I was super quick this morning as we were rushing. The shower heads are all fixed and very often nearly all the holes blocked up but large buckets and jugs are supplied everywhere and the best way to wash is to fill the bucket and then pour the water over yourself.
We had some clothes washed at Pushkar and it feels quite luxurious to be clean with clean hair and clean clothes. I have been hand washing a bit of our stuff but as the easy things to wash such as knickers need the most washing and it is very cheap to have laundry done I'm probably going to give up on that.

Simon and Ali go out to get some supplies ie drinks, fruit, crisps and chocolate. We decide we are having Saturday night in, in front of the telly, only difference from home I guess is that we don't have to go so far for take out and it's cheaper and better than our local curry house2

Today's priority is to find a computer with a USB port so we can update the diary section. I probably won't write it every day once we reach Goa as I guess there is only so much "I lay by the pool and did nothing today" that people want to read, although the main reason I am writing it as a record of the trip for us and Ali and Maisie.

We don't get out of bed until 10.30 today, I am feeling tired with moving around a lot and still have a streaming cold. What a luxury to be able to think I'll have a day off completely guilt free!

After breakfast Simon goes to sort out computer stuff and the kids I settle down to school.
Ali does 40 algebra questions and then joins in with Maisie's science. We learn about the structure of cells and then go on onto draw and label the organs of the body. I pitch it at a higher level but Maisie seems to cope fine with this. We discuss the functions of the brain and are going to use the online encyclopaedia later to label it properly. This is a big section of work and is going to take a while to complete.

In the afternoon we visit the holy lake, Pushkar is a very mystical town and there are signs everywhere asking tourists to respect Hindu customs. No meat, eggs or alcohol, no photographs near the bathing ghats on the holy lake and no public shows of affection
.
Despite this though it does feel quite touristy, I think this may be because the camel fair has just finished and there is almost a sort of carnival atmosphere here although it is quiet
in comparison to other places we have visited.
We stop for lunch and have some pink soup; I read that because Pushkar is such a strict vegetarian town sometimes the restaurants do strange things to the food to liven it up a bit and I have certainly never seen tomatoes that colour before anywhere.

At 4.30 we leave the hotel to climb a mountain nearby and watch the sunset. The Savitri Temple is at the top and was named for Brahma's wife. The Brahma Temple is at the base and the guesthouse owner tells us it is a fairly steep climb that will take us an hour. I am a bit worried about this as I'm not known for being particularly energetic and still have not really recovered from my experience of walking on Dartmoor last winter in my high heels.

Still we set off for what Simon calls Cardiac Hill and forty five minutes later we reach the top. I have drank a lot of water and asked Simon twice if he thinks I could have altitude sickness but I've made it!
I'm proud of myself as for me it's a good achievement and well worth it as the views are great. Ali bounded up there and Maisie surprised us all by beating Simon and me to the top. (If there is anyone lazier in the world than me it's Maisie!)

I can see why people stay here; it reminds me of festivals I have been to at home. As well as Indian music, I have heard Bob Marley and incense is being burnt everywhere.
The people are very friendly and although lots of people talk to us we haven't been pressured to buy anything or asked for money by anyone. It feels safe and laid back here and I could definitely stay for longer.
We are moving on tomorrow though to the desert city of Jodhpur, Iram is picking us up at 10am so got to go get some sleep now.

7am- lying in bed listening to Dirty Dancing soundtrack, I like this it reminds me of a holiday with friends Nicky, Alli and Amanda in Turkey a few years ago. Allison and I got pissed one night, I got stuck up a tree and Alli still has a scar to show for it!
Anyway not up for any of that this morning. I've been coughing all night, have a banging headache and feeling all stuffed up. I will be so glad to get out of here.

Today we are travelling to Pushkar, this is according to Iram a 3 hour journey in the car and we have already booked a guesthouse in advance. So fingers crossed it will be nice and if not nice at least clean. Pushkar is a very holy town, mainly famous for its huge camel festival at the start of November and I have read that many travellers reach here and grind to a halt experimenting with spirituality, facial hair and marijuana.

Just found we have Abba in our music collection – hurray! I can't believe I never realised that- going to get up now and have a little dance around. Abba, 2 paracetamol and a hot shower and I reckon I'll be well up for it!!

I have enjoyed the drive to Pushkar, the road was really good, the nearest I have seen to a motorway and we hared along. We spent the first hour or so learning more about the Hindu religion. The main manifestations of Brahman, which is eternal, never ending and always been there, are the gods Shiva,Vishnu and Brahma. We spend some time discussing them and then talk about Christianity and the Catholic faith.

The landscape is very flat but as we approach Pushkar we have to cross some mountains called Snake Mountains. Simon has found an expensive hotel with a pool and we call in there on our way to The Whitehouse Hotel. It will cost us 900 rupees (about a tenner) to spend the afternoon swimming there and one look at the pool and we decide to go for it.

Iram then decides to take us to another guesthouse which he insists is very good and cheap and to placate him we agree to go. It turns out to be lovely and fairly cheap but is in an isolated spot and the kids will have to sleep in a thatched hut
We tell him he must take us to our choice and when we get there are completely sold!
It is spotlessly clean with a friendly mum and son team who make us feel very welcome.

We quickly change into swimming gear and Iram takes us back to The Jagat Singh Palace Hotel where we spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool. The kids have a great time and I feel like I am on holiday- it's absolutely bliss lying on a lounger reading Harrods magazine I have found peace already!

Have to say it feels a lot longer than 12 days, not in a bad way. It is just that everything you do in India needs careful planning and execution, just crossing the road here, for example, is a major event. So this makes for tiring days and you quickly lose perception of how time is passing.

3 Cities, 2 overnight train journeys and now 3 days into an 11 day trip around Rajasthan with a car and driver.

Our hotel in Varanasi was the Indian equivalent of 'Faulty Towers.' The owner/head chef was a right grumpy old git, food was good but served with sneer. Varanasi was definitely worth the effort to experience, but we were glad to be getting away on the third day. Even though we were heading for another night train, I've found it hardest to sleep on the trains. I think that maybe it's because I've half an eye open checking on our bags. We chain them to the bunks, but you know what it's like check and double check. Have heard some real quality snoring of the highest order, funny Charlotte doesn't snore like that at home normally(Joking! Joking!).

Arriving in Agra was a little challenging, got off at a different station than we planned and there was no official pre-paid rickshaw booth that we had expected. This is when you are most at mercy to commission touting rickshaw wallahs. We got besieged and headed outside to give ourselves time to take stock. We collected our thoughts and went for it with the 2 that least dodgy looking (This is a bit like grabbing a Cactus to find the bluntest needle!). True to form one suddenly needs petrol, while my driver shows me a book with recommendations about another hotel. Whilst telling me how dirty/bad/closed our choice is. We don't take any bull off them and head for our choice, arriving we do get shown higher priced rooms than we had expected, but it is good and clean.

Walking upstairs to the rooftop restaurant was 'cool as you like.' It has a clear view right across to the Taj Mahal which is no more than a half mile away. We order a couple of drinks, and sit like the other few people there, staring at the view.

Booking the car and driver for Rajasthan is an interesting challenge, every agent has the best deal to offer. Not like everyone else, better driver, no hassle's, go where you like, etc. We plumped for one option having made it clear on our terms. The driver picks us on schedule and we head off to first overnight stop of Jaipur, it soon becomes apparent that we will need to be on our toes. The lunch stop is clearly drivers backhander haunt, and we get stung for a more expensive the usual meal, won't let that happen again. The 'recommended' hotel, as Charlotte has mentioned, was not acceptable so we passed on that. The guide waiting with our driver in our car, when he came to pick us up in the morning, showed that they will keep looking for an opportunity to make the extra cash.

I've come close a couple of times to losing my cool with the relentless touting of wares, but we try to remember they are only trying to a living. Sometimes it's really hard to smile and say a polite 'No. thanks!' It does make the peace, when you find it, all the more enjoyable.

We head off to Pushkar later today and a bit less pollution.

I awoke at 6am this morning to the Muslim Call to Prayer. Slept ok, the beds are a bit smelly but comfortable enough.
We have our breakfast in the hotel restaurant which is nice and cheap and check a few emails from home. Have had an email from a Canadian family who are planning a trip like this with their children and its good to hear they are enjoying our website.

We return to our room and I have the best shower since arriving in India, lots of hot water and a good strong flow on the shower. (These things are important now and it's the first question I ask when arriving at a new place)
I feel better after washing my hair and a bit of pampering. I guess with my hairdryer, straighteners, full range of make up and massive first aid kit we're not the usual backpackers but then with two kids we're not that usual anyway.

This hotel is full of backpackers, but we haven't seen many other Brits and none to speak too. Other travellers have mostly ignored us although we have spoken to a few nice people. At breakfast today I saw someone wearing a Stevie Gerrard shirt but he was Chinese and it is a very different experience to when we holidayed in Goa a few years ago.

Simon then wins a gold star for being brave and sticks his hand down the toilet to unblock it. Oh my god it was completely horrible, the power went off and he was stuck in there with his arm submerged in the dark! Meanwhile me and the kids were outside laughing and encouraging him on and asking him what The black hole of Calcutta really was like.
What a vile experience and I have to hand it to him what a hero!

We spend an hour doing schoolwork, we are alternately doing Literacy, Numeracy and Science and following the curriculum (loosely) Ali and Maisie are tired today though and not very enthusiastic so I choose something I think will be easy.
We practice writing formal letters and they both write a letter of complaint to the owners of the hotel. I give them a B for attainment but only C for effort and they both agree I am mean and tougher than their teachers.
We go to The Amber Fort; we spend a few hours wandering around here and visit the armoury museum, the kids seem to enjoy this although I'm feeling a bit queasy and don't really have a good time. I have noticed if I don't take my malaria tablets with food they make me feel really sick and vow not to do that again.

We then visit Hawa Mahal (The Palace of the Winds) this famous palace was built in 1799 for the Royal Ladies so they could watch the comings and goings of Jaipur without being seen from the street. We climbed to the top but as Alister is afraid of heights, we don't stay up there long.
Following a bit of Christmas shopping in the bazaar for Maisie's school friends we return to the hotel.

Its 9pm now had our dinner and emailed a few friends, I'm glad to hear they're missing me and following our website avidly. (Keep it up mates!) Sat in bed watching James Bond (Not the latest to Ali's disgust but good enough)
Feeling great now, so happy and looking forward to tomorrow. We are leaving for Pushkar at 10am and to be honest I can't wait, it is a bit rank here and I'm optimistic that Pushkar will have more to offer. Bring it on.

The Taj Mahal has been described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love.
It was built over 22 years for the wife of the Emperor Shah Jahan after she died giving birth to their fourteenth child in 1631.
We found out that originally two buildings were commissioned but the black marble building was never built. Also legend says that the 20,000 workers who built it had their thumbs cut off when it was done so they could never build another.

I woke up at 6.30 feeling really excited, the Taj entrance is a two minute walk from where we are staying. The security at the gate is very strict and we are searched and patted down before being allowed to go through.
Sunrise is the best time to visit the Taj as the light reflects off the white marble, the building glows first golden, then pink and then blue. The visitor numbers are also less as many people visit the Taj in the evening on daytrips from Delhi.

There is a huge red sandstone gateway and once you pass through this you see the Taj properly for the first time. It is absolutely beautiful and while I can't describe it in any way that would do it justice, many people have tried to sum up its beauty calling it a "teardrop on the face of eternity" and "the embodiment of all things pure".

We take lots of photographs from all angles; the fountains are turned off so the reflection in the water in front is not spoiled. Simon lies on the floor and gets some great shots but when looking back through our pictures later we all agree Alister actually snapped the best picture!

We are allowed to walk onto the mausoleum itself and go inside to view the tomb but not allowed to take photos inside. The marble in here is carved very intricately with flowers and inlaid with semi-precious stones and someone shows us with a torch how the moonlight shines through the translucent soft marble.

As I sit on a bench in front of this wonder of the world built for love, I think of all the people at home who I love and although Maisie gets a little bit tearful when she sees someone who reminds her of Nana Judy we all end up laughing when Simon points out a large American tourists elaborate hairdo that is an equally impressive feat of engineering and would I'm sure, also stand the test of time.

Following breakfast at the hotel Kamal, Simon spends 2 hours teaching the kids science, Ali learns about the states of matter and Maisie learns about the Earth, Sun and Moon. I hope they will at least have kept up with their classmates when we go home, preferably ahead in some things.

In the afternoon we go to Agra Fort, we learn that following the building of the Taj Mahal the Emperor Shah Jahan was imprisoned here for 8 years by his son, who didn't want him to blast anymore of his inheritance on building another black Taj.
It is also very beautiful but by the middle of the afternoon we are all monumented out and catch a pony and trap back to the hotel where the kids watch Shrek 2 on the telly and we sit down to plan our route over the next 11 days through Rajasthan.

I will be sorry to leave here. At 6 pound 50p per room per night it is a bit more expensive than what we have been paying but hey I guess you have to splash out a bit every now and again and for the last few days experience here, I reckon it's been worth every penny and then some.

We thought the kids were feeling a bit fed up tonight and asked them if they wanted to go to an expensive hotel for dinner. They said they didn’t but we headed off to a restaurant serving continental food. After ordering their meals we were told that continental food was off the menu tonight!
So on the way back we called in at McDonalds for McFlurries , I was recently laughing at my friend for feeding their son McDonalds for breakfast- how bad are we !!

We had a 16 hour train journey from Varanasi to Agra. This time second class sleeper although "sleeper" train is slightly misleading as I don't think any of us got much sleep. Still I enjoyed the journey; we sat next to a man who was a teacher in hand loom textiles and accompanying 10 students on a 20 day tour of India. We spent a couple of hours chatting to him about Indian politics, culture, the divorce rate in the UK and what we usually eat for breakfast.

I then spent an hour practising the guitar; Ali was laughing at me and said I reminded him of Phoebe from Friends! Guess I need a lot more practice but have learnt an Oasis song and going to learn Greenday Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) next – Best song!!

The kids did an hour or so of school, we learnt about the life of Mahatma Gandhi and I tested them both on what they had learnt. Pleased to say they both did well in their test and I gave them a housepoint each. I told them they will get a reward when they get to 10 points.
We had set our alarm for 5.30 as the train attendant told us we were due at Agra at 6am, we finally pulled into Agra station at 9.30, by this time tired, hungry and all feeling generally crappy with sore throats.
I was feeling apprehensive about finding the hotel as we hadn't reserved a room and didn't have a pick up arranged from the station, but still after a bit of bartering with the taxi wallahs we set off in 2 rickshaws.

The hotel is absolutely lovely with a pretty courtyard, clean rooms and friendly staff. They tell us our room will be ready soon and point us in the direction of the rooftop restaurant. We climb up a small winding little staircase and out onto the roof to be met by what can only be described as the best breakfast view ever.

The Taj Mahal really is breathtakingly beautiful and all the clichés that have been said about it are true. The kids both agree it's gorgeous and to see the white marble glistening in the sun, so close to where we are staying is really special.

We decide that we will visit The Taj tomorrow at sunrise when the visitor numbers are less and we are all a bit more with it after a good nights sleep. I spend the next few hours showering, drying and straightening my hair, plucking my eyebrows and generally trying to improve my "been travelling for ages appearance".
After eating we spend sometime talking to a nice Canadian couple, he turns out to be a maths teacher and we take advantage of this and he helps Simon and Alister with some difficult algebra question. Of course if they had asked me I could have easily given them the answer!

Its 6pm now I'm going to check emails and then off to bed. Feeling completely knackered, this is taking ages to write and have a wonderful day ahead tomorrow. Going to see the Taj Mahal, the most visited monument in India and something I have dreamed of. So excited I just can't wait.

Respect to Ali and Maisie, after battling trough a very crowded New Delhi train station at dusk with rucksacks that almost weigh the same as we do, I am relieved to get on the Shiv Ganga express train to Varanasi.
We are sat next to a nice couple who explain to us that we will be able to buy whatever snacks we want and that blankets and pillows will appear later. Sure enough within 2 minutes of us sitting down a man appears asking if we want Chai and there is chocolate and crisps to keep us going for a bit.
Maisie and I go and find the toilet, she makes me laugh when she uses the squat toilets like a pro local and announces to the carriage that "these squat toilets are ok aren’t they mom" (what planet is she on, I would barely describe them as ok and that is at the start of our journey but still they do the trick and when in Rome etc) I just thank god I packed wet wipes, alcohol gel for their hands and they had virtually all vaccinations known to man!
After a game of scrabble and a meal of cold curry, we were served last as in third class sleeper, we settle down for the night. I am only slightly disturbed when I see a mouse run over the end of my bunk, I must be toughening up a bit and after the rats in Delhi these mice seem quite cute.

I awake at 6.30 Maisie is leaning over the bunk whispering that she needs the loo, the poor thing has woken up with a streaming cold and a good going dose of the shits.
Still it makes her laugh when she realises that her squat toilet empties straight onto the track and I am relieved that she can find humour in anything as she does kook a bit pale.

Varanasi is one of the holiest cities in India, I have read that it is the spiritual centre of the Hindu's universe and Hindu's come to wash away their sins in the Great Mother (Ganges River), Varanasi is also a city of the dead, to die here and be cremated on the banks of the Ganges on one of the burning ghats is very good and releases Hindu's from the cycle of rebirth.

Several hours later and we have arrived at the Scindhia Guest House, we have some banana porridge and chocolate pancakes for breakfast. After a bit of excitement when Maisie got locked in the loo for 15 minutes we go for a walk on the famous ghats.
It is absolutely boiling here, much hotter than Delhi and I think we will need a few days to get used to the heat so we make our way back.

Alister has been trying to teach me to play the guitar on and off for the last year and although I'm no good and haven't really got the patience to practice enough, I am hoping to learn simple stuff whilst we are away (Just enough to get me by when I have had a few beers) and we spend a few hours sat in a tiny room with the fan whirring away listening to Ali playing.

At 5.30 we go on a boat trip up the Ganges, there is a festival on one of the ghats and we are going to watch. Firstly though we stop at Manikarnika ghat this is the most auspicious ghat to be cremated on and we count 15 fires, the logs are piled all around and there are 3 bodies on the steps waiting.
Tiny candles on little baskets of reeds and flowers are being floated up the river and it looks beautiful, I'm not sure what the significance of these are but as I float mine I make a wish anyway and cross my fingers just in case.
We didn't take any photographs out of respect but watching the funeral pyres in the dark from a small rowing boat on the river was really indescribable and something I will never forget.

…this morning was little disconcerting. I wondered, as we waited for our free hotel pick-up to arrive, whether we had taken a step to far to the wild side. Varanasi (or Vara-nasty as it is refered to in some quarters) is awash with touts of the worst kind trying to take you dodgy hovels and collect their commission. We were prepared for this, but still white faces generate a real feeding frenzy, and it can be a little uncomfortable when you are aware that there is a criminal element in this area that looking to not just fleece you, but rob you.

Immediately it is clear that Varanasi is much dirtier than Delhi, which is saying something. Eventually the friendly face of our pick up arrives, carrying a little scrap of paper with "Mr Bowman" written on it. He walks us over to 2 auto rickshaws, Charlotte and Maisie in one and Ali and I in the other. I am slightly worried when the young boy sat in the front of ours turns out to be the driver and not just waiting for dad to get in. As soon as we go to leave the station car park he loses the other rickshaw in the melee. We then proceed to experience what can only be described as extreme rickshaw driving. He drives through the traffic like Ali playing on a Playstation racing game!

Still, we do actually arrive in one piece. How? I may never quite work that out! Arrive meant arrive at the point where the rickshaws could go no further. We then had to walk the rest of the way to the hotel, 2 minutes we are told. Every turn down the dark and dirty alleyways seems to take us further into some scary maze. I am really beginning to wonder if this is too 'real' for us, let alone the kids. Just as I am about to lose hope of getting to the hotel, and feeling in my shoulders, we turn a corner to look out over the Ganges glistening in the morning sunlight. From that moment it all seems worth it, the river banks are alive with the day to day comings and goings of Varanasi. "What was I worrying about?"

"Always check spare batteries are charged!"

On our last day in Delhi we chose to visit the Indira Gandhi Museum and Humayun's tomb. After a couple of picture's at one of the lesser, but nonetheless stunning, tombs at this world heritage site. The batteries ran out in the camera, no problem I thought, I inserted the spares. Which turned out to be dead as…well you know…. dead! There was nowhere to be seen in the vicinity to get any batteries, what a nightmare! Then boss-man at the gate sends one of the guards off to get me a new set. 10 minutes later he returns with new set of local 'everready' batteries. Unfortunately these don't have the power to even turn the camera on. OK no problem we've seen plenty of fantastic buildings already and are sure going to clock up a few more by the end of the trip.

So we continue on around the tomb complex and through an arched gateway to be confronted with what can only be described as a breathtaking view. Ali nearly collapse's on the floor laughing as he says "Wow, this would make a great picture!" To think that this building only gave the inspiration to the Taj Mahal, sharpens even further the excitement for what is yet to come.

I woke up this morning to Simon playing Elvis, Heartbreak Hotel to us, listening to familiar music reminds me of home (all those drunken evenings at mums!) the choice of music was very apt as this place is a bit of a dump, the walls are the colour of nicotine and it does remind me a bit of the smoking room at the hospital.

We set off for the second time to find The Indira Gandhi Museum and I'm glad we make it there to day as it is very interesting, also quite sad to think that Mrs Gandhi was assassinated by the people who she trusted to protect her, I can remember this happening when I was younger and it is quite moving standing at the spot where she died and seeing her bloodstained sari.

We then went onto Humayun's Tomb, this is A World Heritage Site and the architecture is amazing and very beautiful, the kids are also very impressed with it and when I say to them that I am surprised they like it so much as I wouldn't have appreciated it at their age Maisie says to me "but we're travellers not tourists mum" yeh that’s my girl!! Unfortunately the batteries ran out on the camera at this point so we don't have any photo's – Good planning !!

How to deal with the huge numbers of people who ask for money is still a difficult one, we have alternately not given anything, given small change and bought people food, I don't know what is the right or wrong thing to do and we think maybe on leaving India donating a sum of money to a recognised charity would be a good idea, but still, walking past people who appear to have so little seems tough and you would have to be heartless to ignore them.

We are leaving Delhi tonight on the 6.30 train to Varanasi, I am looking forward to moving on but Delhi has been an amazing place to start our trip and I have loved it here, the pollution has literally made us sick and the noise levels are something else.
Despite what horror stories we have read and heard we have so far found everyone to be very friendly and helpful, we have kept our wits about us and subsequently have had a fantastic time.

Just woken the family up on our last day in Delhi with a bit Elvis, which as you can imagine was a bit of a shock wake up.

Coming to the end of our 4 days here I can confirm that on the surface it does conform to most of things said about it. It is dirty, smelly, busy, full of touts and so on. However if you are prepared to accept and even indulge these things you will find there is a lot more to found and experienced. There are some beautiful clean and calm places like the Lodi Gardens, with some wonderful old tombs in the middle of bustling city. A lot of time the smells, as you push, squeeze and dodge your way through the bazaars, are enticing aromas of fresh baked coconut biscuits, sweet snacks or spices. At other times the smells are so 'well' less than enticing that you can almost feel your nose recoiling. Touts are touts the same as anywhere, just a few more of them, they just want to get their commission. If, however, you are well informed and ready for the yarns they are going to spin you then you can just give them the brush off and avoid the hassles.

Delhi has been an intriguing city with lots to offer. We've seen some great sites, eaten some new foods and watched a lot of day to day Delhi life pass by.

I don't know where to start because there's so much to say and do. The best thing has been the cycle rickshaws I liked these because you can go up hills without any work.
India is very hot, noisy, stinky, and humid and that’s why I love it.

Today we went to The National Museum, it was great there but I was looking forward
to the ghost mask it was a monster made out of paper and material, but it was moved somewhere else.
We saw Buddha, Vishnu and Ganesh who are Hindu gods. We saw very old coins and how they made them, there were small ones, really thick ones and square ones.

In the afternoon we went to Lodi Gardens, me and Ali went and took lots of photos.
There were lots of chinchillas and birds that I looked at through our binoculars.
I saw green parrots, blue throats and jackdaws.
Then we went and had soup for lunch and a I had chocolate mousse for pudding (yum, yum!).

We had a bad start to today; we had planned to go to The National Museum and got up early, I decided before we came away that we would get up every day at 8.30 at the latest and we were all showered and ready to go by 9 o'clock.

I don't know whether it was because I didn't have any breakfast or more to do with breathing in so many fumes or the way but by the time we got to the museum I was feeling ill and unfortunately was sick in the entrance. This quickly spread to Alister who was also sick and whilst I was scrabbling through my bag for wet wipes I realised I couldn't find all my 3 credit cards.

Several hours, and a bit of panicking later and chips and coke for breakfast we were all feeling fine and ready to go and check out the Hindu gods, the museum was great and we got lots of photo's to record our time there.
The kids seem to have learnt a lot and we are learning quickly that you have to be very flexible and open minded about the approach to their schooling and take the opportunity to teach them stuff as it arises.
Today we spent a long time talking about The Kohinoor Diamond, this was taken from the Red Fort by Nadir Shah in the 18th century and taken to Persia, at the museum the Nadir Shah's axe was on display which was a good discussion point and we are going to look up more information on the web tomorrow about how it ended up as part of the British Crown Jewels.

After the museum we went to Lodi gardens, these are beautiful and so peaceful; we saw lots of different kinds of birds and the kids photographed each other in the temples.
We have definitely seen a very different side to Delhi and following some scrummy lunch at gorgeous Lodi Garden restaurant we sit there and look at the time. It is 1000 am in the UK, on a Tuesday morning I would be on a busy ward round, it doesn't get much better than this, perfect weather, lovely surroundings and great food this is definitely the life!!

Its 10pm now we have come back to our hotel a bit earlier and are going to try and get an early night, we have a 16 hour train journey ahead of us tomorrow evening to Varanasi- can't wait.

Today we have to go to New Delhi train station and book our tickets to Varanasi.
I am dreading this, we are staying very close to this station and when we went to check it out yesterday it was absolutely packed and someone squeezed my bum when I brushed past them which was a bit creepy.
Its all amazingly easy though, foreigners have to buy their tickets from a separate area and as advised we ignore several people who insist the International Tourist Bureau is closed and leave the station 20 minutes later with our tickets to Varanasi and onwards tickets to Agra.

Next to do is go and buy Ali a new chain, we have our travel talismans that were bought for us by our friends Marie, Carl and Ben and my workmates and I bought Alister a St Christopher, in true Ali style he has broken the chain 3 days later so we get that replaced for him for 200 rupees.

We are moving hotel today and repack our rucksacks, mine is so heavy it nearly pulls me over and I can't imagine how I am going to walk anywhere with it on my back, will have to cross that bridge later I guess! Our new hotel is just across from where we are staying at the moment in the Main Bazaar (cheaper, only six quid a night) and no bar.

That's fine, as the old place had a sign saying no guns/ ammunition allowed in their bar we never really went in it! Sorry mum if you are reading this but we have moved on now and it really was fine there!

We start the kids schooling today, they have both woken up very tired and have absolutely no enthusiasm whatsoever when I tell them its time for a bit of learning.
We set a time limit of an hour's formal schooling a day and start with some English. We have bought study support books with us and decide to write a story about the life of a dog in Delhi, they plan it together and then Maisie writes the story.
Ali writes the fight scene where he (Reefer) gets bitten and catches rabies from another dog and we spend a long time discussing Reefers feelings about his life of poverty in Paharganj. We then correct all their spellings and punctuation together and are all surprised to see that an hour and forty minutes have passed.
School is out for the rest of the day!

Six o'clock and we head back to the hotel, I have totally screwed up this afternoon and arranged for us to go to visit the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum in West Delhi, which as Simon points out to me afterwards is shut on a Monday and is in South Delhi.
I blame him as I feel he should know after 8 years together that firstly I am crap at organising stuff and secondly map reading has never been one of my strongest points!

I wash my hair tonight using Lush solid shampoo, good purchase, it does the trick and after drying and straightening my hair ( I'm so glad I packed the GHD's) feel completely human , for someone who usually washes my hair every day I think I have done well to last four days.
Ali proudly announces he hasn't changed his pants since we arrived in India, that's my boy! He makes me laugh so much and I suggest to him that although the shower is cold it's probably a good idea.
Lastly we are sitting in a rooftop restaurant, Dad asked me to think of him and Pauline if i am anywhere that i think he would like - Well in the warm air with Bob Dylan in the background - Dad i reckon you would really like it here !

Before our arrival in Delhi I felt quite anxious about what I would find, I tell Simon when we wake up that I don't know how anyone wouldn't like it here and he laughs at me and says apart from the amazing noise level, filth, dust, pollution, crowds and poverty he thinks my parents would love it.
I know what he's saying but for me it feels absolutely alive and I think it's wicked

After breakfast which was lovely - salty porridge for me, Indian breakfast for Simon and eggs, toast and jam for Ali and Maisie we decide to head off to see the Red Fort and Jama Masjid - the largest mosque in India.

Our chosen mode of transport is a sort of bike/carriage that is cycled by a fella, I feel guilty when we have to go up a big hill and offer to get out and walk but he won't hear of it although his mate makes him swap over half way (he has Simon and Ali in his)

I have read about foreign women attracting lots of attention from men here and although I am well covered up, Maisie and I receive lots of stares and calling out, but it isn't threatening (quite good natured and friendly) and doesn't make me feel uncomfortable. When some teenage boys touch my hand and I snatch it away they all laugh at me and I feel stupid not offended or annoyed.
I do realise though not to stare at men or make eye contact, as they seem to regard it as blatant come on.

The Red Fort makes for a great few hours sightseeing, the kids learn about the British Empire rule in India and both agree, that although the museum explains India & Mughal history and eventual independence and they are very glad the Indian people are no longer "chained by the British Invaders" its still great to be a foreigner here as you get to jump massive queues at least 2 miles long.

Eight o'lock and we are heading out for some food we seem to be doing ok I don't feel like anyone has skinned us on our first few days and so far the money seems to be going ok. Simon is asked if he wants to buy Hashish twice within 200 yards of the hotel, which I guess, means he is beginning to look like a traveller. I'm pleased to say no one offers me any which is good news - still feeling fairly glam although 3 days since I washed my hair - going to try and buy some flowers to put in it tomorrow, that'll do the trick.

I didn't think I was going to be trying any extreme sports at least until we arrived in New Zealand but then I hadn't foreseen the madness that is the traffic in Delhi.

We are staying in Pahargani which the Lonely Planet describes as bursting with budget accommodation, shops and human traffic. I reckon that’s a fairly good description and there seems to be lots of backpackers around.

The first thing that we noticed of course was the weather, it is lovely and warm not too hot or humid with a gentle breeze. The noise here is unreal- people shouting, constant banging, Hindustani music, children chattering and car horns blasting non stop.
Everywhere smells, some smells are good – like frying samosa's on the sides of the streets and burning incense sticks, other smells remind me of Glastonbury toilets so strong they make your eyes bleed – absolutely horrible and Maisie grabs my hand and rushes us past!

We arrive at our 3 star hotel which would be lucky to scrape half a star in the UK but surprisingly for me I don't even bat an eyelid when |Simon tells me the toilet seat isn't actually attached to anything.

I do feel very anxious about the potential risk of malaria though and conscious that we haven't taken our tablets today, we head off to find an ATM so we can buy some water and take our tablets.

Six o'clock and we are back at the hotel, the kids are completely exhausted, I feel pleased that we have managed to negotiate our way around successfully without getting lost and have eaten some vegetarian curry, a couple of chapattis and some spicy vegetable rice for less than three quid. Ali is a star and clears his plate and for the millionth time I thank god that he will give anything a go. (Apart from mushrooms – of course)

We get our children into bed and I think about the little children that have grabbed my hand today and asked me for money. Filthy dirty little kids only 3 or 4 years old, dressed in raggedy clothes with nothing on their feet.
Maisie looks at me and I don't say anything as I gently pull her away from a little toddler only a bit older than her beloved cousin Josh – what can I say to her? Whatever - it would seem completely inadequate and I know from the look on her face that although she is only ten she shares my mixed feelings of compassion and guilt.
I always used to say I wanted Alister and Maisie to know there is more to life than Disneyland and I guess tonight for them its true and they get my point.

Really not sure how I feel, at the moment, having just given up the job which I was beginning to become established in (Some at PCMC are sure to disagree, but hey everyone is entitled to their opinion…..!!).
Still sitting here at the moment it feels like the best decision I've made. The family and I are about to embark on something special.
People we speak to are mostly amazed at what we plan to do; some are mildly jealous and fall into the "wish I could do something like that!" category. Others are "You're so brave; I could never do something like that."
It really gives me a buzz when we speak to people who can really see it the way we do.

For example the other day I met a young woman, trying to flog broadband in the new shopping mall in Plymouth (Hi Nora – if you're reading), who was just so enthusiastic about what a life experience it would be for the kids, it really put everything into perspective and the couple in the check-in queue who were "like WOW!!"
All these little buzzes add up to re-enforce the benefits that we see coming from the trip.

Sure there are worries, like waking up on the morning of your scheduled departure to find water coming through the bathroom ceiling. You begin to think 'has somebody got it in for me?' 'This has got to be a wind-up? Leaving the house with the all the bathroom floor pulled up, confirmed it wasn't!!!

Have been reading a bit more of the India Lonely Planet guide, past experience tells us these are an invaluable starting point when entering a new country. Past experience also tells us that no matter how well prepared are, you will always get fleec'd a few times on your first day. The only difference being that you realise a little sooner.

Battery is about to die on the laptop, so this will do for now Delhi here we come…..

Awoke at 6.30am, it seems unreal that today has actually arrived at last.
I lie in bed for about 10 minutes and then decide I am feeling sick, go into the bathroom there's no loo roll and I'm sick everywhere.
Simon goes downstairs to make a drink and informs me there is water dripping through the kitchen ceiling- our long awaited trip has arrived - what a fantastic start to the day!

Several hours later, the bathroom floor has been ripped up, the shower and bath dismantled; and I have made several calls to the insurance company's emergency helpline, the moderate amount of water dripping through the ceiling would be better described now as pissing through, my nausea hasn't improved and I'm sick again and Maisie tells me she has a rash.

Things can only get better I think!!

Four o'clock and we have arrived at Heathrow – starving hungry, Maisie asks for a pasty for tea and has to settle for a bagel which seems to hit the spot for us all and things are definitely looking up.
I ask the kids to keep an eye out for David and Victoria Beckham and they look at me pityingly as if I am some sad creature from space, a shame really, as last year when we travelled to Thailand and I asked them the same question they both got quite excited at the prospect.

I am reminded again of how quickly they are growing up and it strengthens my resolve to get on that plane and go and show our children the world.

Maisie and I go shopping- we buy The Raconteurs CD in Virgin and get told off for fiddling with the make up in Dior, several large sprays of Jo Malone later and we are ready to board.
As we're waiting to take off I read lots of texts and listen to some messages from my friends. What a great bunch of mates – I'll miss them a lot - I guess they will be having a few Corona's for us tonight.

Yeah you lot, you know who you are!!

Its 11 o'clock now – been struggling with this for the last hour so am going to try and get some sleep so goodnight children hopefully when we wake up we will be in India, and that - will be another story.

Today I finished work, what a strange day; it started as usual with our regular Friday morning meeting which felt a bit weird, knowing that I wouldn't hear the outcome of decisions being made about patients care left me feeling a bit out of it and disconnected from my colleagues.

It's hard to describe how I feel - I'm so excited I can't stop smiling, when we were driving to work I kept thinking this is the last time I do this for a year and it felt great. I seem to have spent years daydreaming about today and I'm going to make the most of it.

Work flat out for next few hours, Amanda tells me she is getting her pound of flesh and I don't blame her! I have a few calls and cards from patients wishing me good luck which is really nice and I feel a bit choked.

I cleared my desk and removed all my photo's from the wall, taking down The Serenity Prayer that I read every day felt a bit strange but I guess I will need it more over the next year than I ever did in our department so it's going with me!

Then speak to a friend on the phone, knowing that I will be saying goodbye to them soon for a year feels really difficult and I try not to think about it too much, that's the spirit I think to myself - be brave but I am worried about next week saying goodbye to all the people I love will be hard for me.

Lunchtime arrives and we all go out to the leisure centre - a bit of a treat as we usually eat in our offices in front of the computer and it makes a lovely change.

Jon tries to frighten me and regales us with scare stories of - I quote "Arse tap" and advises me on where to buy PVC pants in case of an upset tummy, (how pleasant- over a panini and chips) I tell him I will be going commando for a year to save on space and he completely redeems himself by paying for lunch for us all - hurray!

Back to the office and we have coffee and cakes, they've bought me a lovely necklace and as Amanda fastens it on for me I make up my mind to keep it on for the year to remind me of them all. I know that's a good idea when she tells me that the moonstone is a talisman for travellers and the feminine stone.

Soon it's the end of the afternoon and nearly time to go, I say goodbye to my workmates one by one, we are a small and close team of eight and I feel emotional as we all exchange hugs and they tell me to make sure I come back !

Lastly its just me and Amanda, my friend and more recently my manager, we have shared a lot over the last 6 years, we walk downstairs and both cry - it will be weird without her around, we spend a lot of time together and I will miss her a lot. She walks off to the carpark and I take one last look at the hospital before I go - see you in a year I think.