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.