Anjuna and a little book about a Monk

I got the 9pm train from Jhansi which was going to be a 33 hour journey all the way to Goa.I figured because I was going to be on a train for nearly two days I should buy a book to chomp into to entertain myself,and what better time when having the Indian countryside at your window.I bought a book called 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari' by Robin Sharma.My first night on the train I met a nice family who fed me snacks all evening.Although they couldn't speak English and didn't have a clue who I was they kept showing there young baby to me,which must of been a fright for the poor kid as he kept crying.The second day another family arrived and asked me if I could move to another spot so they could sit together as a family,which of course I obliged.I was moved to a section with all lads,5 Muslim guys from Singapore and Malaysia and a nice guy from America called Ronny who has been travelling for 1 year and 9 months,his main port of home was Goa as he opened up a few businesses there to fund his travels,which seemed to make sense.Why not fund your travels by working,constantly ticking over your budget? That night we ate some of the Muslim guys food,but it had been sitting at room temperature for about half a day,so I was a little wary with my chef mind on.Ronny was going to a little place near Anjuna so we decided to get the train to Thivim,get a connecting train then get a taxi all the way there.Ronny also told me about a friend of his called 'White Dove', I ask him why he is called that,and he said I will know why when I see him,I was curious now.
On the train to Thivim I got to see out of the open door to see what Goa was like in the countryside,my jaw was dropping at the views,it was so tropical,with palm trees,marshes and lakes,so much green everywhere it was incredible,I had a feeling I was going to like this place.Ronny told me about a guesthouse in Anjuna called Paradise,which was on my list of hostels to stay at.I walked through to the back and there were 3 or 4 hammicks in the garden,I ask the manager how much for a room she says '500 rupees' but I thought if I said I was staying for a week I could get her down to 400,in doing so I stacked it on the floor as the floor was slippery from the monsoon weather,I think she felt sorry for me and accepted 400 rupees.That night was a Saturday,and apparently a local bar called 'Curlies' was open,and one of the main hangouts in Anjuna.
So me and Ronny arrange to meet up later on and go to Curlies,to see what Anjunas night life has to offer.Upon to getting to Curlies we meet his friend 'White Dove' who was an older man in his 50s I guess,with long wavy hair,a whispery beard and a long white robe,now I knew why he was called White Dove.Curlies is a giant open beach hut on the edge of the beach,the sea right infront of you.It had a big open floor space on the bottom,with plastic chairs,many families and a general chilled out feel,an upstairs that has many seated cushions on the floor,which has an Arabic feel to it,and a small room which has tall windows,and totally neoned out like something from Tron,this was where the DJs did there magic.But with the families and just the vibe it didn't really feel that clubby,and Ronny said that it had turned quite commercial,which was expected I guess with all the attention from across the world.A normal Kingfisher beer here was 70 rupees which is about 80p,so I figured I'll let my hair down a bit seeing as I hadn't really drunk anything while in India.Although the family touch was nice as it was a friendly atmosphere,I felt it took away from what Curlies was meant to be,at least in my eyes coming from clubbing mad country like England.Ronny and White Dove go to there house and come back in an hour or so,leaving me to mingle with the locals.I walk around for  about half an hour and it seems nobody was interested,until I come across an empty space,so I pluck up the courage to ask the lady next to it if I could sit there which she said yes.We got talking for a good hour or so,her name was Ruth from England,and she had been in Goa for about 15 years.Looking into the little neoned room there was nobody in there but a huge Indian guy who was dancing away in all kinds of funny shapes,I thought to my self that man must be in the fucking moment,he was loving it and didn't care he was on his own.
The night progressed I was really enjoying the music,it was nothing like some of the commercial trance we have in the UK,it was darker and more Psychedelic.After being away from anything clubby I felt like I was right back in the UK,but instead I was in Goa at some beach hut with the most amazing Psy-Trance and totally random people that I'd just met,it was a great feeling.
The following day I finished all of my book 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari' and to tell you the truth it was a little cheesy,and a tad extreme in the teachings.But the messages and the ideaology was speaking to me like nothing I have seen before.It taught you how to redress your mind,by meditating, practising yoga,thinking positively,and training your mind to control it,and not let it control you.It also mentioned that you have to focus on a job or hobby that you love doing.For example I worked for the same company for 8 years,and gradually it was beatng me down,I hated it,and I hated the company I worked for,and eventually I cracked and quit my job to go travelling.I love travelling,it is something I enjoy doing because it makes me feel free,to be able to go from destination to destination,meeting many amazing people that effect you in such a way that you will always remember them fondly,and also not knowing what you are going to get up to,one day you could be partying away at some beach hut party in Anjuna,or another be on some mountain in the Himalayas.That is total fucking freedom.So I ask you,do you do something in your life that you love doing,that you're passionate about? If not then find it,because one day you will not have that luxury.I'm not going to be all preachy and shit,because that's not what I'm like or what this blog is about.But I will tell you a  short story that is in this book that will stick with me and hopefully with you too.
This is a tale called 'Peter and the magic thread'.Peter was a very lively little boy.Everyone loved him:his family,his teachers and his friends.But he did have one weakness.Peter could never live in the moment.He had not learned to enjoy the process of life.When he was in school,he dreamed of being outside.When he was outside playing ,he dreamed of his summer vacaion.Peter constantly daydreamed,never taking the time to savour the special moments that filled his days.One morning,Peter was out walking in a forest near his home.Feeling tired,he decided to rest on a patch of grass and eventually dozed off.After only a few minutes of deep sleep,he heard someone calling his name 'Peter,Peter! came the shrill voice from above.As he slowly opened his eyes,he was startled to see a striking woman standing above him.She must of been over a hundred years old and her snow white hair dangled well below her shoulders like a matted blanket of wool.In this womans wrinkled hand was a magic little ball with a hole in the centre and out of the hole dangled a long,golden thread.
'Peter',she said.'This is the thread of your life.If you pull the thread just a bit,an hour will pass in seconds.If you pull a little harder a whole days will pass in minutes.And if you pull with all your might,months-even years-will pass by in days.' Peter grew very excited at this discovery.'I'd like to have it if I may?' he asked.The elderly woman quickly reached down and gave the ball with the magic thread to the young boy.
The next day,Peter was sitting in the classroom feeling restless and bored.Suddenly,he remembered his new toy.As he pulled a little bit of the golden thread,he quickly found himself at home,playing in his garden.Realizing the power of the magic thread,Peter soon grew tired of being a schoolboy and longed to be a teenager,with all his excitement that phase of life would bring.So again he pulled out the ball and pulled hard on the golden thread.
Suddenly he was a teenager with a very pretty young girlfriend named Elise.But Peter still wasn't content.He had never learned to enjoy the moment and to explore the simple wonders of every stage of his life.Instead,he dreamed of being an adult.So again he pulled on the thread and many years whizzed by in an instant.Now he found that he had been transformed into a middle aged adult.Elise was now his wife and Peter was surrounded with a houseful of kids.But Peter also noticed something else.His once jet black hair had started to turn grey.And his once youthful Mother whom he loved so dearly had grown old and frail.Yet Peter still could not live in the moment.He had never learned to 'live in the now'.So once again,he pulled on the magic thread and waited for the changes to appear.
Peter now found that he was a 99 year old man.His thick dark hair had turned white as snow and his beautiful,young wife Elise had also grown old and passed away a few years earlier.His wonderful children had grown up and left home to lead lives of their own.For the first time in his entire life,Peter realized that he had not taken the time to embrace the wonders of living.He had never gone fishing with his kids,or taken a moonlight stroll with Elise.He had never planted a garden or read those wonderful books his Mother had loved to read.Instead,he had hurried through life,never resting to see all that was good along the way.
Peter became very sad at his discovery.He decided to go out to the forest where he used to walk as a boy to clear his head and warm his spirit.As he entered the forest,he noticed that the little saplings of his childhood had grown into might oaks.The forest itself had matured into a paradise of nature.He laid down on a small patch of grass and fell into a deep slumber.After only a minute,he heard someone calling to him 'Peter,Peter!' cried the voice.He looked up in ashtonishment to see that it was none other than the old woman who had given him the ball with the magic golden thread many years earlier.
'How have you enjoyed my special gift?' she asked.Peter was direct with his reply.'At first it was fun but now I hate it.My whole life has passed before my eyes without giving me the chance to enjoy it.Sure,there would have been sad times aswell as great times but I haven't had the chance to experience either.I feel empty inside.I have missed the gift of living'
'You are very ungrateful' said the old woman.'Stil,I will give you one last wish.' 'Peter thought for an instant and then answered hastily. 'I'd like to go back being a schoolboy and live my life over again.' He then returned to his deep sleep.Again he heard someone calling his name and opened his eyes 'Who could it be this time?' he wondered.When he opened his eyes,he was absolutely delighted to see his Mother standing over his bedside.She looked  young,healthy and radiant.Peter realized that the strange woman of the forest had indeed granted his wish and he had returned to his former life.'Hurry up Peter.You sleep too much.Your dreams will make you later for school if you don't get up right this minute,' his mother admonished.Needless to say Peter dashed out of bed on this morning and began to live the way he had hoped.Peter went on to live a full life,one rich with many delights,joys and triumphs,but it alll started when he stopped sacrificing the present for the future and began to live life in the moment.
Unfortunately the story of Peter and the Magic Thread is just that,a fairytale.We here in the real world will never get a second chance to live life to the fullest.Today is your chance to awaken to the gift of living-before it's too late.Time really does slip through your fingers like tiny grains of sand.Let this new day be the defining moment of your life,the day that you make the decision once and for all to focus on what is truly important to you.Make the decision to spend more time with those who make your life meaningful.Revere the special moments,revel in their power.Do the things that you always wanted to do.Climb that mountain you have always wanted to climb or learn to play the trumpet.Dance in the rain or build a new business.Learn to love music,learn a new languageand rekindle the delight of your childhood.Stop putting off your happiness for the sake of achievement.
Reading that book was a huge eye opener to me,for example what do I love doing,and why am I not doing more of it,my only answer to that is laziness and getting into a daily routine of being miserable,fuck that,I'm going to live my life now and not what can maybe happen tomorrow.So today my plan is to hit the beach,take a dip in the water and see the flea market that they have every Wednesday and Saturday.Anyone can have a stall at the market and sell whatever they want,and it only costs 100 rupees to have.

Over the last 4 days in Anjuna I became friends with the waiter/restaurant manager called Beebek at this hostel,he's just 19 years and from Nepal,he's always smiling,always playing some R'n'B music on his phone and singing out loud to the cheesiest songs.He was telling me that for 17 months he has been working here,he hasn't had a single day off,and gets paid a measly amount of just 4000 rupees a month,which is about £46.I felt so sorry for him,but I guess he loves what he is doing,and gets to meet all kinds of people.Just one day off a week can't be much to ask for though.

Over the past few days I've tried meditating  everyday to see if I can switch off,and control my mind.I find it hard to switch off,as I tail off and think about random things,apparently you have to sit down in a silent room,with your legs crossed and your back straight.Try emptying your mind and just be silent for 2-25 minutes and just concentrate on your breathing.Over the next few weeks I will see if it has worked.

Bikaner and beyond

We arrived in Bikaner and went straight  to a rather famous Hostel called Vino's Guesthouse.We met Vino and his family,including his grandaughter who must of only been  a couple of months old,we already felt this one was really family orientated.The guesthouse had couple of private rooms inside,and out the back in the garden were some individual rooms which looked amazing.I washed my clothes and draped them over the bushes,which a few people seemed to be doing.In the guesthouse we met a nice Dutch guy called Casper,who was really into Archeaology and Bikaner apparently was the place to be for it as it hadn't been spoilt by tourism.Also we met a German couple called Saskia and Simon.I ate some food,and noticed it was incredibly salty,apparently this is due to the desert conditions,because you sweat so much you release alot of salt in doing so,so to replenish the salt they put it in the food,which made you drink more anyway.Simon said he was abit ill,they thought it was either a nasty flu or malaria,they will find out the next day when Vino takes him to hospital.
That day I explored abit of Bikaner with Saskia and Bitt,but not Simon as he was ill.We wandered through the streets for a while as we needed an ATM.As we were walking a shit load of people came from nowhere,many kids and adults just mobbed us.The kids wanted pens, pencils and books(all the kids in India ask for them) but we had none unfortunately.We took photos of people we met and showed them.There must of been about 80 people that came down to meet us and talk to us,they all were very friendly and chatty.We left to go onwards with our walk until we were followed by about 4 teenagers,apparently showing us the way to the ATM.We kept saying we would find our own way yet they still followed us.Britt had said to me they were getting extremely touchy feely with Saskia and asking her rude questions,so I got in between them and told them to back off.We arrived at the ATM only for them to look down her bra and say some really crude words.What a bunch wankers.Anyway after shooing them away we proceeded to go to a temple in the area which is famous for housing thousands of rats.The rats they believe to be one of 82 re-incarnations,apparently very high up and very holy.If we saw a white rat in this temple it meant that person was extremely lucky.Going in we saw our first rat,then our second,then to the left was a huge bowl full of milk with hundreds of rats around it drinking it.To me that was just disgusting to see.To the right was a fence with a big wooden wheel with thousands of the rats around it.A rough peice of paper was on the floor as I was walking and didn't see it and it touched my foot,I thought it was a rat and jumped up,an older woman in her 60s was pissing herself laughing at me,we didn't know each others language at all but had a giggle together.
Walking through the many streets a couple of boys shouted over to his to go with him into his house,we obliged,why not? We got to there house where there was the Mother,three young boys,an older sister who didn't seem to be interested in us,and there grandmother.The house they lived in was about 250 years old and was stunning,it had amazing wooden artwork on the ceiling and a great looking kitchen.They were incredibly welcoming and gave us chai tea,bits of nibbles and soft biscuit made of ground almonds which was amazing to taste.We talked for about an hour and took a few photos with them.There hospitality was something I had never seen before,can you imagine someone doing that in the UK? Invite a complete stranger from the street to give them food,drink and to talk to,and absolutely nothing in return other then our respect and gratitude.Times was obviously hard for them,but every single one of them had the biggest smile,that showed me that you definitely don't need money to make you happy,just a loving family and friends that are close to you.
That night me,Britt and Casper went to eat somewhere,then this voice appeared and asked me about my tattoo,I showed him,and then he asked Casper that he knew him and he was Dutch,a tad odd.His name was Raffi  and he was a student studying languages and he told us about a local restaurant called Metro down the road which was fairly cheap.Raffi couldn't eat as it was still ramadan so he left before we ate.The 3 of us got 3 different meals and shared it between ourselves.
The next day me and Britt went to a famous Camel Research centre where we wandered around for abit looking at the many camels they had enclosed.It brought back memories of me running around the dessert hanging off the back of one.I drank coffee that was made of camel milk and an ice-cream that was made from camel milk and pistachio nuts,it had a really weird taste like it was abit spicey.I bought a bracelet for around 80p that was made of camel teeth.Everytime the camels died naturally they made handicrafts out of the skin and teeth.

Our last full day in Bikaner and it was Eid Mubarak for Muslims.Raffi told us about we could watch the ceremony from a roof top that overlooked this special holy ground that could hold 8,000 people.We got to the rooftop and the family gave us chai tea and a few nibbles to eat.Although I am not religious in any way it was just great to watch what they were doing,and have been doing for thousands of years,and traditions that haven't changed.
Raffi then later on took us to his house and we had chai tea and some sort of milky broth that had noodles and saffron in,they always had it after the ceremony.He then took us too a textile shop and looked at hundreds of carpets and scarfs,all very beautiful to see but way out of my price range and I had no interest in,althought I did buy a really nice scarf instead.I got thinking to myself though as Raffi seemed to know everyone in there,and we had seen people there that we had seen earlier in the day at Raffi's house,this must be some sort of business arrangement and Raffi gets a commission cut on what they sell.
Later on we were going for a meal and said to Raffi we would pay for him as he was so nice to us.Funnily enough it was at the same restaurant as before,Metro and he seemed to know all the waiters in there.When everyone else went to the toilet I asked Raffi what job he did for a living,he said he photographs people,which was alot different to what he had said earlier,studying languages?
The followng morning me and Britt took a train to Jodhpur.We both were in different ques too see if who could get there faster as there seemed to be no formal que,people pushed in and I was getting impatient.I won and said to the woman two to Jodhpur please with AC but she didn't quite understand me and gave us Sleeper section without AC.So we got on the train and it turned out to be rather rough and squished.Many many people got on and there were no rules,the windows didn't really open that well and the fans had so much dust on them it was pointless.People at nearly every stop would climb onto the roof of the train,and it felt like it was raining as it was hitting my arm but it wasn't,my only guess was people were peeing from the roof,I was so glad I had wipes with me.
Arriving in Jodhpur we were hounded again by rickshaw drivers asking us where we wanted to go etc,we went over to one that was on his own and quiet.Talking to him nicely saying that we wanted to go to Discovery guesthouse,then another driver was so rude and butted in,told the nice driver to go away by shouting at him.We moved on to some more and he followed us,tapping Britt on the shoulder and telling us to go with him,I tapped him on the shoulder and waved my finger at him and told him to back off.He got the message eventually.We got to Discovery and after refreshing ourselves we went to the rooftop to get some food,in the background we had a huge cliff face that had a huge ancient fort ontop of it.And the rest of the town had hundreds of blue houses,which were the mark of the Brahman caste again.We went for a walk and went to the fort ontop of the cliff.The entry fee allowed us to have an audio guide,which was a pair of headphones and a machine that told us about each stop.Walking around we heard some music so we investigated to find a young man stitting down on a blanket with a strange banjo (you laugh I will kill you) looking instrument.He sang and played this instrument incredibly and it just sounded so haunting.I could of sat and watched him play for a couple of hours.Finally after being in India for nearly a month I found some traditional Indian music.We went to Sardar market where we drank some saffron lassi (milkshake) and wandered around for abit.We ate that night at this place that had the cliff edge in the background which was pretty cool,and Britt got talking to this gay couple from America who was on the table next to us.It turned out they were in India for a while and had there own private car for there whole trip,which seemed really odd to me.They said when they got to Jaisalmer which is in the middle of knowhere that they saw people shitting and pissing in the street,and it was very dirty.....sorry but you came to India! I have seen that many times from males and females,it's the norm here unfortunately.They made me laugh though,complaining about different things,it just made me wondered why they would come to India,and what they expected to see here.
The following day we pottered around Jodhpur to explore abit,then a bunch of kids ran out of a house and asked us to come in,a young 15 year old girl also asked us to go in.Walking through the front room the mother was asleep on the floor,she woke with our walking and the kids scurrying around.The young 15 year old spoke excellent English and was translating for us.They also gave us chai tea and we talked for a while.There was a young girl of about 4 who was like a jumping bean,she just bounced everywhere,she then brought a cabbage in for us and expected us to play catch with it,we felt bad as obviously it was there dinner.We took a few photos and Britt said she would send them when she goes home.We left as we had things to do that day.We arrived at Jodhpurs Royal Palace and went into the museum,which was the only section open as it still housed there Royal family.We ate lunch that day at a famous place just outside the Sardar market called 'The Omellette man',it was in the lonely planet guide so we thought it must be good.I had a Spanish omelette sandwhich and it tasted amazing,but there were flies everywhere.That night we ate at another different place that had traditional Indian music.There was two young men playing instruments and singing and a young lady who was dancing.It sounded amazing yet again,and the lady began to dance to the music.She then proceeded to ask every female to get up and dance with.
Our next destination was to be Pushkar and we arrived in a place called Agmer to get a connecting bus.I began to feel extremely bad,a bad stomach,and very drowsy.We just about squeezed onto the connecting bus,but it was extremely hot,and I was feeling worse.I was standing up but with my head on my bag as I was going to pass out soon,I said to Britt that I needed to get off asap and we stopped by the side of a road.I sat down shaking all over,and couldn't stop it.In doing so I didn't realise I was sat in piss,until a really nice group of lads who were sculpturing some statues said for me to move to a dry spot.I sat down on my bag and drank a whole bottle of water.After I was able to stand and was a little better we got on another bus and we arrived in Pushkar sometime later.Getting off we were greeted by many guys asking us for us to stay at there hostels,but we were dead set on staying at a famous one called 'The Milkman'.Arriving at the hostel I don't really remember much,I think it was to do with a combination of low sugar levels and the Omelette sandwhich that I had the previous day.So I had a fresh lemon soda to try and make me feel better.Britt looked after me that day and if she hadn't of been there I have no idea what would of happened,for  that I thank her.
The Milkman had a restaurant on the top floor,which overlooked some trees,it looked really tropical and the room itself had lounge areas,perfect for relaxing.Our private rooms had a tv and artwork all over the walls, one of the walls was a erotic painting of a woman.That day I began to feel better but was still violently ill,so I just drank plenty of water.Walking down a market street we were greeted by a old holy man who put pink flowers in our hands,he took us down to one of the Holy Ghats next to the lake,and began to bless us,I thought something was dodgy but listened to the man.After the blessing he asked for 100 rupees which I refused as I don't like to be pushed into things,especially if I didn't ask for it,I felted duped but it was a lesson learnt.We then went to a local place for chai tea,which turned out to be 250 rupees each,around £3 each,that was a tad expensive,chai tea only costs 20 rupees usually.Britt decided to leave for Agra and I was going to Delhi instead as I was going south afterwards,so now I am on my own again,which is quite weird after travelling with someone for a while.
My next stop was to be Delhi again,somewhere I didn't really wanted to go but was the easiest way to go South.On the bus about 8pm in total darkness in Pushkar we literally left for 2 minutes and there was a huge bang,the left front tyre blew,we sat on the bus for around 40 minutes while they fixed it.I thought to myself I was incredibly lucky the bus was only going about 15mph and not 70mph plus.We got to Delhi and I met a Korean guy who was also on the bus with me,so we decided to go to the same hostel.We went to Pahar Ganj which is majorly touristy part of Delhi.But hostels were cheapest there.Our hostel for some reason had many Japanese and as we entered the dorm room,a young Japanese lad started talking to the Korean guy in Japanese.The Korean guy was oblivious as he couldn't understand him and said 'I'm Korean' to which the Japanese guy said 'Oh I thought you were Japanese by your face'.I had to laugh but I thought it was incredibly rude of him.
I learnt a few things about Koreans while I was with him as he had been in the South Korean army for 10 years,but dropped out as he didn't want to face killing anybody,especially with the added tensions nowadays with Japan and North Korea.Every South Korean male has to join the army for at least two years,and has to be in some sort of civil servant afterwards,otherwise they would be put into jail.The Korean guy I was with was travelling for around 3 months,and if there was a war then he would be ordered to go back and fight for his country no matter what.He also said that nobody in North Korea is allowed outside of their country,if they get smuggled out and found they will be put in jail and tortured.There is also a space inbetween South Korea and the North that is about 10 miles deep,that has many mines and nobody is allowed to cross it,sometimes animals try to but  don't succeed.Before South and North Korea were divided there were families that lived in both,but after the divide they could no longer see each other,or contact each other in any way.For someone who is from the UK,where we have freedom to hear this it was heartbreaking for me,I can't imagine not having the right to travel where I want to go,or do whatever job I want to do,or see whoever I want,I count myself lucky and proud to have that human right,for some are not so lucky.
So I decide to go to Khajuraho next as I want to go south,towards Goa.I could of just flown from New Delhi but I figured that's too easy,and travel to a few places in between.My train was air conditioned and alot better then the previous sleeper one that we had got back in Bikaner.There were blankets and a pillow,which I felt that finally I could sleep easy on a night train.I got to talking to a young lad next to me as I was listening to some music,he also liked music.We talked for a while and he wanted to know what kind of music I was listening too.So I bluetooth him some of Andy C,Calyx and Teebee,Hamilton,Wilkinson,Loadstar,Culture Shock etc which are all drum and bass artists.I'm not sure whether he liked it or not,but sharing music no matter where you are from is great I think.
Some days previous I was talking to a young man on Couch Surfing as I intended to do so,he said he couldn't house me as he had a German guy with him for a few days and he was going to Delhi till the 3rd September,his reviews seemed positive and sounded like a nice guy.Getting off the train I was greeted by hordes of rickshaw drivers again,at 6am in the morning,which was horrid as I'd literally just woke up.I took one to Hostel Surya and stayed there for one night,it was  expensive but I thought the view was great.On the rickshaw drive over a guy on a bike was shouting me,the driver said 'Is your name David?' I said 'Yes' but wondered who he was and how he knew my name,this was the guy from Couch Surfing,a little odd I thought.So I got to my hostel and he stands outside and says can I go for tea with him.I drop my things off and go for a shower as I stank like a goat.We went for tea around the corner and chat for abit,turns out he wants to open his own travel agent in the future in Khajuraho,bells start to ring a little for me,and he tells me about a local Hostel called Isabelle Palace,it was alot cheaper then the one I was staying at so I figured I'd check it out.It looked amazing and he said he could get the room on the cheap.So I wanted to stay there the next day,but he said to me not to tell the current hostel as they wouldn't like it,again a little odd.So I go back to my hostel for his friend to ask me if I want to go round Khajuraho and he would take me,so I agreed and he would come back later while I took a nap.Instead I went on the wifi on my netbook and go on the Couch Surfing site again,and after going a couple of pages down the review section this man had history, for example locking someones bag in a room while he was in it and wouldn't let the owner in,managed to steal alot of money from people,and a few other scams.So all the alarm bells are ringing now and I refuse to go with any of them.I wrote an email to him thanking him for his gratitude but after reading the reviews I will not go with him.
The next day I go to another hostel down the road which I thought was cheaper,but there dorms are still under construction,I got a room which was still rather pricey but I figured it was a nice place to stay,and had free wifi.The hostel is really nice and looks exotic,a little bit too 'Honeymoonish' for me,but its spacious.For a few days I just chill out in the room as I had been tired of travelling,and just wanted to slow down abit.I had the most amazing Egg Curry and naan bread for my first night here,and the second day I had a dry potato curry which was with lots of spices,and naan bread again.On my last day full day in Khajuraho I ventured out to see the Western temples,which are famous for being like the Kama Sutra.Most of them just looked incredible,and so artistic,especially knowing that they are over 1,000 years old it was great to just walk around.I went to a restaurant opposite the temples as I was so hungry.The restaurant itself was bare apart from one guy.I tucked into my Indian food,then two men come into the place with two big,silver suitcases and one Nepalese guard with a machine gun,I was thinking to myself 'What the fuck'.They didn't order any food or drinks,and spoke for about 5 minutes,then exchanged suitcases and left.I only thought to myself what was in those suitcases,and who were they.My next place will be Jhansi to get a connecting two day train to Goa,there I will be at a little place on the West coast called Anjuna Beach,yes that's right Trance lovers,the birthplace of Above and Beyonds own record label....

We arrived in Bikaner and went straight  to a rather famous Hostel called Vino's Guesthouse.We met Vino and his family,including his grandaughter who must of only been  a couple of months old,we already felt this one was really family orientated.The guesthouse had couple of private rooms inside,and out the back in the garden were some individual rooms which looked amazing.I washed my clothes and draped them over the bushes,which a few people seemed to be doing.In the guesthouse we met a nice Dutch guy called Casper,who was really into Archeaology and Bikaner apparently was the place to be for it as it hadn't been spoilt by tourism.Also we met a German couple called Saskia and Simon.I ate some food,and noticed it was incredibly salty,apparently this is due to the desert conditions,because you sweat so much you release alot of salt in doing so,so to replenish the salt they put it in the food,which made you drink more anyway.Simon said he was abit ill,they thought it was either a nasty flu or malaria,they will find out the next day when Vino takes him to hospital.
That day I explored abit of Bikaner with Saskia and Bitt,but not Simon as he was ill.We wandered through the streets for a while as we needed an ATM.As we were walking a shit load of people came from nowhere,many kids and adults just mobbed us.The kids wanted pens, pencils and books(all the kids in India ask for them) but we had none unfortunately.We took photos of people we met and showed them.There must of been about 80 people that came down to meet us and talk to us,they all were very friendly and chatty.We left to go onwards with our walk until we were followed by about 4 teenagers,apparently showing us the way to the ATM.We kept saying we would find our own way yet they still followed us.Britt had said to me they were getting extremely touchy feely with Saskia and asking her rude questions,so I got in between them and told them to back off.We arrived at the ATM only for them to look down her bra and say some really crude words.What a bunch wankers.Anyway after shooing them away we proceeded to go to a temple in the area which is famous for housing thousands of rats.The rats they believe to be one of 82 re-incarnations,apparently very high up and very holy.If we saw a white rat in this temple it meant that person was extremely lucky.Going in we saw our first rat,then our second,then to the left was a huge bowl full of milk with hundreds of rats around it drinking it.To me that was just disgusting to see.To the right was a fence with a big wooden wheel with thousands of the rats around it.A rough peice of paper was on the floor as I was walking and didn't see it and it touched my foot,I thought it was a rat and jumped up,an older woman in her 60s was pissing herself laughing at me,we didn't know each others language at all but had a giggle together.
Walking through the many streets a couple of boys shouted over to his to go with him into his house,we obliged,why not? We got to there house where there was the Mother,three young boys,an older sister who didn't seem to be interested in us,and there grandmother.The house they lived in was about 250 years old and was stunning,it had amazing wooden artwork on the ceiling and a great looking kitchen.They were incredibly welcoming and gave us chai tea,bits of nibbles and soft biscuit made of ground almonds which was amazing to taste.We talked for about an hour and took a few photos with them.There hospitality was something I had never seen before,can you imagine someone doing that in the UK? Invite a complete stranger from the street to give them food,drink and to talk to,and absolutely nothing in return other then our respect and gratitude.Times was obviously hard for them,but every single one of them had the biggest smile,that showed me that you definitely don't need money to make you happy,just a loving family and friends that are close to you.
That night me,Britt and Casper went to eat somewhere,then this voice appeared and asked me about my tattoo,I showed him,and then he asked Casper that he knew him and he was Dutch,a tad odd.His name was Raffi  and he was a student studying languages and he told us about a local restaurant called Metro down the road which was fairly cheap.Raffi couldn't eat as it was still ramadan so he left before we ate.The 3 of us got 3 different meals and shared it between ourselves.
The next day me and Britt went to a famous Camel Research centre where we wandered around for abit looking at the many camels they had enclosed.It brought back memories of me running around the dessert hanging off the back of one.I drank coffee that was made of camel milk and an ice-cream that was made from camel milk and pistachio nuts,it had a really weird taste like it was abit spicey.I bought a bracelet for around 80p that was made of camel teeth.Everytime the camels died naturally they made handicrafts out of the skin and teeth.

Our last full day in Bikaner and it was Eid Mubarak for Muslims.Raffi told us about we could watch the ceremony from a roof top that overlooked this special holy ground that could hold 8,000 people.We got to the rooftop and the family gave us chai tea and a few nibbles to eat.Although I am not religious in any way it was just great to watch what they were doing,and have been doing for thousands of years,and traditions that haven't changed.
Raffi then later on took us to his house and we had chai tea and some sort of milky broth that had noodles and saffron in,they always had it after the ceremony.He then took us too a textile shop and looked at hundreds of carpets and scarfs,all very beautiful to see but way out of my price range and I had no interest in,althought I did buy a really nice scarf instead.I got thinking to myself though as Raffi seemed to know everyone in there,and we had seen people there that we had seen earlier in the day at Raffi's house,this must be some sort of business arrangement and Raffi gets a commission cut on what they sell.
Later on we were going for a meal and said to Raffi we would pay for him as he was so nice to us.Funnily enough it was at the same restaurant as before,Metro and he seemed to know all the waiters in there.When everyone else went to the toilet I asked Raffi what job he did for a living,he said he photographs people,which was alot different to what he had said earlier,studying languages?
The followng morning me and Britt took a train to Jodhpur.We both were in different ques too see if who could get there faster as there seemed to be no formal que,people pushed in and I was getting impatient.I won and said to the woman two to Jodhpur please with AC but she didn't quite understand me and gave us Sleeper section without AC.So we got on the train and it turned out to be rather rough and squished.Many many people got on and there were no rules,the windows didn't really open that well and the fans had so much dust on them it was pointless.People at nearly every stop would climb onto the roof of the train,and it felt like it was raining as it was hitting my arm but it wasn't,my only guess was people were peeing from the roof,I was so glad I had wipes with me.
Arriving in Jodhpur we were hounded again by rickshaw drivers asking us where we wanted to go etc,we went over to one that was on his own and quiet.Talking to him nicely saying that we wanted to go to Discovery guesthouse,then another driver was so rude and butted in,told the nice driver to go away by shouting at him.We moved on to some more and he followed us,tapping Britt on the shoulder and telling us to go with him,I tapped him on the shoulder and waved my finger at him and told him to back off.He got the message eventually.We got to Discovery and after refreshing ourselves we went to the rooftop to get some food,in the background we had a huge cliff face that had a huge ancient fort ontop of it.And the rest of the town had hundreds of blue houses,which were the mark of the Brahman caste again.We went for a walk and went to the fort ontop of the cliff.The entry fee allowed us to have an audio guide,which was a pair of headphones and a machine that told us about each stop.Walking around we heard some music so we investigated to find a young man stitting down on a blanket with a strange banjo (you laugh I will kill you) looking instrument.He sang and played this instrument incredibly and it just sounded so haunting.I could of sat and watched him play for a couple of hours.Finally after being in India for nearly a month I found some traditional Indian music.We went to Sardar market where we drank some saffron lassi (milkshake) and wandered around for abit.We ate that night at this place that had the cliff edge in the background which was pretty cool,and Britt got talking to this gay couple from America who was on the table next to us.It turned out they were in India for a while and had there own private car for there whole trip,which seemed really odd to me.They said when they got to Jaisalmer which is in the middle of knowhere that they saw people shitting and pissing in the street,and it was very dirty.....sorry but you came to India! I have seen that many times from males and females,it's the norm here unfortunately.They made me laugh though,complaining about different things,it just made me wondered why they would come to India,and what they expected to see here.
The following day we pottered around Jodhpur to explore abit,then a bunch of kids ran out of a house and asked us to come in,a young 15 year old girl also asked us to go in.Walking through the front room the mother was asleep on the floor,she woke with our walking and the kids scurrying around.The young 15 year old spoke excellent English and was translating for us.They also gave us chai tea and we talked for a while.There was a young girl of about 4 who was like a jumping bean,she just bounced everywhere,she then brought a cabbage in for us and expected us to play catch with it,we felt bad as obviously it was there dinner.We took a few photos and Britt said she would send them when she goes home.We left as we had things to do that day.We arrived at Jodhpurs Royal Palace and went into the museum,which was the only section open as it still housed there Royal family.We ate lunch that day at a famous place just outside the Sardar market called 'The Omellette man',it was in the lonely planet guide so we thought it must be good.I had a Spanish omelette sandwhich and it tasted amazing,but there were flies everywhere.That night we ate at another different place that had traditional Indian music.There was two young men playing instruments and singing and a young lady who was dancing.It sounded amazing yet again,and the lady began to dance to the music.She then proceeded to ask every female to get up and dance with.
Our next destination was to be Pushkar and we arrived in a place called Agmer to get a connecting bus.I began to feel extremely bad,a bad stomach,and very drowsy.We just about squeezed onto the connecting bus,but it was extremely hot,and I was feeling worse.I was standing up but with my head on my bag as I was going to pass out soon,I said to Britt that I needed to get off asap and we stopped by the side of a road.I sat down shaking all over,and couldn't stop it.In doing so I didn't realise I was sat in piss,until a really nice group of lads who were sculpturing some statues said for me to move to a dry spot.I sat down on my bag and drank a whole bottle of water.After I was able to stand and was a little better we got on another bus and we arrived in Pushkar sometime later.Getting off we were greeted by many guys asking us for us to stay at there hostels,but we were dead set on staying at a famous one called 'The Milkman'.Arriving at the hostel I don't really remember much,I think it was to do with a combination of low sugar levels and the Omelette sandwhich that I had the previous day.So I had a fresh lemon soda to try and make me feel better.Britt looked after me that day and if she hadn't of been there I have no idea what would of happened,for that I thank her.
The Milkman had a restaurant on the top floor,which overlooked some trees,it looked really tropical and the room itself had lounge areas,perfect for relaxing.Our private rooms had a tv and artwork all over the walls, one of the walls was a erotic painting of a woman.That day I began to feel better but was still violently ill,so I just drank plenty of water.Walking down a market street we were greeted by a old holy man who put pink flowers in our hands,he took us down to one of the Holy Ghats next to the lake,and began to bless us,I thought something was dodgy but listened to the man.After the blessing he asked for 100 rupees which I refused as I don't like to be pushed into things,especially if I didn't ask for it,I felted duped but it was a lesson learnt.We then went to a local place for chai tea,which turned out to be 250 rupees each,around £3 each,that was a tad expensive,chai tea only costs 20 rupees usually.Britt decided to leave for Agra and I was going to Delhi instead as I was going south afterwards,so now I am on my own again,which is quite weird after travelling with someone for a while.
My next stop was to be Delhi again,somewhere I didn't really wanted to go but was the easiest way to go South.On the bus about 8pm in total darkness in Pushkar we literally left for 2 minutes and there was a huge bang,the left front tyre blew,we sat on the bus for around 40 minutes while they fixed it.I thought to myself I was incredibly lucky the bus was only going about 15mph and not 70mph plus.We got to Delhi and I met a Korean guy who was also on the bus with me,so we decided to go to the same hostel.We went to Pahar Ganj which is majorly touristy part of Delhi.But hostels were cheapest there.Our hostel for some reason had many Japanese and as we entered the dorm room,a young Japanese lad started talking to the Korean guy in Japanese.The Korean guy was oblivious as he couldn't understand him and said 'I'm Korean' to which the Japanese guy said 'Oh I thought you were Japanese by your face'.I had to laugh but I thought it was incredibly rude of him.
I learnt a few things about Koreans while I was with him as he had been in the South Korean army for 10 years,but dropped out as he didn't want to face killing anybody,especially with the added tensions nowadays with Japan and North Korea.Every South Korean male has to join the army for at least two years,and has to be in some sort of civil servant afterwards,otherwise they would be put into jail.The Korean guy I was with was travelling for around 3 months,and if there was a war then he would be ordered to go back and fight for his country no matter what.He also said that nobody in North Korea is allowed outside of their country,if they get smuggled out and found they will be put in jail and tortured.There is also a space inbetween South Korea and the North that is about 10 miles deep,that has many mines and nobody is allowed to cross it,sometimes animals try to but  don't succeed.Before South and North Korea were divided there were families that lived in both,but after the divide they could no longer see each other,or contact each other in any way.For someone who is from the UK,where we have freedom to hear this it was heartbreaking for me,I can't imagine not having the right to travel where I want to go,or do whatever job I want to do,or see whoever I want,I count myself lucky and proud to have that human right,for some are not so lucky.
So I decide to go to Khajuraho next as I want to go south,towards Goa.I could of just flown from New Delhi but I figured that's too easy,and travel to a few places in between.My train was air conditioned and alot better then the previous sleeper one that we had got back in Bikaner.There were blankets and a pillow,which I felt that finally I could sleep easy on a night train.I got to talking to a young lad next to me as I was listening to some music,he also liked music.We talked for a while and he wanted to know what kind of music I was listening too.So I bluetooth him some of Andy C,Calyx and Teebee,Hamilton,Wilkinson,Loadstar,Culture Shock etc which are all drum and bass artists.I'm not sure whether he liked it or not,but sharing music no matter where you are from is great I think.
Some days previous I was talking to a young man on Couch Surfing as I intended to do so,he said he couldn't house me as he had a German guy with him for a few days and he was going to Delhi till the 3rd September,his reviews seemed positive and sounded like a nice guy.Getting off the train I was greeted by hordes of rickshaw drivers again,at 6am in the morning,which was horrid as I'd literally just woke up.I took one to Hostel Surya and stayed there for one night,it was  expensive but I thought the view was great.On the rickshaw drive over a guy on a bike was shouting me,the driver said 'Is your name David?' I said 'Yes' but wondered who he was and how he knew my name,this was the guy from Couch Surfing,a little odd I thought.So I got to my hostel and he stands outside and says can I go for tea with him.I drop my things off and go for a shower as I stank like a goat.We went for tea around the corner and chat for abit,turns out he wants to open his own travel agent in the future in Khajuraho,bells start to ring a little for me,and he tells me about a local Hostel called Isabelle Palace,it was alot cheaper then the one I was staying at so I figured I'd check it out.It looked amazing and he said he could get the room on the cheap.So I wanted to stay there the next day,but he said to me not to tell the current hostel as they wouldn't like it,again a little odd.So I go back to my hostel for his friend to ask me if I want to go round Khajuraho and he would take me,so I agreed and he would come back later while I took a nap.Instead I went on the wifi on my netbook and go on the Couch Surfing site again,and after going a couple of pages down the review section this man had history, for example locking someones bag in a room while he was in it and wouldn't let the owner in,managed to steal alot of money from people,and a few other scams.So all the alarm bells are ringing now and I refuse to go with any of them.I wrote an email to him thanking him for his gratitude but after reading the reviews I will not go with him.
The next day I go to another hostel down the road which I thought was cheaper,but there dorms are still under construction,I got a room which was still rather pricey but I figured it was a nice place to stay,and had free wifi.The hostel is really nice and looks exotic,a little bit too 'Honeymoonish' for me,but its spacious.For a few days I just chill out in the room as I had been tired of travelling,and just wanted to slow down abit.I had the most amazing Egg Curry and naan bread for my first night here,and the second day I had a dry potato curry which was with lots of spices,and naan bread again.On my last day full day in Khajuraho I ventured out to see the Western temples,which are famous for being like the Kama Sutra.Most of them just looked incredible,and so artistic,especially knowing that they are over 1,000 years old it was great to just walk around.I went to a restaurant opposite the temples as I was so hungry.The restaurant itself was bare apart from one guy.I tucked into my Indian food,then two men come into the place with two big,silver suitcases and one Nepalese guard with a machine gun,I was thinking to myself 'What the fuck'.They didn't order any food or drinks,and spoke for about 5 minutes,then exchanged suitcases and left.I only thought to myself what was in those suitcases,and who were they.My next place will be Jhansi  to get a connecting two day train to Goa,there I will be at a little place on the West coast called Anjuna Beach,yes that's right Trance lovers,the birthplace of Above and Beyonds own record label....

And it begins....

So a week before I was leaving me and the family had a nice meal in town together because obviously I wouldn't be seeing them for a while.And the day after that me and my friends had abit of a get together at our local Indian restaurant then onto a bar called B52s as a leaving do,many people came,and I was rather taken back at the friends I had made over the years,some recent and some old.All in all both nights made me realise what great friends and family I have.

So the last week went rather first,and it was hitting home that I wasn't going to see people for quite some time,pretty scary stuff to have to deal with especially as I was going to be alone.I was also rushing around like a tit trying to see everyone that I couldn't see on that night out.My b

My bags were packed,jabs were done and the day I left the UK was 28th of July,my Mam came to the airport to wave me goodbye,this was it I was entering the big bad world on my lonesome.

I arrived in Mumbai on the Sunday morning at 4.30am,I had pre booked a hostel and they picked me up from the airport.I shared the car from the airport with an American guy called Jesse,who later became my travelling buddy for a week.We arrived at the hostel and I went straight to bed,as I hadn't slept on the plane over because I was sat next to a big Indian guy who wouldn't stop snoring.I got up sometime in the evening along with Jesse and we had some Indian food from a local,which was hot but packed with flavour.The guy at the hostel then gave me his mobile and on the other end was some guy asking me if I wanted to be in a Bollywood film as an extra and he would pay me 500 rupees for a days work.Pretty surreal for the first day don't you think.Anyway me and Jesse,and another guy called Callum who was from Windsor decided to give it a shot.

We arrived at the studio and was ushered into a couple of dressing rooms where we were told to change into these god awful 80's style clothes,which looked like they had seen better days.We changed and were told to sit down on the floor.Watching all the other extras come in and out,it was a rub your eyes moment,as in am I actually fucking doing this on my second day in India?!

About an hour or two passed and we were all moved onto the film set,it was looked like a cheesey Arabian nightclub with flashing lights on the floor.There was about 15 western dancer girls and about 100 extras,and this one Indian dancer who looked really famous.So the filming began,we were told to dance around these girls,take after take and the directors and choreographers shouting silence and shhh all the time.Anyway about 4 hours in and we went for a break and had lunch.None of us knew how long this would last,and us three were getting tired and tedious of all the stops and starts.So we asked one of the guys how long it was for,and they said till 10pm,meaning it was for 12 hours,fuck that.So we left and didn't receive our 500 rupees.But later on we had manage to find out it was for a major Indian Bollywood film called 'Race 2'.

So the next day we did a few more things other then dance around to some shit beat for hours.We went to the biggest slums in India and took a tour of it,learnt so many things what they do like recycling,sanitation (there is none) and how hard it is to live there.In Mumbai alone there is 29 million people,and 8 million of them are unregistered,and 1 million of those live in this slum.It was pretty tough for me to see,especially on my 3rd day in India.But we felt we had to do it.The money the guides received went on programs and education for people in the slums.We then visited a place called Borivali National park,which had a Hindu temple that was over 2,500 years old in cased into the rocks.It was such a lovely and tranquil place,until the monkeys arrived and we were ushered out for our own safety,they looked fierce and mischievous.

We took the famous Mumbai trains too,which was an experience.We got on the train and just thought we would stand anywhere.Until we were literally squished to kingdom come with all the people getting on,then a mans voice shouted over get to the sides,which to me was impossible but he kept shouting at me.I proceeded to squeeze over only to be crushed against the railings,getting my body in positions I didn't think were possible.I looked infront of me to see one single eye staring at me beneath all the people,whoever that man was I felt sorry for him.On Mumbai trains the women and men are in separate carts, and it showed,the mens carriage was overcrowded,smelly and had no organisation,while the womens was spacious,rather clean and had a system where the people wanting to get off sooner go to the front. After a few days in Mumbai I felt very claustrophobic on the streets,there were no rules to the roads,just every man for himself,and however many people you can fit into a car or on a motorbike,I have never seen traffic like it.You began to breath in the stench of putrid smoke,and as someone who used to have asthma it was really getting to me.
I gained two travelling buddies while in Mumbai,Jesse who was from San Diego,America and Callum who was from Windsor,UK.

So next stop Udaipur.We arrived on a bus and got a rickshaw to a guest house we had heard about called Lal Ghat.It had a rooftop that overlooked Pichola lake.After being in Mumbai it seemed ideal.We took a stroll round the city to get a feel what its like and what there was to do.In the space of a couple of hours we were getting harassed everywhere from market stalls asking us where we were from,and to go into there shop,and then from rickshaw drivers asking us if we wanted to be taken anywhere or if we wanted joints.After a while it became really annoying,so we began to play games with them,just as the guidebooks say.Like if they asked where we came from I'd say Jamaica,my name was Bob Marley and I recorded a song once called 'One Love'.It didn't really work but it put smiles on our faces nevertheless.

Udaipur had two palaces,Monsoon palace which was abit run down but had the most amazing view of the city,and another called City Palace,which was incredibly large and took 2 hours to walk around.
For food we went to a few restaurants and met a chinese girl who we invited to dinner.After a while in this city we realised the food wasn't very nice and tasted rather bland even if we asked for it spicy.We then stumbled across a rooftop restaurant which when we asked for spicy they meant it,and the flavours were the best yet.
We decided we wanted abit of the desert so we went to Jaisalmer which is about 40km from the Pakistan border.We arranged for 3 day and 2 nights trek on a camel safari.We met our guide who was called Saleem on the side of the road,and he put a bright orange turban on our head,I thought it was a bit gimmicky but it did help prevent sunburn on my neck.Our first day was fun,we rode the camels ourselves and we camped on some sand dunes under some stars with a fire burning and food cooking away.Saleem told stories that he had been involved in over the years,one for instance was that the company we booked our camel safari used to be drug smugglers over the Pakistan border,that was until India and Pakistan put a huge electric fence up and guarded it with security,there goes that line of business,so they were now involved in things more legit.We slept on nothing more then a blanket and completely open to the wilderness.
Day two was rather eventful to say the least.We packed up everything and began our trek on the camels,but my camel decided to go down a steep slope (I had no control) and because it had over 200kg of weight on its back,not including me,it fell and all the weight was on its neck.It was running around the desert with me clinging on its back until Saleem stopped it,I managed to fall off it into a thorn bush.My camel was rather pissed off at me and I was very dubious at getting back on.I nervously got back on and we were on our way.Day two and the heavens opened,it was such a relief in the searing heat to have something cold wash over you.Our last night on the sand dunes and for some reason this one was covered in dung beetles and grasshoppers.And I had my two beers that were thrown into the deal that we had gotten.The first taste of beer was bliss,and to drink it in the most surreal spot I have ever been was an experience none of us will forget.
Our last day on the camels was a long one,and I had such bad sores on my ass and thighs from the camel that in the end I decided to walk it,just to give my legs  a break.Walking was nice,but I was running out of water fast.I decided to jump back on as the heat was getting to me,a couple of hours later we arrived and I was practically hanging off the camel at exhaustion,they made us food and gave us water.After that 3 day trek I can honestly say before that I took water for granted and you never realise how valuable it is,that is a lesson I learned,especially as back home water is available freely from a tap.

Next stop was New Delhi,we took a 19 hour train ride from Jaisalmer on a really crowded train,we felt like sardines.The Hostel we stayed at was called 'Youth Hostel' which it was far from.The whole place was like a huge office building.The receptionist was like she had been there for years,and every day was a bore.The canteen area looked like it was taken from a school in the 1990s.If you know me,you know I ask too many questions,and I worry about things.So I was asking the receptionist all kinds of questions,which any normal traveller would do,like where is the nearest ATM,or how much for an rickshaw into the centre etc.But she looked at me like 'Oh for fuck sake him again'.She never smiled at me once or made me feel welcome.And to be ironic above her were welcoming messages,which were a gimmick.The one above her head read 'Just keep smiling'.HA! This hostel seemed like a place for conferences and meetings,it had no atmosphere and didn't seem like it wanted to help anyone.
We did the whole touristy thing,visited all the Forts and Mahatma Gandhis Museum which was just incredible to walk around.It showed his life in photos and his messages,and had actual objects that he owned,like the walking stick he used in the Salt March,and the very blood stained clothes he wore when he was shot in.I had knew who Gandhi but never really understood what he did,until I read his Biography by Lewis Fischer.Gandhi was a man of the people,no matter where you were from,he was more god like then anyone of this time,if only he was around today.
We also visited the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's(no relation) memorial and home.I didn't really know who she was but apparently she was a tyrant and ordered the mass killings of many Sikhs at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984,which is why a Sikh man on our bus refused to go in.We stood in the very spot that she was shot,which was rather morbid but powerful to see.
My next stop was to be on my own now as the other lads went there separate ways.I travelled by plane to the north to a place called Srinagar,which is in Kashmir.I arrived on the 12th of August,I was greeted by a tall,old man who looked like he was some sort of religious scholar.He took me too my guesthouse,which was a boat on Dal Lake.It just looked amazing,and I had to rub my eyes to believe what I was seeing.A lake filled with house boats,lillys and mini taxi boats like the ones in Venice.I had my first meal which was made by the family,it was a kind of Indian curry that had goats cheese and potato,which was incredibly flavoursome and tasty.My first day was to just chill out and read my Gandhi book,and watch a bit of tv,after a days travel it was just bliss.That night I met two Irish girls called Mags and Caitriona who had been there for a day already,they seemed very nice and welcoming,and very chatty.The old man from before who had taken me to the boat,came in and we got talking about Kashmir as the two Irish girls earlier on tried to go into the town on there own,but for some reason the guys who worked there all refused,because apparently it was dangerous to go on your own.Supposedly a few years back a Chinese girl had done the same and wandered off,and got lost,she ended up face down in the lake.The old man talked for about an hour and a half about how Kashmir were striving for Independance and how nobody was going to celebrate Indias own Indepence on the 15th of August.He said Kashmir is wanted by China,Pakistan and India,all chomping at the bit to own it.It was really interesting to hear the history and why they wanted independance.
We had our evening at the little table at the front of the boat.Everything was going nicely till Caitriona jumped up and ran to her room,Mags says to her 'your friend is back',I was oblivious to what had happend.Then a mouse ran across the room,then another.It seems we had guests.They didn't bother me at all apart from a couple of times running under my feet.The next day we took a jeep up to a garden,which was just the most amazing place just below the mountains.A place I would be happy to get lost in a book with a few beers.The next day I was on my own again,and the young lad took me about 75 miles on a trek up the mountains,I didn't quite realise how hard it was to breathe up there,I was puffing away like a chimney.All over Kashmir I began to smell weed,literally everywhere and I was puzzled why.
Those 4 days we had been taken to a few carpet shops,jewellers and other random shops,and I realised they all knew each other and would get commision from each sale.So I wanted to leave as I felt it was dishonest.After telling the old man I wanted to leave he began to pressure me to buy things or go places,and he didn't seem nice about it.So I decided just say no and get out asap,I took an expensive jeep to Jammu where I was now on my own but safe to do things on my own.
I arrived at the first hostel,which was out of my budget,so I went to the next one and it was more my price range....but it was probably the worst looking hostel I have ever stayed at.There were monkeys in the courtyard,and it looked extremely run down,my bathroom light didn't work and there was a huge hole above the toilet,which I thought a monkey might come down and explore the new smells late at night in my room,so I made sure the door was locked at night.The plugs were hanging out the walls and the young boy downstairs needed to take my passport a few streets away for it to be copied,I stayed downstairs while this happend,bricking it that it would become 'lost'.My passport came back safe and sound and the young man was nice enough to go round the corner to get me some food,I ate it behind the desk at the reception with the  deputy manager.He told me stories about the guests he had over the years,and we talked about what I did in the UK.About 20 minutes later he got a phone call asking what I was doing behind the reception,nothing harmless of course,to which a grumpy looking man approached him and took him outside,it seems he didn't like me being friendly to him and told me to go to my room.I stayed in my room until the morning and left 7am to get a bus to Dharamshala,or so I thought.
I arrived at the bus station and after an hour of asking there was no bus to Dharamshala,or if there was nobody was telling me.I turned to a travel agent where he said there wasn't any bus.So I decided to get the 10.45am bus to Amritsar.The time came for me to get on the bus and it wasn't moving at all,so I got off to which I was told it won't leave till 2.30pm as not enough people had bought tickets,great! So I went back to the travel agent and slept in his backroom for a couple of hours.I got on the bus and sat next to a young Sikh man,his name was Harry.For about 6 hours we talked about everything,life,what we were doing,music,football.He was a Chelsea fan even though on his phone he had a photo of him in a Manchester United shirt.Harry was really nice to talk to,and advised me on where to go in Amritsar.On the bus journey I began to smell weed again,and it was alot stronger then before.The bus stopped and I looked to my left,I saw what looked like any normal bush,well it turned out to be weed,grown completely naturally everywhere.For about 400 miles bush after bush was just weed,I took a few photos as I was stunned to see it.It seemed a drug that is illegal most places around the world is grown naturally here,and nobody bats an eyelid.
I got off the coach in Amritsar to be greeted by swarms of rickshaw drivers asking me what hostel to go to,where to go etc.In the end I shouted for them go away from me,it's not nice being greeted like that,especially after just waking up.I arrived at the first hostel that looked nice,done deal.The hostel manager looked really grumpy,and seems like he's been doing it for years,and takes no shit.The next day I went to explore abit,I went to Jallianwala Bagh which was the place in 1919 where the British massacred and wounded thousands of innocent men,women and children.General Dyer took Nepalese troops into a small alleyway where there were thousands of Indians holding a meeting in a field with a well,meetings were banned at that time for some reason.General Dyer then ordered the troops to fire at will at the defenceless people without any warning.And hundreds of those people jumped in the deep well to escape the gunfire,those people didn't survive either.After the massacre General Dyer was asked by the British court if he was able to take tanks into the narrow alleyway would he have dispersed them,his reply was'Probably yes I would of'.Sometimes I'am ashamed of what the British had done.As you enter Jallianwala Bagh you are greeted by a small triangular stone that says 'This is the point where the troops were ordered to fire',it was spine tingling for me.Walking around everyone was silent and very respectful.At the back there was a sign that said 'Bullet holes'.There was numerous bullet holes still in the wall,which was just heartbreaking to see.

Onwards to the Golden Temple.I was given a orange clothe that had to be worn over my head,everyone had to wear one when entering the temple,and remove your shoes and walk through a shallow cold bath that I think was meant to cleanse you.Walking around the temple it felt an incredibly holy place,there was a huge man made lake in the centre where the males and children would strip off to there undies and bath in the water.In the centre was a giant palace that at the top was made of solid gold,a tiny weeny bit of me was sceptical in a way that India has such a huge poverty gap,but yet they have a palace made entirely of gold...but I suppose it brought it alot of tourism and wealth aswell.

I got back to the hostel to be greeted by many people in the dining room,but for about an 2 hours I was sat on my own and nobody talked to me,the hostel felt lifeless.Then a young lady sat across to me and she seemed on her own too.So I plucked up the courage to ask her if there was anywhere to eat around Amritsar,she said she knew of a place around the corner that had AC,so I asked if she would like to join,she said yes.Finally someone friendly!
Britt and I spent the evening at some restaurant that felt like a freezer inside.It turned out she was really nice girl from Chicago that had done some studying in Mumbai,as she was a social worker India seemed the ideal place for her.So the next day we spent just exploring abit more of Amritsar,taking lots of photos of locals,and random strangers just coming up to us saying hello and shaking hands.So I asked Britt if she would like someone to travel with for a while,as I had no schedule and no real plan apart from go with the flow and just say yes to things.She accepted and we were on our way to Bikaner.

Elizabeth Gilbert's words of wisdom

This is by a writer called Elizabeth Gilbert.I didn't expect it too,but I keep reciting it to myself because I found it very intriguing.It fits my ethos exactly,I hope it interests you the same way it did me.

"If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared - most of all - to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself....then truth will not be withheld from you." Or so I've come to believe." 

WWOOF

So now the first destination has been decided,what shall I do when I am out there? Well a good friend called Adam pointed me in the direction of WWOOF (World Wide Organisation of Organic Farming).It's basically an organisation in loads of country all over the world where you pay a yearly membership fee to volunteer on a organic farm for roughly 6 hours a day,and in return you get a bed and three meals daily.

Why not kill two birds with one stone? Gain priceless experience by volunteering on a farm in cultural melting pot like India,meet some really interesting people,and see some incredible views that photos in a book just doesn't do justice.But also keeping my budget at a very minimum.From there,who knows what will happen.

I have talked about this for a long time(you're all probably really tired of it by now) with friends,family and just random strangers that I come by.And a lot of older people I have talked to have said these words that have been hammered into my little brain, 'If I was younger I wish I had travelled a lot more'.The key word there being 'wish'.Dreams and wishes are there to be accomplished,otherwise life would be pretty fucking boring wouldn't it? In many years time I wouldn't want to think to myself 'What if I had done that?'

If you have a dream,don't wish you had done it,just do it!

Some bad news

The day that would be the worst day of my life to date was 22nd September 2011 a few weeks after I came back from Italy and I will never forget those words my Mam said to me that morning 'Son I have some bad news,your Dads died'.He passed away outside a taxi rank in Middlesbrough that morning of something called hyper-tensive heart failure.Boom my world had collapsed,plans halted and I was in a state of utter shock.What the hell do I do?! We went to the funeral up north the following Friday,and the same night came back to go to my Aunts Wedding in Horsham on the Saturday,such a contrast and such an emotional time in the space of 24 hours,I just bit my tongue and put a brave smile on.

Time went on very fast and I began to think about what to do.I decided to delay my plans till at least I had gotten my head right,at such a difficult time,travelling was the last thing on my mind.

I filled that time with the only thing I could do,go out as much as possible,seeing friends and family at every opportunity I had, after all life really is too short.

Due to the unforeseen events that did happen,I began to think about the purpose of travelling,why do it,and if I didn't do it,how would I feel about it.It had been such a big dream to backpack,that if I didn't I would be so angry with myself for letting this great opportunity pass by,big decisions had to be made.

When my Dad was alive I would of liked to think he would of been proud of me for taking life by the horns and running with it,doing what I wanted to do.So after a lot of thinking,a lot of talking and listening with friends and family I've decided to jump head first in the deep end and go to India.Book it,pack it and fuck off.