Namaste

Now that we're in Delhi I seem to have found a better internet connection, however seeing as we leave for a camel safari today I can't guarantee that I'll be blogging much more frequently. I know, I'm a horrible person. But on a positive note... yes, you did indeed hear me correctly CAMEL SAFARI. As in, riding a camel through, and sleeping in, the desert. Which is basically camping. I know some of you are oh so very proud right now...

I'm hoping my legs will hold up for this safari. I'm not sure how much you actually use your legs while riding a camel, but if it's anything remotely akin to riding a horse, I'm in trouble. See, here's my problem...

Our final weekend we went to Cherating which, despite all the hype, turned out to be nowhere near as nice as Langkawi. But they did have a riding facility. On the beach. With endurance horses. Needless to say, after having been nowhere near an equine in the past seven months, it didn't take much convincing to get me on the back of a feisty little grey Arab mare...

Now when you haven't ridden in seven months, the last thing you should probably do is go for an hour and a half long canter down the beach. In shorts. In a Wintec saddle. I am currently half crippled for all my muscle stiffness and have wonderful rub-burns on both my calves, but dammit it was worth it! It was just me and my "guide" (who barely spoke English but who was, apparently, incredibly excited to have someone to ride with) cantering for a full hour and a half (with a few walk breaks but I was still in awe of the mare's stamina! Beret would have had a heart attack I'm sure)down the beach (good footing!) on a beautiful day. The fact that we've been walking at half-speed and that the five hour flight to India just about killed me are but a small inconvenience. ^^

So that brings me to India... good food, good weather, amazing textiles (I'm trying oh so very hard)it's pretty great. Although my first day in Delhi found me wishing I could curl up in a ball and assume the fetal position. It is probably THE number one craziest, most hectic place on the face of the planet. I almost got run over by an ox cart, an autorickshaw, a bicycle and a motorcycle in a single attempt at a road crossing. No jokes.

While it's been an experience, we're desperate to get out of the city. We've hired a driver/ car to take us around the state of Rajathstan for the next two weeks (definitely the way to go: convenient and affordable). Between him and the train system we'll see quite a bit, although the short period we have here meant that we had to cut out some of the places we wanted to see, most notably (for me, anyway) Mumbai and Darjeeling. I've just taken that to mean that we have a solid excuse to come back sometime. So, if anyone's interested, I'm planning a return trip...