Koh Tao

I'm sat in a French cafe in Vientiane, Laos and I'm going to attempt to put up at least three overdue blog posts from Thailand. So here goes...

After meeting Paula in Bangkok we headed down to Koh Tao to get our PADI Open Water certificate. I'd never actually intending on doing this course but once Paula explained it to me I thought why not?! Anyway I'm really glad I did, it was an amazing experience. I was pretty scared at times though being 18 metres underwater but I loved seeing all the tropical fish down there! That was truly amazing. Felt like I was in a fish tank. The course was pretty tough though, we had homework each night and daily tests and then after our four dives we had out final exam. Well I passed! With 98% as well ;) and this now means I can go diving without an instructor up to a depth of 12 metres I think. I really should do at least one dive while I'm in the great barrier reef but I'm not sure I'm ready to go solo just yet, maybe I'll do a free dive.

Anyway asides from the diving, Koh Tao was a lot of fun. We made a good group of friends staying in the same resort as us so had a brilliant celebratory night after our last diving day. I really think I'd like to go back to the island cause there are so many beautiful restaurants and bars on the sand that I didn't really get opportunity to try out as we had a lot of early nights due to diving the next day. Well I definitely don't think this is going to be the last time I visit Thailand so plenty more chances to see the beautiful Turtle Island. (That's what Koh Tao stands for in Thai)

Delhi & Agra

Okay so it's been absolutely ages since I last blogged, purely for the envious fact that I've been having too much fun in Thailand to even think about using an internet cafe, but I think it's about time that I did as I haven't even finished India yet. Also, I have hours to wait for my bus to Chiang Mai. So let's start with Delhi...

Can I just say, I actually quite liked the place. Prior to our visit, we had the city described to us as 'hell on earth'- a bit extreme to say the least. Yeah it's busy, yeah it smells, but doesn't the rest of India?! Granted there's a lot more poverty in Delhi, and a lot more scams, but if you keep your wits about you, you'll be just fine. Our stop to Delhi was just a flying visit as we spent pretty much the only full day we had there in Agra at the Taj Mahal.

What can I say about the Taj? It's incredible. This sounds obvious but it's so huge, much bigger than I'd imagined and with beautiful hand painted marble walls. I'll admit, when my alarm went of at 4am for the 5am train, I really wondered whether a visit to the Taj was really worth such an early rise. But of course it was. Infact I'd advise anyone going to visit early as its a good 4 hours by train from Delhi, and plus when we were leaving at about 11am it was really busy. Definitely more opportunities for tourist photos earlier on.

Bangkok

I've been on my own in Bangkok for a week now as Phoebehas gone home for a month, but to be honest it's been pretty sweet. I treated myself to a posh hotel on Khaosan Road and have just spent most days chilling by the pool. So haven't really seen much of the city but my friend Paula gets out tomorrow and I cannot wait! Plan is to spend a couple more nights in Bangkok and then head down south to the islands!

Camel Riding in Pushkar

On our second to last day in Pushkar we did a camel ride in the desert- it was so much fun! The day started off a little off as the excursion guy picked us up on his motorbike, rode with the two of us on the back into town where we met out camels. We then rode them through the streets, dodging cars and cows (there are hundreds all over India's streets), and finally made it into the desert. We had a really cool guide take us, he speaks fluent English, French and Spanish but is completely illiterate. He never went to school but is teaching himself to read and write at home in the evenings. He learnt to speak English, French and Spanish solely from speaking to tourists which is just incredible. The other guide was a 14 year old boy who may have got a little drunk on the beer we gave him- not our best idea considering he was steering the camel home. We made it back though and watched the sunset in the desert on the way - utterly beautiful.

Pushkar

One of my favourite places we visited during our time in India was the Holy town of Pushkar. This may have been because of the serious amount of shopping I did- honestly they have THE best silver shops- but also because of the chilled out vibe and friendliness of everyone we met. One of these particular friendly people happens to be our good jeweller Vikras. He is a God with silver. Made me the most beautiful silver double ring with a small chain and turquoise stone, right there and then (picture to come soon). If anyone visits Pushkar I would really recommend staying at Chacha's Garden Guesthouse. There are only a few rooms but they are super cheap and clean and the place is run by an English lady and her Indian husband. Oh and they have two adorable babies, and two even cuter tortoises. 

A little more from Jodphur

A few more photos from Jodphur including Phoebe's beautiful ali babas (that remind me of that willow tree pattern), and two adorable kids that took a liking to us. Oh and if you are ever in Jodphur, a cool place to eat is Rocktails, the food's amazing and the waiters look like they're in military uniform. What more do you need?!

The Blue City

Our first stop in Rajasthan was Jodphur, also known as the Blue City. We had such a laugh here. Had so many amazing conversations with the locals and shop keepers and its beautiful to look out on the city and see a sea of blue. We visited the Mehrangarh Fort giving us incredible views over looking the entire place. One of my favourite photos is of the Indian ladies walking down the fort. The vivid colour of their clothes is beautiful to look at when merged together. Oh and I bought some pretty sweet turquoise ali babas with an elephant print all over. Teamed with a glowing orange top, nothing is too bright for India.

Hampi Continued...

Below are a few more photos from Hampi, some I took after the first post and some by Phoebe.