Kerala

Left cold, rainy London and flew into Mumbai. We were immediately hit by the intense heat, exotic smells and colour of the place.

Had a day in Mumbai exploring only a small section of the city - it's so big that we didn't have time to do much and were very content with watching the world go by with a cool beer in the bars and cafes. We visited the Gateway to India, and got accosted by a lot of hawkers. A tip for first time visitors - the blessings aren't free! You'd think a holy man wouldn't be mercenary, but they're after a quick buck just like everyone else!

From Mumbai we flew down to Trivandrum in Kerala. The place is a complete contrast to the frenetic pace of life in Mumbai. We went straight from the airport to the small town of Varkala - it's a stunning place pearched on top of a dramatic cliff overlooking a stunning bay. We spent 3 days there enjoying the sedate pace of life, sunshine, excellent food and the sea. We stayed in an amazing place called Villa Jaracinda - it's in the Lonely Planet if anyone's planning a trip there soon.

From Varkala we headed for Kerala's famous backwaters. We made a huge mistake though and booked our rice barge before seeing it in person - we massively regretted that! We did an overnight trip and had 3 crew just for the two of us! We saw masses of kingfishers and were treated like royalty, but the bedroom was horrible and we hardly got any sleep at all. Some of the other barges we passed looked like floating palaces which made the night even harder to bear...

I loved this place - it was incredible. Lots of tourists, but so worth it. We stayed in a nice place, but it wasn't 5 or even 4* so when it got really hot we headed to the Brunton Boatyard to use their pool. You have to pay but it's not too expensive. This was an amazing place to spend three days.