November began in Cairo where finished our Egypt chapter and visited the Pyramids of Giza – the only existing original ‘Wonder of the Ancient World’.
From Cairo we flew via Abu Dhabi to Kochi in Kerala to begin our travels through Southern India. Kochi introduced us to the wonders of Keralan food, the unusualness of Kathakali and the friendliness of Indian people. We stayed in a few homestays where we were treated to kind hospitality and delicous food.
From Kochi we travelled to Alappuzha for a relaxing cruise through the backwaters on a house boat. The tour continued with a train to Kovalam where we spent time on the beach attempting to bodyboard in rough conditions. We learnt to cook Keralan food and the girls got a mall fix at Lulu’s mall.
We travelled west from Kerala to Tamil Nadu which instantly felt like another country with a new language. Kanniyakumari is the southernmost point in India and is described as ‘the end of India’. From here we took a night bus to Chennai for a final dose of busy Indian city life. We loved India and it was an amazing experience to be in a totally different culture to our own.
At the end of November we flew to Colombo in Sri Lanka, our 5th country so far. After the quick city break we took a train to Sigiriya which was filled with outdoor adventure. December will bring further Sri Lankan travel followed by Malaysia where we will spend Christmas.
In month two we have settled into our travelling life and love all of the experiences it brings. Here are some of our favourite parts of November:
Sarah – South Indian food. Anyone who knows me knows that I love eating and whilst I have always liked curry I now absolutely love it and will now even eat spicy curry for breakfast, something I have never entertained! Masala dosa being a particular favourite. I was excited to learn how to cook like a local with our lovely homestay host in Kovalam and can’t wait to try it out at home. Keralan food has also converted the girls from their usual beige food choices to try new things. See above the giant paper dosa! Phoebe has surprised us all by enjoying curry on a few occasions. Indian tea is also a highlight of mine – our explorations were fuelled with many little cups of sweet chai purchased on the street for 30 rupees (approx 27p).
Craig – I enjoyed India in general. The night bus to Chennai was a highlight for me as it was an exciting adventure and the girls loved it. Travelling by tuktuks has been fun to cool us down in the heat.
Phoebe – I loved the elephant safari in Sigiriya as it was so fun to stand up in the car.
Sophie – I loved bodybarding at Kovalam beach. It was really fun as the waves were so high.
2 responses
So many favourite memories and experiences. You surely made the correct decision.
My only hope is that there will be room on the table for a little ‘beige’ food when you return.
Yes I agree, we certainly did!
Beige food will always reign supreme.