Blimey, Scarlett and Ibiza 
Two very, very hot girls 
So, where was I? oh yes, more India. I'd put the pics in the relavent bits but I've not got my head round it yet. It never works for me
oh well.
So after a few days having our minds blown by the sights, sounds and smells (especially the smells
) of Mumbai, we head for the hills. There's a range which runs down the western side of India, the Western Ghats. Very arrid in the dry season. There are towns and villages here and there, most are quite ramshackle Some of these were hill stations from the days of the Raj, places where europeans would go in the hottest times to chill. It is fresher up there. We stayed at a place called Lonavla. Not the rural retreat it's dicribed as on the website! Nice though. We settled in and ate some great food, Roti basket rocks The next day, I saw some of the most amazing places I've ever seen.
We hired a local driver for the day (about 6) and asked him to take us to the best places he knew.
Karla caves. Oh my God. high up the side of a mountain, at the top of a winding stone stairway is the largest complex of Buddist caves in India. They date from 2nd century BC. The main cave is stunning. From the outside, there is a 45 foot high hole in the cliff. As you walk in, you're faced with ancient rock carvings, telling stories of Buddha, 10 feet tall, figures, elephants, wow These form a barrier to the main cave with a gap between to walk through.
Imagine a space 120 feet long and 50 feet high, with a vaulted roof. Along each side the rock is carved into pillars, each having an elephant on top. There are about 15 down each side, supporting huge teak beams (thought to be the origioanal ones!) in arches accross the cave roof.
At the far end there is a massive Stuppa, a dome which represents Buddha, also carved from the rock.
The whole spectacle is amazing and my attempt to describe it falls way short.
It costs 100 Ruppees to view the caves (about 1.20) and the steps up to them are lined with souvaneer stalls and beggars. From the top you can look out over a wide, dry plain, dotted with dwellings. We're told to visit again in the monsoon. Then there are huge lakes and vast waterfalls roaring down the valleys and the landscape is transformed into a lush, green paradise
We were taken to see stunning views, monkeys (fat makacks
), temples and towns. We were nearly run down by a high speed, ropey old bus and generally had an awesome day.
This part of our trip would have been the highlight and there would have been loads of pics but.....
The memorycard in my camera reformatted itself (it really did) erasing about 90 pics. I had to get Andrea to take the camera away from me, lest I lose the plot
I was incandescent.
I got over it though and got ready for the journey back to Mumbai. We'd been driven there but were going back on the train. I cannot begin to describe the train, the journey, the station, any of it. There are a couple of pics but they don't convey at all, what it's like We met some friendly people who were amazed by tatoos and dreads (Andrea was happy coz everyone stared at me, not her)
Back in Mumbai, we get back into the city atmosphere and view, chill, shop and eat our way through the weekend
Any advice on creative writing would be very welcome.
Two very, very hot girls
So, where was I? oh yes, more India. I'd put the pics in the relavent bits but I've not got my head round it yet. It never works for me
oh well.
So after a few days having our minds blown by the sights, sounds and smells (especially the smells
) of Mumbai, we head for the hills. There's a range which runs down the western side of India, the Western Ghats. Very arrid in the dry season. There are towns and villages here and there, most are quite ramshackle Some of these were hill stations from the days of the Raj, places where europeans would go in the hottest times to chill. It is fresher up there. We stayed at a place called Lonavla. Not the rural retreat it's dicribed as on the website! Nice though. We settled in and ate some great food, Roti basket rocks The next day, I saw some of the most amazing places I've ever seen.
We hired a local driver for the day (about 6) and asked him to take us to the best places he knew.
Karla caves. Oh my God. high up the side of a mountain, at the top of a winding stone stairway is the largest complex of Buddist caves in India. They date from 2nd century BC. The main cave is stunning. From the outside, there is a 45 foot high hole in the cliff. As you walk in, you're faced with ancient rock carvings, telling stories of Buddha, 10 feet tall, figures, elephants, wow
These form a barrier to the main cave with a gap between to walk through.
Imagine a space 120 feet long and 50 feet high, with a vaulted roof. Along each side the rock is carved into pillars, each having an elephant on top. There are about 15 down each side, supporting huge teak beams (thought to be the origioanal ones!) in arches accross the cave roof.
At the far end there is a massive Stuppa, a dome which represents Buddha, also carved from the rock.
The whole spectacle is amazing and my attempt to describe it falls way short.
It costs 100 Ruppees to view the caves (about 1.20) and the steps up to them are lined with souvaneer stalls and beggars. From the top you can look out over a wide, dry plain, dotted with dwellings. We're told to visit again in the monsoon. Then there are huge lakes and vast waterfalls roaring down the valleys and the landscape is transformed into a lush, green paradise
We were taken to see stunning views, monkeys (fat makacks
), temples and towns. We were nearly run down by a high speed, ropey old bus and generally had an awesome day.
This part of our trip would have been the highlight and there would have been loads of pics but.....
The memorycard in my camera reformatted itself (it really did) erasing about 90 pics. I had to get Andrea to take the camera away from me, lest I lose the plot
I was incandescent.
I got over it though and got ready for the journey back to Mumbai. We'd been driven there but were going back on the train. I cannot begin to describe the train, the journey, the station, any of it. There are a couple of pics but they don't convey at all, what it's like
We met some friendly people who were amazed by tatoos and dreads (Andrea was happy coz everyone stared at me, not her)
Back in Mumbai, we get back into the city atmosphere and view, chill, shop and eat our way through the weekend
Any advice on creative writing would be very welcome.
Check outmy update from a couple weeks ago. I bought a new ride that's pretty rare in the US. Not exactly reliable transportation, but it'll do for now.
Get rid of Lucas from you Landy... He'll screw you over....