South Island Trip

I have just been on a short trip around some of the sights in the south island. I am completely in love with New Zealand, it's such a beautiful country and the people are so nice. I went over to the glaciers and did a glacier walk on Franz Josef which was really good, my legs were aching a tad the next day but well worth it, it was amazing! I then headed through Wanaka and into Queenstown where i stayed in a really cool hostel and met a ton of really nice people, we had one day of rain so we all stayed in and played monopoly, quite amusing with a load of different nationalities. I didn't throw myself off any bridges on a piece of elastic or out of any planes but had lots of fun. I then went down to Te Anau and over to Milford Sound where i went kayaking for a day. That was the highlight of my trip as i just loved it! (thanks Rocky for the advice, you were right it was so cool!) Had a really good group and guide so it turned out to be a really lovely day, and no rain, which considering it rains about 300 days a year there, i was pretty lucky! I went back to Queenstown for a night and caught the bus back to Christchurch the next day. I really enjoyed the travelling thing, i was a bit concerned about the 'dorm' living but ended up meeting so many people that putting up with a few broken nights sleep was was well worth it!

I now only have a couple of days left here in Christchurch before i go up to the north island. I will be sad to leave here as i have had such a lovely time here and staying with Miriam & Mikey and Claudia & Zane has been so nice. They have all made me feel so welcome and part of their family that it's going to hard to move on, but i am looking forward to seeing what the north island has to offer, it has stiff competition from the south! Plus i have a few people to visit there so that will be great.

Miriam has been doing her up-most to turn me into a domestic goddess, i am now an expert sushi maker and we even made a dress for me yesterday! I say 'we', i cut out the pattern and then tried it on at the end! I feel my input was adequate! It really has been great to relax and un-wind after the hecticness of India and i am very much getting into the kiwi way of life, i have even sometimes started saying 'aye' at the end of my sentences!

The next chapter - New Zealand

Have now been in Christchurch for 2 weeks and loving it. I feel so relaxed and have been made to feel so welcome by the CC crew it's going to be difficult to move on. I have been staying with Miriam & Mikey and Claudia & Zane, it's been great spending time with them all, it beats Streatham any day! Have swam with dolphins, which was just amazing and learnt to make sushi (so doing all the important things in life)!

I really feel like i have recharged my batteries and feel ready for another trip. On Friday i head off for a short trip around the south island, taking in a glacier walk and hopefully some kayaking.

Yesterday i experienced the thrills of a football match, Mikey and i went to watch Canterbury v Auckland at the ground in Christchurch. Their football isn't quite in the same league as English footie, one man shouted out a few chants but even he sounded half asleep. As for the players, it took a while for some of them to get warmed up. It had a good old community feel to it and it was good wholesome fun. Auckland beat Canterbury 3-0 just in case anyone is interested!

Had the pleasure of meeting up with Emma Andrews last week as she was down for a wedding with her new boyfriend, had a lovely lunch at Claudia & Zane's and then we headed out for a few more drinks in town. It was so lovely to see her and am looking forward to my time in Perth with her.

I think I could definitely live in New Zealand, everyone is so friendly and welcoming. They even talk to you in shops! A little scary at first but now i am chatting away like a local!

Things I won't miss about India!

Things I will not miss about India

1. The flies! They bug me so much.
2. Being stared at constantly, it feels like i have just fallen from a different planet, everyone stares at me!
3. Sitting on a bus and being expected to chat to every single child on the bus so that they can practise their english. I don't mind usually but after being on a bus for 7 hours or so it gets a bit much.
4. Being invisible in queues.
5. The litter. It really is bad.
6. Men going to the loo everywhere, i have seen too many random willies for my liking!
7. Men spitting and hoiking their guts up.
8. Rickshaw drivers who say they know where you want to go but never do!

Apart from that i love India and i miss it a lot.

Up in the North

After the shock of leaving the ashram and realising that i now had 12 days to see some sights up in the North i tried to start to formulate a plan. I flew up to Delhi, it didn't take me long to realise that i didn't have the right clothes for Delhi! It was freezing!

Delhi airport was mayhem, as is the rest of it but i maneged to find my hotel guy who drove me to my lovely hotel! Not quite...it was colder in my hotel room than it was outside so i promptly changed. Delhi was a shock! It is a crazy city with people everywhere! I tried to get around on the first day by walking, not such a great idea and ended up having a pretty scary experience with some men and a rickshaw. Anyway had a good look around and met some nice people on a tour. The poverty in Delhi is on a different level to the south and it was sad to see all the street families living all over. I had 3 nights there and then went to Agra.

I have wanted to see the Taj Mahal for so long and i can safely say that it went beyond all my expectations, it really is the most beautiful building. I was awestruck by it, it's hard to imagine loving someone so much that you can build something like that for them! If only to be loved like that! I stayed at a great little hotel with the most amazing view from their rooftop restaurant, i could sit in the sun and gaze at it as much as i liked. It was great! I hired 'Shabbu' a rickshaw guy to take me round for a day, i went to the Baby Taj, Agra fort and saw the Taj from the back. Got a great photo of a goat in front of the Taj!

After Agra I went to Jaipur, but to be honest I wasn't really into seeing the sights as i wasn't feeling great. I met some German girls and they told me about a place called Pushkar. I headed off there, it is a very small town about 8 hours south of Delhi. I stayed in a really friendly hotel and met some great people. On Christmas morning i visited a Brahma temple and bought some flowers from a priest and went down to the holy lake. I wished good luck to all my friends and family and sent my flowers off, so you should all be ok for 2008 now, as I'm sure it works! I bought myself a few little pressies and then had lunch with some people i met, it was a very relaxing day. I travelled back to Delhi the next day, at first all was good as i had a sleeper train, i was just about coping with the occasional cockroach climbing onto my shoulder but it was when the rat ran past my feet that i realised i was really ready to leave India! Delhi was cold yet again but i decided to get around on the metro this time which was a completely different experience to my last time in Delhi. It is so clean, efficient and hassle-free! It is strange though as when you leave the metro you come face to face with a cow so you soon remember that you are in a crazy city. I thought i would be a good tourist and read the dos and dont's for travelling on the metro. Only in India would you find this: 'Do not travel on top of the train.' Classic!

I had a great time in India, it's was an unforgettable 3 and a half months but I was ready to move on and was feeling very excited about the next part of my trip. India can be very frustrating and infuriating at times but i wouldn't have missed it for the world.

The last few weeks

I haven't been great with keeping this blog up to date but i do want to continue it so I'm going to have a huge re-cap now. My last weeks on the ashram were great, i knew it was all coming to an end and i decided to really cherish the time i had left. Katherin left and a new volunteer came called Nina, from Switzerland. I went on a week's holiday to Kerela and visited Kovalom and Kannyakumari. I loved my time on the beach, it was a good time for me because it enabled me to really think about the ashram and all the girls. I missed them a lot and was very excited about returning and spending my last 5 days with them. I knew that i was ready to leave and that i felt that i had had enough time on the ashram but that didn't make it any easier when it came to saying goodbye. Some of the high-school girls tried to persuade me to stay and there was an awful moment when i was with about 6 of them studying and talking about me leaving and they all started crying. It took a huge amount of effort on my part not to join them but i knew i had to be strong, plus the fact that i knew i was going to be a mess on the actual morning i left! Preevita and Maggie wrote me the sweetest note and drew some very cute pictures for me and Gowsalya also gave me a letter that i will keep forever. I felt very sad to leave Sugunya and Gowsalya as i really became close to both of them. I'm glad that they became friends and i am sure that Sugunya will look after Gowsalya and make sure that she's OK. My last weekend was nice as i was there on my own as Nina had gone on a PTA weekend. I gave my presents to the girls after prayer on the Saturday (ink pens and ink for the older girls and books for the younger ones). They were all so grateful and it brought tears to my eyes giving them out, it really hit home then that i was leaving. My last bedtime was hard, saying goodnight to the girls for the last time was very sad. I knew i would see them in the morning but bedtime was my favourite time and i will miss it a lot. I didn't sleep much on the last night and when Bala arrived it all seemed far too real. I said my goodbyes but thinking back they were too rushed, i was crying and i regret not giving Sugunya and Gowsalya a huge hug. All the small girls formed a line and were waving and shouting their goodbyes, i waved madly from the car and before i knew it i was out of the ashram and on the way to the airport. I can see Sugunya's and Gowsalya's face now so clearly, i really hope they are OK. Having now had some time to reflect on my time there i realise that i am so lucky to have met such amazing children and it's an experience that i will never forget. The girls faces are still very much etched on my memory and i hope that they won't fade. I know that it was time for me to move on but my heart is still with the girls on Madurai Seva Ashram.