Nik and I are in Sri Lanka right now on our way back to Thailand!!  Traveling in India was amazing, and we will miss it, but we’re both very happy to see Thailand again.  The plan is to go back to Chiang Mai for the next month to regroup before heading off for China, and that’s when I’ll finally have the time tell you all about India!!

Mumbai Bookstalls

Mumbai, formerly Bombay, has graciously hosted Nik and I’s adventure for the past three days.  Our bus ride from Udaipur was better than I expected, but sleepless.

So far we have walked through neighborhoods, browsed bookstalls and bookstores, watched pick-up cricket matches, seen scores of outdoor laundry stalls, ridden the commuter train during rush hour, strolled along the beach side, and walked out to a mosque along a land bridge that is consumed by the sea at high tide.  Mumbai is the first truly “international” city we have been in since San Francisco in May, and it is a huge relief.  There is something about this city that is familiar although it is still so foreign.

We leave tomorrow on a day train to the beach state of Goa.  The area has come with mixed reviews, but our goal is to find a peaceful end to our month long journey.

Lakeside Udaipur

We arrived safely in Udaipur on Thursday, despite a pretty rough bus ride. Just imagine the worst public bus you have ever been on, and the worst “paved” road and you will have a vague idea of our trip. It was an experience, and hopefully we won’t have to do that again!

Udaipur, however, is fantastic. It is a tourist town, but it is extremely mellow. We have met several fellow travelers, and the locals are great. They do try to get us to come into their shops, but it’s almost comical rather than annoying. Perhaps we are used to it, or perhaps they just aren’t as pushy?? Since we have arrived we have witnessed a pink-powder celebration, paddle boated around the lake, walked through the grounds of the palace and had several meals at the best rooftop restaurant in town. Hopefully we will see Octopussy, the James Bond movie that was filmed here years ago tonight and we’ll make it to the monsoon palace or the other lake a few kilometers away.

We leave tomorrow afternoon on a Volvo semi-sleeper bus. It is air conditioned and we have been assured that the trip will be better than the last one. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!