So long, India

With only a couple of weeks left in India, we had originally planned to spend the majority of our time relaxing on the beaches of South Goa and Kerala…needless to say, it didn’t exactly pan out that way and we ended up being busy as ever!

After North Goa, we took a night bus over to Hampi - a village located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, which is particularly famous for the impressive ruins it boasts from the Vijayanagara Empire. We found it incredibly beautiful, and a lot more green and peaceful than anywhere else we had been in India. For the first time, we deemed the roads quiet enough to risk hiring a scooter, and we felt a new sense of freedom arise as we set off for our day exploring. This quickly disappeared, though, as we made it a mere 2 kilometres before breaking down!! 

As we had no means of communication on us, there was no other option but for me to run the 2 kilometres in the mid day sun back to the hostel. We had a few incidents like this, with Butty having to stay with the world’s worst moped on the roadside, whilst I hitch hiked/ran back to hostel each time. Eventually it transpired there was a hole in the petrol tank, so we weren’t just being terrible drivers!! 

We saw lots of ancient remains, drove through endless banana plantations and paddy fields, and saw some beautiful sunsets. We also witnessed multiple monkey attacks, including a French boy being bitten in the leg because he wouldn’t give up his mango juice!! Hampi is well known for being a good location for bouldering so we took advantage of this which was fun, although the rocks were extremely hot to touch! 

From Hampi we travelled to South Goa which we instantly fell in love with. The beaches were quiet and secluded, and much less touristy than North Goa. We had a couple of days relaxing, swimming, and eating amazing food before tearing ourselves away to head further south. 

We arrived in Varkala the night before Butty’s birthday, a pretty little beachside town based in the state of Kerala. The majority of the shops and restaurants run along the top of a cliff, looking out over the glittery sea of Varkala beach. We had a great day of birthday celebrations attending a cooking class, going to an aquarium (which put us off ever going in the sea again!!), and heading out for dinner and drinks. Having barely consumed alcohol for the entirety of our trip, it is safe to say the cocktails went to our heads pretty quickly, and before we knew it we were still out at 5.30am. A local bar owner made Butty a pineapple cake and plied us with vodka (a bar tab came to a whopping ten pounds), leaving us with horrendous hangovers the following day and a pledge not to drink again until we hit Christmas and New Year. 

We spent our last few days in India volunteering with a small charity that works with the street dogs of Varkala - for more info have a read on Facebook about what we got up to. We both agreed there was no better way to end our time in India than helping these beautiful and mistreated animals. 

Before we left the UK to travel, a lot of the research we did claimed India stood for “I’ll Never Do It Again” and I can understand why some people might feel that way. We were hassled by local shopkeepers and tuktuk drivers round every corner, we felt the frustration of the lack of any kind of queueing system. We were woken pretty much every night of staying in a hostel, at hours than no human should be awake! Although travelling by bus and train is super cheap, using the booking systems can be mega stressful, and the journeys aren’t the most comfortable of experiences. 

That being said, we have been on the most eye opening adventure. The food has comprised some of the most vivid and interesting tastes we have ever tried, and at an incredibly low cost too. The country is huge, and so varied - it feels like we have been in four or five different countries already. There have been some stand out moments of humans showing such generosity and hospitality, and the weather has been nothing but beautiful throughout our trip. We have both learnt all sorts about the culture and history of India, and in a much more exciting way than could ever be taught in a classroom or in a book. 

Travelling India has been tough; tiring both physically and mentally…. but would we do it again? Definitely. Just maybe when we aren’t on a backpackers budget. If you can afford to stay in hotels, use pre booked taxis, and book on to tours who arrange all your travel for you, then you’re going to have an amazing and stress-free time. It is actually quite amazing when you look at how much money we have managed to travel India on for two months, but there have been points where it would have proven a much easier journey if we could splash the cash a bit more. 

Things aren’t as set out as they are in Asia’s more touristy destinations, such as Thailand, but that often adds to India’s charm. I guess it is an ongoing battle with up and coming tourist destinations as to whether it is possible to become ‘touristy’ without losing tradition and culture. It is great fun being able to go and discover things for yourself, but sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming as navigating this huge country can be tricky. 

Ultimately, we would 100% recommend India as a potential holiday destination, with our standout favourites being Dharamkot in the North, Jaisalmer near the Pakistan border, and South Goa with it’s serene beaches and laid-back vibe.

To see all our favourite photos from India click on the link. https://gopro.com/v/aRKE0Wed5ZkzR