A most invigorating game of badmington last night, where Jacques and I in the first two games were 10-5 down, fought back to 14-14, and went on to win both. We then lost focus and the third game went against us 15-5. A rushed fourth game which we were winning had to be abandoned as time was running out.

I like to think it would have been just as much fun if the scores had been reversed, which they easily could have been.
Despite sarcastic comments along the lines of ‘should be in an antique shop’, I have no complaints about my trusty wooden racquet, from whose frame many a winning shot has come.

Wahey Cornwall! Actually I went body boarding last week and although the waves weren’t that vicious they were adequate – it was the deadly rip tide that was vicious. Causing “far too many deaths” according to Lonely Planet. I did find it hard to keep my feet still in the water even when I could touch the ground as I was being pushed so hard but I figured i had a body board and a surfer from California (my friend Jesse- no not that one) to save me if required.

Climbed a mountain today and saw a six foot snake. Most exciting- however it slithered away and was a scrawny little thing not a cobra or constrictor of any type.

H and I spent this weekend in Cornwall, staying at a place called “Broom Parc”. Broom Parc was very close to the coast; in fact, right outside the back door was the clifftop coastal walk which goes round most of the cornish coast.

On the first morning, we strode out, heading eastwards along the precarious path towards the highest coastal point in those parts, “The Dodman”. However, it was pretty hard work and we soon realised we wouldn’t have enough light to make it back so we cut the trip short. So we drove to it on the way home and found it fairly spectacular. Will post some photos at some point.
We also visited the Eden project which was pretty good, but rather pricy at £12.50 per adult.

One notable sighting, was that of a dead dolphin that washed up on the beach as we were having lunch – it had been fairly mangled by rocks and soforth, but didn’t have any noticable bite marks, so we’re not sure how it died.

Our food cost a little more than 10 pounds between us, but it is a small price to pay when considering the rather small chance of catching malaria and/or leprosy whilst in cornwall!

I finally worked out the good ponts of Pondicherry. Firstly the streets are slightly cleaner (although the sewage smell was very bad in places), secondly there are no cows in the streets (maybe the only town in India but I like the cows anyway) and thirdly I can appreciate that after an extended period in India the weary traveller would probably kill for some decent food. Not only are the Indian restaurants good (Jesse was right about the butter fish – it does actually taste buttery – yum) but there are genuinely French restaurants (genuine as in the food – I know that they are still in India). We had a pretty swanky time in a proper frog place and ate food that seemed that a French chef had made – a  decent one too! We managed to spend 10 pounds between the three of us - our India record!

Yesterday we left Jesse to go to Karakai and came here to Tiruvanamalai – a pretty tireing journey on a local Indian bus for four hours. I saw lots of fields on the way in which I was told were growing both rice and “ground nuts” – peanuts.

The ashram is a very smart place for India where they do lots of devotional chanting - both to Ramana Maharshi and also to his mother (!?). MOnkeys and especially peacocks are everywhere in the grounds – and the peacocks only make up for their infernal screaching by looking just lovely. Just behind the ashram is Mount Arunachala which is the mountain Ramana came all this way escpecially to be with. It’s supposed to be made of some of the oldest rocks on the planet and although  it isn’t that high it had huge boulders scattered all across. Much of the landscape around here is boulders and hills with boulders on. AT dinner time you sit on the marble floor cross legged with banana leaf in front of you and ashram cooks splosh rice, dahl, milk, a bit of salad onto your plate. Most Indians do a bit where they mix the rice with the liquids and into a goey ball and then scoop in into their gobs. I don’t. I just spill rice on my trousers.

The mossies are numerous and vicious here and Sasha and I have made a little tent (like you do when you’re four years old) out of our mosquitoe net. Very cosy.

Right -it’s 12:30pm now and I’m off to bed now as we got up at 6.20am – 0:50am your time to watch the offering of milk to Ramana Maharshi’s shrine.

Good night

Tom

i dont need to cut my hair! and my beard needs only the lightest of trimmings.

sounds like you are having a jolly time. it looks like i will be following in you footsteps so let me know of anything you would recomend highly

hail t and s,

Sounds like you’re both are having a good time and I hope you avoid all the facinating and hideous diseases out there. Such as leprosey and the like.

H and I were visiting my gran this weekend and had a jolly time meeting cousins, aunts and uncles i haven’t seen in a while and H hadn’t met at all. And newcastle won their second game in a row which is more or less unheard of in recent times. Also, rumour has it that M O’Neil is preferring Newcastle over the england job, which is understandable…

I can provide you with everyone’s email addresses if you like, but I think the blog far superiour for any lengthy or short “group” messages.

J still hasn’t cut his hair or shaved his beard.