Five days to go...

Astrid
The much anticipated 'Bollywood Night' started with a feast for the eyes and taste buds with each wayfarer cooking up a scrumptious Indian speciality. Christian and Shanks certainly looked the part with their safari suits - a definite throwback to the 70's hippie look (there's plenty of them left in India!). Lorraine and Astrid couldn't decide whether their costumes were a tribute to Steve Irwin or whether they thought they were going to Africa instead! After downing a glass of Shanks' superb mango lassi, it was onto the main courses. On the menu was a delicious mango salad and dhal made by Christian, Astrid's scrumptious palak paneer and Shanks' mouth-watering biriyani, pappadums and famous spicy potato wedges. After filling our tummies with these delicacies, we managed to squeeze in Lorraine's yummy home-made barfi for dessert, followed by an authentic, steaming hot chai - lovingly stirred for half an hour by Lorraine herself. Yum!

After such a feast, we were much too full - and tired - to plan anything, so Shanks stumbled off to bed, and Christian, now feeling quite nauseous (having just returned from Indonesia the day before), left with pre-Dehli belly (not a good sign really!), leaving Lorraine and Astrid to plan the entire trip without the boys. Yippeee!!! That means tours of sweet shops throughout South India interspersed with frenetic bouts of shopping at markets in between! Woohooo! Who needs boys anyway? (Lorraine: I do - mine cooks for me!!!).

While sipping their traditional late-night cuppa, and with Shanks and Christian safely tucked into their respective beds, Lorraine and Astrid decided that the 17 hours of travelling time to Chennai on Thursday will more than suffice for time to plan our month of adventures in India. Roll on Thursday...

Thirteen days to go...

Astrid
After a very tearful farewell from my home of 3 and a half years in Alice Springs, I have arrived in Perth 'in transit' before another journey around the world which begins with a month of adventures in South India with Shanks, Lorraine and Christian. I am reflective of life at the moment and what a contrast South India will be to the stillness, peace and quietness of the Central Australian desert landscape I've been so lucky to call home for the past few years.

But, more and more I find myself being drawn into the willy willy of excitement and anticipation that is our big trip together. Well, it's hard not to be swept up with excitement when Lorraine squeals out 'I can't WAIT for the Indian food!' every time the sub-continent is mentioned. I will try my utmost to peel myself away from the sweet counters - although I'm not known for my self-control when it comes to yummy, exotic, ecstasy-producing sweet treats! Yum! Lorraine isn't exactly the best influence around sweets either! (I know from our last Indian trip together in 2001).

Bollywood night is just around the corner, where the 4 of us will feast on Indian food, watch a quintessential Bollywood movie and put our heads together to plan, plan, plan! I'm looking forward to it....

Nineteen days to go...

Traffic Indian style!

When we woke up this morning, we thought that somehow we were already in India. From just outside our window, came the sounds that one is used to hearing on any busy street anywhere in India at any time of day or night - cars and trucks were racing by tooting their horns in a variety of melodies and the noise was non-stop! It took a few moments for us to register exactly what was going on...turns out that the hardware store across the road was having a sale and to attract customers, two chaps dressed up in dog suits were prancing along the side of the road waving to all the passing traffic!

Tonight we met up with one of the other members of our travelling party - Astrid. She has just returned to Perth after three and a half years living in Alice Springs, the real heartland of Australia. The other member of the 'awesome foursome' is Christian, who is currently in Indonesia visiting his sister. We will all meet up for a pre-India Bollywood night (minus the Bollywood) in a couple of weeks, just days before we all board our first flight together!