The Delhi Belly got me!

.....I did get into the Taj Mahal again, but my friend, Pink Man, didn't. He was a security worry second time around. But the nice men in the Locker Room looked after him for me. I don't think I was the only one that was amused!

And now we're back in the UK. Less smelly but missing India and all the wonderful things in it. I was very glad for a hot shower though; one that actually cleaned me. My Mum claims that the wash she did of the clothes I emptied from my rucksac was the dirtiest wash she's ever done - which is saying a lot with 2 daughters having spent over 6 months in East Africa and 4 gap years between us. I was ashamed! I haven't managed to get rid of all my India baggage yet though: I managed to pick up some kind of tummy monster (the Doctor's guess is Giardia) so am still not back on the cereal yet! All in good time.

For anyone who's still reading, here are a few photos to round up the trip. Thank you for some lovely comments, and I hope it's been a bit interesting. There's so much I couldn't even start to write, but I'll probably bore you with stories when I see you (my poor Mum and little sister have born the brunt so far)....hopefully soon.

My main men! Biju (driver d'excellence), Bjorn (my long-suffering colleague), Nekib (our wonderful Boss), Robby (the complete dude who got us drunk at midday on rice wine - infact, this photo was taken on that occasion), another smiley friend of the boys, and Gokul (my patient lovely Tree expert).

A photo taken from the car, the afternoon we were given special permission to go into Kaziranga National Park (when it's closed to the public). The Legend that is Maan's Daddy organised it for us. Elephant grass on either side, with rhinos and deer, and who knows what else, hiding in it.

The penultimate household that we interviewed. One of the most beautiful and welcoming families I've met. The boy to my left had incredible eyes (yellow and green and intense), and the father of the house had such a friendly face. Gokul was quite taken by the daughter too! He kept trying to get me to ask her name.

Pink Man, beer surfing, on our penultimate night in Kaziranga, when we had a party at the Pelican Bar in the near-by town. The Wild Grass crew know how to party. It was so much fun. It was also so much beer - 27 big bottles of beer on the wall, between 9 and a half people.

And this is what it's all about....elephants (even the domestic ones) and wildlife living alongside humans. How that's meant to be achieved, ask me in a month or so and hopefully I'll have some kind of an answer.

Kaziranga blues.

So, after 5 magical weeks at the haven that is Wild Grass, Bjorn and I have moved on to bigger, smellier, less elephanty, crowded and bustling cities. I'm smiling, but not quite so much. Still, all great things must come to an end at some point, and we were so lucky with how everything turned out in Kaziranga. So, the final score: 30 villages + 4-odd initial pilot villages, the identification of over 3000 individuals of trees, birds and butterflies, nearing 80 odd social surveys, atleast a herds-worth of elephants (hati in Assamese - picked up a few keys words), several rhinos + a baby + a black one (which I was assured wasn't a different species, just a wet rhino - oh, naive Lyd), 2 very poisinous snakes, several gangs of monkeys (in need of vaseline), a very photogenic owl, meals and meals of good food, mangos a-plenty, a coconut, stunning children, a tiger-eyed boy, atleast one stunning father, beautiful girls (more than Bjorn and the boys could deal with), a huge hole in the road (nothing Biju, our Driver-supreme, couldn't handle), amazing field assistants, wise old (and young) man, beetlenut, owey throat (from beetlenut), rice wine, beer, rice wine, Pink Man, Kaziranga as the sun went down....and so so much more. Mission accomplished, and beyond. Thank you is not really enough for a lot of people, but I hope to someday repay some of the kindness, and am currently thinking up ways of getting back to the magical North East....first step = writing up an interesting report and trying to find ways of helping the elephants and buffalos, rhinos, parakeets, wild boar, deer, etc. to live happily with the people, and vice versa. We'll see what I can come up with!

So, 2 more days in India. I can't believe how quickly it's all gone. The last few days have been a bit challenging, especailly after a wonderful relaxed trip by train from Guwahati in Assam, across to Delhi. I think that perhaps middle-class Indians are mostly expected to eat and sit; we had 5 decent meals on the train in one day, including about 3 cups of tea! Delhi has been a bit of a shock. Just hectic, but that's only to be expected. A bit of a shock for me after Assam, where I felt so warmly welcomed and special! But as Bjorn reminds me (it's good that someone is atleast attempting to keep me grounded!) it's not all about me! I'm feeling quite white and naive. However, we've spent the last day in Agra, which has been more manageable. The Taj Mahal is incredible. I could have sat all day and stared. Infact, I might leave this now and see if they'll let a smiley white girl in for the last hour for another viewing.

There's so much more to tell, but hopefully I can waffle on more in person when I get back, inbetween working hard on the dissertation, ofcourse! It's not a holiday, afterall. I hope you're all very well and the weather is picking up. I'm quite looking forward to not smelling so much and being in a bit less of a heat-induced daze. But very sad to leave this incredible country. Thanks to everyone who made it so. I'm overwhelmed by the goodness I've experienced and so grateful. Love to everyone, from (a probably slightly emotional & dazed - after the Taj & nearing the end) Lyd xxxx