EYEsore

Sarah MacDonald in her book 'Holy Cow!' states that "India is beyond statement, for anything you say, the opposite is also true. It's rich and poor, spiritual and material, cruel and kind, angry but peaceful, ugly and beautiful, and smart but stupid. India defies understanding..."

Mysore is a typical Indian town. You walk out of your hotel room after doing battle with two cockroaches who have made home in your bathroom, to be accosted by a beggar with open sores over his whole body. Three rickshaw drivers are shouting at you to get in to their cabs for a tour of the city and you step in fresh cow dung and wish you'd put your boots on instead of sandals.

All this happens before you've had a cup of tea and this seems to make it worse. You search seven different restaurants and hotels desperate for anyone who makes English tea and has something edible for breakfast. Eventually you stumble exhausted and stressed into a quiet place and have a pot of Brooke Bond and some chips. Only after an hour and a half do you feel able to venture out again into the madness that is India.

On a brighter day we visited Mysore Palace with its 25,000 lights and walked up Chumundi hill - all 1000 steps. We have been to a bird sanctuary and wandered around an amazing market. In India I guess you have to take the rough with the smooth; breathe deeply and try to remain calm!