Namastre guys! I hope you are all well? I do not have long to write this email so I'm going to have to try and keep it short I'm afraid. First and foremost - I am having the most amazing time ever. I never thought that travelling with a group of strangers could be so much fun, this has exceeded any expectations I could ever have!

The group got off the plane in New Delhi airport and at first glance it wasn't to different from any other big city. However, once we got on the bus things dramatically changed. The was an explosion of colour and chaos once we left the complex. India is so beautiful and so strange at first. As we are Westerners we are perceived as being rich and numerous kids would chap our windows at any opportunity asking for money and food. Although we were so happy to be in India and experience something we never had before, this was really hard to take in. The traffic is crazy also, cars constantly toot their horn and it seems as though there are no designated sides for going different ways - chaos rules! Well, that and the cows and dogs that randomly roam the streets and sleep on the pavements soaking up the sunlight. We received the most gracious welcome from everyone that happened to spot us on the bus - although we are alien to India, the stares were soon turned in to smiles and people would wave at us to welcome us to their city - the warmth of New Delhi shone. There were row after row of exciting Bazaara offering exotic food and goods but amongst this the devastating effects of poverty was clear: people sleeping on the street, shanty houses and tents by the side of the road, people going for the toilet in the street, people looking ill everywhere and litter rampant throughout the city. Despite our experience of this new culture being overwhelmingly positive, it is clear that their is work to be done and our road will be a challenging and ardous one, but I hope, and I am sure that it will be rewarding in equal measure.

The first night we travelled to Agra in a bus that had minimum air conditioning - 8 hours - but seeing the rest of the commercial buses being as cramped as they were - we travelled in luxury. Our hotel in Agra was stunning and after chatting to everyone in the group, we all headed off to bed.

The start of our second day was so exciting - we were off the see the Taj Mahal - something I have always dreamed of. However in order to get there we had to negotiate through a maze of haggalers and beggars on the road to the gates to the entrance. Although the city is full of pollution, the Taj Area had electric buses and massive gates to keep hagglers out. We got here really early in the morning so there was mist about but it soon cleared to reveal the beauty of the the Taj Mahal. I cannot give justice to how stunning it was- I will let my pictures do the talking upon my return. I got some awesome ones as a local nabbed my camera and took some great photos of me, for a fee of course! After returning to the hotel for lunch (curry again - the same as we had for breakfast!) we set off for Jaipur.

Jaipur has around 2 million people so the visibility of poverty is similar to that of New Delhi - stark and in your face, there simply is no escaping just how terribly some people live over here. The group saw some dead bodies lying on the street which some people felt really hard to deal with - particularly as it was in the more affluent areas where the house are big and families go about their daily business driving big cars. As in the UK, the majority of the wealth is in the hands of a few, and they seem reluctantly to help their fellow country people, as we saw when they simply drive away from them when they chap the window for some change. We had numerous lectures this day when we arrived at our host organisations building. These continued until Saturday and were simply fascinating - the picture we get of Indian culture in the UK is a somewhat false one and I cannot wait to come back and give the perspective of the educated and charming individuals who taught us. Whilst in Jaipur for three days we went elephant trekking, saw a massive fort (Amber Fort), saw a Bollywood movie and went shopping in the historical pink city. We have been travelling for days and being viewed as rich foreigners slowly takes it toll. We are having a brilliant experience, but I couldn't wait to get to Palampur, out host area to start work. I was beginning to feel like nothing more than a tourist and that wasn't why I came here - I wanted to make change.

Whilst in Jaipur we stayed with a host family. I stayed with two other guys in my group in an upper class house on the outskirts of the city. The host family were lovely and chatted to us so much about their way of life.
They were more Westernised than other people in the city and it was nice to get their perspective on things. Unlike 95% of other Indians, they had a love marriage, not an arranged one. This choice was hard for them, but the good news is that this is becoming more accepted in India as more strong, independent and educated individuals make their own life choices and will not be forced into something that is steeped in a tradition that now has no meaning in India.

After Jaipur we travelled to Palampur - on an overnight train for 18 hours.
We drove from the station to our project area up massive winding roads in the background of the Himalayan mountains. The house the volunteers live in is around 1500 metres above sea level. The scenery is like nothing else I have ever seen. From our balcony we look right onto the mountains and I can't wait to see them covered in snow! Sixteen volunteers already lived in the house so we are now a group of 28. So many new people to get to know with different knowledge, experiences, backgrounds and skills. I cannot wait to get to know them all! My placement proper starts tomorrow and now I have regular access to the Internet, my updates will be more frequent but please bear bare with me! I have so much more to tell you but must end this email here.

Until next time, take care.

Christopher