In early January 2010, after a long journey, myself and my girlfriend landed back in Manchester, UK. We’d been for a great three week tour/holiday to Mumbai (Bombay) and Kerala in the South West of India. Take a look here for the full quick-gallery of the snaps.

We’d both been to India before (myself several times with work), but never to this area and never for a 100% holiday either! Having flown via Istanbul to Mumbai (by the way don’t bother flying this route with Turkish Airlines) we had a quick night stop over at Juhu Beach close to the airport. The next morning we took an internal flight down to Cochin in Kerala. After a stopover in the very nice Bounty Yatra, Bounty Yatra in Fort Cochin we headed out on a pre-planned tour of Kerala:

• Day 01: Cochin – Munnar Pic
• Day 02: Munnar Pic
• Day 03: Munnar – Thekkady Pic
• Day 04: Thekkady Pic
• Day 05: Thekkady Pic
• Day 06: Thekkady – Varkala Pic
• Day 07: Varkala – Alleppey Pic
• Day 08: Alleppey – Cochin Pic

To say our Keralan tour was great would be something of an understatement. There were so many fun parts and they feel all that much better as soon as you land back in the snow covered UK in the middle of Winder; the transition from 35 Celsius above to 5 below in the space of a few hours it pretty tough!). The only disappointment was whilst tracking elephants in the jungle in Periyar national park; despite hearing them close by and seeing plenty of the not so small evidence that fleeting glimpse evaded us.

After a final night in Ernakulam (close to the airport in Cochin) we boarded the return internal flight back to Mumbai. Once settled into our bargain (well not such a bargain) basement hotel, which was annoyingly situated right behind the rather more up market Taj Hotel we set about exploring Mumbai. In all we had 3 nights and 4 full days, which was just about right to see all the main sites. The city itself is such a crazy and busy place, which is great, but very tiring at the same time. Particular highlights for us were the general ‘buzz’ of the city along with just walking around and taking it all in. Chowpatty Beach was brilliant place to just sit down and watch the World go by.

So would we go back? Well of course we would. We don’t tend to go to the same place time and time again, but there certainly isn’t a shortage of things to do, see or photograph anywhere in India, it’s a first class photographic destination!