Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 6:32 PM

Subject: Hi from Jaipur

Hello to everyone on castlebar.ie.

How are ye all? Can't believe that I'm finally getting to email! First hotel we stayed in had internet access, but internet access is totally different to internet actually working!!!

And it's impossible to make calls here, the first day was grand, though I couldn't really hear properly on the phone, but after moving from that hotel it cost a bomb to phone home. Shona was on for about 8mins last night and it cost$20.00.

Apart from the lack of communications, everything here is going brilliantly. We're on a tour of Rajisthan at the moment and have our own personal driver who drops us at each hotel and brings us around the sights etc.! Mental! We kind of got conned into buying the tour - the taxi driver told us that its easier to book trains from the tourist office so we stopped off at what he said was the tourist office, thinking they would check out the train times, etc., which they did!, but they ended up persuading us to buy a tour..... don't ask! But it has actually worked out great and the places we're staying are fabulous and we're getting to see everything without the hassle of lugging round our bags and getting lost, etc.

We went to the Taj Mahal at 6 a.m. this morning and it was absolutely magnificent. We took loads of pictures so we'll try to load them up at some stage – though the chances of it actually working are minute!

We’re in Jaipur at the moment in a real traditional Indian hotel, with rooftop balconies and butlers in trad dress at every corner! A far cry from the slums on the outskirts of the cities!

Am getting used to seeing the squalor in which so many people live, but every so often it just hits us how poor they really are – millions of people live in mud and straw huts and there are beggars everywhere we go. They come up to the windows of the car and when we get out they surround us pleading with us for money. Then there are the ones trying to sell us stuff, and offering to show us around places and following us around and then demanding money, etc. It’s soooo annoying, but the kids are so lovely that it's awful not to give them anything, so Shona's biros and copies (which she brought with her) are going down a treat!

Am afraid this will cut out on me so trying to fit everything in very quickly. Mickey's phone can receive texts and phone calls but he can't phone or text out, so he sent some texts from the net tonight. We just had dinner, I had vegetable biryani - spicy rice with veg in it, it was alright but already I'm dying for roast beef and gravy or a big juicy steak or turkey and ham.........!

Shona loves the food and Mickey is loving everything - the hotels and driver are suiting him just down to the ground - 99 channels on the TV, beer in the fridge and the phone to order room service!!! Dunno how he'll survive when we have to rough it a bit and get the train, etc.!

Our tour ends next Saturday I think - can't keep track of the days at all! And then we're heading to Bombay by train and onto Goa. The Monsoon has started but so far we've only had one real rainy day, mainly it just rains at night which suits us grand!

We're in the car a lot and despite the intense heat, can’t really wear shorts cos it's just not done here - am getting mighty wear out of that wine and purple skirt of Una Rattigans that I brought with me!!! It's the only thing that's really suitable!

Bye from Jaipur, lots of luv to all at home and everyone else who might be reading this.

Miss ye, but having a great time!

Suze