In Mumbai

It's always good to sleep enough on the plane so that upon waking, I'm surprised that we're nearly there! So it was this morning, when the Captain switched on the cabin lights and alerted us to the fact that in just over an hour, we'd be there.

India is such an amazing place, chaotic, spirited and colourful. So disorganised and yet there's a kind of order somewhere in here. And we had forgotten the curious little phrases painted on the vehicles which are somehow held together - but who knows how?

The journey from the airport to our hotel was time to refresh one or two memories and to lead us gently into the short blast of sensory overdose we'll get in the next 24 hours.

Yes, we felt excited to be back even if the 32km journey took us almost two hours!

You might describe the traffic as "heavy".

So, it was a kind of relief when our room wasn't ready and we could go into the coffee shop and order something on the house, to refresh and revive us. This Rose Falooda was absolutely delicious - cool and refreshing with the added surprise of a kind of turkish delight at the bottom. Not only that, but the pink matched the label on the bottle of Himalayan Water perfectly!

Going up to our room at last, we discovered that we haven't got much of a view... (This is the Gateway to India, btw)

We've investigated the 12 restaurants: European, Mediterranean, Chinese, Grills, Pool Bar, Snacks, International Haute Cuisine, etc etc - and have booked a table in the Indian restaurant. Now that's inventive, isn't it?!