Vicky,if you can, I certainly would. Haven't been there but from the photos & comments I've seen it looks like a "Wow" experience (To quote another thread recently). What airline would that be, BKK - Kolkatta stopping over? Are you also heading south after sikkim?

Dogster thanks for the i-esacape link - I'd seen it when booking Yangsum; don't they have some gosh darned nice places! We'll take your tip & talk to the guy - he's already assured me he'll sort out everything, including my mini-obsession the weather.

Yup leon, trust him. He's a totally cool guy. Gentle and honest. Weather he can't solve. Tell him the guy who got lost sent you.

By the way, there's a cheese factory an hour down the road. To this day I regret not buying that Sikkimese cheese.

This is your task, leon. You are my representative - to taste and enjoy said cheese while chanting 'Dogster is the best! Ya-a-ay!'

leonf - Jet Airways fly Bangkok - Port Blair - Kolkata. I mut say it is very tempting.......

Yes we are going south after Sikkim - still not sure where yet. Some of my family will be on a 2 week holiday in Goa and I would like to 'surprise' them for a few days but we have been to Goa 3 times already.

Ideally I would like to go South of Goa perhaps Kerela or South East to Chennai region or Sri Lanka.....still planning and of course I am talking massive distances. Will mainly depend on cost of flights - we do not have a bottomless pit of money as my husband keeps reminding me!

BKK - IXZ - CCU

Dogster - no pun intended - should read "I must say" not MUT...

Would that be yak cheese - no matter, I'm on to it.

Vicky, all we saw of Kerala was 5 ddays chilling in Varkala - OK, impressive red cliff above decent beach,several reasonably priced accommodation options (had a very pleasant bungalow large room at Preece Resort) but a bit too many trinkets, dreadlocks & trance music cafes, one of which gave us both amoebic dysentry from 'fresh' fish. It's also pretty hot'n humid in April.

I was intrigued by both the backwater cruises, & the Periyar Reserve, but time ran out. Old town Cochin was nice for laid back sight seeing food for 1/2 days max.

What about the first beach in Karnakata (I'm going on memory of the guide book as I'm at work) - looks intriguing, but accommodation limited?

Sorry, that should be of course Karnataka.The beach is Gokarna. Our paper today had some details of canoeing/homestays in Kerala, www.responsibletravel.com.

Thanks leonf - I checked out your link and I am particularly pleased to see the Peak District featured - this being the area where I live and might I add a very beautiful part of the country!!

My plug for Derbyshire aside, I think we will go to Karnataka - a different option to Kerala and perhaps less touristy??

Less than 7 weeks to go - final tweaks to the 'suck it and see plan' coming together - hope to post soon........

leonf - when do you leave?

Hi again - yep, lovely part of the world, although I'm guessing those icy roads a week ago had you dreaming of Indian beaches. We leave for Delhi on Thursday 26 February, & now the visas have arrived it's getting real. There's still apparently an indefinite strike "in the hills" around Darjeeling, but if we can just get through to Sikkim, all will be well I'm sure - I really hope we can ride that steam narrow guage train though, from Kurseong.

By the way, if you need to book internal VN flights, we found Handspan Travel very efficient, based in Hanoi. They do all the usual organised tours if you want them, but the flights were a real godsend as you can't book online individually.

As I've said before, I'd recommend the Bo Resort on Phu Quoc for 3-5 days on the beach with woderful VN food & a very hospitable Viet/French couple managing it.