Spice Trails of Kerala

Guess you will have stopped looking for fellow travellers! I'm going, looking forward to it very much. Kind regards Mary Wang

Hi Mary! Good to hear from you. Have you done any previous trips with Exodus, or been to India before? We've been with them to Iceland, Jordan & Egypt and Northern India - all excellent trips. We're getting quite excited about this one, and I am spending a lot of time at the gym getting in shape for it. My husband Bob is being a bit more laid-back, just going walking with his friend every week as he always does. Where do you live? We are in West Yorkshire. I'm just starting getting stuff together, and am finding it quite tricky to pack for the different temperatures and activities on the trip. Have you got any bright ideas? Do get in touch! Eva

I'm very impressed by this getting fit, hope I can keep up. Packing is tricky, particularly as I swore last year I was never going camping again and gave my rucksack to charity. Luckily I didn't give my sleeping bag or pillow away.. Have borrowed son's old rucksack. Am packing on the whole for warm weather, trying to minimise and take Travel Wash. Books is my big problem, I'd love an e-reader but they don't do it for the mac so will be hefting far too many paperbacks I fear. The air travel sounds pretty bad both ways, and you have the extra journey from Yorkshire which must be very trying. I live in Surrey, easy peasy! It sounds as if it is going to be such a lovely trip. And at least I know two nice people going on it. XX Mary PS Am pretty ancient (63).

Hi Mary I posted a reply yesterday but it seems to have got lost in the ether. I'm also struggling to find book-space - How about we post on here what books we are taking so that we don't duplicate, and then we can swap if we run out. I'll probably take Star of the Sea and Resurrection Men (Ian Rankin). Eva

Good idea and OK on your choices for if I run out! I'm taking Fateful Choices by Ian Kershaw, And Did Those Feet by Charlie Connelly, Great British Journeys by Nicholas Crane, America - The Last Best Hope by William J Bennett. All non-fiction. Happy to lend out as required! Also taking quite a few blank Daily Telegraph cryptic crosswords. Strange no-one else has found this spot to add to the conversation. XX Mary

Yes, where is everybody else? I like your book choices; I heard the Charlie Connolly one read on Radio 4 and it sounded good. I'll bring some Guardian crosswords too; that's a good idea. We'll probably be so busy / tired that we won't get through any of them!