Today Rita and Fred start their long journey north to Delhi and then Kashmir. They meet up with Hari at the station and he confirms their seat reservation numbers before personally escorting them to the train. After settling in they try to relax and occupy themselves for this 26 hour leg of the journey.

"As we moved away from the coast the scenery changed and the hills soon levelled out as we coasted over the plains which seem very fertile, helped by five or six large rivers flowing out towards the coast."

Read all about Rita's introduction to Indian Railways on the Daily Diary page.

We have had some fantastic travel story entries for our June travel story competition.

There's still 3 days for you to enter your own. For details go to the Competition page.

If you're up for some really enjoyable Sunday afternoon reads then follow the links below and enjoy all of our June entries so far:

Babushka the Beautiful by Nancy McBride
Kevin and I in India by Frank Kusy
Yes, It Had Been a Good Day All in All by Julie Haigh
Wanderlust by John Rayburn
Traveling rough in Bahia, Brazil by Richard Klein
Back-to-the-Earth in 70's Australia by Francene Stanley
I SURVIVED MT SINAI! (BARELY) by Jill Dobbe

If you miss the June competition then there will be one more chance in July before we announce our overall winner in August.

After breakfast Rita and Fred head to the train station to check out tickets for their journey north to Delhi and Kashmir. The place is chaotic and they eventually rely on a guy they meet to organise the tickets for a small extra fee. After that they jump on and off buses and explore different parts of the city in between heavy downpours.

"A lot of the streets were flooded because of drain blockages caused by the sudden downpour and we joined many of the locals by paddling our way from where the bus dropped us to catch another one."

Join Rita and Fred as they explore Bombay on the Daily Diary page.

Fred spends the night at the airport waiting around for Rita's early morning flight. He discovers that she is on a Lufthansa flight LH694 which stops in Bombay before heading on to Singapore and Jakarta. Now the news is definite he starts to get a little nervous and hopes that things will turn out for the best.

"At 5-45 a.m. after having heard instructions for people to check in for the onward flight to Jakarta I went up to the Spectator’s Gallery and five minutes later saw the Lufthansa 747 landing."

Find out how the days goes for Rita and Fred on the Daily Diary page.
 

After a long and tiring train journey Gayle and Fred arrive in Bombay to be greeted by monsoon weather. Upon arrival at Victoria Terminus railway station they initially try and sort out some accommodation. Then a heavy downpour floods the main concourse and they have to seek cover in a small corner at the front of the station. In between heavy showers they say goodbye to each other and go their different ways.

 "Whilst escorting Gayle to a taxi under my Darjeeling umbrella I got in the way of a wooden sign which blew off its hinges and landed on my exposed right foot. Pretty painful at the time although it caused no significant damage."

Read all about Fred's arrival in Bombay on the Daily Diary page.

It is a very short night as Fred, Gayle and Irene move up to the roof in the early hours of the morning to get some relief from the heat. They then manage to sleep through the alarms that are set for 4 a.m. After trying to bargain for a rickshaw they eventually get a bus back to the railway station where Gayle and Fred get on the train to Bombay.

"It was great to be lying out in the open with a cool breeze fanning me and the tree above rustling in the wind. There were also many night sounds including the sound of bells from temples, people chanting and also shouting at each other across the rooftops."

Follow our intrepid travellers as they continue their journey on the Daily Diary page. 

This month's competition just keeps getting better and better. It is a real honour to be able to feature this entry from Jill Dobbe. Read her fascinating travel story on the Jill Dobbe page.

Find out more about Jill on her author's page: www.amazon.com/Jill-Dobbe

Jill Dobbe is an author and overseas educator who has lived and worked in seven different countries. Traveling is her way of life and she continually enjoys learning about other cultures, exploring unique areas of the world, and writing about her experiences abroad.

Jill is also a wife, mother, voracious reader, and insatiable shopper who goes on sprees whenever and wherever she can. She currently resides in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with her husband and Yorkie-Poo, Mickey, where she is trying to learn Spanish and write her second memoir.

After a restless night's sleep Fred and Irene set out to explore Varanasi. Gayle had left in the early hours and didn't return until late in the evening, after a rather scary day. After exploring the city and visiting several handicraft shops, Fred and Irene walk along the riverside, seeing a lot of strange sights, people and temples.

"We heard of the amazing floods they have here in August/September which raise the level of the river by some forty or fifty metres. This completely submerges the waterfront and turns a lot of the town into a little Venice. Everybody turns to boats for a while."

Follow their fascinating day in Varanasi on the Daily Diary page.

Fred, Gayle and Irene spend the night in the retiring rooms at Moghul Sarai railway station. They then take a couple of hours trying to get reservations for their onward journeys in two days time. Most of their luggage is locked up at the station before they take a few belongings with them on the bus for the final short journey to Varanasi.

"Got there (really hot) shortly after 2-00 p.m. and decided to take a room just for a couple of nights. The rooms were quite simple with mats to sleep on the floor but cheap at only R8 for all of us per night. The lodge has a great view over the river and the high wind had a cooling effect even though our room later proved to be really hot."

Read about today's adventures from 34 years ago on the Daily Diary page.