Yes, I was one of those ‘geeks’ who queued up for 3 hours to pickup Apple’s new iPhone 4. I was definitely surprised by the length of queues, including the type of people who turned up to collect their new smart phone. The device has appealed to all walks of life, not just technology buffs or apple ‘fan boys’.

One young chap I spoke with had been saving his paper round money for the last year to get his hands on the new iPhone 4. Another gent had been waiting inline since 5.45am to pickup his prized possession.

My pickup wasn’t totally straight forward. Upon inspecting the screen I noticed yellow dots on the bottom right of my new retina display. A quick twitter search showed me that others were experiencing the same problem. Another google search told me that Apple Retail Stores keep spare stock for faulty equipment, so I took my chances and went back to the shop for a replacement.

Sure enough I was provided with a new phone without having to argue my case, which was totally unexpected considering the yellow marks had started to vanish by the time I arrived back at the store! It turned out that the yellow marks were a result of undried glue used to bond the screen together which would of vanished 1-2 days later.

I shouldn’t of tempted fate.

Never before have I been so excited about eating processed food! One of the first meals I had when landing back in the UK was a hearty english breakfast.

At this moment in time everything seems so extreme. Down to the portions of food, alcohol and the prices they cost.

More post holiday thoughts to come.

Yet another magical over night bus journey from Rishikesh took us up the mountain range, guided so it seemed by the gazing full moon, towards the valley of Parvati. No amount of tiredness could prevent me from staying up to watch the rapidly changing scenery as we creeped along the roads carved out of mountains.

I knew instantly that my 12 month journey was going to end here. Tired of moving about and in desperate need on some ‘reflection’ time, I found a cosy homestay and unpacked my bag for the final time.

The Parvati Valley does have a slightly more sinister side, with tourists “vanishing” whilst trekking due to the charas production in the area. Putting that aside, the valley is a perfect place to trekk around the surrounding villages and of course wondering about the lush forests, sweeping valley meadows and hot springs, whilst taking in that lovely mountain view.