My holiday in India: Noah Jones, aged 8

What I did

I went backpacking in Goa and Kerala with my mum. Me and my little brother had to carry all our stuff in a rucksack. We slept in beach huts and at night the sound of the waves kept me awake. We also slept on a Keralan rice boat. In the evening we saw kingfishers, parakeet and flying fish. In the morning I woke up really early and there was fog all over the water, it was beautiful. I wanted to swim in the river but I was too scared. Mum went first and I dived in. I opened my eyes and the world was completely green.

What I liked

One day we rode on an elephant called Babu. I sat right behind his ears – he stank! Babu dipped his trunk into the river, flung it back and completely soaked me.

What I ate

Curry and vegetables. And guess what? We ate it off a banana leaf instead of a plate.

Noah wins a £15 book token. National Book Tokens are sold and accepted in all UK bookshops