Fast Track to Enlightenment?

no such thing. but i caught a long commute via train and bus acoss the south of india to the town of Tiruvannamalai (aka "tiru") - a few hours west of chennai - to find out for myself. the town itself hosts the holy mountain, Arunachala, and is the home of Ramana ashram (a famous guru). the powerful mountain draws loads of pilgrims, sadhus (real and pretenders) and western spiritual questers. it has sort of become a spiritual theme park offering satsungs (q and a's with various gurus), lectures, meditation sessions, yoga, and is dotted with countless temples. it has an interesting feel as it is arguably one of the most spiritually charged places on the planet.

"am i sensitive to energy?" someone asked. i do not have a clue. i had few expectations upon arriving to this town, and i did not notice the strong energy nor was i particular drawn to the events i attended. i tried discussions, a satsung, and attended a darsana (this guru has taken a vow of silence after years spent meditating in a himalayan cave and now shares her vision of devotion and the divine purely through sight). many people report feeling Sri Sivasakthi's (the guru) transfer of energy. i was intrigued, however perhaps my expectations going into it were set a little high. perhaps i was envisioning more levitation or increased heart rate or something indicating the interchange of energy as this holy woman laid her eyes on me. again, i felt nothing. i will have to admit, i was a bit disappointed in myself, but it just was not speaking to me (no pun intended). maybe another time and/or another place.

my main draw to the city was to meet with a friend from seattle, sanjay, where we adapted our tradition of coffee in our cozy local neighborhood cafe in seattle (Irwin's) to tiru's version, chai at tasty cafe. it turned out to be a perfect spot to kick back and unwind.

accommodation was basic, located 7km away from the spiritual tourism town and set amidst rice paddies tended by their respective farmers and buffalo-led plows and harvesters in beautifully contrasting colorful saris; all of this set against the backdrop of Arunachala. not bad at all. i was biking into town which felt great considering my physical activity has felt minimal otherwise, and hiked up the holy mountain one day but felt more worked than i had hoped.

5 days later, i set off north for a 30 hr train ride to meet Robb and Jay, 2 good friends from seattle, in delhi.

Another Kind of Massage

i decided it was a good time and place to experience my first massage. i was on a beautiful beach, massages offered all around, and kerala is infamous for ayurveda. so i found a reputable place, and returned 1 1/2 hours later as scheduled, anxiously awaiting the medicinal oils. i had heard accounts of them and was mentally prepared, but that turned out to be a false confidence.

"take off clothes," requested the petite indian ayurvedic doctor preparing to massage me. she spoke enough english to communicate instructions.
"all of them?" i modestly asked. she nodded. i waited a moment for her to leave the premise or hide behind a curtain, or somehow dim the natural light shining through the windows for privacy. i realized she that was not in the plan. there i awkwardly stood, my nakedness unapologetically revealing itself awaiting further instruction.

"sit here." she motioned to the wooden bed. i sat suddenly aware of every imperfection on my body, but the masseuse professionally ignored my thoughts.
as she dumped the herbal oil concoction on the crown of my head, i could feel it trickle down my neck and the earthy, musty scent filled my nostrils. a hand motioned for me to lie back onto the table. i automatically crossed my arms over my body to try to dress it as best as i could, but the shield did not last long. my arms were removed from their intentional strategic placements, slathered with oil and massaged in a precise brisk pattern 1 by 1, moving to each section of the body, leaving little untouched. i closed my eyes to allow myself to relax. i had already committed. my only choice was to surrender my pride and modesty. it was silly to hold onto it.

before i knew it, the hour was up, and i was nearly asleep. i was relaxed. it was all good.

The Mirrored Salwar

after our time in the ashram, we headed to the closest beach, varkala. it is a small but beautiful beach with clifftop views, restaurants and guesthouses. there were many tourists, sure, but it was a nice contrast and a pleasant place to ease our way back into the world.

on the path to my hotel, i passed 5 basically identical stalls of sarongs, scarves, clothes and ankle bracelets. and they were mainly run by interns. at 6-7 years of age, these interns were programmed well. not a time went by that i could quietly walk past w/o requesting me to "take a look, madam". politely refusing their usual tactics each time not wanting to give them false hope in my cheapness, i eventually caved. i went to take a look. and i did find a scarf i was truly interested in, so i bargained per protocol. not wanting to sell it at my offering price, i began to walk away. so they began bargaining with themselves until they came to my offering price.

but before making the final sale, i requested a mirror to try it on. before the young intern could retrieve one, his grandmother lends her left arm my direction where i noticed my reflection (with scarf) was a mosaic on her sleeve. with a genuine laugh shared by all 3 of us, and the rest of the family in the audience hoping for a sale, how could i refuse? THAT was a sales tactic i had not seen before!

Life in the Ashram

Om namo narayanaya...these sanskrit words (a chant for world peace) along with "jaya ganesha", "om namo sivaya" cannot seem to leave my head. chanting them daily morning and evening left them occupying my thoughts. at first they were a bit irritating, but these singing chants grew on me...the whole group singing together, drumming away, jingling the tamberines, good voices, bad ones, good rhythm, bad rhythm. i could not understand the meaning of the sanskrit, but the intention behind it all was a bit intoxicating.

but after nearly 2 weeks in Sivananda ashram in the sw kerala, we were excited to hand in our official exit passes and be on our merry way, back into the temptations and pleasures of the outside world. it was a nice change of pace being in the ashram however. basically all decisions were made for us via the daily schedule. there was no deciding "where do we go next?", "how long should we stay?", "where should we stay?", "how do we get there?", "what should we eat?" each day was similar: early morning rise and shine, satsung (meditating and singing chants), yoga, brunch, karma yoga (chores), lecture and free time, yoga, dinner, and satsung.
it felt great to slow down and recenter, taking time to process the people, places, faces, sights, and sounds over the past few months, and discussing anything and everything as the mood struck with fellow travelers. doing more yoga in 2 weeks than i have ever done, my body felt great...longer, taller, and happier.

PHOTOS (from Karnataka and Kerala)

okay, sorry it has been awhile. you can check this website for updated photos (i apologize, the last website i left would not get you very far, but try these):

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/coffeewithkatie/IndiaMysore#
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/coffeewithkatie/IndiaCoorgRegionMadikeri#
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/coffeewithkatie/IndiaKerala#

i hope you all are great! thanks again for reading and browsing!

Farming Mishap and Happy Little Trees

we were excited to reach our first wwoof farm. the description sounded lovely and simple enough at paradisa resort. resort? hmm, not exactly what we had in mind, but optimistic, we carried on. organic spice and coffee plantation adjacent to the tiger reserve. housing in dorms and tents. the prospect of it was all very romantic. and it WAS very beautiful, relaxing setting and location. then we met the owner. i, being the single female, was housed in a high-end room next to the owner who knocked on my door multiple times a day/eve and invited me over for cocktails. clue #1. straight, simple answers were difficult to come by. what time do we meet in the morning? where do you sell the coffee we are picking? why are we tossing organic coffee into paint and motor oil cans that you can still smell the chemicals radiating from? we awkwardly showed up at hours we thought might be reasonable to eat gourmet food in a corner of the kitchen where we were served by staff. receiving special treatment felt uncomfortable. the fellow harvesters were kind, friendly and hard workers, however, i got the impression they had no idea who we were or why we were there. unsure of the entire operation and unconvinced we were exchanging valuable help or information, we left after 3 days.

in need of renewing positive energy, we will be heading into the hills to holistically rejuvenate our beings at an ashram, working on a different kind of (yoga) tree. tomorrow will begin a new year in positions my body may or may not like. perhaps i will comfortably be able to touch my toes in a couple of weeks!

a very hap hap happy new year to you all and a free mind, body, and soul!

Happy Holidays!!

We arrived in Cochin (the main city in the sw state of kerala). we spent a majority of the time catching up on things we had been needing to do, and taking in the more european/christian-influenced state. and because of this influence along with being coastal, the cuisine is slightly different and delicious, incorporating meat and fish. so we thought it would be fun to take a cooking class here. it turned out to be more of a demonstration, but still was fun to see an experienced cook prepare local fish curry and veggie dishes with coconut, and chapati (flat-bread), and to take home some ideas. the best part was indulging at the end. we headed a bit south for the holidays.

i guess i should be getting used to creating new holiday traditions in the nontraditional sense as i am not often home for the holidays working as a nurse. but that does not mean i do not miss them. a good chunk of our celebration was spent discussing how we would be celebrating the holidays at home. "okay, so what would you be doing right now?" is a question that has come up quite frequently the past few days. and while christmas has lost its religious value for me and gift giving has vastly downsized, the spirit of being surrounded by family and friends, kicking back watching christmas vacation and the christmas story, listening to cheesy christmas music, taking on my dad in our biannual ping pong match (and often losing), listening to the off-key "i said the donkey" at midnight mass on christmas eve trying to hold in my laughter so that i do not draw too much attention to the scent of alcohol on my breath, and eating until i cannot eat anymore makes me a bit homesick.

but the holidays have treated us quite well. with the christian influence here in kerala, christmas is present more than most areas of india. we "splurged" and stayed at a guesthouse ($10/night) along the backwaters adn spent christmas eve and christmas in the sunny, humid heat to spend two lazy days lounging, reading, strolling, canoing, and feasting on traditional indian fare in a small village. the family is fantastic, and so were the other travelers. we got a big kick out of the fireworks the family set off and evern moreso, the christmas carolers complete with drums, trumpets, and a wildly dancing santa with a red-face/white beard mask. it's a hoot!

the backwaters is a beautiful place, but environmentally speaking is a bit sad to experience. it is easy to imagine serene waters in the not-so-distant past with sporatic hand-made wooden canoes powered by good old fashioned manual paddles transporting locals from place to place, and healthy birds feeding on healthy fish, and the waters providing a source for food, bathing, laundering, and perhaps even drinking. while most of these traditions and aspects are still fulfilled, the "health aspect" has been corrupted by increasingly polluted waters encouraged by travelers like us who increase the demand for large houseboats, thus filling the waters with the sounds and waste of motors. and despite the pollution, the waters are still used for such practical purposes of food, bathing and rice paddy farms. our host family, for instance, informed us that they farm "organically", the way their ancestors did without chemicals. but the pollution in the waters that they flood their paddys with counteracts their efforts.

in any case, the backwaters remains a beautiful and mostly tranquil space with a tight and open community of villagers who have remained for generations. i also found it interesting that this remote area, being quite well-educated and using traditional techniques, is self-sustaining, growing its own food, fishing, and exporting rice, (and now tourism) as its main source of income. they are quite aware of the increasing pollution of the houseboats, and are able to flush the backwaters with sea water periodically, but it still cannot keep up with the quantities infusing into it daily. and that which is flushed out goes somewhere, and that somewhere is the ocean. they are doing their best, and the tourism supports their income. so what is the answer? who knows? tangeant done.

and so today we are heading to our first farm a bit inland near a tiger reserve. it is on a coffee and spice plantation. easing our way into the farming scene, we will probably be harvesting coffee. it will be a nice change of pace to be in one place for a couple of weeks...working on an organic farm.

I Hear That Train A Comin', Comin' Round The Bend...

i generally enjoy traveling by train. the gentle rock of the train and the rhythm of the chug chug chug soothes me to sleep. trains can be the most comfortable way to travel in india...or perhaps the least. we hopped a train to Cochin (the largest city in the southwestern-most state of kerala). what a trip! it is cheap, sure! i did not sleep a wink over the course of the 9 hour night train ride. we rode second class unreserved b/c that was the only available. it cannot possibly be that bad, right? hmmm, i think i might have to argue that one, although i am glad on some level that we experienced it...once. i have gained a whole new level of respect for those who travel this way more than once. they are way more self-disciplined than me.

when the train arrived, we forced our way onto the crowded car, and luckily found an empty bench on the top/second tier. meant for 3 people, meg, tim, and i fit perfectly. but it does not work that way. each 3 person bench squeezed 4-5 people on, and each stop brought more passengers, piling on the seats, and spilling into the aisles. people were sitting on the ground, standing, and intertwined on the seats trying to find a position comfortable enough to settle into. my body was not quite able to find that position, however. maybe i can dangle my legs (but then they are hanging in people's faces). okay, i will sit cross-legged (but there isn't enough space). i will try hugging my knees (but the bar my feet rest on is digging into my heels and the bar between my buttocks isn't super cozy). i got it. i will sit on my shoes and rest my feet on the bench across from us. damn, i can only reach with my toes. i hope that roach does not scurry over this way. and that was the extent of the night, repeating itself in a predictable cadence. once we arrived in Cochin, we found a clean guesthouse, and the best night's sleep i have had in weeks!

The Universal Language

After a not so pleasant experience in mysore (see bed bugs), we headed to the southern part of the state of Karnataka to the western ghats, a small mountain range. craving some respite from cities, we were in search of a little peace and quiet, ideally in the form of trekking. and we found just that. this was one of my favorite experiences in india. so far, my richest experiences have been spending time with local people. it is easy enough to travel around india as a tourist, but it feels more rewarding to have the chance to spend time and speak with the people who live here.

we set off from Madikeri and for 3 days we trekked the hills. it felt wonderful to breath the fresh air, strap on a pack, and hike. the scenery was beautiful and varied through coffee plantations, rice patties, pepper and cardamom plants, over ridgelines, and past waterfalls. but it would not have been the same without our enthusiastic guide, Vijakimar. He has been leading treks for 20 years, and more recently with tourists as the demand has increased. as we strolled up with our fancy packs and shoes and quick-drying clothing, Vijak wore a cotton polo, double knit bell-bottoms, and converse chuck taylor style shoes. a simple man with curious intellect full of trivia and facts and a lover of nature, history, culture, science and philosophy, conversation with Vijak was never dull. by the end, it felt like we were old pals.

each of the 2 nights was a homestay in two quite different homes that provided traditional breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. the first night, we stayed with a husband and wife on their coffee plantation. apparently doing pretty well, their house was large and well-maintained, and we stayed in the extra guesthouse behind the main house. electricity was provided and hot water was available, heated by a stove, and we each had individual beds. the two were quite friendly and welcoming and spoke enough english to get by.

the second night, we stayed in a hut. the accommodation was quite basic using a kerosene lamp to light the space and provided an outdoor cold shower (which was fantastic by the way). the woman who provided our meals and maintained the huts lived with her mother in a simple 2 room home with a thatched roof. 1 room was the kitchen and the other served as the bedroom/dining room. speaking little english, we thought it might be difficult to communicate and perhaps a bit awkward. however, after working a full day in a rice patty, in her slightly tattered and well-worked sari she wore earlier in the day, she cooked a delicious meal for us and presented it with the warmest most genuine smile. her body language said it all. without speaking a single word we could understand, we were at ease. the cultural gap was barried in her natural demeaner. we ate contently in comfortable silence that evening in the glow of the candle. and we responded with smiles of sincere gratitude. perhaps a smile is the universal language. a humbling experience to say the least, the expression that filled this woman's being was inspiring. she may not own many things, but she possesses the most valuable of all (to be cliche)...happiness!

Good Night, Sleep Tight...

it was bound to happen. it was the hotel in mysore that was the lucky winner. after a series of low-cost, budget, basic if dodgy hotels, pests were sure to take their toll. i never understood the rest of this saying to its full potential until now. DON'T LET THE BED BUGS BITE! unfortunately, i did. i naively convinced myself it was just an abnormal number of mosquito bites (i lost track at 80) covering my arms, hands, feet, neck and face. my second night in the same room, i knew better.

unable to sleep well with visions of tiny insects feasting on me, i rushed to the internet to research "bed bugs" the following morning. sure enough, wikipedia told me what i did not want to hear. the description was perfect. it was bed bugs i had spotted the previous night but denied the reality. it was they who bite and bite and bite a series of bites one next to the other, they that cause itching that makes you want to peel your skin off, they who cause anxiety and insomnia. aaargh!

faced with the reality, meg and i dissected my bag, and i thoroughly washed everything. fortunately the hotel we are currently in has hot water to kill the little bastards. my hotel standards have now slightly increased, and so have my investigative skills when seeking a place to sleep the night away.

then i have to put it in perspective. while i am searching for a little relief from this brief discomfort i am having, it is minimal when people around me are sleeping on the filthy sidewalk, searching for food and survival.

More PHOTOS

alright, so here is the full album from hampi:

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/coffeewithkatie/IndiaHampiPart1 and
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/coffeewithkatie/IndiaHampiPart2

and just a few from bangalore. the markets were so colorful and beautiful here. and people were so excited to have their picture taken. and the fragrance of the flowers was so refreshing. it was truly a highlight for me to experience the bustling and crowded space and observe the culture of the people who work and shop there. i certainly cannot capture it with my words or photos, but i gave it a go anyway. here is the link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/coffeewithkatie/IndiaBangalore02?authkey=h8mCrQ6LYFM#

3-2-1 Blast Off!

from hampi, we took an overnight train to bangalore. unfortunately i spotted a roach (that ended up crawling to my 2nd tear bed), and i had a difficult time sleeping. but at least the mosquitoes were not covering me. at goan corner in hampi, my mosquito net had holes all over it, thus making it quite ineffective. for this mosquito-attracting girl, that can be disastrous.

in any case, the train is 100 times nicer than the buses that create involuntary head-banging to the beat of the rattling windows. we rolled into bangalore in the wee hours of the morning and did our usual exploring by foot. bangalore is more modern than other cities we have been to in india with well-known hospitals, shopping malls, but mostly is known as (and its modern feel is probably a result of) the technology/IT mecca of india and maybe even asia. so to see a little for ourselves, we checked out the technological and industrial museum where i learned about motors and carborators. and to stick with the theme, that night we had a kingfisher beer at a bar called NASA, an '80s space theme bar that feels like you are walking into a spaceship and about to blast-off. it was quite surreal, and the urge to do the robot nearly took over. the best part is that the bars close around 12am, but many of the internet joints are open 24 hours.

day 2 was a highlight. in the morning we strolled into the lalbagh botanical gardens, then found an amazing restaurant for lunch called Mavalli Tiffin House, and apparently a famous institution. there are 2 rooms filled with tables and chairs, and they fill them in shifts so that everyone is served a set meal at once. there were multiple courses with curries, salads, raita (yogurt salad), chapati (flat bread), rice, and on and on. it was the food that just kept giving and some of the best i have had in india. perhaps the whole ambiance contributed. and to finish, pan was given to freshen the mouth. pan can either be betel nut that is similar to chew in the states, but this paan was a typical and more artistic form of some sort of edible leaf with anise, lime and various other herbs. delicious!

in the evening, we met up with friends of friends (and now our friends), VJ and Ragu and their little one, Harsheetha. they are living in bangalore, and graciously showed us around the city, sharing some of their recommended spots and places off of the beaten tourist track. it was refreshing to experience the city from a local's perspective. we kicked it off at an extensive bakery with tempting sweets (and were introduced to a healthy variety of them), and were shown some of the highlights of the city including elaborate Hindu temples with informative explanations and some of the IT campuses. VJ and Ragu patiently answered our stream of questions regarding indian culture, Hinduism, and infrastructure, and filled in some of the blanks that we have previously tried to fill with speculation. the hosts with the mosts, we visited over more delicious food and drink at one of the nicest restaurants we have eaten in. they truly made our experience in bangalore a wonderful and memorable one and hope that we can some day return the favor.

Is Humpy the same place as Hampi?

this was our concern when we bought our bus tickets, considering the possibility that we actually bought our tickets for a similar (but different) location. apparently it goes by both names, and i believe hampi and humpy have made my favorite places list. meg, tim, and i spent a week there, but i could have easily spent much more time. and many people do spend weeks to months there. it is difficult to fully capture its charm but it certainly involves the sense of community between both the locals and visitors. at sunny guesthouse, the place we initially crashed, was extremely friendly. by the first evening, we knew the names of the staff and they knew ours.

their kindness made it difficult to move on, but i was itching to check out the rocks. besides the vast ruins that are clustered in the main bazaar area and the temples taht pepper the surrounding areas, it is very well-known among the climbing community for its boulders. while i am certainly no pro, i was anxious to see what the talk was all about. so i headed to goan corner, a further removed guesthouse of huts and good food surrounded by rice fields and coconut trees and close to banana fields and the hot spots for bouldering. it is sort of the "camp 4" of hampi. charmilla, the owner, is a very savy, strong, confident woman with a great sense of humor, a good business sense. she makes the place what it is and draws in groups of climbers and other visitors who seem to grow roots there. this is where i met nick, a seasoned climber and outdoor educator from england, who introduced me to many others in the area. nick served as a great motivator and guide especially to us novices.

groups met every morning at 6:30 and every evening at 4p to avoid the heat of mid-day. this also meant catching some incredible sunrises and sunsets. and the middle of the day was filled with lazily reading in a hammock, strolling, visiting with other travellers or whatever. it felt fantastic to be out working the muscles i haven't used in several months. the first morning, meg and i went out on the rocks with nick. after a couple of hours, nick randomly asked if we had brought any money and if we wanted to buy a cake. it seemed an odd question considering our surroundings and the time of day. but just then, the "cake man" appeared around the corner of the rock we were working on and presented delicious cake options. his wife bakes them every morning and he walks miles each day delivering them to a welcoming audience. they have creatively found their niche in the climbers. we ate our banana chocolate cake with smiles on our faces. after a couple of days, my muscles and a beat-up hand ended that venture for a bit. but man, i think i fell in love with hampi! hahaha! and after a week, the group decision was to head back into india as hampi is a world of its own.

Between a Rock...

from the beaches of goa, we caught an eventful overnight bus to hampi. apparently in need of sleep, i had little problem curling into the shape of my seat and falling fast asleep. i awoke to a nearly empty bus to find that we happened upon a head-on collision b/w another tour bus and a goods carrier (dump truck). i felt guilty that i had slept through the first hour after stopping - assisting injured passengers, first aid. not that i could have been much help, but i guiltily felt some sense of responsibility.

anyway, the driver of the tour bus remained trapped by the crushed front end. with no cell reception, traffic not moving and in the middle of nowhere, the passersby were forced to take matters into their own hands. they tied a rope to the crushed metal at the front of the bus and a truck and after a couple of attempts succussfully freed the driver. so with no resources available (ambulance, emt's, police jaws of life, etc) at this location in the middle of the night, the man was carried to our bus to be taken to the nearest hospital (2.5 hrs away). 5 hrs after crushing his leg and merely 400mg ibuprofen later (he wanted no more), the man reached the modest hospital for professional care. thankfully, no one was critically injured. i sort of made an excuse to peek inside of the 5 room hospital (including icu) and was oh so thankful for the systems we have in place. i have been known to criticize our healthcare system, but i was immediately humbled...for our facilities, level of care, and availability. ours are not flawless, but our tax dollars do more than a decent job providing such necessary services.

and we made it to hampi (sort of middle south in the state of karnataka). our first day was slow after a long night, and our second day stifled by illness. but the past 2 days have treated us quite well. it is an incredible place of vast boulder fields larger than i have ever seen, and many of which are perched atop another mysteriously defying gravity. interspersed throughout these massive boulders are many many hindu temples and ruins dating back to the 1500s. and beyond that are banana fields, rice patties and small villages. the sunsets and sunrises (we did actually get up early enough to catch one) are out of this world. it is a beautiful landscape and is keeping us here longer than anywhere else we have been thus far.

the monkeys are showing themselves a bit more, and the mosquitoes are horrendous but the friendly locals and the views trump it all...and it is exceptionally cheap!

On the scene - PHOTOS from beyond

okay, so it has been a challenge to download photos (and quite time consuming to post on the blog), but i have finally gotten some downloaded. now that your eyes are red, sore, and unable to focus from all of the words on the page, below are some links to photos from Maharashtra (Mumbai and Mahabalashwar) and Goa (Punjim and Arombol). now you can put some visuals to all of that writing.

http://picasaweb.google.com/katiedonze/IndiaMumbai#
http://picasaweb.google.com/katiedonze/IndiaGoa#

Animals of Arambol

expectations on a beach might generally include human footprints, people lounging, playing frisbee, beach volleyball, probably some seabird footprints, and perhaps some dogs frollicking around. all of these are pretty much fulfilled, but there are also hoofprints and cow dung...and herds of cattle with gnarly horns curving around their heads, nonchalauntly walking or lying beachside...and packs of dogs biting their skin catching some cool air in the shade of a shored boat.

there are some pretty fantastic restaurants too, offering a variety of food with equally great ambiance. the fresh fruit and their juices are out of this world...and there is good coffee to be found here (which unfortunately reintroduces and feeds my addiction that i just recovered from 2 days of caffeine withdrawal headaches from. but it is worth it for now. i guess i will have to rid myself of dependencies another time.) anyway, (back on course), our favorite restaurant here is called double dutch, so we continue to return. the beggars just do not give in though (the cats that is). they watch you, sit in the extra chair at the table and meow. or they treat the sandy ground beneath as a giant litter box and proceed to do their business beneath the chairs...and even theirs is not solid! hahaha

nonetheless, all of these 4-legged beasts are friendly.

and the 6+ legged and winged, i am not quite sure what it is but man, they are eating me alive!

life is good here and laid-back. it moves at a nice, slow pace. we have started to recognize some of the fellow travelers and locals, and they recognize us. but now the time has come for us to move on. we leave unbronzed...as pale as we came, but we are eastbound on an overnight bus the extensive ruins in the ghost-town of hampi (aka "humpy").

The Arambol Experience

i met meg and tim several hours after they arrived. in panjim (the previous town we set out from) i had removed money. taking my time to replace my card and receipt in their proper places, the atm machine sucked the cash back in. thus, i waited around until the bank opened and they audited the machine to retrieve my money. lesson learned. then, i took the local buses about 40 miles west to arombol. i have never seen a bus so crowded in my life. just when it did not seem like 1 more person could cram in, 15 more piled on. 2 1/2 hours later we arrived, i bathing in my pool of sweat. from the bus stop, i began walking toward the beach at our alotted meeting place, pack on my back. motorcycles and scooter far outnumber those of us on foot. when presented with the opportunity to take a load off, i caught the remainder of the walk on the back of a scooter of another visitor. (it was only about 1/2 mile, but it was still worth it).

we have been staying a quaint little basic hotel for $10 a night between the 3 of us. the owners are super friendly, and the man grew up in this house. "i am roman catholic. you are too." searching for a sign why he might assume that, he added excitedly, "you are american, so you are roman catholic." it was easiest to sort of agree, but i quietly added that not everyone in the u.s. is catholic.

thanksgiving eve treated us quite well. while it was not necessarily traditional, our meal was a thai feast at a beach front restaurant washed down with a little kingfisher beer. the sky was clear and the stars were shining bright. and the eve was spent discussing what we are thankful for now, in the past year, and what we are looking most forward to in the coming year. the conversations that ensued was an enjoyable and reflective way to spend the evening, focusing on our (new) perspectives and current travels.


We remain on this small beach resort in northern goa. all of us are admittedly "non-beach lovers", but upon arrival, we quickly changed our story and decided to spend a few extra days here. lounging on the beach is quite nice, but not necessarily relaxing. constantly approached by people selling sarongs and beaded necklaces and bracelets, adn silver anklets, the nice "no thank yous" just don't seem to cut it anymore. i just think to myself, "do not make eye contact" and "always wear your sunglasses...even at night". it is not that i don't want to be sociable. i quite like it, but i lose creativity for saying "NO NO NO, i don't suddenly feel like i want that beaded necklace i have now seen a million times. and i don't want my ears cleaned with whatever you are trying to sneak into my ears." but i never get tired of them asking "how or why are you so white? i can tell you just arrived to the beach." and suddenly they look blinded by my glow-in-the-dark skin.

a walk on the beach is quite enjoyable. the sand is soft and fine. and arambol is in close proximity with 3-4 other small beaches easily reached by a relaxing stroll, some with jagged rocks protruding from the sea. the beach is dotted with dozens of wooden boats and fishing net, taken out each morning for fresh catch, and dotted with even more beachside restaurants (which are fantastic night and day!)

the remainder of the 4-5 days here revolved around reading, relaxing, strolling to nearby beaches and bobbing in the rise and fall of the folding waves. not bad. and today, we mosied to the jungle around the bend, swam in the not so salty lake and followed other visitors along the short path of thick vegetation to "the banyan tree" where a dreadlocked fellow lives beneath and westerners head...for meditation or a spiritual experience perhaps?! between the backdrop of lush vegetation just beyond the palm-tree surrounded lake that is a stone's throw from the ocean, it feels like a little slice of heaven.

Safe and Sound

hey guys! thank you all for your thoughts and concerned emails regarding our safety during the devastating terrorist attacks in mumbai. it is strange to hear of them as we were in many of those places a week and a half ago: the taj mahal bathrooms were the nicest around, we had drinks at leopold's, and took a train out of the main station. our thoughts our with those effected, and hope the city can recover these horrible acts, and that peace will ensue.

i had just gotten off of the bus when i noticed "breaking news" on a local tv screen, and asked about it. we have limited media access, but will be following it as closely as possible. we are quite a bit south of the city now, and are very fortunate to be far from the it...or any city for that matter. we are currently in the state of Goa, many hours south of mumbai, beachside. we will be exploring the remote beaches over the next few days via 2 wheels of some sort (yet to be determined) and our 2 feet. the action is quite different in this leisurely world where the streets are filled with long-hair, dreadlocked hippies, less clothing, beautiful sandy beaches, and drinks and food to match. while it will not be the typical thanksgiving fare, i think ours will be in the form of drink and seafood/indian food. in any case we are very thankful to be where we are, and surrounded by such wonderful friends and family. thanks again for all of your kind thoughts. i hope you all are great! happy thanksgiving!

Southbound

So a quick update: city life began to take its toll, so we jumped a bus from Pune and headed south to Mahabalashwar, a smaller touristy (Bransonish for you fellow missourians) town mostly visited by Indians, but also had walking opportunities to escape...and find much needed peace and quiet in the forests and hills. we strolled along the valleys and hills, greeted a few cows, and explored various temples. it was here that we discovered our true star stature, as we were asked multiple times for our photo (although kids cried when their parents wanted them to pose next to us).

After a couple of days in Mahabalashwar, we jumped an overnight "luxery sleeper" bus, meaning there were beds, but they sort of smelled of dirty head. the roads themselves were quite windy, and were often awakened by a stream of honks and sharp turns that sort of forced the wedging of a limb into the bed frame to avoid flying from one side of the bus to another. not necessarily the most restful night's sleep, we rolled into Punjim, Goa's largest city, safely. it is our first day here, but the town is quite different from the other few places we have visited. it has a strong portuguese influence, including buildings, layout of the city, colors, food, and is much more western. we found a great hotel called Afonso with a kind, gentle-spoken owner, and it is by far the best we have layed our weary heads. the pillows are soft and the bathroom clean. we are happy.

Rite of Passage

Mumbai is a fascinating city with much to show and tell. The systems in place are incredible. and with limited resources (as we know them) and millions and millions of people, the chaos is functional. For example, the ghats (discussed in the previous blog), and perhaps the most intriguing to me is the dabawallah system. Thousands of women throughout the city prepare lunches to be delivered for the working people, and specifically their husbands. So between the morning hours and lunchtime, the food packaged in aluminum trays travels through many hands, on bikers' handlebars, shoulder poles, carried on heads, and for the millions delivered, rarely is one ever delivered late or wrong.

I hope that I have not painted a negative picture of the city, although I would not be telling the truth if i said the smells, large quantities of trash (trash cans are hard to find), the smog, and the extreme poverty didn't effect me, because it definitely does. And sleeping is tough...because i have become hypersensitive to anything crawling or touching me (a piece of hair could be a mosquito carrying malaria or the wind from the fan brushing against me could actually be a rat), but mostly some of the images are haunting.

With so many people packed into the city, the poverty is obvious - young mothers holding a mostly naked child begging for food or money, small children defecating off of the curb, a man collapsed on the sidewalk (possibly dead, maybe still alive. people had left bananas and crackers at his side, but perhaps it was too late), animals sick and wounded, and just quick glimpses into one of the many slums of a city where over 50% of the 16 million live. And the smells that accompany it due to lack of facilities and garbage containers is overpowering. it is difficult to know how to react or what to do, but it leaves me with a visceral response. where do you start? how did these injustices happen? I want to search for the dignity that seems to have been lost somewhere along the way. But their spirits are strong and alive and so is their will to live. There is no fault there. And it seems that a majority of Mumbai residets carry smiles on their faces and are genuinely welcoming and friendly.

i am ready to leave the smog and hustle and bustle of the city (i have never been one for big cities), and am still processing the experiences of mumbai. but i guess, in a sense, it was a rite of passage (if there is one) into India.