Varkala part 2

I am having an fantastic time here! I've met up with a few travelers, one from California, 2 from England, and a few from Sweden. This is exactly the sort of traveling I thought and hoped I would encounter in India! It's been so much fun, and everyone is in the same travel mode as i am. We took the local bus into town yesterday b/c we heard that there was a festival with elephants. The bus is crazy, you just flag it down and hope that it slows down enough for you to jump on (and off). The parade was interesting. There were tons of people in the street and floats with giant hindu gods driving by. We got to the elephant part and it was so sad to see them chained like they were that we couldn't watch all 51 go by so we headed back to the beach for a sunset beer.

Tomorrow 6 of us are going to do the houseboat trip through the backwaters. I'm so glad, b/c I wouldn't have gone on my own, but just opted for the touristy day trip. So now we'll get to see village life along the rivers, which should be very cool. This has really been a highlight of my trip to India and I'm so bummed that it's coming to an end next week! But I am definitely coming back to tour more of the South.

Varkala

I flew to Trivandrum yesterday which is in Kerala...my ticket said leaving Goa at 1:45 and arriving at 6:40 and I'm thinking: is it really that far, have I misjudged the distance? Well no. We stopped like 4 TIMES, for the love. My whole day was take offs and landings.
Anyway, I finally made it to Varkala which is about 45km north. The area I'm in is called North Cliff and it's just that...there is a foot path that goes along the cliff where the hotels, restaurants, shops & yoga studios are and then it's a really steep long climb down the cliff to the beach.
Today I signed up for some yoga classes and I had an aruvedyic massage. It was not what I was expecting. The table was carved wood, no padding, no towel, no soft music playing, no ambiance. But, you know, this is what it's all about, so I'm down. The massage was not very relaxing, needless to say. I also had a scalp massage, which involves warm oil drizzled across your forehead for 45 minutes. I'm a little skeptical, plus, all that oil is going right into my hair and hot water is not a given. But again, I tough it out. Well the oil is BURNING, and I'm trying to tell her that it's too hot and she's just drizzling away, finally, I'm practically to the door and she's like, too hot, madame? UGH - That lasted about 10 minutes too long, I think I'll stick to yoga.
I'm going to stay here for 5-6 days and just chillax on the beach in between yoga classes. I haven't had any physical activity in a month, so we'll see how this goes :)

Goa

Why didn't I come here first?! Goa is absolutely beautiful! Tropical, beach-y, hot...everything that I love. I've been in South Goa for 3 days, it's more mellow and chill-axed than the North. If you've ever heard anything about Goa it's usually related to the crazy partying, which happens in the North. In the South it's mostly Indian families that come for the weekend, so it's pretty quiet.

Six of us came down on Saturday for the club opening. Three of them designed the club and were doing the event management for the opening. I guess it was kind of a big deal b/c South Goa doesn't have any clubs much the less a night life, so there were belly dancers, scantily clad ladies welcoming guests, a DJ from Bombay, even an Indian celebrity! I think the media was there so I'll be sure to save the front page paper w/ my picture.

Today I've taken the bus, actually 2 buses, to the North and I'm going to spend 2 days here before heading to Kerela. The bus was an experience...There's no time table, they just leave when the bus is full. It cost me 30Rs, which isn't even a $1, so I'm not complaining.

The beach town I'm at is called Baga...most of the hippies hang out in Anjuna which is further north and that's where the drug scene is big. I guess it's gotten out of hand and there are rumors that the police are corrupt (surprising? not really) and that the Russian mafia is somehow involved. On Wednesday's there's a big flea market in Anjuna, I can only imagine what's being sold :) I'll let you know what I find.

Bombay-Pune-Lonavla

i decided not to stay in Bombay but I flew there from Udaipur on my way to Pune. To tell you the truth, I'm glad I didn't stay, b/c I got enough of Bombay on the drive from the airport to the train station which goes right through town. It's wall to wall taxis, buildings and people. 2/3 of the population live in slums...does anyone know the population of Bombay? suffice it to say that it's A LOT. You know, I've read the word 'squalor', but the meaning comes to life when you see how these people live. Corrigated metal, tarps and rocks form the walls and roofs of shacks that are strung together for miles. Garbage burns in piles 4 feet high and 30 feet long right where children are running around half naked, relieving themselves in the same spot they're playing in. It's unreal to see the conditions these people live it.

I would give my skin, if I thought it would help.

But Bombay is resilient and these people have come from villages where they are worse off (if you can believe it). They've come to Bombay for a chance that something positive will happen...that their lives will be transformed...and if anything is going to happen, it will happen in Bombay.

I hopped on a train from Bombay to Pune. The train station was a scene! 15 trains, 40 windows to buy tickets to all over the country. And you have to stand in a particular line depending on where you're heading - for the love. Where are the directions? I must have looked particularly pathetic, b/c a man came up to me and asked if I wanted help. Well, knowing that I'm a target (tourist, female, traveling alone - hello), I said no, I'm fine, I'll figure this out. He must have seen the look on my face b/c he proceeded to tell me that he wasn't there to scam me and that he's waiting for a friend and he genuinely wanted to help and see to it that I have a good experience in India. So I very cautiously followed this man and what do you know, he didn't scam me and he really did want to help. He helped me with my ticket and showed me where the train was and then he said good bye. And I was skeptical!

I spent 4 days in Pune with family friends. It was so nice to just chill. OH, I almost forgot to tell you this new word I heard: chillaxing. LOVE IT! Ok, so I'm chillaxing in Pune (say poona) regrouping for my 3 weeks in South India. We take a trip to Lonavla which is a hill station 90 min from Pune to visit family. The next thing you know, I've been invited to Goa for a club opening on Monday. Well I politely decline b/c I'm heading to Kerela, but they insist - so much so that they cancel my flight to kerela, purchase me a ticket to goa and pay for my hotel. So here I am in Goa, funny how things work out.

Udaipur

To the dismay of my new family in the desert, I finally left and headed to the lake town of Udaipur. They really wanted me to stay and celebrate Holi on March 21 - which is the festival when everyone throws (powdered or liquid) color in the air and you come out looking like a clown. But I couldn't do a week in the desert...so I'm headed for the ocean.

You'll know Udaipur from the James Bond movie, Octopussy. Definitely go out and rent it. Almost every hotel/restaurant/bar has a daily showing of the movie - but being the 007 buff that I am, I have seen the movie at least 7 times. The town is very cute, with lots of winding roads around the lake. At sunset, I went to a roof top terrace and ordered a beer, but this place doesn't have a license, so they brought it out in a teapot!

Tomorrow I'm flying to Mumbai and then taking the train to Pune. I'll stay a few days w/ mom's friend and enjoy some home cooking and some family love before setting off to Goa.

The Desert

I just spent two days on a camel in the desert, what was I thinking?? For the love, everything hurts. But what an amazing experience, I've never been to the desert and it was absolutely incredible. So camels are interesting animals...when they sit down, it's like folding up a chair, the front legs go down first and get tucked under their body and then the back legs go down, much like how people sit on their heels. It was a little sketchy the first time Polo, my camel, went down for me to get off. You have to lean WAY back, since they go down front first, you're really pitched forward, but the back follows quickly.

There were only 3 of us on the safari, a very likable Irishman, Connor, our guide, Nan and me. We rode for 2 hours or so and then stopped for a long lunch break to wait out the heat of the day. The camels get to roam around freely, which is a little concerning when it's time to ride again. But Nan seems to know exactly where they are and brings them back in no time. After lunch we rode for 3-4 hours, so it seemed, my sit bones and the area around was on fire. I was practically holding myself up w/ my arms on the saddle to stop myself from rocking in the seat. We finally make it to the sand dunes about an hour before sunset and I can barely walk - but all is forgotten when I watch the sunset - what an incredible sight. The sand is rippled from the wind, and below us is a flat desert that stretches as far as you can see. The sun goes down behind a distant mountain range, it's the most perfect day. We sleep in a row under the stars, and watch the shooting star show.

The next day I'm dreading getting back on that camel, but Nan assures me that it wont hurt as much as the first day, and you know he was right. But by 4pm that day, Connor and I were anxiously awaiting the cold beer that was to arrive with our transport back to town. that totally ranked up there with one of the coolest things I've ever done.

Jaisalmer, India

I left Jodhpur last night on the 11:15pm train to Jaisalmer, it's a 5-6hour ride. If you're looking on the map, I'm practically in the desert near the Pakistan border. The train ride was interesting, I booked a sleeper, AC car. B/c god forbid you get stuck in a car or a train w/o AC! (lol). SO anyway, I've got myself an upper bunk, and I'm tired, from being sick and waiting around all day for my train. I'm lumbering my way down the aisle of my car, b/c at this point not only have I done some shopping so my pack is bursting, but I've accumulated another small piece of hand luggage. I get to my # and i'm the top of 3 bunks. Shit. Not only that but there are 2 sets of 3 bunks facing one another, then a small aisle and then 3 additional bunks facing us. I heave my bag up there b/c there's no way it's fitting under the lower bunk, and scramble up. I can sit up but hunched over w/ my head almost in my lap. There are all kinds of people getting on and I'm relieved that most of them are tourists. What dumbass would take only a 6 hour journey in the middle of the night. Anyway, across from me is a guy from SF, of all places! So nice to speak english gramatically correct. I'm always telling people, no marriage, i have small sister only, more cheaper, you get my point. 5 or 6 hours goes by pretty quick and i'm surprised that I slept. The guy from the Shahi Palace picks me up w/ a couple from Scottland and we head out. What they didnt' tell me when booking is that checkout for the current guests isn't until 9am. OK. It's now 6am. So our option is the roof top terrace, and at first i'm a little skeptical, but it turns out to be absolutely stunning and the guy sets up beds for us on these built in daybed benches and we're looking at this glorious fort lit up right in front of us and the sky is turning that most amazing blue color right before sunrise, and all is good.

My room is awesome! This place is built outof sand stone w/ intricate lattice work and carvings and I'm paying $20 a night. A family owns this place and they are very warm and welcoming. I was invited to help make an authentic indian meal at the owners house w/ some other guests tonight! yey!!! I'll let you know how that goes b/c we're having mutton (goat).
Hope all is well!

Rajastan Part 2

Ok, I'm feeling so much better!
Rajastan is a state in India & Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur are all cities in Rajastan. Zahra and I went to Jaipur and Pushkar, today I'm in Jodhpur and leaving tonight for Jaisalmer. I've been staying at the Havali Inn Palace, this place is so cool. A Havali is a palace, this building is 200 years old and has been converted into 2 hotels. There's a roof top terrace restaurant where I've spent a lot of time trying to get better w/ views of the fort and the town. Once the sun sets, the noises that come up from the town transport you to another time. In one corner you'll hear drums for a while, then someone will turn hindi singing on from a loud speaker and right now, the muslim call to prayer just started, so beautiful arabic is being sung throughout the city. All this of course amongst the constant horn honking :)

Most of the cities in India are similar, but it's when you get outside the bigger towns is where the character of India shines. I think that's why I like Jodhpur...and Rajastan for that matter. The towns are smaller and have more character, people are friendlier although I still get hassled and stared at but so does every tourist :) and everyone is selling the 'best' textiles and spices in town, so shop keepers are constantly trying to draw you into their stores...but you get used to it. Jodhpur is also known as the blue city b/c so many of the buildings are painted blue. I'd like to tell you some romantic story about it, but there's not - it's actually a termite deterrent that they've used on the buildings - lol!

Rajastan, India

Oh, I'm so sorry it's been so long between my posts! I've come down w/ a cold and fever for the last 3 days so have been pretty out of it. But hopefully I'm on the mend :)
So I've been in Jodhpur for the last several days. I went to an amazing fort yesterday...all the architecture here is just amazing. I'm hoping to get some photos up in the next day or so.

This will just be a short one, as I'm still not feeling my creative juices flow :)

Jaipur, India

India is amazing. Zahra and I saw the Taj Mahal at sunrise on Monday morning...it's absolutely breathtaking. And what makes it even more spectacular is that it was built out of love :)
The Taj is in a town called Agra, and we spent 2 nights there before driving to Jaipur yesterday. We've seen more forts, temples and palaces than you can imagine. Everything is 500+ years old and just amazing. Today we went to the Amer Fort and City Palace in Jaipur. We had a guide for a few hours and he opted to join us for some shopping after the tour. He bargained down 2 shirts I'm having made (!) to $15/piece. Handmade, personally, for me!

It's interesting, the 2 of us traveling together. Indian people stare with reckless abandon - there is no shame. So, needless to say, we get stared at alot. Plus we are the only 2 people in all of India, so far, that wear sunglasses. I think people think we're movie stars! Not only are they staring but I've caught a few people taking our picture. LOL

But for the most part people are friendly and always asking if we want to buy whatever it is that they're selling b/c it's "more cheaper".

The food here is off the hook. Z and I can have dinner for $10-$12 and be stuffed and we order 2 or 3 things! Most of the dishes are vegetarian, but you can find non-veg, as they call it. We had a great tandoori lamb yesterday!

Tomorrow we're off to Pushkar, there is a famous Brahman temple there and a lake, which everyone is referring to as a pond, so I'll let you know how that is. Z leaves on Sunday, and I'll be on my own for 4 weeks. I'm so glad that my first introduction to India was with her - it has definitely been a little overwhelming at times.

Ok, so one story...my stories never seem to deviate from this topic...the toilet.
Today, our guide invited us to have chai w/ him and his brother at his brothers 'office'. The 'office' is a tiny room in a building. So we sit on the floor and are chatting and I have to go - so I ask where the toilet is and the brother goes to ask the owner if we can use theirs - in their house. Ok, no problem (they say that alot here too :) So we get the ok and are led to this room with a spigot, bucket and a cup w/ a handle. WTF. no toilet, no squatting hole in the ground (which we come across often) and it's dark in there. I spot a drain in the corner and a little moat that runs around 2 walls of the room - ARE YOU KIDDING! What if you have to go #2?? I won't tell you what we did, but you can guess.

Ganges River

On Thursday, Zahra and I hopped on the Shatbadi Express to Haridwar. We were off on our adventures rafting the Ganga (say: Gung-a) River. The train was great, it was a little hectic at the train station - but once we were on, it was a great ride. Four hours later, we arrived in Haridwar and our driver from Himalayan River Runners (HRR) picked us up for the 1.5 hr drive to the camp. Hardiwar and neighboring town, Rishikesh, are very holy b/c of the River, which is cleaner here than anywhere else in India (only 500km from the beginning). There are many temples & ashrams, and people from all over the world come to study sanskrit and get water from the holy river. You'll have to read on line why it's holy - the story is too long to tell. But in a nutshell: the last of 100 brothers wanted a place for their souls on earth, so he asked Shiva for such a place and from the part in his hair the Ganga river flow out and onto the earth.

So we arrive at HRR and it is a beautiful camp set up along the river. They have 'tents' with 2 cots, 2 chairs and a reed mat set up in the sand facing the river. It's absolutely stunning. The river flows an emerald green color with high mountains rising up out of it....beautiful. We get settled and find out that we are the only clients for the next few days! It was fantastic. There were 12 guides/staff and us! LOL Our guide, Ram, is an Nepali and his brother Vijay is the camp manager. We rafted for a few hours on the first day, just Ram, Z & I and did rapids like 3 blind mice, roller coaster and the wall - I know what you're thinking b/c I was thinking the same thing - holy shit. But it was so fun! Ram was telling us that after the monsoon season, the water level is like 10-15 feet higher and the rapids are crazy. I don't know if I could do much more crazier than we did. That night we had a campfire and all the staff came out to sing Bollywood songs and dance, I haven't laughed that hard in a while.
Friday everyone was asking what we wanted to do, since it was just us we controlled the schedule :) So we kayaked in the morning and then climbed up a rockwall, with just a rope for guidance and then repelled down. That was ridiculous. It's so against everything in your body and mind to lean backwards off a cliff! I've got a few good bruises from that. Then in the afternoon, most of the crew went rafting with us - 5 kayakers and 9 rafters. We had the time of our lives!! The rafting is hard when the water gets white, but having 4 guides in the raft really helped :)
We ate well the entire trip, and Friday night the catering manager/chef trainer invited us to dinner at the Himalayan Hideaway (it's part of the HRR camp). Saturday we got up early and rafted for 4 hours before we had to leave. I took a holy dip on the first of the three blind mice rapids, so I'm good to go for the rest of my trip :)

That was a great experience, and we really feel like part of the HRR family. I'm already looking to come back for more!

Delhi, India

Oh, where to start! I can't believe I've been in India for almost a week! I arrived in Delhi on Tuesday last week. Delhi is crazy, that's all I can say. From the airport to the driving to the city, it's all hectic. Zahra and I got an Auto-Rickshaw, which is a 3-wheeler with a covered carriage on the back. Usually it's meant for 2-3, but we have seen up to 10 inside. Anyway, these things arent' very fast, but very maneuverable. Which is important because you're sharing the road with cars, trucks, scooters, cows, dogs, people, motorcycles, bicycles...you get the point. The lanes on the road are just for show and red lights are an option. If you didnt grow up in India there is no way you could drive here. The horn is used in the most polite ways, as a blinker, when you want to pass, to let drivers know you're behind and want to pass, to let others know to move out of the way b/c you want to pass, hows the weather up there b/c I want to pass, you get the idea. Needless to say, horns are blowing constantly.

Anyway, back to the Auto. We cruise through Delhi and Old Delhi, taking all the sights and smells...Old Delhi is, well, old. There is a lot of poverty, buildings are really run down, things are much dirtier, you can see why they had to build New Delhi :( I wasn't a fan of Delhi, it's just too crowded - I can only imagine how Mumbai is going to be.