Questions?

Namaste everyone!
I am certainly enjoying the comments you have been posting, and I encourage you to post more and also ask any questions you may have. If you post a question I will do my best to answer it. I am leaving a lot out of my postings and if there is anything in particular that you want to know, just ask. Clicking on the "# comments" below will alow you to leave a message.

Mountain boy turned beach bum in Goa

OK, so I was a little skeptical about Goa and the "scene" that it is known for. However, now that I am here, I know why so many people visit here. After about 17 hours of bus journeys, I hopped off at a beach that I thought would be my best bet to sleep for one night. The beach village is called Palolem, and at one time was the busy beach of the state. But times change and Palolem has mellowed out. There is no doubt a lot of travelers here, but we seem to be like minded in that we are avoiding the big parties and crowds. It is a stunning place. There is a huge sandy beach rimmed with a thick palm forest and small rock outcropping on both ends. The water is very warm, I am guessing somewhere in the 70's, while the air has been in the 90's. It is really pleasant here. My days have been consisting of a lot of swimming, climbing (I have found some great bouldering), eating wonderful cheap food (seafood and fish curries, outstanding!), and hiking around the surrounding abandoned bays. In many ways this is unlike the typical India. There isn't any of the usual Indian hassles like the pushy people and scammers. It is nice to take my gaurd down, at the moment. Also, the "no shoes, no shirt, no service" rule does not apply here. In most of India it is unproper to wear shorts, let alone go shirtless, but here it flies. My sleeping arrangement is a simple little shack on the beach that is going for about $4.20 a night. In many ways this is paradise. My pace of travel has certainly slowed down here and the last few days have been relaxed. I will usher in the New Year here (maybe with a nice sunrise swim) and eventually hop a bus and continue on further South. I wish everyone a happy New Year!

The Indian beach babe

Ahhhh...

Home sweet home

Sunrise on the beach

The Mumbai experience

I have finally made it into some new territory. Rajasthan was a repeat visit for me but Mumbai is the start of all new things to see. I arrived here yesterday morning after a long train and bus ride, oh yeah and one expensive taxi ride. Long story short, I put too much trust in these Mumbai "metered" taxis. Oh well, live and learn. So the last couple of days I have been just exploring the streets of the city. It is actually a nice city to walk around in, much to my surprise. I am able to walk for several miles without being disturbed, whereas in Delhi it is hard to even get out of the hotel without being annoyed in some way. The streets here are super clean also. No cows, no rickshaws, and traffic that seems to follow a system. There are actually traffic lights and lines painted in the street, and people actually follow them! One thing that I find so stunning about Mumbai is the architecture. There are so many fascinating buildings around every corner. Places like the Taj Hotel and the main train station that looks like something out of a Batman movie. Besides that, there is the ocean. It really feels great to walk along the harbor and take in the ocean breeze and watch the small fishing boats putter around. Last night I was able capture another one of those wonderful polluted Indian sunsets over the Arabian Sea. So here are some facts I gathered about the city: population - 16.4 million, population density - 29,000 people per square kilometer, average daily income - 134 rupees ($2.79), percentage of people living in slums - 55%, daily traffic through the main train station - 2.5 million people. Certainly some interesting numbers. However, my visit here is brief. I soon embark on a 15 hour bus ride to the small state of Goa. The state is known for its picturesque beaches and parties. Because of that, it is the last place I want to be on New Years, so it may be another brief visit. Probably after a day there I may dart down further South to find some more tranquil beaches. I will keep you all posted as things unfold. Take care.

A bit more charming without the smoke

One of the main train stations of Mumbai

Yeah, another sunset photo

There is so much more to India

So after loooking over the photos I have posted, I realized that they kind of portray a magical and beautiful India. But as I am sure most of you are aware, India is a developing nation and there is so much more to it than what the photos portray. There is so much going on here that my camera is not capturing. Sure, there is great beauty in this place but at the same time there can be a lot of difficult things to digest (I am not talking about the food). The immense amount of litter and pollution, bodies sleeping in the streets, diseased dogs running rampant, the pieced together garbage shacks that people call home, street children hanging on you looking for a handout, the numerous people suffering from polio, and the guy wearing shoes on his hands to pull himself around in the streets because he has lost his legs, are all things in which the camera is not pointed at. Whether it be from the window of a bus or out wandering the streets, these are all harsh realities of India that confronts one on a daily basis. Even though it is easy to physically look away, it is not easy to get these things out of the mind. And I am only seeing this from the point of view of a tourist, I have a feeling I have only seen a small proportion of the hardships in this country. But in a funny way this is also what makes India such a wonderful place. All of these realities certainly makes one more humble. I guess that is the only way I can look at it in an optimistic way. I am certainly not trying to be negative about the country, it is still an awesome place to visit and I am thrilled to be here, but I wanted to give a different perspective. OK, that's enough for now, I had to get that off my chest. Tomorrow, an update from Mumbai...

Merry Christmas from Udaipur

My change of plans turned out to be a wonderful move. I decided to come to Udaipur to meet up with friends and celebrate Christmas. It was quite the extravaganza. Our group consisting of an Austrian, German, Swede, and later on, a fellow American enjoyed a wonderful rooftop dinner of wonderful curries and plenty of wine. The restaurant even had a fully lit and decorated Christmas tree. The city itself was also alive with the Christmas vibe. Shop owners were always quick to say "happy Christmas". After a wonderful sunset, the city skyline came alive with fireworks. It was quite amazing the way that the Indians embraced the Christmas holiday. Later in the evening, traditional Indian musicans showed up and provided great background music. The lead singer in the group even wore a santa hat given to him as a gift. It truly was a wonderful experience. Udaipur itself is another unique Indian city. The old city is situated on a beautiful lake that has two massive palace islands within. Udaipur is called the Venice of India, and even though I have never been to Venice, I must agree. It is a charming place. The locals here pride themselves on the fact that the James Bond movie "Octopussy" was filmed here. From here I continue the trip South and really into the unknown. I am anxious as to what Southern India has to offer. At the moment I have no plans so I am anticipating some interesting experiences in the days to come. I will pretty much be hopping any trains or buses I can get on and stop when I am satisfied with where I end up. Should be fun. I wish you all a merry Christmas.

The Christmas crew

The Christmas dinner

The Christmas view

The Christmas surprise while wandering the streets

(this place never ceases to amaze me)

Jodhpur - Blue city, blue skies

For those of you who have already been familiarized with the "Blue City" , the pictures may be a bit repetitive. But this place is absolutely amazing. Despite spending time here last time around, I entered the city pretty awestruck. Above the city looms the massive "Majestic Fort". This thing is huge, and is visible from everywhere in town. The town itself is also quite amazing. The older part of the city is painted almost entirely blue and is a maze of fascinating little streets. There is also a super fun local market just outside the old city where anything from fruits and veggies, spices, textiles, incense, and cheap clothes are available for sale. Jodhpur is a fun city to just stroll around in and observe what's going on. And that is exactly what I have been doing the last two days. The weather has cleared and the warmth has returned so the strolling has been great. Of course there is still the usual cow dodging and rickshaw dashing. Unfortunately though, this visit is brief. In an attempt to salvage somewhat of a Christmas I am tweaking my plans a bit and heading to Udaipur where I hope to meet up with some folks from camel college. So I hop another bus and continue South tomorrow. You can expect to hear more from Udaipur. Enjoy the snow for me!

Sunrise on the fort from the roof of my $4.50 room



Narrow streets of the old city


The always inspiring Indian sunset

Camel College - 7 camels, 5 tourists, 3 drivers

I have managed to survive a short but fun trip into the surrounding desert. Early Thursday morning, two Spaniards, a German, an Austrian, and myself embarked on a camel safari into the Thar Desert surrounding Jaisalmer. What was supposed to be a two night trip turned into only one night due to rain. Seriously, rain in the desert? So we missed out on the beautiful desert sunrise and sunset, but thanks to our head camel driver, Tiger, we managed to have a wonderful time. The two days spent wandering on camels included visits to traditional villages and stopping for the night to sleep at a sand dune. The villages were very intriguing, from an untouchable (lowest caste in Hinduism) to rich Muslim villages whose wealth stemmed from smuggling gold and silver across the Pakistani border many years before. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were cooked for us over an open fire and I learned the art of eating only with my hands, as utensils were not provided. Our head camel driver was an extremely happy man whose singing was like none other. His singing ranged from traditional village songs to his very own camel safari version of "I'm a Barbie Girl", complete with a voice I can imagine is similar to Barbie herself. The food was simple, but good, consisting of the usual rice, curry, and chapatti. All in all it was an excellent trip despite the cold (relative) and wet weather. So now I begin working my way South, which I am anxious to see, as it will be a whole new India not known to me. I hope everyone is doing well and I wish you all the best.

"No chicken, no curry, no worry my friend."

Lunchtime!! Chapatti and curry

Softening up my trusty steed before we embark

Jaisalmer - Desert Paradise

I guess paradise isn't the best way to describe this place (or anywhere in India for that matter) but for a lack of a better word, I will use it. It may not be paradise but Jaisalmer is a fascinating place. It is situated in far West India about 200 km from the Paki border. The desert around the city is quite sandy but not barren like you would expect. There is brush and small trees scattered around. Jaisalmer is called the Golden City due to the golden sandstone used to construct the city and the massive fort. The fort is still alive with action despite its age. People still live, work, and do whatever else it is Indians do within the walls of the fort. I had a lovely 10 hour bus ride through the night to get here, only to arrive in a rain storm that flooded the streets. I am told that rain like that is rare. So the last couple days I have been eating (a common theme) and wandering the narrow streets of the fort. People are quite friendly here and I actually got a turban tying lesson from a young Muslim man. Sadly I need a lot more practice before I can properly tie a turban. So tomorrow I mount a trusty steed and head into the desert for three days. The tour will take me through "traditional" villages and empty sand dunes. I will give an update on that journey upon return. I will be thinking of you all in the sub zero weather while I am sleeping under the stars in the hot desert. Ha Ha. (oh I am going to pay)

Life within the walls of the fort

View from atop the fort

Living it up in Pushkar

The last couple of days I have been hanging out in the holy city of Pushkar, which is in the desert state of Rajasthan. It is an exciting place and in many ways captures the essence of India. I am told there is around 500 temples in town, I believe it despite the Indian tendency to exaggerate. There are shrines and temples shoved into every little pocket on every street. Another good indicator of its holiness, the amount of cows. At times the streets can get so overwhelmed with the holy bovine that I am constantly in fear for my toes. But I am convinced that I have some good karma remaining as most of the cows let me pass without a problem, with the exception of one gal who felt it necessary to let me know who is boss. However, my quick moves prevented a horn in the butt. Other than that, it has been a restful couple of days. Of course there are stories to tell, but in the interest of keeping these postings short I am going to exclude them for now. As I hear that winter has taken a cold grip on you all, I must rub in that nothing but blue skies and 80's prevail here. However I am still yearning to go skiing, so feel free to get me back with your winter fun. My next posting should be from the golden city of Jasielmer, in far western India. This will be a new experience for me, so there should be some rich stories to come. Hope all is well.

Sunset over Pushkar

Wandering the streets

Tired, but glad to be back

Well, I made it into Delhi today, and had a good mind refresher on what makes India, India. The deightful stench of raw sewage, garbage, cow manure, incense, and spices...death defying cows and people that make up Delhi's chaotic streets... pollution... untrustworthy taxi drivers... and of course banana pancakes and masala chai. It is great to be back here. I am kind of wore out at the moment, pretty jetlagged, and after a day of wandering the streets, certainly ready for a good nights rest. So I am going to leave you with a couple of photos that are hot off the press, I really took the top one just before I came in to jump on the internet.

The Basmati rice express.

A sea of Tuk Tuks.

Thats about all I have for now, tomorrow is a new day, new place.