Let Me Come Home

(Love the song "Home" by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes)...

After a semester of teaching at the university in Jinju, a mid-semester week-long wander to Japan and several more weekends of Korea outdoor awesomeness, I've pounced on the opportunity to wander home for six weeks before returning for another semester in Korea. SIX WHOLE WEEKS! This was perhaps the most exciting thing in my life for the weeks leading up to this trip... You wouldn't believe how often my mind wandered to thoughts of cheese, micro-brews, my kitty Luna, family and friends, new babies, bike riding in the sunshine... Ahhhh. Home.

Being home as been a true joy. I feel so lucky to have this place and these people in my life, to feel so attached to home. How have I spent my first two weeks being back?

Making sure I'm home in time for dinner. Dad's cooking is still out of this world (and, there's always good beer and wine to be had).

Loving the people in my life. And what better way to start off my first week than by witnessing my brother propose to his girlfriend? I gained a new and amazing sister in a matter of days after my arrival. Mom and dad always make me happy and, as it's always been throughout my mid- to late-20s, I always enjoy our ever-evolving relationship. My two longest-standing friends have beautiful children (one of whom was just born two weeks before my arrival) and being with them is a beautiful thing and lights up my life. Next up: the out of town friends!

Being a gym rat at the local climbing gym. Okay, so I only go about twice a week, but still. It's a great way to kill a few hours mid-day and I've never had the chance to experiment with bouldering ceilings!

Enjoying the beautiful Willamette Valley summer weather (until three days ago). My first week and a half brought perfect weather--sunshine, blue skies and NO humidity (a rare treat in my life these days). Bike rides, runs (or, attempts at a run), driving with the windows down and the music up, reading on the back deck in the evenings as the sun sets... Makes me smile just thinking about it.

Picking berries from the yard! Neither Ohio nor Korea could offer this to me--that's 5.5 years out of the last 6.5 years I've been missing out! Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, oh my!

Talking with people from my second home in Korea. When you call a place home for 2.5 years, no matter how good it feels good to be back in your original home surrounded by all its beauty, you can't help but miss it. And, of course, the people. Thank goodness for facebook! :-P

Being inspired--and proud of my home. It's US Track and Field Olympic Trials time and Eugene is shining as the host city. Watching athletes in their finest moments and feeling the positive energy from those around me also witnessing such greatness is an amazing feeling (and makes me miss sport and competition immensely).

Enjoying the moment. Relishing place. Being present. Loving home.

Money, Money, Money!

In case anybody's curious (because I know I usually am)... I want to write about money. I want to write about the money I spent (and what I spent it on) because I for one was a bit surprised at how little money one could actually spend in India. And, cost of living is always interesting when compared across the globe (I think now about a book that fascinated me when I was a kid, a book that my dad brought home from the library called "Material World" that had families across the world lay out all of their possessions in their yard, or on their roof, or in the street... I'm sure you can imagine what the American family's collection looked like compared to a family from Ethiopia). Anyways, I'm always interested and curious, so...

I don't necessarily like to talk about money specifics (I am, after all, American and we don't ask THOSE kinds of things), but I'm going to here anyway. And because I plan to return to India next year for a longer duration, I kept track of everything I spent during my two months so I could have a better idea of how to budget for my next trip.

Starting with the biggest numbers... My grand total (including all airline tickets) was US$2,136 (that's with the exchange rate of US$1 = 50 Indian Rupees) for a 58 day trip.

Airline tickets: $750
Malaysia total (5.5 days): $114
Malaysia daily average: $20.73 per day
India total (52.5 days; NOT including shopping): $872
India daily average: $16.61
India shopping and shipping: $400
*(I shipped a package to the US and two to Korea, for $35, $17 and $22, respectively)

Not to bad, I'd say!

Food Talk

Let's talk India. Not the interesting story-telling type of India talk, but the run-on sentence, spastic, stream of consciousness type of talk. About everything. Anything. Just, India...

Let's start with my absolute favorite thing: food. People this past week have often asked me about the food in India. My immediate reaction, without fail, has been to first answer non-verbally by throwing my hands up and demonstrating my pure excitement in my face. "AMAZING" is usually the word that comes out of my mouth next.

To describe the food in India (and give it any justice at all) would be like me asking you to describe the most beautiful sunset you've ever seen, or the 360-degree view from the top of a mountain you've just spent all day climbing, or anything else that you've ever experienced that has made you actually--and I mean actually--stop and say "wow." That's what most Indian food did for me. It made me stop and say "wow."

Most memorable meals and favorite dishes:

Chicken korma: A simple dish of a cashew curry gravy and chicken over rice. Korma curries are very thick, and cream-based (with yogurt, coconut or nut paste). But this dish, which I ate at a beach-front restaurant in Patnam (Goa), was heaven in my mouth. I asked somebody one time about the Indian "gravy" as they call it, and apparently the majority of them get their heavy, creamy richness from cashews. Cashews EVERYWHERE. Mmmm.

Coconut Veg Curry: The particular one I'm thinking of was a to-go meal, as a matter of fact, in the hill station of Munnar. It was my last night and I knew I had to return to this little street vendor who sold the most amazing coconut veg curry and parottas (a type of bread, see below). This was one of those classic cheap and delicious meals, which put me back a total of less than US$1. When you get anything take-out, it comes in newspaper. So, my coconut curry came in a little plastic sack and was wrapped inside newspaper with my two parottas. The curry was light colored, sweet from the coconut, but with a little heat, and full of carrots, potatoes and onions. Heaven in my room that night, eating from my newspaper place setting...



Idly: My first idly was my second meal in India (and I continued to order idly until my last day in India). Idly are little spongy, savory white cakes made from fermented lentils and rice. Sounds delicious, right? Well trust me, when you dip them in the coconut chutney and sambar (oftentimes spicy, a vegetable "stew" made from tamarind) that always come with the idly. Idly are generally more for breakfast, but can be eaten as a snack. Sambar is delicious, but OH, COCONUT CHUTNEY, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?! One of the things I enjoyed most was sampling all the different styles of coconut chutneys at different restaurants. They vary so much, but when you get a good one, WHOA.





Speaking of coconut chutney and sambar...

Dosa: This is a fermented 'crepe' of sorts, made from rice and lentils. It usually comes out paper thing and a bit crispy. There are several variations, but I usually stuck with just a plain dosa, or a masala dosa (which is stuffed with spiced potatoes). One of my go-to dishes, when I was feeling indecisive.





Parotta: A layered flat bread, eaten mostly in South India. In fact, it was impossible to find parottas once I left the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu (and wow, was I sad about THAT). Parottas are a different texture from nan, or roti, or chapatti, which are flatter and dryer... They are much softer, more moist and just delicious to eat. The dough is such that the parottas are a bit stretchy when you try to pull a piece off. Parottas were the perfect complement to any kind of gravy--veg curry, palak paneer (cheese and spinach), aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower curry), tomato fry (spicy tomatoes), dal and more.



Sheera: Unfortunately for me, I discovered this dish quite late in my trip, but I am SO glad that I discovered it at all. Sheera is a breakfast food. It comes out as a molded scoop of yellow... Looking similar to cous cous or saffron rice, but it's not exactly a grain texture. Think Cream of Wheat, or corn meal, I guess. It's sweetened with honey and coconut, flavored with cardamom saffron, and mixed in are cashews, almonds and raisins. After discovering this dish, it was almost a daily thing to hunt down a restaurant serving it.



Uttapam: Uttapam is a thick, savory pancake, with things cooked into it. My personal favorite was onion (perhaps mainly because they use red onion, and in Korea it's so hard to find red onions!). They usually come with some herbs sprinkled on top, and that famous coconut chutney and sambar! A great snack OR meal...



Curd: Fresh, unsweetened, thick, creamy, homemade yogurt. Need I say more? It's everywhere. A great thing on its own OR mixed in with curry on rice.

Indian sweets: They use a lot of milk and A LOT of sugar. That's really all I can say... Do me a favor and scroll down the page on this link to Indian Sweets, and then you might understand why I had NO idea what I was eating when I'd point to something in a glass case for all those times I was craving sugar. I had little doughnut balls, the beautifully designed orange things (PURE sugar), sweet rice pudding, little squares of fudge-like sweets (but in pistachio or cashew flavor), milk cake... And more.

A box of sweets I got in Mysore:



Gadbad, the local speciatly dessert in the Dandeli, Karnataka area:



Chai: One of my favorite things in India, because it was everywhere. Chai is a mixed spice tea made from cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pepper that is cooked over the stove with water, milk and black tea. When I left for India, I planned to drink chai and nix coffee from my life. I did it (with the exception of a few times just for fun--and, naturally, coffee is very much a part of my life again now that I'm back in Korea). Chai ranged from tiny five rupee (US$0.10) cups to larger 25-30 rupee (US$0.50-0.60) cups in more expensive, touristy areas. Chai was in restaurants and all over the streets. You could often find a chai at a little shack on the side of a country road, that looked more like a person's house, but apparently operated ALSO as a mini chai stop. Some chai was deathly sweet, some was brought out without sugar and you could add your own (it's better with at least some sugar). Some of it was quite bland, some quite milky, and some quite spicy. My perfect cup of chai was heavier on the spices and lighter on the sugar and milk. Sometimes your cup or chai hits the spot and all feels right in the world, and sometimes it's not so much a satisfaction as it is just a running through the daily motions of life in India. One time I even had smoke-flavored chai (though, I'm not sure it was intentional), when my friends and I were in Dandeli on our jeep safari tour and had our drivers stop for chai. It was one of those little side of the road shacks and came to us tasting like smoke. Smoky chai. That was one of those going through the motions chais :)

Anise: At most restaurants, when the waiter brings you your check he brings it with a little bowl of anise seeds. Sometimes it's just the seeds, sometimes they're sugar coated in white or pastels. They're used as a digestive in India, but I just loved having the taste of black licorice in my mouth :)

Lassi: The famous Indian lassi. Who doesn't love one of these? Plain, sweet, banana, mango... They're all delectable.

There's so much more I could say (as always) about the food in India, but I'll just go ahead and leave you with this: sweet papaya, fish curry, pickled mango chutney, spicy chicken curry, cucumber yogurt salad, cumin, cardamom, anise, black pepper corns, samosas and other fried street snacks, cloves, masala (spice) flavored chips, savory banana chips with a hint of coconut flavor, coconut, coconut and more coconut, fresh pineapple, bananas galore (of the larger and smaller, mini variety), purple garlic, new fruits, lentils and chickpeas, chapatti, roti, tandoori, mango shakes...

Chikku (a very sweet fruit):


A random edible plant that was given to me one day by a shop keeper:


A typical dish all over the country (but which varies depending on region) called "thali" and generally consists of rice, curd, chapatti or roti, pappadam (crisy bread), sambar, chutney, dal, curry, pickled mango... And other things:



Well apparently food took up a lot more time and space than I'd expected (silly me, I should have known)... More "India Talk" soon!

Between Two

Back in Korea! I have so much to update on this blog about my trip through India, so expect posts and photos to pop up over the next month or so. So, I'll between my two blogs--the "Wandering Edition" and "Korea"!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Okay, well, maybe not the bears. Aaaand fine, not the lions, either. BUT, I continue to consider myself one incredibly lucky person because this afternoon, while driving through the Indian jungle, I saw a tiger.

Let me repeat: I. Saw. A. Real. In-the-wild. Tiger. Tiger. TIGER!

Right now I'm in Dadeldi, still in the state of Karnataka. Three friends and myself made it up here yesterday on our way toward Goa so we could stop at a wildlife reserve for a day or two in hopes of seeing some animals. Definitely some monkeys. Most likely some bison. Possibly a sloth. And most likely NOT a black panther, leopard, or tiger.

We spent our morning today shopping around for a good jeep safari tour and settled on one for early tomorrow morning (by far the best deal in town!!). So, with an afternoon to spare, we headed to the local bus station to see if we couldn't just hop on a bus somewhere for the afternoon. Turns out our options were limited, but we did end up paying $3 each for a 64km round-trip in an auto rickshaw out to some special rock in the river. (Turns out, though it's an incredibly beautiful spot, the actual attraction is some rocks that create a mini waterfall where, if one--human and animal alike--meets an unlucky fate and slips down the rocks, they will be pushed down under these rocks and churned and churned for three days before surfacing. Thirteen people have died in this spot; the 13th only a few days ago and witnessed by our rickshaw driver. So tragic.)

Anyways.

We saw the sights, took some photos, and headed back. We were all in the middle of conversation when I saw something up ahead. An animal. But, it's not unusual--it's really rather common, in fact--to see animals all over the roads here. Cows, dogs, goats, they all spend ample time in the streets in India. So, you might understand why it took my brain (as well as my friends' brains) a few seconds to register that this animal up ahead was no cow or goat, but a large feline. We all reacted almost at once, the driver included, shouting out sounds that I really have no recollection of due to my immense excitement. We watched it cross the road, but when we got to the same place it had already disappeared into the forest.

The funny part was... You know how they do experiments to demonstrate how we see what we want to see, or our attention to detail is really quite crap if we'd ever have to describe a suspect? Well, we all saw something a bit different. We were all certain that it was a large feline. That much was obvious, given that unmistakable cat-like walk and long, thick tail waving in the air behind it. Between four of us, though, we saw spots on the body and stripes on the tail. We saw a light-colored coat AND a dark-colored coat. We saw a small leopard-sized head, or no head at all. And all of these amazing details came out of our mouths all at once, once the initial shock was gone. It took about ten minutes to clarify with our driver/guide that it was indeed a tiger... An animal that this young man had only seen twice--TWICE--before in his entire life.

Apparently there are about 87 leopards in the area, 27 black panthers and, according again to our guide today, ELEVEN tigers in this area. If he's correct, then we saw one of ELEVEN tigers out here.

Yes, allow me to repeat the one thing I have said oh so many times in my recent years: I am one damned lucky woman.

Travel vs. Vacation

My first month in India was spent traveling around to a new place every three to five days; now, on the contrary, I've split the last three weeks between only two places, Hampi and Kudle Beach in Gokarna. During that first month, I was primarily on my own, with only a few fleeting friendships here and there that lasted no more than three days, and more often than not only an afternoon or evening because the other person and I were never moving on in the same direction. So, most of the time I was a true solo traveler and often only one in a handful of foreigners surrounded by Indians. It was novel, exciting, stressful, frustrating and fascinating all at once. I was eating $1 meals, drinking $0.16 chais, snacking on $0.10 samosas, relying on myself for everything and simultaneously fighting and embracing the beautiful chaos that is India. Buuuuut, I find that oftentimes, one needs a vacation from their vacation.

So, the past three weeks have been just that. My first month was traveling the "real" India, and my last month has become indulging in a real "vacation." Hampi and Gokarna, though very much India, are places that are full of foreigners. They are completely different from Mysore or Munnar in that, despite all being tourist destinations, the former are comprised almost entirely of guest houses, shops and restaurants that cater to foreign visitors. Menus go from including only Indian fare to ALSO including Italian pizza and pasta, Israeli hummus and falafel and much more very non-Indian food. (And, admittedly, I have since allowed myself to indulge in the occasional falafel plate and veggie burger from time to time)

Real India or not, my 45 days in this country have offered me more than I could have asked for. Though, they leave me with only wanting more...

Eleven more days in India before flying back to Korea. Hopefully I'll get more pictures up and write more before that 11th day comes--there is so much that I HAVEN'T shared!! So, so much!

Love to all!

Cows, Cows, Cows on the Beach!

There's a song I heard often this past year in Korea, one that my students liked to sing every now and then, that has a chorus line of "Sex, sex, sex on the beach!" For some reason that line from the song came to mind the other day when I had no other option than to share my beach space with a few cows.

The cows roam as freely in this country as people--though, you may not be surprised to hear that since they are, after all, sacred over here!! The beach is always dotted with cows, it's really quite cute. The other day, I was on the beach with three friends, two of whom made up a little shelter from some sarongs. A cow wandered up, stopped in front of their shelter, and stared at me with its long eye lashes for about three minutes. Then, out of nowhere, it started peeing only inches away from the corner of my friend's blanket in the sand. The cow, once relieved, then moved over to my other friend and myself and must have decided that it liked us because it plopped itself down right next to us in the sand. Not long after, another little black cow followed suit and soon we had two cows sunbathing with is. Needless to say, we were the center of several people's cameras for a little while. Too funny. Check it out:

From the Boulders of Hampi to the Beaches of Gokarna...

As per usual, there's more to catch up on than I have time to write about... So, in stream of consciousness form...

Today is perhaps my sixth day in Gokarna, on Kudle ("Kud-lee") Beach. It's one of five beaches in this area, all within walking distance from one another and oddly enough, falling nicely in line on a spectrum from most developed to least developed. The first beach, furthest north, is that of Gokarna town itself. I haven't spent time on that beach, but the town of Gokarna is actually quite lovely. About 15 minutes south is Kudle, lined with one row of restaurant/guest house combos. Another ten minutes south is Om Beach, slightly smaller and fewer restaurant/guest houses. And then comes the most interesting of the beaches, Half Moon and Paradise Beaches. Half Moon has about three guest houses, which consist only of little huts, and three restaurants. There is no electricity on Half Moon. And Paradise, the lovely Paradise Beach, has turned into a hippy commune of sorts in the past year after all of the restaurants and guest houses were town down last year. Now, people just go set up camp under sarongs and in hammocks. There are some Indian guys who come cook food every day should one not have the equipment (or desire) to cook their own food. It seemed like a nice little community and is one of those places where people go and get stuck for weeks--many even months--at a time.

It's funny, the notions of "tourists" and "backpackers"--even "travelers." Sometimes people get a bit pretentious or defensive with these labels... As was the case when a friend and I walked down to Paradise Beach to check it out. Upon walking up, a young European guy turned to his friend and said something along the lines of "Ugh. This place is becoming like a tourist destination with people coming here just to look." For a half-second I was offended; then, I just laughed out loud at his remark and wanted to say to him "Buddy, we're all the same and just because I choose to sleep on a different beach doesn't mean I'm not allowed to come spend time on the other beaches. Get off your high horse."

I can certainly understand what he meant, as there really are discrepancies between your average 20-30 year old backpacker and your average middle-aged or retired tourist. Sometimes people annoyingly bombard local people with their cameras as though they're "sights" just like the temples or the beaches (understanding, of course, that local people, too, make up part of the whole experience, but I don't like to put my camera in their faces out of respect for their space and everyday lives). But, when young ego-filled backpackers want to get cocky like that, it's obnoxious. At least these "tourists" are out of their home countries seeing the world, right?

Anyways... The people you meet while traveling never cease to intrigue me. But, let's talk India rather than three 40-year old Turkish men who spend half the year in India and the other half in the tourist industry in Turkey, or the Austrian girl who's been living on Paradise Beach for two months carving stones...

Hampi was incredible. Amazing. Awe-inspiring, if you will. The ruins that spread across for miles are a UNESCO World Heritage sight and was a major area for empires dating back to the 14th-16th centuries. Basically, it's a massive area of land covered in reddish-tan colored boulders as far as the eye can see, with a few ancient temples popping up here and there. It's crazy--and full of crazy monkeys as well! And, while I was there the rice paddies were as green as green as can be, so picture standing in Hampi, looking out first on to bright green rice paddies dotted with snow-white egrets, then over lines of vibrant green banana trees and coconut palm trees to endless boulder fields. Oh, and then look up a bit more to the always blue sky, often times sparsely decorated with thin, wispy white clouds. Magic.

Being in Hampi was different than any of the other places I'd been previously in India. Though it's very much India, it's also very much not India. What I mean is, previously, I could spend days without meeting another foreigner and I was always surrounded by Indians--on the streets, in restaurants, on buses. But, Hampi surrounded me with foreigners and foreigner-friendly food. There are two options for accommodation in Hampi; one on the bazaar side (more shops, etc.) and one across the river. Aside from my first night (in which I arrived at 11pm), I stayed across the river. It's known to be the quieter side, so that suited me just fine. I had a recommendation from a Spanish girl I met my first morning on the bazaar side, and immediately took her advice and moved to Manju's Place, a lovely guest house away from almost everything, save for a few more guest houses. To get there, one must walk away from the "main road" and through rice paddies about five minutes. I had my own little hut for US$5/night, they had a restaurant there should I ever get hungry or thirsty and the family and staff were beyond wonderful. I could easily have lived there for a while...

So, in the end, all of this kept me there for eleven nights total, and it would have been easier to stay longer had I more time on this trip. I made some friends early on who climbed, so I mostly spent my days climbing (bouldering, more specifically) in the early mornings, and then the afternoons and evenings filled with laziness, trips to the other side of the river, temples, bike rides, sunsets and fine meals with lovely company. Lucky to be livin' the good life, as all I can say to that.

Now, very much in contrast to the lay of the land in Hampi, I spend my days on the beach (and plan to do so for my remaining 14 days in the country. I've been doing yoga every day for a few hours with a lovely instructor, then spend the rest of my time on the beach, with friends, eating, walking to Gokarna town or the other beaches and that's about it. Not that I'm rubbing anything in, of course... :-P

Speaking of... It's 12:30pm and I need some sustenance and sunshine. More pictures soon!

Peace and love to all!

Toilet Talk

Hey, it's all part of the game.

I had big goals for today, ambitions. I was to cross the river to the other side of Hampi on the five-minute and 15 rupee boat ride to where all the sights lie--namely, ancient temples galore that one could spend a solid week or two exploring. One might think that'd be the first thing crossed off the 'list' upon arrival; but me? I came to the other side of the river on my first day. It's where the climbing is. And it's the more chilled out, relaxed side with less hassle of shops and touristy-things. But, I'll tell you more about THIS side of the river later. Now, let's talk the inevitable: illness in India. And, anyone who knows me well knows that rarely do I have shame in speaking of such personal matters... Read at your own discretion (though, I'll keep it PG).

I have now been in India for over 30 days, though I can't remember exactly how many. I've eaten street food, drank five rupee chai on the sidewalks, dined at little hole-in-the-wall restaurants and been less than anal about hygiene (gotta live a little, right?!) And, I've considered myself lucky and been as healthy as I could have possibly been.

Until now.

Three nights ago I came back from a lovely dinner with some new friends, only to puke it all right back up. And I mean ALL of it. Straight to bed it was for me. That night brought a very fitful sleep--waking several times to hot and cold, hot and cold. When I woke to my climbing alarm at 7am, I knew immediately I would not be getting out of bed just yet. Turned off the alarm and woke again around 9:30am. It probably took me about 30 minutes just to physically get myself out of bed... Head pounding. Throbbing. Body aching--from the surface of my skin to the depths of my bones. Pull the covers off, step one. Made it. Next step, sit up. Done. Hair tangled in the mosquito net. Uh-oh... More throbbing. Everywhere. Collapse into fetal position at the foot of my bed, laying sideways now. Slight moan. Try again. Raise the mosquito net, slide underneath to the straw mat on the floor of my little mud hut. Sit, head in hands, waiting... Attempt a sip of water. Eventually make it out of the hut to the toilet. Say hello to friends. Order a ginger lemon honey tea. Force myself to drink it. Go back to bed. For hours. Wake up, force-feed myself muesli, fruit and yogurt. And another tea. Back to bed. Wake up around dinner time for another tea and a few chapatti. Bed by 9pm. Sound sleep, fever gone when I woke up the next morning.

Beautiful! Felt great yesterday.

And yes, I really was that pitiful. Shameful, I know.

I thought I was in the clear. But no...

People had always warned me about India; and, a few people along the way had warned me about Hampi. And now, I am in the thick of it and today anything--and really by that I mean EVERYTHING--that goes in comes immediately pouring out. The ultimate weight-loss regime! Come to India!

Let's just hope this is one of those one-day things, though. I enjoy my food too much and have many an ancient temple to attend to on the other side of the river before too long...

More Tales from India

where, oh were to begin?

perhaps with the fact that i haven't found a decent keyboard yet in this country, which makes typing long blog entries a pain. this particular keyboard has a dysfunctional shift key on the right side, so i'm opting to use no capital letters.

otherwise, please excuse all other typos and let's talk india. incredible, incredible, india...

i believe i left off talking about my love for the city of madurai... :) the main attraction in this city is meenakshi temple. i can't even begin to keep straight any of the hundreds of hindi gods, so i won't make any attempts to enlighten you on that just now. but, like so many historic sites, this temple has been built and rebuilt over many centuries. it's massive. and very, very colorfully decorated with hundreds and hundreds of hindi gods that one could sit and take in for hours if one had the patience.

i paid my tourist fee (often times, indians pay around us$0.50 or less, where tourists pay more like us$5--and then some if you want to take photos. there are parts of the temple only open to hindis (i accidentally found myself in one of them and was promptly, but politely, asked to leave... it wasn't my fault they didn't have any signs up in this spot like they did all the others!).

anyways, i got my train ticket out of there that night and hopped on a 7:50pm overnight train to mysore. i was in sleeper class, the second cheapest. this means that i got a berth to sleep in for the night--an upper one like i had requested (and thank goodness i did!), and had a decent night's sleep all things considered. my train journey was really quite uneventful, until we hit bangalore around 6:30am and OH MY GOD all hell broke loose. before, the train had still been calm, quiet and not crowded. bangalore brought on the complete opposite--complete chaos. i continued to perch in my upper berth as hoards of people pushed their way on to the train and fought--literally--for seats. and, naturally, there were certainly not enough seats for everyone. i was largely ignored in my upper berth #24; not sure if it's because i am a foreigner, or what. i was definitely the only foreigner in my carriage. finally, a young boy in his 20s, perhaps, asked me in hindi (or some other language?) if he could sit up next to me. i figured his bravery warranted himself a seat ;) he then proceeded to speak to me, but i didn't understand. all i gave him was a blank stare. he says to me "english?" i nod my head and say yes, and that, my friends, was the end of our conversation. until we reached mysore three hours later, that is, when i confirmed that this was indeed where i should get off the train.

enter the city of mysore. thankfully, india redeemed itself with my trip to the city of mysore, in the state of karnataka. a city of just under one million people, i wasn't sure what to expect. but in the end, i was pleasantly surprised--and ended up staying four nights!

excerpt from my journal:
"what. a. day.

chaos from the train ride. insanity of getting myself off the train and out of the station. fatigue and frustration of finding a motel for the night (and an epic fail with my attempt at the ymca hostel in which i wasted $3 on a ricksaw ride). and then paying 600 rupees ($12) for one room tonight. and then getting fooled into room service (though, it ended up being good--an omelet, toast and chai). being led astray by a "helpful man not looking for money, only concerned with getting good karma by helping tourists" to an old market that only opens on this one day every week and closes in the early afternoon... then being side tracked to his "coffee shop like in amsterdam." then his anger when i said i had to go back and that i didn't want to see his coffee shop like amsterdam where a lot of american and german and other tourists go to hang out. and then meeting another guy on my way back who wanted to show me his coffee shop like amsterdam. and his big "fuck you" as he gave me an up and down stare with a look of disgust and said something else to me that was incomprehensible."

yup. what a day indeed. getting an indian guy to give me a solid "fuck you" is definitely the sign of a good day. turns out i had a third guy try the same thing on me a few days later. aaaannnnd, during dinner with a lovely scottish girl we found out that my "fuck you" guy tried to pull the same thing on her. lucky for both of us, we trusted our instincts and did not follow these guys to their coffee shops like in amsterdam. ha!!

anyways, mysore became my city of indulgence. after starting off with paying double my normal amount for a room and having room service for the first time in my life, i decided to live it up a little. needless to stay, i started that night with a beer at a rooftop restaurant. a much needed kingfisher. i did some shopping during my four days there. i sampled some indian sweets (they consume sooo much sugar here!!). i went to a western-style coffee shop and ordered a mocha for three times the price i pay for my normal daily chai. i used my korean facemask that i had brought with me to make myself a little spa night my first night in my 'fancy' motel room.

i met a guy from bend, oregon my second or third night in mysore who is cycling around india for three months. daniel, the same age as my parents, approached me after i sat down alone at the same rooftop restaurant adn asked me if i wanted some company. he invited me over to his table, which he shared with with a young indian man who he basically pays to help him do whatever he needs to do around town. turns out that daniel was a very odd man and though i was thankful for the company for a little while, after about 20 minutes i was wishing i had politely declined his offer for company. in my few hours with daniel, i learned that he went to the doctor in india, after being too self-conscious to do so in oregon, and that his psa levels are negative and the doc gave him some pills that have seemed to make him depressed so he was thinking of stopping them and just dealing with the dysfunction and that he'd be meeting a lovely german woman for a three day weekend soon and that he wanted me to come with him on a cycling tour on the east coast of india that he's pay for at the price of $1,200, but that it wasn't to get me into bed because he had no interest in that and only wants good company. whoa. too much. waaaay too much.

i declined an invite to join him and his little indian servant boy for coffee when i ran into them the next morning. sheesh!!!

(side note: currently eavesdropping on who i assume to be a young korean man in this internet cafe/travel agency while he hashes out some mis-communication with the guy here about a bus ticket; the korean guy (and the indian guy) is so damned polite! ha! i do kind of miss that country sometimes... korean people can be so lovely)

a bit scattered? yes. too much to write, not enough time to do so.

in hampi now, the land of temples and miles and miles of boulders to climb. more soon!!

Madurai and Mysore Photos

The Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai:















Photos from Mysore:

"Frid Rice" anyone?



This is a temple at the Mysore Palace:





Mysore Palace:



On the streets of Mysore, near the market:



Market in Mysore:









For some reason that I never figured out, all the cows in Mysore were dyed yellow:



One of the greatest things about India is their tailors. Tailor are found everywhere and you can take anything to them and they'll fix it or make you a brand new one in a different fabric. I had this guy remove some elastic from the sleeves of a dress; it took him all of three minutes and I paid $0.40 for it.

Tales from India

Big City Charm (Madurai, Tamil Nadu)

It took me until breakfast this morning--while inhaling my favorite, masala dosa--to find some appreciation for this city. Madurai is the largest city I've been to thus far, and wow can I feel it.

I arrived yesterday evening around 5:30pm after a six hour bus ride from Munnar. I was lucky enough to find a friend for the bus ride, a young 20-year old Aussie named Isaac (ironically, after spending over eight hours together, it wasn't until we parted ways last night that we exchanged names). He was moving on later in the evening to another city, but we had some time to dine together and relax in my little motel room for a few hours. I was quite happy to have his company, in fact, as I think it made my transition from a nice little town in the(comparatively) quiet green hills to the hustle and bustle of the city a bit less daunting.

This morning, I woke early (as I often do while I'm traveling) and after a little leisurely reading I headed out hoping to find something--anything--open for business. It's funny, most places, with the exception of a few restaurants (and only a few!) don't open until around 10am here. I walked along a main road toward the tourist office among school children and hundreds of people of all ages on foot, bicycle, motorbike, rickshaw and automobile. It's crazy here. I walked along, following not far behind an older man who eventually veered off to somewhere I didn't notice. Only moments later, the smell started; human urine is a smell that can't be mistaken. I noticed that I was no longer walking on pavement, but in large damp dirt-covered area with a white powder of sorts sprinkled everywhere. Then, the OTHER undeniable smell of human feces set in. It was too late; I was in the middle of a public toilet and I had no choice but to continue marching on. That, my friends, is how I started my morning. In a swamp of human piss and shit.

Oh, naturally the tourist office was closed. Needless to say, I walked along the street on the way back.

My next task of the morning was getting myself a train ticket to leave this city tonight for Mysore, up in the next state. Shockingly, it went quite smoothly. I'm on the "wait list" for a ticket, but the Reservation Supervisor left me with the encouraging words of "You come back at 7. I find you a ticket. You ride train and be happy." Somehow, I trust him. They do set aside a certain percent of "tourist" tickets for trains, as most often one needs to book in advance as you can imagine in a country with so many people the trains fill up fast. Here's hoping I'll find myself with a ticket tonight at 7pm.

It was soon breakfast time. I sat down in a typical little restaurant and ordered my favorite breakfast in India thus far, a masala dosa (masal dosai in this joint). A dosa is like a big, but very thing and flat, pancake made of lentil flour. It often comes out piping hot and folded up, as unfolded it would be the size of a fairly sizable blow-up beach ball. The masala part is a tasty mixture of potatoes, carrots, green beans and onions flavored with typical curry and spices that's folded up inside. The dipping sauces include a delicious coconut chutney (my preference) and a somewhat hot soupy dal. The whole meal really is delightful.

About halfway through my meal, a middle-aged woman and who I can only assume to be her mother sat across from me at my table. This happens from time to time when tables are full, random strangers inviting themselves to your table. I really don't mind, though. I had just gotten my chai tea that I'd ordered, and this was a first for me. In a little metal cup was what appeared to be the tea; in a larger but shallower cup was warm milk. I had no idea what to do, so I just lifted the smaller cup and took a sip of tea. The woman, bless her, came to my rescue. She took my tea and milk and proceeded through an elaborate mixing process that involved pouring the tea into the milk dish, then pouring them back and forth several times to mix things nice and thoroughly. The more elaborate part came from her pouring from quite high above the dish. After thanking her, I took a drink and it was indeed much tastier than my first sample of the "tea."

This was when I smiled inside, being thankful for life and what energy this city has brought into my life.

The Honeymoon Phase is Over

I wish I could explain the chaos of an Indian city. Anything I say could never do it justice--in it's charm OR its incredible lack of appeal. Despite what I said above, I've developed a love-hate relationship with this city (and I can only assume any other large-ish city in India) throughout the day.

Up to now, my time in India has been far more relaxed and chilled out than I could have ever expected. But, I'm now officially entering the India that so many talk about--the India full of annoyances interspersed in the charm. There are so many people in this country; anywhere I walk at anytime of day, I'm surrounded by people moving every which direction in every which manner. It's madness. The honking only adds to the insanity. Though, at the same time, it's comforting for me to always be surrounded by so many human beings. It somehow makes me feel safer.

I've now seen my first child-beggars, and have been approached to but things or for money more today than I have my entire two weeks in this country thus far. It's not unusual for Indian men to come up to me and want a little chat and, depending on my mood, my initial reading on the man and the situation, I may or may not give him a few minutes. Eventually (whether that be 30 seconds or ten minutes later, I'll politely excuse myself; if that doesn't work, I become firm and just walk away as I say "goodbye"). Ignoring them often does the job. I've done that plenty of times, too. But, today, this has happened to me a few times and for the first time, I was actually followed for a few moments. He's one of the ones I became quite stern with before quickly making my escape. After making a stop in a tailor's shop on a whim (the guy summoned me in and I was in a curious mood, as I plan to get some clothing made here at some point), I had decided against having anything made at this shop because it was more than I wanted to spend and the guy was a little pushy. Believe it or not, after politely telling him I was going to go have lunch and think about it, he followed me along the street for a solid five minutes, stopping when I stopped and going when and where I went. Finally, I said "Sir, I don't want you to follow me anymore. Why are you following me?" He assured me that he had not been following me, but I knew better. He told me he was going "there" to the market where he also sells things. Truth or no truth, that got rid of him.

Being stern works. And believe me, today I was in a stern mood. Before that, earlier this morning, I had received a knock on my motel room door. The motel was full of Indian men, and I had noticed one watching me as I entered my room. I usually don't make eye contact with men here, for they've been known to take that as an invite of sorts, but I found myself accidentally meeting the eyes of this one man. Harmless, just standing in the hallway looking down below. But, the knock on my door came too soon and all I could think about was whether it was the young man I had made eye contact with. I ignored it. More knocking and a "Hello?" Finally, I ask who it is. His response was "Can you open the door?" A stern no came out of my mouth directly. Yes, my adrenaline was rushing, but I was more angry at the annoyance than I was scared. Too many other people around for me to be scared and a huge opening down to the hotel employees where one yell is all it would take. "Open the door?" he said again. "No! Go away." And, that was that! He came back one more time inquiring whether I wanted tea or coffee, but I ignored him. I honestly think it was the hotel staff, but if they can't properly introduce themselves than I will NOT be opening any doors to anyone.

[Side note to mom and dad: I wasn't going to write this because I don't want you to worry--but it's all part of the experience and I really didn't feel threatened. I promise!!!]

I'm starting to understand why people have said that India is equally beautiful as it is annoying, equally magical as it is intense.

Shit Out of Luck...

Or, should I say "in luck"??

I can't recall whether or not I mentioned how I was shat on by a bird my first full day in India, out in Fort Cochin. I was peacefully sitting on a bench, admiring the Arabian Sea, when SPLAT. Right on my forearm, shirt AND pants. Good aim. Well, today, while admiring an historic and beautiful Hindi temple, I heard that same SPLAT. This time, thankfully, about a foot away from where I was standing on the pavement. I laughed to myself, only to realize a young woman had caught the whole thing and was also laughing with me. You know, in England it's supposed to be good luck if you've found yourself the victim of bird droppings...

Paradise Found

I found a nice little restaurant for lunch here in Varkala, down in a basement and full of Indian men. Chicken curry (the only thing on the lunch menu) and porotha (or, paratha... so many different spellings for these foods) and a chai for at least half the price I'd pay just a five minute walk away along the beach in the tourist-laden restaurants.

Varkala, where I've been the past two nights and will stay at least two more, is on the Arabian sea and set up on a few high cliffs above the actual beach. I wandered here, a little weary of what seemed to be a very touristy area, but have found myself a nice little room in a less-touristy part, and only a three minute walk from the beach. As usual, I can't complain!

To rewind, first, however...

I left Alleppey smelling of sandalwood. My host-father, when I was departing, came up to me and smeared some scented oil on me. He said "Now, when you go on bus, everybody will smell you"--or, something along those lines. It was the exact scent that I had in fact noticed a few days before, but couldn't grasp. I kept periodically smelling my arm for the next several hours, it smelled so nice and fresh :)

The father then walked me to the bus station and proceeded to ensure that I got on the right bus at the right time, but not before a quick stop to view his friend's wife's dead body. "My friend's wife passed away. I must go see a dead body before a half-hour. Ten minutes, I will see you at the bus station."

I felt quite taken care of, and was sad to say goodbye, but happy to be on the move... And toward the beach!

As I've said, I've settled myself in nicely to Varkala. My first night wasn't so grand, as I was set off by an obnoxious rickshaw driver who, despite me having requested something different, still went about things his way. I specifically (or, so I thought) bargained with him to take me to the South Cliff near the accommodation and I would then find my own. "Okay, okay." Naturally, he took me to his friend's resort (which is three times what I'm paying for a room now). I said no, too expensive. He said "Okay, I know a place. 300 rupees." I gave him one more chance... Fail. Over on the back streets of the north side he took me to ANOTHER friend's place, they wanted 500. I was tired, annoyed, hot and hungry, so I bargained for one night at 400 Rs. I was happy to have a place to call my own and rest, but I left quite early the next morning in hunt of somewhere else... And found it. I should have known better than to trusty those rickshaw drivers... Next time I'll be a bit more demanding. Or walk.

I've spent yesterday and today reading, eating delicious Indian cuisine (the masala dosa I had for breakfast yesterday was to die for!), drinking chai (not one coffee since stepping foot in India!) and enjoying the beach. At sunset, down in the southern part of the beach where I'm staying, it seems to be where the Indian tourists and locals come for--well, tourism, as well as religious ceremonies. True, Varkala is riddled with tourists, most of them European, but I sat on the beach at sunset last night surrounded by all Indians. The others stay mostly to the north. I only saw a few non-Indians for the hour, all just passing by. It was really quite nice, just watching the ocean and the Indian families--women beautifully adorned in their magnificently colored saris--doing the same as me. Just enjoying the moment :)

So much more to say... It shall come in due time...

Varkala Photos

Welcome to Varkala...

A masala dosa. One of my favorite dishes of all in this country (this photo doesn't really show what it is, sorry):



My first sunset on the beach with all the Indian tourists:












I couldn't help but observe this woman helping up an elderly woman... They walked down to the water and put their feet in the Arabian sea before walking off again :)







In a lot of places, you can get beer but it's not exactly legal... Perhaps because the restaurants don't have licenses or whatever. Either way, this place served their beer in tea pots! My first Kingfisher beer in India up on this cliff, in a lovely white tea pot, with my British friend Leon:





Leon and me, my first real buddy in India:







An afternoon at the zoo in Trivandrum, after leaving Varkala and before going to Munnar up in the hills:



Their teachers were making them wave; they didn't seem to mind :)