Karibu and welcome to Africa!

welcome to tanzania!

We had heard about and joined an online community called CouchSurfers- the website helps to connect host families and individuals with traveling ‘couch seekers’. Members add a fairly extensive profile that others can see and ‘surf away’. You can look for potential hosts anywhere, and see their ratings and comments as added by people who have stayed with them. We found and were accepted by a lovely family in Nairobi.

We called the family when we landed in Nairobi, Kenya, and they came to the airport to pick us up, then took us home for bread and tea. The couple had a son in university and a daughter one year older than Raven. We were happy to learn that the husband and wife work flexible hours, so we were driven to tourist sites around the city on our two night stay with them. Of course we filled their gas tank, (we actually stopped at a Shell Station- how crazy was that? I’ve avoided getting gas at Shell for over 20 years- after once hearing that the company supported apartheid and that we should boycott them-habits stick!) paid for their admissions (greatly reduced for locals, just like in most developing countries) bought them lunch and made a spaghetti dinner for the family. The family went over the top- helping us get a bit of internet time, feeding us meals, and the eldest son even gave up his bedroom for us.

The family was proud of their culture and seemed to be well off by African standards. They lived in a thousand square foot two floor concrete house in a gated community. A gate to keep the ‘bad guys out’ but still, picture a dirt road leading to a dirt driveway and the house having a bucket shower.  The little community pools their resources to pay for 2 men who live in a little shack and take turns opening the gates 24/7 for the residents.

We had thought that we may be cold once we arrived in Africa, but it was startling how quickly our bodies re-acclimatized to 20+ degrees. My body feels normal here, returned to its normal energy level as is doesn’t have to expend extra energy constantly cooling itself. My hair also appreciates the level of humidity, as it is not so awkward to tame and feels less dry here.  I noticed the bumpy red skin on my arms disappeared in India, but will probably return now.

On first impression, people don’t seem to dress up like they did in India. I loved seeing the women and girls in their colourful sequined saris. Here the poorer people wear what looks to be Goodwill cast off T-Shirts. Business men wear suits and we have seen a few  women dressed in outfits of patterned African fabric.

There are many similarities to both India and Canada that we have noticed so far. For one, this country appears to use flush toilets and toilet paper! This is mostly for the touristy areas, but we appreciate it. The surroundings look like India- tropical, hoards of people walking, many carrying goods on their heads, dirt roads and dirty traffic pollution. The traffic snarls to a dead stop in Nairobi. Men walk through the traffic selling things car to car- you could purchase anything from a banana to a laminated poster of Jesus. Commuting is much quieter, as people don’t use their horns as frequent communication devices, but there doesn’t appear to be as many smaller vehicles squeaking through the jams and continuously driving through red lights.  The town of “Nair-robbery” appeared smaller than I thought it would be. We drove through the city center in a short amount of time. Driving with the windows most of the way up is prudent, as it is not uncommon for a pedestrian thief to reach into a vehicle at a standstill and make off with what he can grab.

Heath and I were quite concerned about safety in Africa, and our fears weren’t allayed when we were told that their 20 year old son had recently been robbed of his backpack containing his laptop whilst walking home from university; and Nancy’s good friend had died a gunpoint a few weeks ago, as she was mugged.  The advice we were given in the event of an incident was “Don’t look at their faces”. If you struggle or look at them, they will kill you, as you may be able to identify them later. Scary, but good advice.

Extra security occurred by guards at the gates to the tourist sites. The guards would pass a mirror under the car to look for explosives, and it was not unusual to get metal detector-wanded going in to buildings.

We crossed the border in to Tanzania easily, as the small shuttle bus from Kenya stops and waits for us to walk through ‘exit Kenya’ and ‘enter Tanzania’. Visas are obtainable at the border incredibly easily- a cash cow for the country because they want the visa fee in US dollars. One quick computer cam photo, fingerprints and a stamp in our passports. When we arrived in Arusha, the starting point for our adventures, we got out at the last stop. Wanting to avoid taxi and safari touts, we asked directions to the nearest internet café. We also needed to confirm that there was a spot in the hostel, as we left Kenya a day ahead of schedule. We were prepared to walk-but the bus shuttle driver drove us the 400 meters to the closest hotel that had internet! That was incredible – talk about being taken care of! With all this chaperoning- I was incredibly nervous when Heath and I had to leave Raven alone to facebook while we walked 600 meters to the nearest ATM to take out Tanzanian shillings- as we had no local currency to pay for the internet service, or a taxi to take us to our hostel. I was worried about being followed and mugged- and in fact there was a young guy that walked with us to the bank (we faked walking into a school as a guise) but then he had turned around and followed us a ways back, too! As time has evolved, I feel a lot safer here- people are just precautious for us- which is nice.

The Ujamaa Hostel has been awesome, as it is targeted for the volunteer crowd. Welcoming, beautiful clean communal areas, with hot water showers, boiled drinking water available and two meals a day. Raven loves it as there are the twenty-something western crowd for her to socialize with. We connected with our tour operators, It Started in Africa for Heath.  Company representatives showed up at the hostel  to brief Heath for his Kilimanjaro attempt , take our extra luggage to be stored at their office, then drove me to buy Raven and my bus tickets to Dar es Sallam for our volunteering and home stay experience.

In the morning the company picked us up, ensuring Rave and I got on the bus, after wishing Heath a successful journey. Our bus ride was ten hours instead of the anticipated eight. The first pee stop was a slight bushy area off the highway. Most of the women on the bus got off and found a small bus to squat behind. A few hours later, we stopped at a spot for lunch. The choice was French fries with or without meat. Luckily there were also fruit vendors, so we could buy two oranges. The coolest part of the trip was the complimentary pop and crackers that were offered to the riders. It Started in Africa had ensured that I had the phone number of the person I was meeting, and the name of the bus stop, Matias- a few kilometers before Dar. When we got there, the bus let us off at the side of the highway-and a guy came up to us, but not the guy we were expecting, but as the bus was late, Baraja (the founder of  It Started in Africa) wasn’t able to meet us. We had to trust- he was a young guy and didn’t show any ID- but he knew who we were- so we followed along with a bit of trepidation.

The sights that greeted us along our twenty minute walk to our home stay weren’t super encouraging. To be honest, we were both near tears- Raven upset and missing her dad- she was worried about our safety without him, and emotional up after our bus was two hours late. The dirt road and wooden outsides to shacks was reminiscent of the ‘wild west’. We shared conversation along the way, veering off the main road onto a dirt pathway past concrete homes and small corn fields. When we arrived at the family’s house we were warmly welcomed with a Swahili “Karibou!” the family was lively and lovely. We sat in the living room making awkward small talk while waiting. Eventually a room was made for us, and we had a late dinner of rice and beans with a side fish dish. There was a father and a mother living in the house with a school aged boy and an adult daughter. It turned out that the daughter, Fatuma, who cooked every meal for us, lived in another house a little ways a way. Others congregated at the house- a college aged boy who was boarding and taking a driving course, and the aunties showed up at various times, sometimes overnight, sometimes not. We stopped keeping track. In the yard they raised chickens, chicks, ducks, and rabbits. Raven fell in love with the puppy of their neglected dog- both tied up on short leads in the dirt. 

the cutest puppy in Matias

Day 2

Last night I had expressed an interest to go to church on the Sunday. Alex, our guide came to collect us in the morning after breakfast of tea, white bread and margarine- on the label it is called “Medium fat spread”.  Yum. We walked across the highway to an outside tented catholic church. They had live singers, and I was hoping it would be more of a “Halleluiah and Amen” experience than it was. Church went on for 3 hours in Swahili- we understood none of it. I think we got off lightly, as we were told church can go for 8 hours! Raven was bored stiff, but the singing was worth it. 

 We walked back for lunch- a dish of unripe bananas, cooked in water and grated carrots. We also had a chopped spinach dish, cooked with onion. More rice and beans, as well. This meal will be eaten two times a day. Raven loves the food- she has been eating seconds, as well as thirds. Fatuma cooks and preps meals in the front yard or front steps, on an outside burner with charcoal. 

Fatuma's kitchen

In the afternoon we finally met Baraja and were chaperoned to the orphanage, via a micro bus along the highway. We were told we were going to take motorbikes the rest of the way- that sounded pretty fun. It turned out that the pika pika were motorbike taxis! This makes sense as the dirt roads are rutted and uneven. They are bone dry this time of year, I think the rainy season ended early this year. I couldn’t even imagine the passage in the monsoon. The ten minute (1000 Tsh = 60 cent) ride was super fun. The orphanage housed 27 kids from ages 3 on. They were super stoked to see us, play with our hair and hang out. It was similar to the orphanage in Nepal, but the kids have even less.  There are less volunteers and less support given to these very needy, unwanted and unloved kids. The woman that founded the Buloma Foundation is working really hard to get support for these kids. They have a real home here, the staff love them and their home is slowly improving, small donation by small donation.

 

bit of hair braiding fun

More soon!

Homeward Bound

Whew. What a run this has been! Three UNESCO World Heritage sites, three states, two overnight trains, an overnight sleeper bus, and temperatures above 40 degrees. We have certainly seen a great deal of what India has to offer, both good and bad. There is a point in every trip when you realize that you’re starting to ‘head home’. These last few weeks have been bitter sweet with the knowledge that this journey is coming to an end. There is so much more to see, but India is such a challenging, captivating, spiritual place, that leaving brings mixed emotions. Sure, it will be nice to not sweat in your sleep, not to have to haggle for every taxi ride, or be asked “Where are you going?” 20 times a day, but India is like a co-dependent relationship. It’s a Love-Hate affair; there is no middle ground. India changes the way you see the world, forever. It certainly makes you appreciate the easy and decadent lifestyle we take for granted in Canada, the opportunities, and the obligation to make the most of our fortunate birthright.

  After leaving the beach in Goa, and our completely relaxing and indulgent ‘bliss zone’, we made our way towards Hampi, a deservedly popular site inland in the state of Karnataka. The temperature was going to be a major factor in planning out our three days of exploration, as were the distances involved. Hampi was home to one of the largest empires in the history of India. The ruins are spread out over some 25 square kilometers, and were originally enclosed within seven walls. The geography is what makes Hampi so surreal. An arid climate littered with massive boulders, smooth and rounded, with a major river running through the center. The boulders and rock have been incorporated into the fortified walls and many temples. We decided to rent some bicycles, because the main clusters of structures are quite far apart, and we wanted to avoid the worst of the mid-day heat. Even though the terrain isn’t too hilly, I was surprised at how easy it was to convince Raven to rent bikes, especially after the Pondicherry fiasco. During our first night, there had been a massive lightning storm, very close, with deafening detonations of thunder. It was still raining in the morning as we set off, which was a real treat, and kept things cool for most of the morning. The scale of the fortifications is just unbelievable. Huge boulders are linked by strips of cut-block stone walls, double thick and filled with sand and rocks. A testament to their strength and durability, most of the walls are intact. The areas that have been damaged are usually due to subsequent scavenging of the blocks for building materials. The southern group of buildings include the Queen’s Bath, the Elephant Stables, the luxurious Lotus-Mahal, assorted foundations, temples and mosques, and the underground Shiva temple. By the time we were making our way back, the clouds had cleared, and the heat was getting very intense. We made a quick stop at the monolithic carving of Ganesh, and flew down the last hill into town, awed by the scale of this ancient city.

  The entry fee into the Queens Bath included the entry to the Vitthala temple, one of the most impressive temples, and the one listed as a UNESCO site. We spent the afternoon napping in the shade before walking along the river towards the temple. We had tried to visit them in the opposite order in the morning, but the stone path isn’t bike friendly, so we dropped the bikes off after our morning ride. Hampi has so many surprises; at every turn there are more temples and carvings hiding amongst the boulders. The skill and prolific amount of carving and stone-masonry is astounding! You could spend weeks exploring here and not see everything. The Vitthala temple is a wonderfully preserved complex. One of the most incredible features is the musical columns. Carved from solid pieces of granite, each column would produce a different note when tapped with the hand or knuckles. A group of musicians would be able to produce the most incredible symphony, reverberating through the temple and across the stone courtyard. There are security guards at the site to prevent further wear of these exquisite carvings, but because there were few tourists so late in the day, one kept an eye out while the other gave us an impromptu performance, for a little baksheesh, of course!

  We spent another day and a half wandering around the various remnants of the city, including long, straight streets lined with columns,up to a hill-top temple for the sunset, and into the still active and monkey filled Virupaksha temple, with its’ 160 foot tall entrance gate tower. Raven was uninspired after the first round of exploration, and it was a little overwhelming, but too incredible to dismiss. There is even a hole inside the temple complex where the inverted image of the tower shines onto the far wall while the tower is backlit by the sun!

  Since all the trains from Hampi had been booked for two months, we decided to take our first overnight sleeper bus. Much more expensive than the sleeper train, at least it would have actual bunks, and since we had confirmed onward tickets from Pune, we needed to make the connection. It seemed quite luxurious when we first boarded, but the roads and traffic were still Indian, so none of us slept very well. To top things off, we arrived early, getting dropped off at 04:30, on the outskirts of town, 15 kms from the train station! Bah! We had the entire day to kill, since our train didn’t depart until 10 PM…Fortunately Pune is a big city, and the train station has an efficient and inexpensive luggage storage facility. We dropped our bags, found a park a few kilometers away on the river valley, stretched out on some benches and slept for a few hours, while the locals jogged, played volleyball, did laughter yoga and exercised all around us! The rest of the day involved a lot of wandering, and a lot of wondering. We had to wait until 10am for a coffee shop to open, because the bakery we were looking for was closed. We found a theater, thinking it would be a good way to spend a few hours, where they made us leave our cameras at the gate. The only English movie playing was Ironman3, and none of us wanted to see it, especially for 180 rupees each. We were tempted to indulge in an ice-cream from McDonalds, but their dessert machine was broken. We happened to pass the small ‘Tribal Museum’, but the admission was 250 rupees each, the same as the UNESCO sites!  It took us until 5 o’clock to find an internet café, but the power was off! At least the overnight train left on time, and our frustrating day in Pune finally ended.

  Thankfully, the train was almost three hours late getting into Aurangabad, which gave us a few extra hours of much needed sleep. We had breakfast next to the station, jumped in a rickshaw, went to the bus station and headed straight to Ajanta Caves. The heat was intense by noon, but we walked the 15 minutes to the hotel, and collapsed in a sweaty heap. We planned to stay for the night, get up early to explore the caves, and then head back to Aurangabad. The hotel we had found on the internet looked nice online, but was under construction. The ‘satelliteTV’ only had one channel, the power was off (no fan), and the shower didn’t work at first, and Su promptly broke into frustrated tears. After napping, showering, and generally collecting ourselves after an epic 48 hour transit from Hampi, we walked into the small town of Fadalpur.  The welcome we received more than made up for all the frustrations of the journey.  The children were full of smiles and ‘Hello!’s, with none of the ‘Give me money’ demands that are so discouraging. We pet some goats, chatted with some families, toured the old fort surrounding the mosque, and loved every minute of it. We had to go down the highway a little ways to find a restaurant, but the thalis were incredible. We hadn’t looked at the menu though, and were shocked when presented with a 700 rupee bill!

The next morning we were up nice and early, making sure we had checked our bags at the cloakroom and were ready to explore the caves as soon as they opened. I hadn’t actually seen any pictures of the caves before we got there, so had no idea what to expect, other than temples carved into a cliff face. There’s not much that could have prepared me for the spectacle awaiting. The oldest ‘caves’ date back to 2 BC, but the complex was carved out over a span of five centuries. The first ones you visit are some of the youngest, around 1500 years old, and they still have well preserved original paintings covering almost every square inch of the interiors. The temples are massive, with large ornate pillars, numerous chambers off of the main temple, and a massive statue of the Buddha in a separate chamber centered on the rear wall. The largest measure 27 by 35 meters! The detail and finesse of the carvings and murals are astounding. As you work towards the middle of the cliff face, the temples become older and older, with the Buddha represented by a plain stupa. The skill, ambition, and dedication of the monks who produced these architectural works of art is truly astonishing! Some of the caves are unfinished, providing a glimpse of the painstaking process of removing the rock, piece by piece. They would always work from the ceiling down, so no scaffolding was ever required. The tops of the columns and upper carving would be complete, but the work was abandoned before the lower sections had been excavated. The oldest caves have exquisite paintings dating to the 2 century BC, depicting scenes from the Buddha’s past lives. Words really don’t do justice to the staggering complexity and beauty of Ajanta, all carved out of solid rock with simple hand tools. As the temperature crept up to 40 degrees again, we humbly started back along the cliff face to the respite of the cold drink vendors at the entrance.

  We made our way to the highway for the sweltering bus ride back to Aurangabad, dozing and dreaming ancient dreams. The hotels around the bus station were less than inspiring, but since we were making a day trip to the Elora caves next, we wanted to stay close. After looking at half a dozen dingy, overpriced rooms, we settled on a slightly less dingy, but still overpriced room with a TV to help pass the time during the hazy afternoon heat. After one rest day, we were up early for the 45 minute trip to Elora. Not quite as old as Ajanta, some of the caves and temples here are even more grandiose and ambitious. The main draw is the Kailash Temple, a massive monolithic structure carved out of the rock by 7000 labourers over 150 years! I’ve nearly exhausted my supply of superlatives, none of which can completely capture the astonishing feat of engineering and artistic achievement. This one temple alone required the removal of over 200,000 tons of rock, all by hand, from the top down, leaving a monument larger than the Pantheon!

  The caves at Elora are divided into three distinct groups. The oldest are the more serene Buddhist caves, which are then overlapped by the Hindu temples, with their dramatic and lively gods and goddesses, warriors and sultry nymphs. Again, the scale of some of these massive caves is dumbfounding. One has three stories, filled with stunning sculptures of assorted deities and dozens of pillars on each level. Cave number 29 measures 40 by 37 meters, with high ceilings to allow for the elaborate, towering pillars and sculptures. After being overwhelmed by nearly 60 unbelievable rock-cut temples, we couldn’t possibly absorb any more. With only a few days left in India, it was time to retreat and reflect on the sights, smells and sounds that make it such a captivating and consuming culture. Our last overnight train ride brought us to Mumbai, where we enjoyed a relatively luxurious hotel room and some cosmopolitan culinary treats. I even went to see the new Star Trek movie in 3D. Mumbai is renowned for its’ lavish cinemas, complete with overstuffed reclining seats and uncomfortably cold air conditioning. Before navigating the commuter rail system out to the airport, I had to light off the last 1000 firecrackers from Goa. Our flight left for Nairobi at the ungodly hour of 3:05 AM, so we left early and caught a few ZZZZ’s in the ‘Slumber Zone’ of the airport. India will always hold a special place in my heart, but Africa has been singing a siren song that I couldn’t wait to pursue. We would cross into the southern hemisphere in search of the wilds and wildlife of a new continent; back into the unknown. What willthe food be like? How bad will ‘Nairobbery’ really be? Will I be able to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, at 5895 meters? Will we be lucky enough to see a lion take down a zebra on the plains of the Serengeti?

Stay tuned for more Castle Griffey Adventures…

last of India

We are leaving India in day or so.

The rest of our trip will feel like ‘fast-forward’ travel as we will be zooming through Africa, Egypt and England. I hope we have enough time to write. The last few days have been hot and dry with some really long travel days. We wanted to see three sights of UNESCO monumental significance, Ellora, Ajanta and Hampi, so we moved inland, away from the humidity and relaxation of Goa’s beach scene.

With these travel days I have been terser than usual- we had little travel and much relaxing within the last 7 weeks, then proceeded to cram a huge amount of miles in. It had to be this way, as the three sights were North of Goa and East of Mumbai (Bombay). We did two back to back travel nights, one on a bus and one in a train, and the lack of sleep gave the cold that Heath had in Goa the opportunity to mount my defenses and win.  

To see the incredible rock-hewn caves at Ellora and be close to the train station for our return overnight sleeper to Mumbai, we stayed for three nights in the big town of Aurangabad.  The hotels were full, so  we had to settle for an overpriced (650Rs) dingy place with ants. Armies of little sugar ants have been pretty common the last few months, but never before have I had as many of them crawl up on my bed, and on me. These ones didn’t bite, but because they crossed the line, and were on my body, they were squished. Heath and Raven didn’t seem to have this problem, lucky me! The hotel had the makings of a nice place- there was a green courtyard in the middle of all the ground floor rooms.  The mattresses were hard and lumpy, the sheets were debatable-ly not changed before the previous tenants, and the bathroom facilities were a hole in the floor for a squat toilet tucked into a room so small a larger person would have to back in to use it. The ‘bathing room ‘ was larger, consisting of a bucket and a tap for our shower. There was a small TV with western channels, the room’s only redeeming quality, besides the fact that there were three beds. This area is the gateway to the temple caves at Ellora and Ajanta, so we paid double what seemed fair for the room. This is the first time a hotel has wanted a deposit- generally the first nights rent in advance and a huge amount of paperwork is all that is required.  Mumbai will be the same- overpriced for a tiny room, but the going rate there is 1500Rs. We will only stay one night.  

We have been lucky having three beds this last little while. In this heat, sharing a double with three people is not fun. None of us want to touch the other, as we are all glistening with sweat. The overhead fan makes the nights bearable, but we haven’t used sheets for a long time, we just sleep on top of the bed.

I am tired of the touts constantly trying to sell me things, and tired of rickshaw drivers quoting an unfair price until we barter them down to something more reasonable. A tame example of a vendor is in the bus station, waiting for busses. Guys walk around selling cold water. Usually they wave it around, walking and yelling “Pani! Water!” When they get to us- they stop and are a little more demanding, leaving only after you show them that you already have some. They also come on the busses at stops. There can be four guys selling different snacks and water in the aisles, getting off only when the bus starts pulling away. Still, that is pretty tame compared to the tourist shop vendors!

The ones that have frustrated me the most are the ones at the UNESCO sights- walking around with their pitiful wares- claiming glass earrings are ‘crystals’ that we can buy for a ‘good price’. They zone in on us white tourists and ask each one of us three times to look at their items, following us when we ignore them or say “No thanks”. It has been hard to be polite, and even take them as individuals, as I have generalized them into “Annoying” and want to avoid the unpleasant interaction.  I know they must be desperate for money, but they can’t know that we get this ALL THE TIME.

I am definitely ready to move on from the heat!  It was 41 degrees inside a restaurant yesterday afternoon. The three day stay at Aurangabad wasn’t the most beautiful place to spend our last few days in India, as it is a large town, and there wasn’t anything to see within walking distance.  Unfortunately, there weren’t any English movies to see, either. We got our fill of TV instead.

I’ll leave it to Heath’s eloquent writing to fill you in about the details of the ancient monuments and temples, some built before B.C. that we have seen.

We have no idea what to expect from Africa. It is super exciting!

Food and Random Remembered Reminisces

bruchetta

coffee morning

with attitude...

May 2

Every day I say I am going to write about food, as food has been a highlight for us on this trip. Mmm…Food…Tasty Food…I love trying new things on a menu, often ordering something that I have no idea what it is. I can do this in a Hindu country, as I know I won’t be served any meat. We could fill a photo album with the amount of meal shots we’ve taken! In Goa the food has been sublime. For about two weeks we sat on the beach, or in the shade of our patio on our little beach hut, leaving only for a quick swim, yoga, a run or a meal. I haven’t gone more than 5 kilometers in all this time, and Heath and Raven have moved less! We have devoured exceptionally fine food.  

We arrived at the end of tourist season, to one of the quieter beaches in Southern Goa. We stay at Patnem beach, about one kilometre south of the more popular and populated Palolem beach. Most of the accommodations and restaurants have been shutting down around us. Literally shutting down, as in being dismantled bamboo pole by bamboo pole. Tourist season is six months long- and by law the restaurants with their adjacent beach huts have to be taken down before the monsoon season. It seems like such a lot of work, because these are semi-permanent structures.

We lucked out by finding a hut with an actual double bed-it may even be queen sized, as it feels so large.  Typically our ‘doubles’ have been two singles pushed together, and we take turns sleeping in the crack. Not this place.  Because it is end of season, we are paying 250Rs (5$) for a hut that normally goes for 20$. Ours is back a few meters from the beach in the shade of banana trees. If we want to sit with a view we only have to move into the relaxed restaurant lounge-y area.

Even though there are only three restaurants still open, Patnem beach has got to be known for its food. It is an excellent mix between Western and Indian. We are eating super-healthily. We take our meals at either the Sea-Land restaurant that is connected to our hut, or walk two doors down to a Mexican styled place called Casa Fiesta that does excellent pizza and a salad with humous plate. The menu at Casa Fiesta happily offers ‘off season’ prices, as well.

Beer is cheap and cold in Goa. 40-50 rupees for a small bottle (300ml) or 80 rupees for the one that serves two people (625 ml). We have free wifi during the day (barring the power outages and wonky service), and a warm ocean breeze. We thought that we would stay at and check out a few different beaches along the Goan coast, but instead, we have slowed down like molasses in the fridge. (Except that the temperature is in the high 30’s). I think Heath is proud of me- I have reached a new low of doing close to nothing all day, and being O.K. with it! It took us ten days to get the initiative or inertia to walk over to Palolem beach, all of a lovely half an hour jaunt away! We were going to have to make our way a few hours North to catch our next train, at 7:30 am, in a town called Vasco de Gama, then realized we could catch it closer- only 45 minutes North from an inland town called Margoa. We will stay just one night, just to avoid a really early morning.

Our Goan ‘schedule’ revolves around meals. I typically wake up just after 6 am and go for a 30-40 minute run. The beach is quiet and cool at this time, with only a few other walkers enjoying the sunrise. I am so thankful that it is safe and free from harassment here, so I am able to regain the cardio fitness I feared I had lost during the last six months. At first I had to run/walk, but now I am back to running. The moon has been filling since arriving here, and the beach has become more and more of a joy to run barefoot on each day, as the low tide corresponds with early morning. The fine sand is firm yet yielding, and is less sloped the further out the tide goes.  The beach is mostly free from garbage, and there are no villagers using the ocean as their toilet. This means the only ‘land mines’ I have to worry is from the beach dogs, and not at the intertidal zone.

I meet Heath just after 7 for a yoga class on the beach. Raven has started to join in for a while, as well. We all try to do push ups throughout the day, for upper body strength. Heath has us on an increasing schedule. Every Saturday we add one more to our sets.

The food:

We have breakfast at Sea-Land- this consists of fruit salad with curd and honey and chai for me. I add my masala mix to the milk tea, and eat a tablespoon of peanut butter with the bananas. I used to order plain toast, but it is store bought white processed toast, so I have omitted it. Raven always has the fruit salad and curd and alternates between an omelet or a chocolate pancake. Heath will order the chocolate pancake and omelet, sometimes hash browns, with filter coffee.

We’ll spend half an hour or so a day ‘taking the sun’ (that’s all I can stand just sitting in the direct sun) and swimming. The heat ranges from 25 degrees at night up to 35 plus during the day. The humidity sits at about 70%, and adds a few degrees of heat. The ocean is warm and not as forceful as at Varkala. It is easy to swim past the break and hang out in the gentle swell. I am not as afraid of sharks here for some reason.

Lunch we usually eat at the Mexican place. They do a wicked humous, with salad and bread. They even have olives. Sometimes we’ll order Mexican fajitas or soft shell tacos with rice and beans.






 I may have a lemon or lime soda (Soda water with lime juice) or the others may enjoy a cold pepsi or sprite.

These two meals are eaten ‘lounge style’. The front of these restaurants have middle-eastern style divans and pillows with low tables, built on covered platforms over the sand. It’s like lounge lizard lapping our meals; we don’t even bother with the table, just leave the plates on the mattress or hold it in our laps. We are right at the front of the beach watching the world go by. There may be only 10 to 20 other people staying at this beach. It is super quiet and peaceful.

Dinner we usually eat at Sea Land. The glass topped tables with the most comfortably cushioned chairs are brought down to the beach each night. Every restaurant does this, with two lit hurricane candles per table, providing the beach dining area glittering lights and a romantic mood. We eat after the sun has set, and watch the stars come out. This place makes the tastiest palak paneer, paneer kofta, and mushroom dho pyaja (garlic and strips of ginger); probably the best Indian food we have eaten yet. India has changed Heath- he is willfully eating spinach.

mushroom dho pyaja

palak paneer

It has changed Raven, too, she is talking about remaining a vegetarian. A few months of forced vegetarianism, and they both realize it isn’t so bad….We’ll see what happens to that resolve the first time they are met with an Albertan steak hot off the BBQ.

For a dinner change, we may go to the Mexican place, which offers free taco chip starters and salsa. I was excited about the idea of salsa, but it is only spiced ketchup! Their pizza is to die for, with real European style cheese and an amazing thin crust. We have only ever ordered the pineapple pizza- how can you not when the pineapple is fresh cut and super succulent? They also offer a banana pizza.  

I do miss preparing food for us, especially when I order a meal and it is really disappointing. Sandwiches are foods to mostly avoid in India. These are only available in the touristy areas, and served with the-crusts-cut-off- processed white bread. I love a fresh sandwich that has nutty or seedy bread lots of vegetables and the perfect amount of mayo or protein rich humous. While I am off on a food tangent, I may as well reveal I am missing the taste of red licorice. (Repugnant gelatin, glucose, preservatives, colouring and all…)

On a sandwich tangent- did we ever mention that we went to a Subway in Chennai? It was pretty similar to home, and expensive to boot, but pretty tasty.

Random Remembered Reminisces:

®     On one of my morning runs in Goa I ran past a middle aged Indian couple who had just been in the water. The woman, wearing a wet house dress (this cool, simple and shapeless cotton house dress is what most Indian women in the south seem to wear if they are at home, or not in their more dressed up and decorative kurtas or saris.) motioned me over with her camera. I assumed she wanted a picture with me, as that has been our typical experience. Remember? “Hey, a white person- let’s get a photo with them!” It turned out she wanted me to take a picture of her with her husband. He was wearing only a swimming suit and had a large ‘living the good life’ belly. She also had a lot of probably well earned ‘middle age spread’. Of course I obliged, and had to pick my chin off the sand when the woman removed her shapeless housedress to pose with her husband by the ocean wearing a tiny mesh camouflage bikini! I took about ten photos of them before continuing on with my sweaty face. Of course they didn’t want pictures of me!

®     Karen Schneider (Llena’s mummy) had given Raven a story book years ago about chirping geckos. Geckos have been our constant hotel room companions in India, but only recently have I noticed their chirping. They are such lovely creatures. They sing so loudly, it is easy to mistake them for birds or crickets. Raven and Heath spend some time trying to capture them. We had a little frog sharing our beach house, too.

®     About a month ago Raven was talking in the middle of the night. I thought she was awake, but she didn’t remember this in the morning. She asked, “Where is the way out?”. Poor thing. I put it down to staying in too many hotel rooms!  The other night she asked “Where’s dad’s underwear?” They both laughed when shared that one in the morning!

®     Coconut trees, when they move in the wind sound like rain. They make a dry crackly sound. The (leaves?) of the coconut trees are designed to be incredible rain drippers. In the deluges that we have experienced, the rain collects in the long fronds of the coconut tree, and like a river, directs the rain down to earth.

Beach, Bliss, Beach

  By the time we reached the end of our planned stay at Amritapuri, we all agreed that we would love to stay longer. It truly is the most peaceful, loving, spiritual place I’ve ever been. I know that I will go back at some point in my life, and for a longer period. I only hope that I can retain some of the pure bliss that filled each and every day there, and was only growing stronger. Alas, we had another overnight train booked, and would never get another one within the time frame we had to work with. I was also excited to get back to a beach where we could swim and shed a few layers of clothing, so we reluctantly packed our bags, cleaned our room, said some goodbyes (always met with a knowing look-‘You’ll be back…’), and took a rickshaw to the train station, returning to the ‘real’ world. The journey was quick and painless, and as I practiced meditating on the train, 45 minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Not a single nail! A rare example of a dying art.

  While there is no beach at Cochin, I was looking forward to visiting one of the most important ports from the spice trading days.  Fort Cochin was a Portuguese settlement until being taken over by the Dutch East India Company in 1683. Saint Francis Church, built in 1516, was where Vasco da Gama was originally buried, and has some fascinating inscriptions chiseled into the stone. This area was central to the pepper and cinnamon trade that inspired the very beginnings of global trade, eventually suffering a near collapse after an outbreak of the Plague. We really enjoyed our time here, possibly because of the return to a more flavorful diet, but it was a very relaxed place. We wandered along the shore, did some souvenir shopping (we must have still been blissed out!), and surfed the internet from the comfort of our bed. There was a nice quiet rooftop for morning yoga and afternoon meditation, and the ‘homestay’ prepared a massive breakfast of toast, eggs, fruit, and coffee. On the way back to the train station, we took advantage of the commercial district on the mainland, stocking up on cash from an ATM with a limit higher than $200, and treating ourselves to lunch at Pizza Hut.

  Everything has been going so smoothly, it’s almost unnerving. Even though we were still on the waitlist, we found our seats had been confirmed, the train was arriving at platform 1, so we didn’t need to hike up and over the walkway in the scorching afternoon heat, and the train left right on time. More meditation, I finished yet another novel, ate some tasty train food, and drifted off to sleep. The only downside to this journey is that our train was due to arrive at 04:30, so I set my alarm for 4AM, not wanting to miss our stop. The morning had gotten surprisingly cool, with a steady wind dropping down from the mountains to the east. Reaching up to 2500 meters, this area is a popular summer getaway for the wealthy in the north, where temperatures are over 40 degrees Celsius. Just before our stop, we entered a long tunnel, the first I’ve ever seen in India, the air suddenly warm and humid again.

  It’s a good thing we were ready to go, because the train only stops for a few minutes at the smaller stations, and no sooner than we had all hopped down onto the platform, the train started pulling away. I thought we might have to spend a few hours at the station, waiting for the town to wake up, but there had been one other tourist on the platform, heading north, so his rickshaw driver was waiting around in case someone got off. Another first, his auto rickshaw had doors! We piled our bags onto the roof-rack, piled in, and with a strange sense of disbelief, closed the door behind us. Even though we half-heartedly haggled in the cool, predawn silence outside the station, we still paid too much for the two kilometer ride down to the beach. It was still only 05:30, so our only greeting was from the dozen stray dogs that surrounded us, barking and sniffing. Eventually they lost interest, and we dropped into some deserted wicker lounge chairs, waiting for the sun to rise so we could find a hotel and restaurant.

  We chose to come to Patnem,  the quieter of the two beaches in the area, and so our options were fairly limited. There are only a dozen or so ‘resorts’ on the beach, each with a thatched roof restaurant/bar in front, and various levels of luxury offered in the huts tucked behind. None of them opened until 8:00, so we had lots of time to watch the surf and work up an appetite. There were several that had signs for free WiFi, so we moved our bags closer and waited for them to open. We ended up staying at the resort that opened first, getting a great end-of-season rate for a room, since all the restaurants have similar prices. It worked out well, because this place has the best food. It’s a very laid back place, but the food is possibly the best we’ve had anywhere in India. This is truly the end of the season, and only a few places are still open, the rest are literally disappearing, slowly being dismantled and carted away. Since this is going to be our last chance to just relax on the beach, we have really shifted (stayed?) into low gear. We have spent day after hazy day eating, swimming, doing yoga, meditating to the crashing of the waves, and surfing the internet, planning out some details of the remainder of the trip.

  We will be very busy for the last 8 weeks of the journey, with a couple more UNESCO sites to visit in India, our African safari, a trip up Kilimanjaro (while the girls volunteer near Dar Es Salaam), a week in Egypt, and a whirlwind tour of Europe. Su wants to spend time with friends and family in the UK, while I plan on seeing as much as I can, having never been to Europe. I’ll fly from London to Paris, get a museum pass and rent a bike, then storm the city for three days, fueled by coffee, cheese and baguette; no whining, no compromise, just plenty of iconic landmarks, before hopping on an overnight bus to Amsterdam for more of the same. Our friend and housemate from Salleri, Vincent, lives an hour away, so hopefully we can spend a day cycling around The Hague. I found a cheap flight to Edinburgh that happens to have a 17 hour layover in Copenhagen;  plenty of time to wander the old city and the waterfront, before returning to the airport and finally meeting up with the girls at Tanya and John’s place in Scotland. We’ll still have time to do some camping and enjoy a few pints before heading back to London and our flight home. Yup, still a few things on the agenda. This has already been an amazing trip, it’s hard to believe there is still so much to come! 

Don't know what they've got onboard, but there's a lot of it!