So I tried to post my first video blog, which will be forthcoming at some point, (the plus side of this excursion is I learned it IS truly possible to utilize Indian internet stations to back up my footage) but it would've taken around 6 hours of me sitting here waiting. So I think I need to figure out a backup plan, such as bribing someone to let me upload overnight, or having a really boring day to do it in, etc. I'm learning about the editing software included within my camera, which is awesome, but it's going to take some more fine-tuning before it works the way I want so everything isn't so rough. Life is pretty much chillage and enjoyment at present. The sun is hot, the waves are cool, the food is tasty, the people are interesting, the mosquitoes are evil, the prices are touristy, the cows are skinny, the dawgs are too, the special lassis are strong, the beer is better than I recall, the internet is pretty fast, the views are beautiful, the end of this particular zone is drawing nigh. In a few days Alex and I are going up to Goa for a night of straight-up partying, then taking a 2 day trainride all the way up to Rajasthan to celebrate Holi in Jaipur. After that, who knows how the winds shall blow?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Christopher Walken, Leave My Knees Alone!
Whew! I finally made it to my first location. I heard about this place from the 'Lex as a better alternative to Goa, and boy howdy, it looks it. Only been here a couple hours, and it's dark, but it still has a wonderful vibe.
If you ever have the chance to take a sleeper bus in India, don't. If you absolutely have no other choice, PAY THE EXTRA MONEY for a double-bunk. Damn. That thing was so skinny I could barely fit anyways, but in this case the trunk was full and I had to share it with my bulky big bag. But the worst part? The 'protective' bar that's supposed to stop you rolling off the bunk was 1 foot long in the exact middle of the bed. Our route was up and down windy, bumpy roads. The only way to stop getting thrown off every time the bus turned left was to cleverly position myself in a sideways fetal with my knees pushing consciously against the bar to compensate for every redistribution of weight. Otherwise, my torso would slip headfirst off the bed and the rest of me would follow on the 4 foot fall to the floor. Needless to say, it was very hard to sleep. But I did manage somehow... I just had dreams about being on that bus and having to not change position. At one point in the night, my dad was driving the bus, and Grannia and I were somehow BOTH on that single bunk (Impossibru!!!). But he eventually drove off a cliff and rolled us, luckily, into the ocean, and was somehow able to drive back onto the road from there. But Christopher Walken and his pack of gangsters pulled us over and shot me in the knee. And I woke up. And both my knees are bruised. Oh well.
I changed buses a lot today on the long trip from Goa's capital to Gokarna, at the uppermost tip of Karnataka. The sights along the roadside were more captivating and awesome than any movie or book or internet site ever. Just image after image of LIFE in all its crazy magnificence. Caught brief glimpses of my first pigs and camels and monkeys. Realized I was being a little bitch complaining about my 'oh-so-heavy' bag when I saw a woman carrying a load of wood I probably couldn't even lift balanced on her head on a miles-long walk from town to town. Came up with some brilliant ideas for A Hoax in India II (Working title).
At one point we pulled through my favorite town I've yet seen (I mean, I've only spent time in freakin' Mumbai and been on buses) only for me to realized this was Gokarna, my destination. There are quite a few white people, but they seem more like travelers than tourists (the difference is calculated in comfort-zone with the insanity, a worldly expression that's not overly pompous, and consideration for local customs, although quite a few of these women are baring their shoulders and midriffs - for shame!) so I'll give 'em a shot. No, I'm actually really excited to make friends with other travelers. And the 'Lex arrives tomorrow! Huzzah! (I think I'm going to call him the 'Lex for the rest of this blog)
To get to Om Beach, where I'm currently chillin', you get dropped off by an auto-rickshaw at the top of this gorgeous set of stairs overlooking boulders in the ocean (with the sunset) and follow 'em down to the nice, quiet beach that's kinda how Goa used to be. I was lazy and excited and picked the very first place, Namaste Cafe, because I dug the communal-ish vibe and the room was way nicer than where I stayed in Mumbai, for a fraction of the price. However, this gal I met on the bus, Katja, went to check out Ganesh Cafe and they have actual little huts on the sand for 100 rupees less, so I think I'm moving tomorrow. We shall see. In the meantime, I'm going to rustle up some din-dins and check it out some more. Cheers!
If you ever have the chance to take a sleeper bus in India, don't. If you absolutely have no other choice, PAY THE EXTRA MONEY for a double-bunk. Damn. That thing was so skinny I could barely fit anyways, but in this case the trunk was full and I had to share it with my bulky big bag. But the worst part? The 'protective' bar that's supposed to stop you rolling off the bunk was 1 foot long in the exact middle of the bed. Our route was up and down windy, bumpy roads. The only way to stop getting thrown off every time the bus turned left was to cleverly position myself in a sideways fetal with my knees pushing consciously against the bar to compensate for every redistribution of weight. Otherwise, my torso would slip headfirst off the bed and the rest of me would follow on the 4 foot fall to the floor. Needless to say, it was very hard to sleep. But I did manage somehow... I just had dreams about being on that bus and having to not change position. At one point in the night, my dad was driving the bus, and Grannia and I were somehow BOTH on that single bunk (Impossibru!!!). But he eventually drove off a cliff and rolled us, luckily, into the ocean, and was somehow able to drive back onto the road from there. But Christopher Walken and his pack of gangsters pulled us over and shot me in the knee. And I woke up. And both my knees are bruised. Oh well.
I changed buses a lot today on the long trip from Goa's capital to Gokarna, at the uppermost tip of Karnataka. The sights along the roadside were more captivating and awesome than any movie or book or internet site ever. Just image after image of LIFE in all its crazy magnificence. Caught brief glimpses of my first pigs and camels and monkeys. Realized I was being a little bitch complaining about my 'oh-so-heavy' bag when I saw a woman carrying a load of wood I probably couldn't even lift balanced on her head on a miles-long walk from town to town. Came up with some brilliant ideas for A Hoax in India II (Working title).
At one point we pulled through my favorite town I've yet seen (I mean, I've only spent time in freakin' Mumbai and been on buses) only for me to realized this was Gokarna, my destination. There are quite a few white people, but they seem more like travelers than tourists (the difference is calculated in comfort-zone with the insanity, a worldly expression that's not overly pompous, and consideration for local customs, although quite a few of these women are baring their shoulders and midriffs - for shame!) so I'll give 'em a shot. No, I'm actually really excited to make friends with other travelers. And the 'Lex arrives tomorrow! Huzzah! (I think I'm going to call him the 'Lex for the rest of this blog)
To get to Om Beach, where I'm currently chillin', you get dropped off by an auto-rickshaw at the top of this gorgeous set of stairs overlooking boulders in the ocean (with the sunset) and follow 'em down to the nice, quiet beach that's kinda how Goa used to be. I was lazy and excited and picked the very first place, Namaste Cafe, because I dug the communal-ish vibe and the room was way nicer than where I stayed in Mumbai, for a fraction of the price. However, this gal I met on the bus, Katja, went to check out Ganesh Cafe and they have actual little huts on the sand for 100 rupees less, so I think I'm moving tomorrow. We shall see. In the meantime, I'm going to rustle up some din-dins and check it out some more. Cheers!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Arrival
Well, hell's bells, here I is again in the wonderfulest country ever! The plane ride was nice and easy, not much hassle. I immediately got ripped off when I checked into my hotel and foolishly left the porter way too much money 'cause of a misunderstanding, and was too pussy to ask for it back. Oh well.
Today this taxi driver and his homie rode me all over Mumbai and connected me with a 'sleeper' bus to Goa, and from there I'm going to take another bus to Gokarna. Kind of a weird way to do it, but at least this lets me nab a requested bottle of cheap alcohol for the 'Lex and me, who I'm seeing the day after tomorrow! That's going to be awesome. The bus ride, however, is probably going to suck. I've taken ahem 'sleeper' busses before, and if there's one thing it's impossible to do on them it's sleep. 'Nearly-getting-thrown-off-the-bed-with-every-turn' is more like it. Very much like the triple-decker bus from Harry Potter, except the beds don't slide around.
I'm quite impressed with the speed of the internet, though FB chat doesn't work. I love having to go down a decrepit alleyway and up a sketchy flight of crumbling stairs to find an internet cafe. I love that I've only seen 2 white people all day. I love that I get to hang out the side of the train and feel the breeze on my face (well, actually, 'get to' is the wrong phrasing... more like 'have to 'cause the damn thing's so full!). I love the food and the horns blaring. I fucking love this country. I'm going to find a nice ditch by the side of the road and read a bit, and then, beaches, bitches! Love to y'all.
Today this taxi driver and his homie rode me all over Mumbai and connected me with a 'sleeper' bus to Goa, and from there I'm going to take another bus to Gokarna. Kind of a weird way to do it, but at least this lets me nab a requested bottle of cheap alcohol for the 'Lex and me, who I'm seeing the day after tomorrow! That's going to be awesome. The bus ride, however, is probably going to suck. I've taken ahem 'sleeper' busses before, and if there's one thing it's impossible to do on them it's sleep. 'Nearly-getting-thrown-off-the-bed-with-every-turn' is more like it. Very much like the triple-decker bus from Harry Potter, except the beds don't slide around.
I'm quite impressed with the speed of the internet, though FB chat doesn't work. I love having to go down a decrepit alleyway and up a sketchy flight of crumbling stairs to find an internet cafe. I love that I've only seen 2 white people all day. I love that I get to hang out the side of the train and feel the breeze on my face (well, actually, 'get to' is the wrong phrasing... more like 'have to 'cause the damn thing's so full!). I love the food and the horns blaring. I fucking love this country. I'm going to find a nice ditch by the side of the road and read a bit, and then, beaches, bitches! Love to y'all.
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