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!
This sounds amazing.
ReplyDeletepost some footage soon!!
ReplyDelete