One thing that stinks about travelling in a place like India is that everyone speaks English, but almost nobody speaks it well. Therefore, they don't really humor my Hindi, and I have to repeat myself at least 4 or 5 times before anyone can fully understand me in English. The funny thing is, I don't have to repeat it slower. I just have to repeat it rapid fire a few times. This strange custom made the purchase of my Bangalore-Mangalore train quite an entertaining endeavor.


Anyway, lots to update. From my train, I got into Goa state fine, but managed to oversleep and pass my stop for Anjuna. I ended up in South Goa instead, so I just made my way to Benaulim, a beach recommended in Rough Guide, and for good reason. Just look.

I spent a couple days there hanging out and listening attentively while a bunch of local boys tried to educate me on the finer points of cricket.... but all I walked away with was the knowledge that it was a sport that did not involve mallets, and that I would probably never watch with any genuine interest... oh, and also this photo. The horizon isn't straight, but I thought it looked cool. Also, the cricketers couldn't wait to show off for the camera.

From there, I made my way to Anjuna in the north- known to be one of Goa's top party spots. For everyone who knows me at home, I think it would surprise you to know that until I reached then, I hadn't partied almost at all (and in fact, hadn't had an alcoholic drink) since my birthday in Tel Aviv. It was nearly 2 months without any booze, and it felt almost nice--- my body felt great and my pocketbook felt even better... the only part of me that felt horrible was my soul, which was slowly dying day by day. Goa fixed that.

On the way, I met a cute Aussie couple whose photo I'll post here. Poppy and Tom had been traveling for near 21 months when I met them. What makes this particular pair remarkable is that after all that time on the road, they didn't seem at all blasé to places or people. Each place was still interesting and unique, and each person was still worth getting to know, even if it was clear the relationship would only last a day or two. They were even nice to touts. I don't mean nice in the, "No, thank you" kind of way, which frequently becomes automatic... but nice in the, "It's lovely... but I don't think I'm interested... thanks for showing me though!" way. How odd! Anyway, in the Aussie tradition, they drank and partied super hard, and we had a ball until near the end of the first week of Dec, when they left for Mumbai, and I ventured south to Gokarna, Karnataka.

I'm not going to write a lot about Gokarna except to say that it was paradise. That's basically it.

From Gokarna, I was off for Hampi, where I spent 4 days or so doing yoga, relaxing, and taking photos like this one. My sweet German anarchist friend is quite the photographer. Look at how long my legs look! I hung out for a few days with an entertaining mix of Dutch, German, and Finnish folk before I started to get ants in my pants. I left for Mysore shortly thereafter.

I'm going to wait to write about Mysore, since I'm not sure if my recent intestinal drama can be blamed on my street fish there, or whether it's something else. All I'm going to say is that I'm glad I didn't know anyone in the city for a few days. I was in pretty sorry condition.

Anyway, I came back to Hampi shortly thereafter and think I will be here for a day or two more before going BACK to Anjuna for some holiday merry-making. Let me leave off this post (and perhaps the year of 2009) with this photo.


Merry Christmas everyone~!

I don't think anyone else will have any interest in reading this, but I wanted to record it for my own sake...

I was laying in bed this morning trying to go back to sleep, (which was impossible because it's so damn hot, but if I use the fan, it oscillates WAAAAAY too quickly, and I'm afraid that it's just going to fly right off and chop me to pieces...) and I was thinking that I'm too hung over to do anything properly today, but that I'd be bored if I just laid around. Then, I remembered this guy named Tim I met in Maderas, Nicaragua, who said something I found funny at the time, but have remembered ever since with increasing fondness. He said something like "Some people aren't meant to do a lot with their lives. I think I'm one of those people. I'm never bored~ I'm always happy wherever I am." Then I remembered how he would hang out at Maderas doing nothing but sitting with his boombox, listening to music and whistling and having a ball just sitting there... like, all day... no joke.

Tim spent a combined total of a year at that 2 restaurant, one hostel "town" in southern Nicaragua, and was so content just fishing and surfing and listening to his boombox every day~ and even though I didn't know him all that well~ I think the image of him on that bench listening to Jo Manji's "Beyond the Sunset" and whistling will stay with me forever.

I'm here at 8 months, and I'm reflecting on all the people I've met and realizing that the world is fucking awesome. People are funny and interesting and moving and unpredictable, and no matter who you're with- you can always have fun if you've got the right attitude. I spent the whole morning just dicking around and comparing white hairs with the Nepali guys at my hotel and having a ball doing it (even though the hairs are coming in with increasing frequency), and even though I get homesick sometimes~ I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to record. When you have those moments where you look at your life and think about how god damn lucky you are to have the things that you do, it's important to remember it.