Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A bit of Paradise in Chaotic India

Arambol, Goa is one of the few beaches on the Arabian coast that does not have a direct tourist bus service. Goa is a tiny state lined with beautiful white sandy beaches. Outside the tourist season Arambol is a tiny fishing village. During peak season the beach front is full of huts and guesthouses and bamboo restaurants. It had everything we needed so we found a flat, negotiated a month’s fee and stayed for six weeks.

We liked it instantly and decided to spend the rest of our time in India there. Our breezy flat is on the third floor. It was shaded by coconut trees and we can see the sea. We are a minute and a half away to our favourite beachside restaurant where we eat 2-3 times a day. From the restaurant it is a 30 seconds stroll to our lounge chairs in front of the sea.

The name of our favourite restaurant is Olive Garden (which makes me giggle because I think that’s where I went to eat for Prom). No matter what time we finally make it to the Olive Garden we are welcomed with a friendly good morning greetings. It could be 9am or 2pm. We are in Goa, no one ever knows the time or care to know. Our lives are contained within a five minute radius.

Parker and I loved our time in the sun in Goa. Goa attracts a lot of long term travellers and hippies. We do not make very good hippies but we blended in just fine. We spent a lot of time learning the guitar and reading. We made some really great friends.

India is a frustrating country to travel but extremely rewarding at the end of the day. It's over populated and there is no sense of personal space. People are constantly trying to sell you stuff or/and scam you. But the Indian people are friendly and have a great since of humor. In India, you've got to go with the flow.

We were lucky enough to be in Mumbai when India won the Cricket World Cup. Cricket is everything to India and they had waited 28 years to reclaim the title. Congratulations India!

Shopping from our lounge chairs in Goa

Goa, India: March

“Sister, I make good price for you, very cheap. Please buy one piece. No business today.”

I am on the beach in Goa slowly baking under the blazing sun. Next to me is a nice young lady with a bundle of sarongs and bags of jewellery. Parker comes out of the sea and laughs when he sees me. Deepa has arranged at least ten pieces of jewellery all the way down my leg: anklets, bracelets, necklaces. I never let it go this far but the heat has paralyzed me. We are always very polite but firm. Someone comes by every five minutes and if you show any interest you are instantly surrounded. We just really don’t want any sarongs, dress, jewellery, fruit, peanuts, pirated cds, pirated movies, drums, ice cream, flowers, stickers or henna tattoos.

Deepa was nice. It was hot and I felt bad for her. But I wanted absolutely nothing. Parker felt bad for her too and told me to buy something small. I found a pair of earrings that I could wear for a few days. She tried to charge me 150 ($3) rupees which was ridiculous. I told her not only were they not worth 150 rupees but I was only buying them because I liked her. She agreed to 50 rupees. So I ended up with a pair of earrings worth 5 rupees (less than a penny) that I didn’t even want in the first place.

This is the craziest beach we’ve visited when it comes to people trying to sell us crap all day. Not only can you shop all day without moving from your lounge chair and you can get your leg shaved (via string method), your ears cleaned, a manicure, a pedicure, a foot massage or full body massage, all while you are sun bathing and drinking your cocktail.

After six weeks we didn’t get bothered as much but they still tried. We grew fond of the beautiful Indian ladies in their colourful saris. Sometimes we pretended to be asleep but the kids would wake you up and the ice cream guy kept ringing his bell until you looked at him. It was a small price to pay to be in Goa.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Camel Safari and 500 Temples in Pushkar



Passing through the mystical desert landscape of Rajastan, it's hard to pass a camel safari. We found our opportunity in Pushkar. As usual, we made a spectacle as our guide led us through town and we towered over everyone on our camels. I don’t know what it is about us. People were taking pictures of us on our camels.

Riding a camel is pretty cool. They are awkward but graceful at the same time and oh, so tall. You hop on when it is sitting. You have to lean back when as it stands or you get thrown off. My camel, Cobra, had ankle bracelets that jingled as she walked. Parker was lucky to get to ride Romeo. Romeo is the two time winner of the annual Camel Race at the biggest camel fair in the world which is held every year in Pushkar. Romeo was a handsome camel and was pretty full of himself. He’s the best and he knows it.


Our sunset safari was short and sweet. Riding a camel is comparable to riding a horse, same-same but different. We opted for a shorter ride so we would be able to walk properly afterwards. It was a very touristy thing for us to do and we enjoyed it.




Pushkar is a holy city which means no meat, eggs, or alcohol. Parker and I were a bit worried. We like meat, eggs and alcohol. At breakfast our waiter asked us how we wanted our eggs. It wasn’t on the menu but came with the breakfast we ordered. We hesitated but ate our omelettes. We did stay away from meat and alcohol even though we knew it was probably available. It was only a few days anyway. And wow, the food was delicious.

Puskar was lovely. There is a small lake in the middle of town that is surrounded by 500 small white temples. We had a nice time in the tiny holy town in the desert.

The Tremendous Taj Mahal



The Taj Mahal lived up to everything one could possibly hope for in one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Parker and I try to avoid crowds and tourist traps. But the Taj Mahals’s 20,000 visitors a day only gave perspective to the grand size of the monument. It was absolutely tremendous.

The Taj Mahal is the ultimate monument for love. Emperor Shah Jahan was devastated when his favourite wife, Arjumand Bann Begum, died after giving to their fourteenth child (good grief!). After his wife’s death, the Emperor set out to build the most remarkable structure known to man in the memory of his beloved wife. The Taj Mahal took over 20,000 people and 20 years to build. It was finally completed in 1653.

I bought a sari and some bangles for the occasion. It took me an hour and a half to control my 16 foot sheet/dress. Every Asian country we have visited, I look same-same Thai, same-same Laos, same-same Singaporean and same-same Nepali. I never thought I looked Indian until we came to India. Someone specified I looked Northern Indian, especially when I wear a sari. With my chameleon Asian looks, American accent and American husband, Parker and I have sometimes caused a scene. I hear people whisper “maybe Indian/Nepali/Japan”. Many times we were asked to be photographed. At one point Parker and I had a whole family of 10 line up and take photos with both of us separately and together. It was a lot of fun the first five times.

The perfectly symmetrical monument is made out of marble and inlayed with semi precious stones: onyx, amethyst, lapis lazuli, turquoise, jade, crystal, coral and mother-of-pearl. The white marble of the Taj Mahal changes colours throughout the day. The play of lights from sunrise to sunset is magical. When we first entered the palace in the afternoon it was a brilliant white. As the sun set it turn to a pearly cream and finally glowed to a soft orange. No words can do it justice. It was a lovely day. The Taj Mahal was simply the most beautiful building either of us had ever seen.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Holy Ganges in Varanasi, India


Varanasi is one of the world’s oldest living cities and one of the holiest for the Hindus. The water front of the River Ganges is lined with hundreds of stone steps, ghats. Built on top of the ghats are terraces, palaces, pavilions and temples. Varanasi is the holiest tirthas "crossing places" that allow the devotees access to the divine and enables gods and goddesses to come down to earth.


Thousands of Hindu residents and pilgrims bath in the river daily to wash away their sins. Early in the morning, hundreds of men and women can be seen taking their holy dip in the Ganges. We’ve never seen anything like it. Many combine their holy dip with their morning wash and scrubbing down with soap.




A Hindu who is fortunate enough to die in Varanasi attains instant moksha, enlightenment. If a Hindu dies there they circumvent reincarnation and go straight to Swarg (heaven). There are several hospices by the river where the elderly and widows spend their final years. This was our second experience at a burning ghat. A well spoken Indian man explained to us the process. At Manikarnika Ghat we were shown a fire that is said to have been burning for over 3,000 years. It is used to light the five fires used to cremate the deceased.

Sadly, the River Ganges is Funky. Funky as in filthy, septic and oily black. Factories dump all their chemicals into the river. Over thirty sewage pipes drain directly to the river. From the cremation ghats, the men’s chest and women’s pelvis do not burn well and are thrown into the river. Dead cows and other animals can be seen floating on the river.


From dawn until late evening, Varanasi if full of activity. In the early morning, people are bathing, meditating and practicing yoga. The dori are up early washing laundry in the river. The waterfront and ghats are busy with pilgrims, tourist, locals, kids with kites, vendors and holy cows roam as they please. Holy or not, we were not about to set foot in the river.
We did feel safe enough to go on a nice morning boat ride. It's hard to describe how incredible Varanasi is. We witnessed the cycle of life and death and rituals that have been practiced for over thousands of years. Parker and I woke up at dawn to see the sunrise over the River Ganges to watch the fascinating city of Varanasi come to life.

Itinerary for 2011


2010 was one hell of a year for Parker and me. We stayed pretty true to our itinerary. It took us fifteen months to make it halfway around the world. We visited seven countries: New Zealand, Australia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Laos and Nepal.

For 2011, we threw our itinerary out the window. This year we are switching everything up and going with the flow. We decided to go to India for some much needed beach time after the Himalayas. Unfortunately, because of the political unrest in Egypt we will have to visit another time. After India we will be heading to Europe and then who knows where from there.

But one thing is for sure, we are slowly making our way home.