Sun burn-out

Day eight on the beach, and we're getting a little bored. There's only so much tanning and swimming and frisbee you can do! I know, I know, what a hard life. Don't get me wrong...the weather has been gorgeous. We are so lucky! But it's low season right now, and not much is open. We really wanted to do yoga but aside from a few restaurants and shops selling all the same sarongs, blankets and "handicraft crap", there isn't much here!

This weekend, we met up with Jessie, who was my roommate when I first arrived in Tokyo, and her friend last weekend and we headed to the beach in Baga. Within minutes of laying down our sarongs, there were about 50 men around us, staring and secretly trying to take photos of us! I'm glad we were staying in Vagator. Vagator was really laid-back; we really liked it there...friendly people and good organic food. In the season, it is supposed to be quite a party place, but it's pretty quiet now. We tried to find this party, and ended up in the middle of rice paddies on some dark dirt road with scary rabid dogs and dodgy men offering us cocaine and Ecstasy! We never did find it, but we heard from our local bartender the next morning that it was pretty fun.

Now Aggie and I have moved to Benaulim, in southern Goa, but it's not as good. The beach has white sand and swimming's good - so different from the black sands and rocky beach of Vagator. But the crowd here is older and less fun. Even though it's a bit more developed - timeshares and big hotels - there isn't much to do here. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm ready to go back to the city, even crazy Mumbai (Bombay)! Still, there is some excitement here...last night we ate at some little place, and while we were waiting for our 50-cent thali dinners, a mouse ran under the table! And this morning, between ordering my coffee and finishing my porridge, the waiter asked to be my "secret friend" and said he wanted to come to Canada with me! And if that wasn't enough, as we were walking along the beach, we saw a dead body!!! What am I going to do when I go home...Canada will seem so boring!!

Greetings from Goa

Hello from the sunny beaches of Goa! Finally the Intrepid tour ended and Aggie and I have some time to relax and breathe. The Intrepid tour was good - we had the opportunity to go to some really great places that we wouldn't have thought of going. Highlights include going to the opening night of a Bollywood blockbuster, dancing to the latest Hindi hits in Jaipur, going to some really small villages and meeting the people, staying in a beautiful castle and chilling with the king, and doing a camel safari at sunset. I even got to try on a sari and had henna done on my hands! But after two weeks, I was really tired of sight-seeing and running around, and am happy to stay put at the beach and do nothing!

We're in Vagator Beach at the moment. We had originally headed to Arambol, which was supposed to be more chill than the other places, but as it is off-season right now, it was more like a ghost town! Only two restaurants were open! Still, the beach was really lovely...soft black sand and palm trees. Arambol is a really nice little community as well - in the morning you can watch the local fishermen pull in their boats and at sunset, the little kids play cricket on the beach.

It's been one month since I came to India, and one month since I left Japan. I can hardly believe it! I'm so glad I decided to go somewhere completely different...I need some space in between Japan and going home, to get my head 'round things (and where better to do it than on the beach!)

Taj Mahavellous!

It's been about five days since I've started the Intrepid Tour, and it's been non-stop. We're in the "Pink City" of Jaipur for the next two days, so finally I have a chance to breathe! Travelling with a group has been totally different - mostly, I don't have to worry so much about catching the right train or wondering where I'm going to sleep for the night.

We have done a lot of amazing things though - things Aggie and I probably wouldn't have thought of doing. After Delhi, we went to see the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort in Agra, which was amazing. The Taj is "stunning"...especially at when the sun goes down and the white marble reflects the colours of the sky. We also went to see some mosques, a bird sanctuary, and last night we stayed in an old fort! Yesterday was probably one of the highlights of the tour so far. We travelled to this tiny village and walked around, meeting all the kids and seeing the industries of the town. It was really amazing to see a small village...there were camels pulling carts of firewood, squealing pigs on the road, women in colourful saris balancing jugs of water on their heads, cobblers making traditional jooti shoes and peacocks flying in the sky. The entire town surrounded a fort that has been in the same family for over 400 years. It was given to them after a war and they are kind of the benefactors/landowners. It was an absolutely magical place, and we had dinner last night underneath the stars, listening to some local musicians. The family is really wonderful and warm, and their little daughter is a real charmer. If anyone is looking for a romantic place to get married, I definitely recommend here!

Personally I prefer travelling on my own or with a good friend rather than as a group. No matter where we go, we attract so much attention, just because we are a group of foreigners...I feel a bit like a travelling freak show! I normally don't like tours at all - most of the time, you are rushed through all the sights, and cooped up in the safe bubble of your hotel room or bus, without any contact with the world outside you. But Intrepid is definitely different, and I really like their policy of supporting local businesses and getting off the beaten path a bit. One thing that I've found really interesting is the idea of "responsible travel". It's a really important issue especially when travelling in a developing country like India, where there is so much poverty. One thing that is really difficult to see is all the beggars, especially the children and the ones who have disfigured limbs, even leprosy. It is hard to know what to do, because you don't want to encourage begging, but at the same time, you don't know what kind of social services are available.

Another problem is the tipping. We give our guide a set amount of money which he uses for tipping along the way, to make sure everyone gets an equal amount and to make sure there is no "over-tipping". At first, I couldn't get used to it, and always wanted to give more. After all, $1 is nothing to me, but it is so much for a rickshaw driver. However, the problem is, tourists have no idea what their money is worth in this country and will give way too much, thinking they are helping, but in fact, they are creating a lot of problems, including fostering greed and jealousy. The vendors and drivers start expecting more and more and they get more and more aggressive. For example, our cycle rickshaw driver at the sanctuary was very kind and knowledgeable, but at the end, when Aggie said "Shukriya" (thank-you), he said, "Shukriya only?" As people get more aggressive, tourists get more defensive, and feel like all Indians are only after their money and can't be trusted. We are currently in the state of Rajastan, the most touristed area in all of India, and the feelings are very different from the north. In northern India, it was much more relaxed, people were much friendlier, and I chatted to tons of local people. But here, I feel leery of anyone who even says hello! I am learning a lot on this trip about travelling. Too often travellers go into a country without thinking about the impact they make, when tourism has really changed the face of the world. Now that there are boats, trains and planes that go almost any corner in the world, we need to start thinking about how to travel as responsibly and respectfully as possible.

Talking in "In-glish"

A definite highlight of this trip has been the random conversations I've had with people at the train stations, on the bus, at restaurants...People in India learn English starting from nursery school, so anyone who has gone through school has a pretty firm grasp of the language, except their usage is definitely "Indian". For example, instead of asking, "Where are you from?" they ask "What is the name of your country, please?" Even more confusing is their use of present progressive, "Where are you coming from?" I'm always wondering if they mean where did I just come from (like my hotel), where have I just been (the last city in India I visited), or where I'm from. I showed one person my pictures from the Golden Temple, and he kept laughing and saying "Very strange, very strange". I was really worried - had I taken some inappropriate pictures? But then he said, "I am thinking you must be a professional photographer. Wonderful." Only then I realized he didn't mean "strange" in a bad way. Most people aren't that shy about using English, even if it is just a little. One teenger said hi to me and asked me where I was from. When I tried to ask him some questions, he apologized for his "incomplete English" and walked away! Well, at least he made some effort! Wonder what it'd be like to teach English here...

It seems like a lot of people also want to know your age, your marital status and your religion. On the way from Amritsar to Delhi, I had a very interesting conversation with this Sikh man sitting next to me. Having just come from the Golden Temple, naturally I asked him all about his religion and he seemed to be very surprised that I didn't have a religion saying that is was "a very necessary thing" and that "there is no harm in it". He was even more surprised that at my age, I am not married yet, saying that "it was my duty to plan for my life". It was just like sitting next to my dad! Still, apparently I have "a good attitude" and I "will find a good husband"! (hah!)

anyhow, that's all from delhi for now. Met up with Aggie a couple days ago and am started in the Intrepid tour tonight. It'll be really different, going from solo to travelling with a small group, but I'll probably learn a lot. It's nice that we have a lot of free time as well. In a couple days we'll be going to Agra to see the Taj Mahal! Looking forward to getting OUT of sweaty Delhi...had my ass grabbed this morning!!! Definitely people from smaller towns are more sincere and kind, although Agra is quite touristy. Namaste.

Back to "real" India

After the cool, rainy days in McLeod Ganj, it was a shock to be thrown back into the sauna that is the rest of India. Had a terrible bus trip to Pathankot...it was only three hours long, but was much more of an ordeal than the ten-hour ride from Shimla to Dharamsala, probably because the bus driver was a bit heavy-handed with his horn! Just imagine the constant blaring of the horn for 180 minutes! He didn't like anyone in front of him, so he would lean on the horn until the rickshaw/horse cart/car/truck got out of his way. Also, any person, animal or vehicle that happened to be on the road, got ample warning with more blasts of his horn. I was ready to thorw him out the window! So much for the inner peace I achieved in Dharamsala! With shattered nerves (and eardrums), I arrived in Pathankot, where I took the train to Amritsar.

Unfortunately I just missed the train by a few minutes, so I had to wait for a couple of hours. I felt a bit uncomfortable as everyone was staring at me (being the only non-Indian face there) and there were a lot of army people as well, this being very close to the India/Pakistan border. So, I sat in the "Ladies-waiting-room" (a brilliant idea!) and chatted with this lovely young college student from Varansai. She had just been to Jammu (in Kashmir) and gave me a bracelet for good luck, saying that she could never forget me! What a sweetheart. I wish I had brought photos to show people...they seem very interested in my family, Canada, and Japan.

The train ride was slow and hellish, and very uncomfortable. Again, I was the only non-Indian there, and so I was stared at a lot...every move I made was closely watched, and I felt self-conscious even taking a sip of water! Now I know how you non-Asian people felt in Japan! Unlike the Tibetans, they weren't friendly stares either, not a smile to be seen. Amritsar is a busy, noisy, hot city. Glad I'm leaving tomorrow (although it will be to Delhi, which is even MORE busy, noisy and hot!)

Today, I went to the Golden Temple, the most holy site for Sikhs. Lots of men in turbans of course...felt like I was back in Vancouver! ;) There are several temples actually, and the most famous one is the one gilded in gold, in the middle of a shimmering artificial lake. Really beautiful. The lake is considered to be holy, so lots of men were stripping to their boxers (or even to their birthday suits!) and bathing themselves. Inside the Golden Temple there were lots of people reading, praying, or just listening to the music and incantations.

The Sikh religion is quite interesting. I quite like how they accept everyone, regardless of creed, colour or caste. There is a huge dining hall where all the pilgrims sit and eat dahl and chapati together, for free. Anyone and everyone is welcome. You just line up and get your thali (a metal tray), and find a seat next to hundreds of others. Lots of people were very helpful, showing me how to make an offering, when to wash my feet and hands, offering me water. One gentleman showed me a few temples and explained his religion, spending a good hour with me. ( I think he really wanted me to convert though...he was telling me if I marry a Sikh man, I can change religions). Lots of people said hello and asked where I was from - everyone said Canada was a "great country", probably because there are so many Sikhs living there! And once people saw that I had a digital camera, they all wanted to have their pictures taken, so they could see themselves on the screen!

So ends my solo trip through India...meeting Aggie tomorrow in Delhi. I hadn't travelled by myself for a while now, and now I remember how much I love it. It is a totally different experience - things just feel so much more intense. Of course there are safety concerns too, especially being female, but all in all I quite meeting all sorts of people on the way and the freedom of travelling alone. Course, I'm sure Aggie and I will get up to all kinds of trouble together...;)

Tashi delig (Peace and good luck to you)

For the past year or so, three other ALTs and I have been doing yoga at my apartment, just from a few videos. Today I tried my first yoga class in India...and it was a bit of a shock! Instead of the gentle relaxing hour of stretching I had anticipated, I was struggling through an intense two-and-a-half hour class, complete with all kinds of handstands, headstands, crazy contortions and more downward-dog positions than you can possibly imagine! I'm afraid those Monday night sessions with our little Westside Yoga Club just didn't prepare me for the real thing! I was pretty self-conscious too, as I was placed right at the front, and the helper had to come over and fix my position for almost every move! Didn't help that he kept laughing at me...

After breakfast, this young Tibetan man stopped me in the street and asked to have a chat over tea. He told me some amazing stories about how he came to India...how he escaped at night and climbed over the mountains for about three weeks. He had very little food and for two days, there was no water...he told me how he would drink the little water he could find in the yaks' footprints. Of course he had to be so careful, often moving at night, with no flashlight, and even with a guide, sometimes his group got lost, and sometimes they were shot at and chased by the Chinese police. It's so tragic that the Chinese are still in Tibet, repressing the people and their religion. It makes me ashamed to be Chinese.

After tea, he took me to the temple and explained all sorts of things. I'm so glad he was there, because I wouldn't have understood the significance of it all. Watched monks chanting, and later on, the young monks gathered in the courtyard to debate. That was really cool to watch...they got into some quite heated arguments, and the air was full of the sound of clapping, which they do after finishing their retort. Khonchok, my new friend, used to be a monk, so he was able to tell me quite a lot.

McLeod Ganj is becoming more and more touristy...there is even a Baskin Robbins! Everywhere there are rich merchants whipping around in their flash cars, blasting their horns, money-hungry shopowners and loads of hippie Western tourists. But still there is something special in this little town in the middle of the mountains, and it is because of the Tibetan people. All of them are refugees, like Khonchok, and many of them have left their families behind. They have endured so many hardships, and yet they are still so peaceful and have no hatred in their hearts. Of all the people in this multi-cultural town, the Tibetan people have been the kindest, warmest and most welcoming. While I was shopping, many merchants tried to lure me into their shops, but the Tibetan people, mostly older ladies wearing their colourful aprons, just returned my smile and said hello. Before my yoga class, I happened to look into a kindergarten and there were lots of little Tibetan kids, dressed in their little scarlet sweaters, happily learning in their own language. What a shame they had to come all the way to India to do so.

Monks walking in the rain