Long way to go

Though I had a bit of a rough landing, I'm really enjoying my time in Rishikesh. The Ganges flows so green and cold and clean, through Himalayan foothills that echo silence. Whoa, this place must be getting to me.

I crossed the suspension pedestrian bridge exhausted, dehydrated (I don't drink much water on bus rides because there are no bathrooms on board), and schlepping my backpack into Laxsman Jhula, the part of Rishikesh in which I wanted to stay.

Unfortunately everyone else wanted to stay there too, because every place we checked was fully booked. I had met some Eterians and Swedes on the bus ride, we were all looking for lodging together. Finally I found a really crappy room at some place next to the Jeep stand (such loud honking all day), but took it because I was so tired and needed a shower. Not only did I have a bad sleep there, but the next morning I woke to find my feet covered in flea bites, ugh.

So I had them spray the room with something extremely carcinogenic I'm sure and set out to find a better place. I managed to within an hour: Dharm Yatri Niwas. Not only does the room not have bugs, but it also has a big dresser, nightstand, table, chair, and half-length mirror. Luxury! As soon as I checked in I gave them all my clothes for laundry and scrubbed myself clean. My feet still itch like hell, but I can sleep at night and not get bitten (or woken by a thousand horns in the night).

The rest of Rishikesh has been great: sunset every day on the small beach watching the orange ball set over the river, hanging out with the crew that I met on the bus, taking a yoga class in which I was the only student.

Whitewater rafting is big here too, so yesterday I went on a 4-hour trip down the Ganges (cost: about $8). I even got to cliffjump into the river! I do love jumping off high spots (see: bungy jumping and skydiving). It was cold but not bracing; I felt refreshed. Maybe the river has healing properties, after all.

This will be my last post for a week; in a few hours I'm heading out to spend a week at an ashram 5km outside of Rishikesh. I hadn't really planned on going to an ashram while here but it feels right, I have the time, why not? Otherwise I could go meet Ami and Jonathan in Punjab; they have comped tickets to the India Pakistan World Cup cricket match and a free place for me to stay, but no matter how many times people explain that game to me I just can't get interested.

The ashram's daily schedule is somewhat intense, but I'm feeling up for it. I've been practicing yoga for 14 years and meditation for a while as well, but I could use the discipline and guidance provided by a week-long course. I'm only vaguely dreading the 5am wake-up time, so I might actually be ready for this. Only one way to find out...

Posted by j3s at 07:22 AM | Permalink

Ultimately, I'm glad I went to Agra; the Taj Mahal actually lived up to the hype. Also very glad that even though I didn't get in till 11pm, I set my alarm for 5:22am and was one of the first twenty people in the gates. It was pretty magic at sunrise, and not crowded with tourists. Full photo set here.

In the afternoon I went to the Agra Fort, which was also impressive (full photo set here). But what I'll probably remember the most are the hours that I spent drinking tea and talking with Pradeep, the travel agent who helped me book my bus ticket to Rishikesh. I stopped by there after the Taj, and was told to come back at 10 when the boss was in. When I got there at 10, I met Pradeep, and he told me to wait until 11 because he wanted to make sure that the bus was actually going that day before he made the booking. He invited me to share some tea while I waited, and we ended up talking for over an hour about philosophy and life in general.

After seeing the fort, late afternoon, I went back to pick up the ticket. He explained that in Uttar Pradesh you can't book bus tickets more than an hour in advance and only at the bus station, but of course there was a way around that, one for which I was grateful.

I spent two more hours there, listening to his awesome stories about how he got an American green card in the 70's, started multiple travel agencies, lived in Denver, San Francisco, and Chicago, where he worked at the bakery where my mom still buys pastries on holiday mornings. In return I shared many stories of my own, and we parted ways genuinely enjoying the conversation and friendship that had formed around a trivial bus ticket.

With his help I had a rough overnight busride (it was a real boneshaker) but met some nice fellow travellers from East Anglia and Sweden, and settled into a joyless room in Laxsman Jula, Rishikesh. Put on some Beatles and think of me watching the mighty Ganges!

Posted by j3s at 03:07 PM | Permalink

The holiday of Holi, as celebrated (and I mean really celebrated) in Pushkar has two parts. The first, on the night of the 19th, was on a full moon. There was a ceremony in the main market square, followed by a big fire and then a lot of drums and dancing into the night. Unfortunately I was pretty sick in Pushkar, so I couldn’t stay out and enjoy it, but we watched the celebration from a rooftop restaurant with a great view.

The next day was the big color festival, where everyone smears and throws brightly colored chalk all over each other. “You want to play Holi?” Sure.

Holy shit, Holi was intense.

I woke up feeling terrible, stomach cramping and all that goes with it. But mind over matter, or so they say, so I headed out to play Holi. My friends were still sleeping, so I left my guesthouse alone and unarmed.

Immediately I was swarmed and told that if I want to play Holi, go back and leave my bag in my hotel. OK, done and done. Within minutes I was covered in a dozen different colors, and forgot I was sick. Big grin, instead.

That chalk has such a smell, wow. I don’t want to think about what it’s made of; I’m just glad I wasn’t allergic to it. Quickly enough the purple, pink, green, orange, yellow, became muddled as they were rubbed and layered together.

Holi is the one day a year when everyone can openly touch anyone anywhere, so the guys were all very charged. I had to shoo away many groping hands throughout the day; eventually I just kept my arms crossed over my chest. It was mostly the younger boys, 11, 12, that were the worst. However, if at any point you said stop, enough, people quickly left you alone. And people made sure I stayed away from the speakers, where the really crazy guys were, it was too much for me. First time I’ve ever heard that, heh.

After ten minutes I got chalk in my eye and headed back to my room to extract it. A few of the guys that ran my guesthouse (Rising Star, a lovely place) had been out in the square came back with me and ordered a round of bhang lassis.

By the time we finished them my friends were up, so I headed across the street to get them. I staggered into their rooftop restaurant covered in color; the white clothes I’d purchased the previous day were already pink and green. The other hotel guests finishing their breakfasts immediately started asking questions, and I recruited a few of them to come out with Ami, Jonathan, and I.

When they were ready (no bags, no glasses, but sunglasses ok), we got our bags of color and water guns prepped and ready in front of the building. Jonathan didn’t make it five steps before the local boys tore his shirt off; all guys end up shirtless on Holi, if they play. He tied his around his head, Rambo-style.

Someone had warned me that going to the main market would be too intense, but Nicola, a German girl who joined us, summed up my thoughts: “I didn’t come to Pushkar for Holi to not check out the action.”

We bypassed the local square and snaked around to the main market. The streets of Pushkar were totally deserted, save for a few people sitting in the shade, wishing us Happy Holi. At one point an old man, who had no color, beckoned us over to him. One at a time, he took color from each of our bags and smudged it on our cheeks. It felt like a blessing.

Then we turned a corner and heard music, saw the edge of the crowd. It really felt like we were going into battle; adrenaline surged.

The main market exploded in a Holi frenzy in front of us. A huge soundsystem blasted trance music, people dancing on rooftops, everyone drenched in color and water and pink ink than eventually ran into a purplish gray, flip-flips sticking in the muck that had yesterday been red dust and cow shit, ripped shirts being tossed over and across the dance space, and so much whooping: Happy Holi! and smearing color and water on faces, neck, chest, arms, swatting hugging hands away.

Carlin, also from Brooklyn, turned back immediately. I looked at Ami and Jonathan and told them I’m going in, it’s time to dance. This ended up being a bit tricky, as I tend to move my hips a lot, but didn’t want to give the slightest suggestive movement. You could say I did The Robot.

Then some guys pulled Nicola and I into a sidestreet and poured bottles of hot pink dye over us. It’s four days and seven showers later and I’m still tinted. Then they showed us where Nicola could wash out her eye, as one of her contacts was completely pink.

When we headed back out to the makeshift dancefloor, she pointed out a group of foreigners in which we could take refuge for a bit before heading back.

We staggered out of there like a warzone, ran into a group of American girls who offered us water, camaraderie, and an eye wash. I was spitting pink for half an hour.

We got back to the hotel, where I grabbed my camera to take some post-mortem shots. I’m a little bummed that I didn’t get any photos of the main chaos, because I’ve never experienced anything like it. It would have been cool to get pictures, but it was enough to just live it. I already lost one good camera to dust (last year's Burning Man); I didn’t want to lose another halfway through my travels.

My Holi photos are posted, and this random youtube video kind of gives you an idea of the main market.

Posted by j3s at 01:03 PM | Permalink

After four days in Pushkar (and another cancelled train ticket), I made the decision to go on to Agra to see the Taj Mahal alone. In and out like a surgical strike, and then--fingers crossed, since all trains to and from Delhi have been cancelled since last week--on to Rishikesh.

I have a lot to say about spending Holi in Pushkar. They really go for it when they celebrate here, and I can tell you that three days later most of my skin still has a hot pink cast to it. So fun! Pictures and a full write-up soon; I have a train to catch now.

Posted by j3s at 07:54 AM | Permalink

I'm back in the travel mode again, moving to a new city every three or four days. Somehow we managed to make it out of Udaipur after four nights in that beautiful room, which is pretty impressive. Our haveli, Lake Shore, was in Hanuman Ghat, a much more quiet section of town and right on Lake Pichola. The old city is really enchanting: winding small streets, picturesque lake views, lovely rooftop and waterfront restaurants.

Outside of the old city Udaipur feels like most other Indian cities: crowded, loud, hot, dirty. I guess there's something to be said for the tourist bubble.

We did some touristy stuff too: Udaipur Palace see photos, a boat ride to Jag Mandir Island (photos soon), and a 90-minute drive toRanakpur Temple (see photos), an amazing old Jain temple in the middle of the Rajasthani desert, nestled in a mountain valley.

The still-active temple has 1444 intricately carved pillars, none of which are the same. Strict rules were observed: no water or food in the temple, and Jonathan had to rent long pants since he was wearing shorts. Ami and her family are Jain, which leant significance to the visit as well. (She also speaks Gujurati and some Hindi, which has helped at some points in the trip.)

Friday (I think? I'm starting to forget days and barely check my clock any more) we took a 6am train to Pushkar, a city which is considered very holy; the whole town is supposed to be treated like a temple. It's situated around a lake as well, surrounded by 52 ghats.

I don't think we'll have a chance to do most of the standard Pushkar stuff, since the entire city is in preparation for Holi. Holi is a major holiday that I was in India for last year, but since I was in Goa and it's a Hindu holiday I didn't get to experience it much. However, it seems like it's going to be pretty crazy here. Besides the throwing of color (powdered paint) on everyone, there are also huge fires and singing and dancing. It sounds intense, but I'm excited for it, as is the rest of the city. Now I just need to go buy some white clothes.

I'm becoming conscious of time running out; two months in India is not enough. It takes sometimes a whole afternoon to book travel (you have to ask the same question many times many different ways to get a real answer), plus another day or two to accomplish it (nothing in India happens quickly, it's a great place to practice patience), so I'm scratching some places off my list. The big debate of the moment is whether to go to the Taj Mahal with Ami and Jonathan, since they're going and it's relatively close. I do want to see it, but I'd rather be with someone that I love, since it's a monument to love and all. When did I become such a cheeseball?

Anyway, we have tickets to Jaipur Monday, which I don't plan on spending much time in; I've been told it's not that great. So then either Agra or straight on to Rishikesh (via Delhi), where I'd like to spend a week or so. Decisions, decisions.

Posted by j3s at 04:54 PM | Permalink

After 20 hours of train travel we madde it to Udaipur, Rajasthan! It's quite peaceful so far. The whole city is around Lake Pichola, lovely. We got an amazing room that could easily sleep five people for 1000R, about $7 per night each:

Yes, that's a straight drop to the lake right out the window:

Posted by j3s at 08:44 AM | Permalink

Almost all of my friends that have been to Mumbai told me to spend as little time here as possible, but to my surprise I have really enjoyed this city. In many ways it feels like NYC quite a bit; urban culture is growing into a more consistent experience with globalization, and differences are felt more between small towns and big cities than national borders sometimes. Or maybe I'm just kind of hungover.

I have always felt that it's easier (and more fun) to explore a city when you know people there. My friend Ami has lots and lots of family here, some of whom we have been staying with in Borivali and and in the Churchgate neighborhood. They're all wonderful, warm, hilarious people that have been fantastic hosts and ambassadors, though I kind of need a break from eating delicious food for a little while.

Somehow I went from a tiny beachfront hut to a housewarming party at a three-story, five million dollar penthouse in less than 48 hours. And yes, I took pictures [Update: they're posted].

But no time to post them now; I'm catching a train in an hour with Ami and Jonathan up north to Rajasthan. In about 20 hours we should be in Udaipur, for which I am quite excited. I know the north is very different ("Bombay is the most organized that you get in India"), a lot more rough, but I have less than five weeks left here, I want to see more!

Posted by j3s at 07:09 AM | Permalink

After two frustrating hours at the travel agency this morning, they told me to come back in the evening.

It was not my most shanti day. Last night my last remaining grandparent, Ruth Ellen Davis, passed away at age 95. To compound things I had a bad fever, nausea, and aching everywhere. Pretty rough day, left me feeling a bit weak. Travelling has its highs and lows, and the last couple days have been tough.

But today the fever was gone, as was the pain. I took a relaxing swim in the ocean, did some writing, went to the sunset drum circle, and returned to the travel agent to find that they'd successfully booked my ticket. Relief.

So tomorrow night I take an overnight bus to Mumbai, spend the day there, and (in theory) take an overnight (and then all-day) train to Jodhpur. However, I hope to meet up with friends in Mumbai and possibly book a different ticket from there, to Udaipur where I'd rather go. If I have to eat the cost of the Jodhpur ticket, it's 800 Rupees ($17); charge it to the game.

Strange to think that I'll actually be leaving Goa tomorrow and living out of my backpack for a while, I've really made quite a nice little hut-nest here.

Posted by j3s at 05:20 PM | Permalink

...Is tough to do. It hit me last Friday that I really need to get off the beach and see more of this amazing country. At first I thought Gokarna, but that's just more beach, and south at that, and it's really time to head north. Then I thought Mumbai to stay with Ami and Jonathan at Ami's family's house, but then I got itchy for Rajasthan, and decided on Pushkar. But not until Thursday; I have some more stuff to do here, plus I found another yoga teacher, Balu, that I really like.

So Sunday I went to try and book a ticket to Pushkar. The first place told me all the trains are full for weeks. The second place gave me a possible itinerary that sounded a bit hellish. The third travel agency I tried said no problem, you want to go Thursday or Friday? Come back tomorrow, you must book three days in advance.

Today is tomorrow, so I stopped in after my class. He said today not possible, tomorrow he can book. But I put down a deposit, and he told me to come back Wednesday to find out if he was able to get the ticket. Crossing fingers!

It's definitely time to go north; today it's 95 degrees in the shade. I've gone swimming in the ocean every single day that I've been in Goa (SPF 30 I love you!). Last night a friend told me that the phosphorescent phytoplankton were out, so I went for a skinnydip nightswim and sure enough, every time I waved my arms underwater there were little glowy bits. So beautiful.

Posted by j3s at 10:31 AM | Permalink

You go into a dingy, foul-smelling squat toilet and see some actual toilet paper on the bin and think, "Ooh, lovely!"

Posted by j3s at 06:29 AM | Permalink

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Goa for two weeks, much less gone from New York for a month. These jam-packed days of yoga/beach/dinner/music have really flown by! Some days it feels like I'm not doing much, but that's kind of what this place is for. It's so easy to lose time in Goa, but now I'm formulating a plan of escape.

Meanwhile, I present some of what I've been doing.

-- Bea, Benoit, and I went to Mapusa last week to get glasses made. It's a city about 40 minutes away (by taxi/scooter, or 1.5 hours by bus). People say that Goa isn't really India, and though I somewhat disagree (but admit it's quite a bubble), getting off the beach was a good reminder of that fact. I got an eye exam (300 Rupees/7 dollars), and then ordered two pair of glasses made ($40 total). One of them is a pair of prescription sunglasses! I've never had any before, always just doubled up my sunnies and regular ones. We're going back later today (everything in Mapusa closes from 1-3 or 4 for the heat) to pick them up, I hope they turn out ok.

-- Yoga class every day has been great. My teacher's last day here is on Saturday, after which he's heading back to teach in Dharmasala. I was planning on going there later anyway, so hopefully I can study with him some more. I met an Italian friend in class, Franco, who videoed an entire two-hour class on his camera. I got the files from him, which is awesome; it'll be nice to be able to review his teachings, and to share a little bit of what the class is like with friends and family (hi, mom!).

-- I really lucked into a solid hut neighborhood here. Bea, Ben (Montreal), Dan and Rory from Nottingham, and Maya from Brighton have made great company, one of those rare times in life when a small group comes together for a short time and everything just clicks. I really appreciate the 2 Pac crew!

-- A couple friends from NYC have arrived, Ami and Jonathan, it's been fun showing them around town, trying different restaurants (mmm paneer butter masala). Their first day I took them to a sunset gathering, this place on the beach where there's a big drum circle and such. Lots of dancing, contact juggling, fire dance, hooping, yoga, meditation, etc., all in one place. What can seem ridiculously cheesy elsewhere seems to fit here; I love that in Arambol people just kind of go for it, do whatever they feel like without worrying about it.

-- I haven't been partying much at all, which is ironic since Goa has a reputation for being a party place. This year seems much more quiet than last year, lots less people even for the end of the season. I have attended a few events that were pretty fun, but it took me ten days of acclimating before I felt up for it; I party enough at home. Yes, the music is almost all trance, but hey, when in Goa...Most of the time though, chilling with the 2 Pac crew has been more than enough for me, a fire and a guitar. We even took a Qi Gong class together, heh.

-- Yesterday there was the annual Arambol carnival, the theme of which was small insects. It was really big, ended up as a massive parade down the beach toward sunset; a lot of the costumes and general vibe reminded me of Burning Man.

I'll post photos from Mapusa, the carnival, the crew, and everything else soon. Admittedly I've been quite lazy about sitting in front of the computer; it's been a month since I quit my job, I think the staring-at-a-screen habit has finally been broken. So I have a bit of a backlog of pictures to work on and post, but I hope to get around to them soon, maybe even this evening. Or maybe tomorrow...

So now it's getting really hot and I'm starting to think about where to go next. When I first arrived I was a bit chilly at night in my hut, but now I wake up sweating (or I'm woken up by wild dogs fighting outside, though I'm getting better at sleeping through them). I have a rough itinerary mapped out in my head (Gokarna, Mumbai, Pushka, Rishikesh, Manali, Dharmasala), but I like to only book one leg of travel at a time; who knows whether I'll really like or want to leave a place quickly until I get there. But I'm thinking of leaving Sunday, which gives me a little more time in this lovely place.

Posted by j3s at 08:22 AM | Permalink