Gili Island

Here are a few more facts about the Gili Islands:

 - they got their first ATM machine recently.

 - there are no police on the islands.  The island tribal Chief handles all disputes.

 - cats are a huge problem.  They are everywhere; you can see at least 3-4 at any given place on the island.  They are not right, all of them have half tails with nubs at the end.  Yesterday, one sat on my table for lunch.  I couldn't get it to move without throwing it off, and no one else seemed to mind.  At dinner, I looked down to see a cat with a huge goiter growing out of its cheek and a mangled paw. Not exactly what you want to see when eating a fish kebob.  When I was told the cat was gone, I put my feet back down on the floor, only to rub against the diseased creature.  After that I kept my feet up, and to the amusement of my friend, girly-shrieked each time the tablecloth blew into my leg.  It was embarrassing.

I went diving today and it was great.  We went to shark point, and we saw a small black tip reef shark.  We also saw nemo and a giant turtle gnawing on what was left of the almost dead coral. 

Gili Islands

I arrived at Gili Trawangan today.  The Gili islands are a set of 3 located off of the northwest coast Lombok.  The water is turquoise and the island is full of fantastic beaches, snorkeling, diving and magic mushrooms.  Every bar seems to have a magic mushroom special (shakes, pizzas, etc).  It will be interesting to see the results of dinner.  

The island has no cars, takes 2 hours to walk around and transportation is by horse drawn carts.  

I am temporarily out of my room due to the swarm of bees the room boy is currently chasing out of my bathroom. It's a small swarm of bees, but not exactly what I want to shower with. 

Thanksgiving in Bali was great.  Seaside restaurant in Seminyak had a full turkey dinner and a live band that played old American tunes appropriately including Sting's 'Fields of Bali.'  Each table of 8-10 people got a turkey and all the fixings.  It is commendable they managed to prepare a full thanksgiving dinner for a dozen tables, deliver to everyone in the restaurant at the same time, and prepare it perfectly.  Although I successfully stuffed myself, it was a mild stuffing relative to past years.  I had dinner with a group of Californians who moved to Bali years ago after a couple of great vacations.  There were surf instructors, construction professionals and gym owners.  Not a bad life?

Lembongan

First, let me say I am glad I am out of Mumbai. Crazy to think I had breakfast at the Taj Mahal hotel when I was there.  The security was in full force when I went in, almost like they were anticipating something?  Obviously they were right, but it still didn't matter.

Diving in Lembongan was great.  We went drift diving, which requires little effort as the currents pull you along the edge of the reef.  It's lazy diving, but great fun!  I have been drift diving in Pulau Weh, but these currents were much stronger.  We must have travelled 6-8 miles in 40 minutes, so we were cruising.  I seemed to go much faster than my dive master and my diving 'buddy.'  A couple of times I got so far ahead I could barely see them.  I tried to swim backwards, but was unable.  I found a rock and grabbed on, and the currents blew past me.  It was kind of like hanging on to the top of a moving car.  Not that I've ever done that, but it felt like it looks in the movies.

I'm back in Kuta.  It's rainy season here, and when it rains, it downpours.  The clouds and the wind help keep it cool, and it usually clears up pretty fast.  It's not so bad.  As for surfing, I am getting the hang of it.  My paddlers are my biggest obstacle, but with a push from my cute twenty-something Balinese instructor, I can catch most waves.  It's so fun!  I also love mainland Bali for a few other reasons:  people who have no reason to kiss my ass think I am in my twenties, massages are everywhere and dirt cheap ($5 for an hour), there is salad and sushi and pretty good Mexican food, when hawkers ask if you want something and you reply 'no thank you', their response is 'you're welcome.'  End of story, no following you around to the point of extreme agitation.  It's so relaxing.

Happy Thanksgiving.  Eat some extra turkey for me today!

Surfing Continued

My instructor failed to show up for my third surf lesson, but I am pleased to say I am able to consistently surf the white water. I still need a little shove to catch a big wave as my paddlers are a bit weak after 3 months of doing nothing with them, but there has been a lot of progress made.
As I was leaving Bali for Lembongan island, I ran into a great sight: 3 Japanese couples all wearing matching outfits. Each couple had a unique outfit so everyone could tell who was together. Not your run of the mill semi-matching t-shirts or matching colors, I am talking about his and hers matching flower-print board shorts and matching Bali tourist t-shirts. I wanted desperately to say "you guys are so cute, can I take a photo," but I was certain I could not do it with a straight face. Honestly, who does that? But it is great entertainment.
To get back to my Bali departure, I am going to continue my quest to perfect my surfing skills as I move on. I feel barrels coming on.
Lembongan is a laid-back, quiet and beautiful island off the southeastern coast of Bali. I am going diving tomorrow, and can't wait.

Bali

I am pleased to be back in the southeast on a proper beach.  Surprisingly, it is even hotter here than in India, but the atmosphere and variety of food and drink are a welcome change of pace.  I even had a pretty good burrito, something I've been craving for months.  

I have made my home in Legian, a beach town about 4-miles north of Kuta on the island of Bali.  I am not leaving until I can surf.  During my first lesson I caught 2 waves.  I would have caught more, but there were a few times when I lost an important part of my bathing suit and rolled off the board.  I also received my first (minor) surfing injury when the board flipped over and the fins nicked my side.  I wear my long, but shallow scratch proudly.  My second lesson was cancelled as the waves were washed out.

I hope to have great success tomorrow.

The end of India

My final stop in India was Varkala beach in Kerala.  Varkala is a nice cliff side beach with western influences including bars (not usually found in India), good seafood and the ability to wear proper swimming attire on the beach.  It was a great place to spend my last few days in India.

I met some locals on my last night; a nice dentist from Delhi and her local friends who owned and worked in The Funky Art Cafe, a restaurant/bar.  The evening started with a show where children performed Bollywood dancing.  It turned into a 'boys dance party.'  Not unlike spring break in Mexico, the stage was filled with the waiters, on and off duty, with their hands in the air, sweating and dancing to Bollywood tunes.  The best way to describe Bollywood dancing is  80's hip hop.  It's somewhat trendy but confused with dance moves reminiscent of New Kids on the Block and George Michael, break dancing and doing the worm.  It is brilliant to watch.

When I went back for breakfast I was not surprised to find the party had gone on until 5am and the staff was enjoying rum and coke for breakfast.  I was surprised when the police arrived.  I was informed that late in the evening one of the waiters had beaten his European wife, badly.  When I asked if the police were going to arrest him, I was told "probably not, the police in India aren't as uptight as the ones in America."  After the policeman spent some time admiring a waiter's knock off Ray Ban Aviators, the waiter ran down the walkway, purchased a pair for the cop and he went away.  And that is how domestic disputes are handled in India. Price: $4USD.

Dramita, the dentist from Delhi, and I exchanged stories and info on the cultural differences between our countries.  She was surprise to learn we only have love marriages (opposed to arranged) and I was surprised to learn and an Indian girl can't even have a boyfriend until she meets the man she is going to marry, for fear of being tainted.

Although India was a great experience, it's a tough place to travel.  I will desperately miss the food. For nearly 3-weeks, I ate Indian food for every meal and didn't once get tired of it.  

Kumily

After purchasing a train ticket to Varkala, a beach in Southern India, I changed my mind and decided to head east to Kumily. The beauty of traveling alone!
Kumily is a hill station in the midst of spice gardens, tea plantations and coffee plantations. It's located in the hills and has a temperate climate, a welcome relief from the scorching weather of the rest of India. Kumily is located right outside the Periyar Wildlife Preserve, one of many preserves in India. Surrounded by a lake, the landscape particularly beautiful. The jungle walk was pretty standard; we saw some elephant dung, tiger claw marks, various animal tracks and stopped periodically at noises while the guide dramatically looked around for a wild beast and pondered aloud which one it might be, an elephant, a bison? There is usually one saving moment on each trip, this one was the sight of an eagle. What an amazing bird. I know I previously stated I hated all birds, but I'd like to clear that up, it's only common birds I have a problem with.
Since I have learned not to expect a wild animal sighting, I was not disappointed and generally enjoyed the scenic morning walk. The only downfall were the leeches. I have never encountered them before, so when I put on the provided leech socks, I expected large slug like creatures that were easily to spot and defend myself against. These leeches are the size of a small piece of yarn, pre-blood sucking, and when I watched the first one crawl into a minuscule hole in my shoe I nearly fainted. I spent the next 3 hours certain that when I took of my leech socks I would find a bloody mess of a leg. Again, overdramatizing in my head, I was fine. However, I am not quite sure what to do with my shoes, how long can leeches hide in there?
I spent the rest of my time here enjoying the temperature, poolside, and getting a Aruyvedic massage. This form of South Indian treatment includes a massage that is so oily I had to use all my effort not to slip off the table by the end. The massage was followed by a steam bath where I sat on a stool in a box with my head sticking out of a horizontal guillotine contraption. It was odd, but much more relaxing than it sounds.

Kerala

I travelled 2,200 miles by train and, surprisingly, it wasn't so bad. With the help of vicodin, I slept for a few hours during the night on the top bunk on a 4" thick pleather mattress. I left at 11pm and arrived in Alleppey at 3:30 the next day. The day trip was very scenic as India gets more and more tropical, in a massively hot and humid tropical kind of way, further south. On the train, you can hang out the side through doors between cars. It's exhilarating, until someone comes up behind you and the fear of being shoved off the moving train creates an urgent need to step away from the door. Alleppey has a decent beach and is a traveller's hub for entering the backwaters of southern Kerala.

Today I spent the day on the backwaters. I was picked up by a motorcycle, which is always stressful. About halfway through the ride, as the driver was passing everyone on the road, weaving in and out of traffic and hitting every pothole on the pothole-filled road, I realized I wasn't wearing a helmet. I don't think they have helmets here. I spent the last half of the short ride certain I was going to die and thinking what an ass I was to have gotten on in the first place. Of course, I made it, safely. The backwaters are a series of lakes and canals linking small cities and lined with villages unreachable by land. It is incredibly relaxing, tropical, and beautiful. The water is lined with lush vegetation including perfect coconut palms used to make toddy, which I had for lunch. Although fairly dirty, it is also used to bathe and to wash clothes and dishes. I travelled on a canoe paddled by two locals. There is also an option to get a house boat for a day and night. Some of them are amazing including such luxuries as a flat screen TV and air conditioning. It was a fantastic day and something I would recommend to anyone travelling in south India.

Goa, India

As I was having breakfast this morning a crow tossed a fish head from an adjacent roof top, through a window, between the table top and chair next to me, smashing into my legs. I took it as a sign of a couple things; first, I need to sanitized immediately, second, my lifelong hatred for birds is finally coming back to haunt me.

The rest of my Goa experience has been great. A relative of the Silva's has provided me with accommodations at the Royal Palms in Benaulim, South Goa. It's a great 1-bedroom apartment with hotel amenities plus a bonus amenity of organized daily activities, much like in Dirty Dancing; scavenger hunts, talent shows, karaoke, you name it. The other night I got a sober glimpse of what bad karaoke sounds like and I would like to apologize to all my friends for each and every karaoke experience I have forced you to endure. Thanks to my new best friends, earplugs, I was able to quiet an Indian rendition of Stevie Wonder's 'I just called to say I love you' that was so laughably off key, it was barely recognizable. Magnificently horrible.

Chris, one of the Silva's distant relatives, has been showing me around Goa and introducing me to the typical spicy Goan foods (sor patel, rechido spiced seafood, chicken suka, and biryani), the Roman Catholic churches and cathedrals of Old Goa (the Rome of India), and the old Portuguese homes of the Silva's heritage. Since Goa was under separate rule from the rest of India for most of the last 500 years (Portuguese versus British), the culture evolved separately and Goa is vastly different from the rest of India, more progressive and western. Most Goans still think of the two areas separately and refer to Goa as Goa and the rest of the country as India.

The beaches in Goa stretch for miles. The water is like a bath and the colors of the sun just before it disappears are brilliant yellows and reds. Strangely, the sun doesn't actually set, it disappears into a haze about one finger width above the horizon where the Arabian Sea meets the sky. Westerner's generally congregate in one area and swimming attire is worn. The only locals who venture into this area are either selling something or there to gawk at the human flesh so rarely seen in public, mostly the former. In the local sections of the beach, the oppression of women is very apparent and although I have been witnessing it for weeks, I am having trouble getting past it. Men comfortably swim in their shorts or tighty-whities (the later comfortable for them, but revealingly uncomfortable for the rest of us) and women continue to swim in pants, saris and burkas.Gentlemen, a tip for you; just because you are in India does not mean you have to wear a bohemian man purse/shoulder bag. Your stuff still fits in your pockets and it looks as ridiculous here as it does back home.

I intended my next country to be Sri Lanka. Disappointingly, I have cancelled that trip. The state of the country's civil war has caused a few websites to categorize travel in Sri Lanka with that of Pakistan and Kashmir in North India. I leave India in about 2 weeks and head back to Indonesia.

Mumbai

From Kathmandu, I flew to Mumbai, the most cosmopolitan city in India to most of the locals. Since Delhi was such a horrible experience, I wanted to go back to India to see what I hoped to be, a better side. I knew if I didn't go now, the sour taste of Delhi may prevent me from ever going back.

Mumbai is a delight. The architecture is stunning. From the CST train station to the University of Mumbai, and countless other buildings, I feel like I am walking through an old European city. I have only been hassled by one kid, he was from Delhi. I paid him to go away. As progressive as the city is, I often notice someone videotaping me walking down the street. A lot of Indians are not accustomed to seeing westerners they take videos and photos back to show their family and friends. When you think about it, it's the same think as me taking photos of them and posting them on my blog site. I was approached by many groups asking to take a photo with me. I usually oblige the kids and families, but say no to the group of young men. Look for me on India's myspace.

Although cleaner and safer than Delhi, the poverty in Mumbai is more apparent, with many families living on the street. It is heartbreaking to see a small child curled up on the sidewalk sleeping under a blanket.

Chowpatty beach, from afar, felt like home. Up close, there were some dramatic differences from the beaches in SD:

- majority of the beach appears to be a few inches of sand over concrete;

- everyone is fully dressed despite the 95-degree sweltering heat, including full burkas for some women;

- there are carnival rides wheeled in daily and operated by hand. I think this might be a replica of the original ferris wheel; and

- there are individuals and families living there. Albeit a better option than the sidewalk, still extremely sad.

I finally let my guard down at the beach. So far, I have been approached by locals who seem genuine and want to talk and or help navigate to a location, as opposed to a helpful nature that turns into a sale or a demand for money. I have had many pleasant experiences here, but have kept my guard up. When I have said goodbye, my short-lived companions have left with no questions. On the beach, I was approached by a man who appeared to be a kind, working professional who offered to show me where the Hanging Garden view restaurant was. Beginning to think that my fears were over analysis and personal trust issues, we started walking and talking. However, we never made to the restaurant as the guy turned out to be a total pervert. It remains true in my mind that unsolicited help has an ulterior motive.

My biggest regret of Mumbai: not participating as an extra in a Bollywood movie. I had two chances at stardom and turned them down. Mumbai is the Bollywood capital of India and they often recruit westerners as extras right off the street.

After Mumbai, I took Indian Railways to Goa, stopping at a beautiful beach, Ganatapipule, for two days. Over 14 million people take the trains each day and the stations are a sight to be seen with hoards of people entering and exiting trains. The train took 7 hours to get to Ratnigiri, the stop for Ganatapipule Beach, and 5 hours from there to Goa. It was a comfortable ride, however, I would suggest getting seats in the 2AC section as opposed to 3AC section. The difference being the number of pull down beds along each wall. In the 3AC section, if your 'bunk mates' decide top ull down the bed above you, there is no longer head room available to sit up right.