Phew – two weeks in India down and we’re still alive and sane. The most common advice we got about traveling in India was, “Brace yourself. There is travel in the rest of the world and then there is India.” As a result, we decided to go straight to the beaches of Goa, the hippie haven frequented by international travelers and an easy place to get our bearings. So after 3 connecting flights and a cluster- fuck airport experience, we arrived at the palm-lined beaches of Indian paradise. The heat and humidity immediately hit us like a kick in the balls. Unfortunately, we planned our trip here at the beginning of monsoon season, so Goa was pretty much a ghost town. Most of the shops and bars were closed for the season and the other visitors consisted mostly of Indian tourists, a smattering of Europeans and long-term hippie residents. Still, it was nice to sunbathe, drink cheap Kingfisher beers and stay put for fucking once. We even checked out a Goa raver party up in the hills, which reasserted my belief that psy-trance is the worst music ever.
While there, we met other travelers who raved about the backwater cruises down in the state of Kerala. After paying way too much for a flight due to problems with TD’s credit card – a long boring story he’ll probably rant about later – we arrived in laid back southern India. The Keralan backwaters are a 9000 kilometer network of canals in enormous wetlands, where villagers still live as they have for generations. Life for the locals revolves around these canals – they act as roads, dishwashers, laundry machines, bathtubs and a food source. We booked our own private houseboat complete with captain, cook and assistant cook. For 2 days, we cruised the backwaters, taking in the tranquil surroundings, stuffing our faces and observing local life. Our captain even brought us to his home village where we met his family in what only felt roughly staged. Highly recommended.
After all that chilling out, TD wanted to get his nature on and see some animals. We headed inland to the Periyar Tiger Reserve which is nestled up in dense forests near the border of Tamil Nadu. If you’re looking a national forest experience like in the States (Yosemite, Yellowstone), you will be disappointed. On par with the rest of India, there is a severe lack of information – no maps, little description about flora and fauna and no timelines of guided tours. And the saddest part is that even with “Don’t Litter” signs everywhere there is trash all over the place. We saw some bison, deer, and warthogs but no elephants or tigers – boo. On the bright side, it was a fantastic to get out of the heat and we survived the most entertaining/terrifying bus ride of our lives.
At this point, we should be able to handle Mumbai relatively unscathed. Let’s hope.
i’m so glad you went with open ears to the heart of psy-trance and still deemed it unfit for society! it really is the worst music ever. following you intently, keep making me jealous please 🙂
I once went to a party in the WA woods where a DJ named Goa Gil played for twenty-six hours straight. I feel your pain.
When crossing roads in Mumbai walk slowly so traffic can adjust around you. Do not try beating the traffic by running… Brace for the joy of 2-stroke engine stank…
Too bad you didn’t get some of this:
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4121/k4vsjpg.jpg