Sun, surf, sand....and cows!

Arambol is a quirky place that has sucked us in for several days. Crawling with British, Russians, Israelis and other travelers, there is a laid back new-age feel in this little village. The one street through town is a brilliant mix of clothing shops, with modest Indian women in colorful saris trying to pull you in to take a look around. The street is noisy and crowded with bare chested middle-aged men and women in tiny bikini tops. The culture clash here is quite extreme. Everyone co-exists well in this town but the chasm between them is great. On the beaches, Indian women wade in the shallow water with their pants rolled up, fully clothed....right next to women in the tiniest swimming suits. The cows roam freely around the beach, as if it were their pasture. In the early morning the fishing boats come in. The men and women sort through their catch while the travelers head to the beach to do yoga to start their day. It has certainly been a relaxing getaway, and given us a chance to keep an eye on the latest news while things settle down.

Thanksgiving on the beach

So we wound up in Arambol, a hippy beach lined with hut restaurants and palm trees. The one street cutting through town is lined with clothing and jewelery vendors....along with internet cafes to accommodate all the foreigners. The beach is quite perfect, encouraging long strolls intermixed with swims, lots of reading....and an overall vacation mode. It was during the first afternoon, as Tim and I were playing in the waves that it struck me that it was Thanksgiving. In light of the day's news and where we were, I found myself in a very reflective mood. Tim, Katie and I enjoyed our thanksgiving dinner of Thai food around a small candlelit table on the beach. Given the setting, it wasn't so hard skipping out on the pumpkin pie! We went around the table taking turns sharing what we were thankful for. The general consensus was the realization of what an amazing support network we have while traveling. All the e.mails that had poured in earlier in the day were a reminder of how fortunate we are to be surrounded (although from a distance!) by such wonderful, caring people. It gives me a boost of confidence knowing how many people are following our travels and hopefully taking a bit away from our experiences also. So, thank you to all of you who unknowingly through heartfelt e.mails made it a very unique thanksgiving...with so much to give thanks for.

Too close for comfort

After Panjim, we headed for the coast. The beaches are Goa's main attraction...Tim and I figured we needed to factor a 'honeymoon' destination into our travels. It was on the crowded local bus, enroute to Arambol, that I first caught a quick glimpse of a newspaper headline. Then grabbing a snack at a restaurant, we saw another headline. The first opportunity we had, we borrowed the paper to figure out what was happening. It was so disheartening and surreal to read all the locations targeted. Precise images flashed through my head of places we had visited and/or marveled at merely a few days before. Such news is always alarming, and yet I was overcome by a mix of relief and disgust all at the same time. I pictured all the homeless families that we saw sleeping in the train station because they had nowhere else to go. I pictured the friendly staff at the Taj Mahal hotel that greeted us as we went in to check out the lobby (and use the bathrooms). I pictured the friendly Indian guys that bought us shots at Leopold's, the bar frequented by western travelers. I was thankful that we were no longer in Mumbai and caught up in all the chaos, but overwhelmed by the thought of all the people that were not so fortunate to have moved on to another place. And yet a voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that we can't let 'them' be victorious and chase off the tourists from this amazing place. We can't let them dictate the rules. We had an amazing glimpse at life in Mumbai and are so glad that we made it there when we did.

A taste of Portugal

We traveled down out of the hill station at Mahableshwar into the state of Goa, a Portuguese colony for several centuries. The narrow streets and boldly painted buildings, small cafes and meaty food made us feel we had left India altogether. We spent a few days in the state capital, Panjim....enjoying the European flavor and the riverside promenade that was flush with activity with the International Film Festival of India in town. We also paid a visit to Old Goa, the former capital that rivaled London and Lisbon in its prime. Now all that remains are many old cathedrals and basilicas that are a stark contrast to Hindu temples we have visited.

The hills are alive...

Our escape to the hills of Mahableshwar came at just the right time. We had two peaceful days up in the small town situated in a lush tropical forest. Many trails circle the town, allowing us our first chance since we arrived to take a leisurely stroll and see blue sky. It was a good chance for me to decompress and process what we had seen and experienced during our first week in India. It was a telling week, validating so much that I know about myself.

1-I'm a country girl at heart. I get claustrophobic in big cities and seek refuge closer to nature. We were certainly able to find that in Mahableshwar.

2-I'm not a huge fan of the heat/humidity, and the mountain air offered relief from the stifling heat of the low lying cities.

3-I take a while to process all that I experience. It seemed like we were on the fast track our first week, and it was good to have a chance to do that.

And so we spent one day walking trail after trail, encountering far more butterflies and birds than people. I left Mahableshwar recharged and more centered...and ready to head south.

Restoring our place in the eyes of the world

As we travel around in the cities, catch a cab, stroll the streets....many people are interested to find out where we are from. Upon responding, many people have simply flashed a big smile, nodded their heads, and said, 'Obama!' Post election news is all over the newspapers here, and everyone is quite excited to see how Obama will perform as our next president. It is an exciting time to be traveling and see how the perception of the United States is changing, and there is a chance to fall back into the good graces of other countries around the world.

Taxis, busses, and trains...oh my!

Oh, many of the joys (and often frustrations) of travel revolve around transportation. After a few chaotic days in Pune, we had to escape the land of the taxi and autorickshaw. We traveled by bus to Mahableshwar, in the Western Ghats. At the bus station, all the faded signs are in Hindi, and we haven't a clue where to look for our bus. Every person we asked had a different helpful answer. Tim decided to befriend a snack vendor who promised to let him know when the bus arrived. However, it was already a bit after 10am and that was the departure time listed on the ticket. We questioned a few more people, and were still getting opposing answers. (We would be directed to a bus already waiting, and then the driver would tell us that it wasn't the bus destined for Mahableshwar.) And there was added difficulty in that we stumbled all over the name of the town every time we inquired about the whereabouts of our transport. Eventually, our bus arrived, and several of the folks that we had asked came out and made sure we knew it was our bus. Tim's friend walked past the bus glancing in the windows, making sure he was safely seated...and flashed Tim a huge grin. Now off for a wild ride up through a narrow ribbon of road, leading us up out of the heat and humidity to the modest hill station of Mahableshar.

Lunches and laundry

Mumbai is such a chaotic, over-crowded city...that somehow functions very smoothly. There are two particular examples of this that are incomprehensible to me. One is the lunches. There is an intricate network that delivers lunches to workers around the city. Thousands of women around the city prepare the lunches, and then bicycles and hand-drawn carts deliver them to the men scattered around the city. Supposedly not a single one goes missing, and they all arrive to their destination on time. We witnessed several bicycles laden with 10-20 cylindrical lunch tins weaving in and out of traffic.
And then there is the laundry. Anywhere you look in the city, the sides of buildings are so colorful with the laundry, strung out on the small balcony to dry. However, there aren't laundromats around the city, so all the laundry from around Mumbai that is not done at home, goes to one of a couple spots where thousands of men work tirelessly to clean, wash, dry the clothes by hand. We stopped by one, and walked past a thick wall of sheets waving in the breeze and our eyes fell upon men in their small concrete stalls scrugging, wringing, smacking the clothes until they were acceptably clean. Once clean and dry, a bundle is assembled, loaded onto the back of a bicycle and returned to their home. (Pictures will hopefully be coming soon!!)

Communication is key

We left Mumbai yesterday and made our way by rail to Pune (a town of merely 1.2 million as opposed to Mumbai's 16 million and growing). On the trainride, we finally got a glimpse of a bit of blue sky after traveling several hours from the city. It was a refreshing site indeed. However, we are in another chaotic town, although there is not the tourism here that Mumbai sees, or at least in the area that we are in. So, Katie and I ventured out last night for a bite to eat. Our few days in Mumbai, we dealt with many people that had a basic, working knowledge of English. We are encountering much less here. At the restaurant, the waiter brings out two glasses of water. I ask (through exaggerated hand motions) for a bottle of water. Katie orders lime juice with soda water, which can be ordered 'sweet' or 'salty'. Katie says 'sweet lime'....'Sweet lime?' the water responds.....'Yes, sweet lime'. We all think the message has been conveyed. But in the end she ends up with a salty lime juice that we decided we should try to get a taste for. After we finish our meal, the water brings out two small silver bowls of water with a wedge of lime floating in it. My first thought is that we are supposed to drink this to freshen our mouths. Katie and I shoot quick glances at each other and quietly ask the other what is to be done with this water. We figured out that it was to rinse our hands. We could only imagine the look on the waiter's face as he returned to clear the table and found two empty bowls sitting there!

It's a hard knock life

I should preface with saying -- I do not share these stories to paint a bad picture of India, but it is very much the reality in Mumbai. The poverty is absolutely alarming. The extreme dichotomy between the classes is ever present and permeates every part of society. Strolling the streets, you are in close contact with the extremely poor, and to turn a blind eye is impossible...and would be going against the whole reason for this trip in the first place. However, I laid awake for several hours last night with so many images flashing through my head. People rolling out their mats on the sidewalk, where their entire family will sleep for the night. Beggers unable to stand because they were so frail and weak. Young children using the storm grate on the street side as a toilet. And all the while, the women are beautifully put together in their colorful saris and the men are neatly groomed. The lack of sanitation is appalling, and we are far from the large slum that holds over half of Mumbai's population. It goes against everything I have ever been taught or ever known to stroll past these people in such great need. The sights here in Mumbai are amazing, but I have a hard time ignoring the slender hand anxiously awaiting some loose change.

Extra, Extra!

We had our big break only our first day in Mumbai. Our hotel manager asked us (only a few short hours after arriving at the hotel) if we were interested in being extras in a Bollywood film. Bollywood is based in Mumbai and the produce more than two movies a day here. It is a huge industry both within the country and among the emigrants in the US, Canada, and Britain. We agreed to the opportunity, and the next morning we crammed into a small taxi not quite sure what to expect for the day. Next thing we know, we find ourselves (along with a small group of foreigners and a large group of India extras) in an old concrete warehouse, where we will get prepared for our roles. Metal boxes were stacked all around the center of the room, and two men were already steaming some silk outfits. Before we know it, Tim and the other guys are wearing shiny polyester suits, and the ladies are being called over to get their costumes. I end up in a long, light-green formal dress, and Katie is handed a strapless black, white and pink number. Next we were to pick out shoes, jewlery, have our hair done, and finally make-up. All taken care of in this desolate warehouse with makeshift changing rooms, and plastic lawn chairs to sit in.
The filming was taking place in a chic nightclub. While a sexy Indian actress did take after take to get her dance number right, we all milled about awaiting our big opportunity. Finally we participated in a few scenes, and inevitably our acting wasn't up to par. We were constantly instructed to display more emotion (for our few seconds on camera). Perhaps once it comes out, we'll have a chance to see if we actually made an appearance in 'Teen Patti'. Worth the experience to check out the Bollywood scene, I hardly think $10 makes it worth spending much more time on the set.

Flight of the Bumblebee

It has been a whirlwind couple of days adjusting to the sights, smells, and sounds of Mumbai. Everything we had heard about the Mumbai experience has been verified walking the streets of this overcrowded city. More time than I care to admit has been spent looking out of our 4th floor hotel window onto the activity on the street below. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorycles, cars and busses....along with the ubiquitous yellow and black taxi cab move harminously to a frantic 'flight of the bumblebee'. We have not yet figured out the rhythm as we awkardly run to the other side of the busy street taking our own lives in our hands....only to look back and see locals casually strolling between the busses and taxis, all the while the horns are going announcing, 'I'm right here!' or 'Coming up on your right!' The traffic is such a unique experience unto itself--whether inside one of the black and yellow taxis...or watching from the sidewalk.

Motions in the Oceans...and the joys of travel

After months of sharing our plans of a grand adventure to Asia, our trip is no longer an idea hovering out on the horizon. The trip is a reality, and the tickets say that we are leaving tomorrow evening at 8pm. I don't know what has happened to the last couple of months, but they have been a flurry of good times. An incredible wedding week in Colorado, packing up our house and the departure from Denver, and finally a road trip across the eastern states...with one last round of hellos and good-byes to friends and family. So, here I sit in our little hotel room in Miami, reflecting on an amazing year, and yet wondering how the upcoming year will unfold. Tim and I are anxious to hit the road and see where the wind takes us. Our tentative route will take us around India for 5-6 months before reaching Nepal for some trekking. Then on to China and SE Asia. Perhaps finishing in Australia and New Zealand, depending on the finances and time at that point. Suddenly one year seems like quite a short time frame for our ambitious travel plans. So, let's see how the year unfolds...

And as for the blog title...here is an excerpt from the book Shantaram (taking place in Mumbai)-

‘Come on!’ Prabaker urged, tugging at my arm.

‘Come on where?’

‘First to toilet’, he replied, happily. ‘You must make a motions, isn’t it? I will show you how we make a motions, into the sea, on the long cement jetty. That is where you make the motions, into the sea, on the long cement jetty. That is where the young men and boys make their motions, every morning, into the oceans—motions into the oceans, isn’t it? You just be squatting down, with your buttocks pointing on the oceans. Then you wash your good self with a shower, and you have it a happy breakfast.’

This embodies the excitement of travel--not knowing what you are going to encounter, of discovering new places and new lifestyles. It is looking at things with a new pair of eyes and accepting new ways of doing things, and appreciating how fortunate we are to have this opportunity to experience new places that will ultimately shape our lives.