Here and There and Everywhere...

Hello!

Well, I have gotten my computer back, but not repaired as it seems that the motherboard needs to be replaced.  As a result, I have decided to wait until I get back to the States to see to repairs.  However… my computer has inexplicably decided to work again.  I decided that I won’t complain about it and just keep backups of my files.  So, after a silence of over a month, my blog is going to come back to life.  And this will be quite the entry, so go get your tea before you begin to read...

We have been up to quite a lot; more than I can cover even in the length that this is going to turn out to be.  Therefore, I will stick to the main events.  Three weekends ago, about half of our group got the opportunity to go on a cycling trip around the southern part of Maharashtra along the Konkan Coast.  The trip wasn’t booked through our program, but through a travel agent that one set of the students booked their term travels with.

A little fishing village that we rode through backed by the Arabian Sea.

It was amazing!  We got to see the backcountry, stay in the fishing villages, and bike along the sand.  Nothing like this trip is part of the program, so we got a completely unique experience.  Our guide, Kedar, personalizes each trip to the group’s interests and physical fitness.  He and one of his friends, Nitant, rode along with us and we had two cars following us the entire way in case we got tired or injured, driven by Kedar’s daughter and their friend Manisha.  They were all fluent in English and wonderful company!  My endurance is dreadful and there were a lot of long climbs on both days.  When Kedar saw at the end of the first day that I was having difficulty with it, he rode almost the entire way the second day with me, giving me tips for how to keep going and talking to distract me from the climb.  I made it up the entire mountain without stopping... it took about thirty or fourty minutes.  The company’s name is Green Earth Adventures (www.greenearthadventures.com) and if you ever want to experience India in an amazing way, absolutely go on a trip with them.  I have absolutely nothing negative to say about the experience... it was far beyond fantastic.

The group of us who went on the bike trip.

19) Take the opportunities that come your way... you may very well come out with one of the best experiences of your life.  We almost didn’t take this one, but every one of us is so grateful that we did.  Even if it might cost a little more or you feel like you don’t have time... seize it.

Then two weekends past, we got the chance to go to Goa... all of the students except for one who got the chance to go on a learning retreat with a group of Buddhist monks.  Goa is one of the main tourist traps of India, and for good reason... it is beautiful: all sun, sand, and green-blue waves.  We spent a day on the beach which Jason Bourne runs on in The Bourne Supremacy… some people even saw dolphins there.  And there were so many white people!  It was great... we could even wear swimsuits and shorts.  We spent one evening on a boat where we got to watch the sunset and got some breathtaking photographs.  We spent a morning walking around Old Goa, where we got the chance to see the largest church in Asia.  Goa was settled by the Portuguese and is known as the Christian state in India.  As such, they have a large collection of beautiful churches, cathedrals, and basilicas.  The Shivas, Krishnas, and Saraswatis that fill the roadside shrines that one sees throughout India were mostly replaced by crosses.  The same devotional garlands of flowers that people leave for Hindu idols adorn these crosses... it was really something beautiful to see.

The Basilica de Bom Jesus in Old Goa.

Most of us chose to rent cars to take us there and drive us around the entire weekend.  However, it wasn’t exactly the experience we were expecting.  Since Goa is such a large tourist destination, the roads became wonderfully smooth once we arrived.  Until we got there and after we left, the potholes and bumps were dreadful.  I’ve described driving in India before, right?  How lanes are only a suggestion and the horn is in constant use?  Yes, well, the highway for ten to fourteen hours under these conditions does not necessarily lend itself to comfortable driving.  The drivers were surly all weekend, cheated us into paying for their meals although we were not supposed to, swore rather liberally at having to drive around Goa, and refused to separate, which kind of defeated the point of having two cars.  The reason for the last two is that they had no idea where they were going most of the time... and maps are not really a done thing here.  So we got lost several times every time we got into the car, making our trips longer than they should have been.  The best choice would have been to take the public bus overnight, which some of the other students did, and then rent cars once we reached Goa.  So...

20) When you plan something, do not expect things to work as they do at home.  Consider every option and be careful to read advice of people who have taken each one.  However, you mustn’t let it ruin your time... it’s not worth it.  You will miss the good things.

Goa...

And then, this past weekend, we went to the Mahabaleshwar Hill Station.  There are hill stations all over India, built high in the mountains during colonization by the British to escape the hottest parts of the year.  It was slightly cooler, but not by a considerable amount.  It rained quite heavily on Saturday for several hours on end and we got to see some fantastic storms.  Also, all the rain meant that the mist would seep in around us while we were standing or sitting around… it felt as if we were in the middle of the clouds.  We watched sunset over a lake on Friday evening and a few of us got up early enough to watch sunrise on the top of the mountain.  I got to go horseback riding twice and, unlike America, I was allowed to gallop around a large track that they had.  I had so much fun.  It was quite a relaxing weekend for all of us and the slightly cooler temperatures were great.  Additionally, Mahabaleshwar is known for its strawberries.  They aren’t in season right now, but I had the best strawberry ice cream that I have ever had made from last season’s frozen fruit.  Very delicious.

Sunset in the mountains.

On Saturday morning, we went to a spectacular overlook where you could see for kilometres in every direction.  It was great except for the crowds.  The paparazzi phenomenon has been bad in other places, but it got particularly bad there… to the point where a few of us yelled at the groups of college boys following us and I actually shoved a group of them away from us when they got particularly close and irritating.  It was like being a zoo animal, completely ridiculous that they didn’t consider it rude at all.  I have no tips for avoiding irritation as I haven’t figured it out myself and cannot help becoming angry every time it happens.  Some people have begun making faces to ruin the photos… I may try that soon.  Unfortunately, I think I am slightly more prone to slapping people or confiscating their cameras.

Monkeys!  And no, I haven't tried to pet any of them yet.

So that’s my travels thus far… or at least a brief version and I believe that is long enough.  Our longest holiday is rapidly approaching so there will be another considerable entry and many photographs after that one.  However, I will be writing again before that, so check back tomorrow.  I miss you all greatly and hope that you are all doing well!

*L*