Monday, February 16, 2009

Gokarna

Jess and I have made it a little further south to a small town called Gokarna in Karnataka state. It's a pilgrimage site filled with many temples, pilgrims and alot of backpackers. When we arrived we went straight to a secluded villa called Paradise Beach which is really a matter of opinion to what you might call 'paradise'. We had to hike in to reach the site. The coastline is beautiful here but this place was so tucked away that the only type of accommodation were small 8x8 huts with 4 walls and a roof made of bamboo constructed over a flat piece of ground. We were provided with a pretty dirty and thin sleeping pad to put our heads on. I guess it's not much different than sleeping outdoors, which we did on the camel trek each night, I think I was just tired from traveling and having to retire to this little shack for the night wasnt very appealing. The place was also filled entirely with stereotypical hippies, dreadlocks and the cool dirty look. Just not my scene I guess.

Goa on the other hand was amazing. The sandy beaches were prestine and the water was stellar. We rented a scooter when we were in the north for 3 days and bombed around to various small towns and beaches while staying in Anjuna. I think im really getting the hang of this Indian driving thing...honk all the time and do whatever you want. It's fun.

South Goa was just as wonderful, we were able to get a shack right on the beach for about $8/night and we met tons of people, mostly europeans, who were vacationing and backpacking as well. Oh, and the Goan food is great. Eating food is something I look forward to everday so I'm totally gaining weight here!

Before Goa we were in Udaipur, the city famous for it's 'Lake Palace', the same fortress used in the James Bond film Octopussy. Dave would have probably cried or something ;) Then we flew to Mumbai for a couple days. Go see Slumdog Millionaire. This is a great movie and alot of what you see we saw with our own eyes. What an experience to get to see that movie in the city where it was filmed. Mumbai is a really nice city, I wish I had more time to explore it.

Gokarna is a nice place though, and I'm happy to be staying here in town although I have been rather sick lately which has been slowing me down alot. In Goa it was a stomach problem that made everything hurt when I ate. Just as things were getting better I came down with a fever last night (thanks for packing that thermometer, Mom!) which didnt allow me to get much sleep, nor did I get much the night before in our bamboo hut with random cats trying to nestle up with me in the middle of the night and ants the size of cockroaches cruising around. And resting during the day? forgetaboutit. Without an AC room it's over 30 degrees inside and 100% humidity. I think I might try one of the Aurveydic (healing) treatments that seem to be rather popular. I havent been able to sleep much lately so maybe a good 'cleanse' of my mind and nervous system is exactly what I need?

I'm excited to head south tomorrow night. A 15 hour train ride will take us to the state of Kerala famous for its inland backwaters. I will try and get some pictures of Goa and Gokarna up soon!

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