Welcome to the jungle...

Kerala Backwaters

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking... I did my backwater cruise on a local ferry for 10 rupees (25 cents.) It was a great way to see how people live here.... very not touristy... it was like a typical indian bus, but on water.

Periyar was sweet. They've got hills... and tea, and it rains! (first I've seen in 2.5 months... this is indeed something to be excited about) and elephants and wild boars and bison and monkeys and.... alas, there were no tiger sightings.

On the road to Periyar



Tea plantation near Putady

Periyar

Touch me not plant

Kochi

Chinese fishing nets


Chinese fishing nets

Driving Piles - Keralan style

Chacko is clearly the man

Protesters in Bangalore, followed closely by armor-clad riot police.

It's interesting to observe how the type of traveller present in a particular area changes as one moves throughout India. My initial impression of Kochi is that it appeals largely to affluent short term term tourists... El-cheapo dhaba rats such as myself are less well represented. Makes sense too, I've found the south of India to be much more relaxed than the north. Of course there are still scams... but it feels much more like a game here. People will more likely try to charm you out of your money rather than use any other method.

I spent a day in Bangalore enroute to here from Hampi. It's a big city, and parts of it are shockingly westernized: Air conditinoned malls full of western stores, english spoken everywhere by everyone..... And there are massive protests happening there. The state of Karnataka is on strike. I wish I could say what it is all about. The best I can do at the moment is pass along the word of mouth explanation given to me by a fellow traveller: Apparently it has something to do with a dam being built or some water being diverted, and certain places in Karnataka are suffering because of it.

Regardless of the reasons behind it, the end result is that Karnataka ain't working. Many shops and factories aren't open, and the buses don't run. Fortunately for me, the railway is a national resource and was running normally.

Added a couple of extra pictures to the "Hampi photos" post.

Hampi photos

Added a searchable map link to side bar menu. Type in the name of the place you're interested into the search bar.
Example: Type "Karnataka, India" NOT "Karnataka"

The dump or the zoo? Lots of places in India look like this.

Rural Karnataka road

Kids in Hampi bazar

Rice paddy

Sunset view from Hanuman temple

Bouldering

Carving on Virupaksha Temple

I decided to stay in Hampi for a couple of extra days. It's a fascinating area to explore either on foot or by bicycle (though cycling is a wee bit sketchy, for various reasons.) There are great areas for rock climbing (a bouldering film is being shot here) and a beautiful, clean lake for swimming.
I'm leaving monday evening for Kerala.

I added a couple of extra pictures to the "Hippy Life" post.

"Hampi is cool"

When I was researching this trip I came across a thread in a travel forum titled "Why should I go to Hampi anyway?" The replies ranged in length, detail, and eloquence, but the one that has stayed with me (and summed it up the best in my opinion) was "Because Hampi is cool."
It is.



I decided to return to India... sort of. Hampi (or Vijaynagar as it is also known) is pretty laid back... and ..... cool (though temperature wise it's fricken hot!) and it's easy to find seclusion if you want it. Ruined temples and palaces sit among gigantic heaps of granite boulders haphazardly piled on top of one another. The rocks in turn jut out of the dense green coconut palm and banana jungle and rice paddy. Sadhus sit on the paths and in the temples. Foreign tourists and pilgrims alike walk around with red dots on their brows.


I have just over 2 months remaining before my flight home leaves Bangkok. It sounds like a long time but I'm already starting to feel time pressure. There is so much that I would like to see but simply don't have the time for. I head south towards Kerala on thursday.

Hippy life

On a road near Palolem


Fishing huts - a few hours walk south of Arambol

About time for an update on my adventures (or lack thereof) don't you think? Yoga was great. Iyengar Hatha Yoga, the style I was taught, is basicly meditation in wacky positions. I was pleasantly suprised to find how compatible yoga and Vipassana meditation are. Many of the principles are the same; Awareness and non-reaction to sensation being the two most important. Arambol beach is a cool place. It's full of interesting people and there is always something going on. The beach stretches on for many many kilometers, some days I walked all day. Palolem beach, where I am now, is very beautiful but lacks the edge of Arambol. It's much slicker and the mix of people isn't nearly as interesting... no hippies :(. I'll be moving on shortly.

Beach cricket

My favorite breakfast: Chai, 8 kinds of fruit mixed with muesli, served with curd (yogurt) and honey for $1.50. Yes I know, not very indian, but soooooo very tasty and healthy.

Goa

How to describe Goa?Well, it isn't like any place in India I've seen so far. Goa is the place most overwhelmed westerners tend to run when they grow tired of "real" India. Some people end up spending almost their entire time in India here. It's easy to see why... Life in Goa moves just a little bit slower. If one wants to hang out with other westerners on a beautiful beach lined with coconut and palm trees, Arambol beach, where I am staying, is the place to be. There are good restaurants and bars (and thus, a healthy party scene if one is so inclined), minimal hassles, and plenty of reputable yoga schools to choose from (I start a course on friday.) I'm renting a bamboo hut directly on the beach. I've spent 2 days here, and I honestly couldn't tell you where the time has gone. Walking on the beach, people watching (hippies are fascinating... at least for now), writing, reading, meditating, sleeping... Not a bad life really, but it could become old. The hard reality which pervades the rest of India is lacking here, and I could see myself begin to miss the challenges and rewards associated with travelling off of the tourist map. I didn't come to this country to lay on a beach the whole time. A week or so should suffice.

From Monk, to Terrorist, to Archeologist

So...
Call off the search party. I am alive Yes, I know. It's been a while. Far too much has happened since my last post to sum up adequately. You'll have to make do with a few short anecdotes.

The Vipassana meditation was amazing, and NOT what I was expecting it to be. It was quite a rude awakening to discover that meditation is not sitting in blissful contemplation with one's eyes closed. It's bloody hard work. At least Vipassana is. From 4am until 9pm I followed a strict schedule of meditation and attending a nightly discourse. For 12 days I essentially lived the life of a monk. Staying focussed on the sensation of one's natural breathing for 12 hours a day demands an incredible amount of concentration. And that's just the beginning. On day 4 I discovered that the first 3 were simply a preparation for the practice of Vipassana. By observing my breathing and focusing my attention on very small area between my nostrils and upper lip, I had sharpened my mind to the point where I was able to concentrate intensely on any area in my body. I was able to feel very subtle sensations throughout my body as I moved my mind from part to part. Of course, there were unpleasant and very unsubtle sensations as well (sitting on the floor all day not being allowed to change position brings out a world of pain and numbness.) I eventually came to the realization that both the pleasant sensations (subtle or not) and the unpleasant sensations have the same characteristics... they are impermanent, they rise and they fade away. I observed the sensations with the same intense awareness that I had observed my breathing. By simply observing the sensations in my body with impartiality ("equanimity" in the words of my teacher) I began to feel cravings and aversions from my life come to the surface... I observed them... and, like the sensations saw them rise and fade away.
I left Dhamma Giri feeling much calmer and prepared to deal with the hassles and general unpleasantness of travelling in certain parts of India.... A very good thing. Because the day I left the center, my camera (along with my pictures since Jodhpur) decided to fall off an obscenely high cliff, never to be seen again. I searched for 4 hours. No dice. Gone.
I'll admit, losing that stuff hurt... a lot. But I think it would have hurt a lot more had it happened before I learned Vipassana.
The next day I was accused by an ignorant mob of having a bomb in my daypack as I walked the extremely crowded streets of Trimbak. Another very stressful situation. Things could have become very ugly, but I managed to calmly talk my way out of trouble. Again, I think in large part thanks to my meditation.

Ellora

Ellora

Kailash Temple, Ellora - yes this was carved out of one rock

Kailash Temple, Ellora - Yours truly looking very small

Ellora

Ellora

Ellora

Ajanta

Ajanta


I spent a number of days checking out the ancient caves at Ajanta (Buddhist) and Ellora (Bhuddhist, Hindu, Jain.) They were both spectacular in their own ways. Ajanta's caves were covered in frescoes and were illuminated with electric lights. They were beautiful, and well preserved, but it felt like a museum, and the outside was very toursity, full of touts and aggressive shop owners trying to make a few rupees.
Ellora's caves were very cool. Less crowded, and less controlled.... but still well preserved and lit only by natural light. Many of the caves were filled with bats. It was easy to imagine how it might have felt to rediscover the ellora caves. What made them particularly impressive was the knowledge that they were carved out of the same rock.
Ajanta

Ajanta

Ajanta

Ajanta

Ajanta

Ajanta


I'm moving generally south towards Goa. Planning on some relaxing and a bit of yoga. Thanks for all of the encouraging emails and comments folks. It's always nice to hear about home.