Hampi, One of the Best Yet

Ok, a little more reflection first. After passing the three month mark, I have one or two months left. I'm hoping I can stretch it and get that second month, but it's not a sure thing yet. My Indian visa expires in just over a month and I have so much I still want to see! I'm starting to see the finish line of this trip and it's a sobering feeling. Everything has been so wonderful out here that it's easy to never want to stop, 5 months will never feel like enough. I am looking forward to returning to Seattle however, because it is the city I love and I think I will return with a renewed energy and focus. So beginning to see the end of this trip isn't such a bad thing after all ;)

In the morning, I awoke from my shack, and I do mean shack. It was made of bamboo and corrugated sheet metal, without a real door and no light. At least it was cheap! A better room opened up, I took that and have been there for the last few nights. I decided to have a lazy day, so I loaded up my day bag with water, a book and my towel and headed down to the river.

I walked along the bank and went for a quick swim, circling some of the water-carved boulders and admiring their incredible shapes. It was about noon by this time, and I needed to find a spot in the shade to read. After some wandering, I finally found a good spot behind a boulder, and hid from the sun to read. I had picked up The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo from the guesthouse, simply out of name recognition and gave it a try. Maybe it was over-hyped, but I was not all that impressed. I've read a few thrillers on this trip and it didn't seem all that special to me. That said, I still read the 500 pages in two days. Sitting out for that long was really wonderful. As I read, I just sat and listened to the sounds around me. From my spot behind the boulder, I could listen to many different birds, the sound of the woman washing cloths on the other bank, the outboard from the ferry, men bathing in the river (they giggle a lot), drums and chanting from the temples beyond, a wedding procession with a marching band and the sound of cows and goats walking through the brush. A nice way to experience a new place.

The next morning I got up at 7am, took the ferry across the river (15 rupees), got breakfast (75 rupees) and rented a bicycle for the day (40 rupees). My first stop was the Virupaksha Temple, the tallest structure in the center of town. I went in through a side entrance, which I was to later understand meant I skipped the entry free of a few rupees and the 50 rupee fee for taking pictures. As I was there, Lakshmi the temple elephant arrived through the same entrance I came in from, and I watched the trainer give it commands to stand on its hind legs, and touch Indians on the head for a blessing.

Hapmi, much like the Angkor Wat area in Cambodia, is just littered with amazing ruins. You can walk for hours among the boulders and temples, never seeing the same thing twice. Because I had already seen some of the area with my Swedish friends earlier, I had a list of what was left and set off.

I walked along the river on the trail to the Vittala Temple, and this partly split boulder was on the way. Seeing how much stone is used on some of these structures is pretty amazing, and to see how the boulders were cut was pretty interesting.

This is the main entrance to the Vittala Temple, and unlike most of the ruins around here it costs a bit of money. If you are Indian, it is only 10 rupees, but if you are a non-Indian tourist it is 250 rupees! On the 2k walk to the temple, you pass countless amazing ruins, and the walk along the river is very pleasant.

This is one of the main attractions of this particular temple, a stone chariot. It's neat, and the wheels once turned (not that it could actually move) but to me the temple wasn't that much more amazing than the free ruins. So travel tip, if you are poor feel free to skip it.

Walking through the rocks you see a lot of lizards, I just liked this picture.

After a leisurely walk back through dozens more ruins, I hopped back on my bike and took off for another complex of temples and royal buildings. This particular building is the Royal Elephant Stables, and this is part of the 250 rupee ticket from the previous temple. The buildings here are in a little better shape, and the grass is green, but to me it felt a bit like just another temple. I was getting a little burned out on ruins to be honest, and the heat was getting to me.

As a result, I returned my bike and headed for the river. Wearing just my swim shorts and flip-flops, I walked a ways up the river. When I had found a suitable spot, I walked into the river, sat down and went for a float. I'd been in the river already, but I got to see and feel it in a whole new way. The bottom is amazingly easy to walk on, with all the rocks being nice and round, no sharp edges or sticks. At some places, the current was pushing me across huge smooth slabs of rock, in others I was walking through rounded gravel, in yet others I was being pushed through boulders 20 feet high on each side. At one point, I swam to a cluster of boulders that had a group of mud sparrow nests, and watched the birds enter and exit their cliff homes from the water. I kept floating down, and once I got to my guest house a ways down the river I went to shore, saying hello to a group of Indian men bathing as I went past.

The previous night I'd gotten connected with some climbers staying next door to me, and we woke up early to meet at the Goan Corner, at 7am one of the key climber spots here in Hampi. There I picked up a pair of shoes with holes in the toes (for free), one of the few places for people without gear to get it out here. Once the group had assembled, we took the short walk through the paddies and into the boulders a few minutes away.

We had left Goan Corner with just four of us, but as happens every time, we picked up a few new people on the way. We spent a short while in the Crystal Cavern, and then moved to another boulder with some easier problems on it.

I did a few routes, but most of the climbing here is at a level far above me. I have done quite a few of the easier problems, which has been great fun but most of the time I just watch other climbers who are much better than I am.

I just had to post this because it was interesting. This was a group of quite new, identical rooms for rent at one of the guesthouses. I asked why 6 of them had been destroyed, and I was told the government said those few were on government land and were not allowed, so they just knocked them down.

After a late lunch (as per the usual schedule out here) a few of us went out for an evening session, after the heat of the day has died down a bit. As it grew darker and darker, everyone else headed back in but Kim (from Spain) and I stayed out because he had a few problems he wanted to work on more. Once it got too dark, I held my headlamp to light the rock for Kim to work at, and I just stared out at the landscape and the stars. Not a bad way to spend an evening huh? Then, late dinner and off to bed.

The next morning we awoke at around 6:30am and met at Goan Corner at 7am to climb, and this has become the typical day. You get up early, get to the boulders around 7am, climb until 11am or noon, go eat breakfast/lunch, lay around for a few hours during the heat of the day, go on an evening climbing session until dark, hang out under the stars, then go back to the restaurant to eat and chat until late into the night. I have become part of this regular group of climbers, and every day we are hanging out, climbing and eating together. It really is a nice way to live, haha.

Despite the reputation of Hampi as one of the top boulder spots in the world, there still isn't much infrastructure to support it. Since I didn't have my own climbing shoes, I dug through the 'free box' to find a pair. Some are in pretty sorry shape. On the plus side, after leaving a smallish deposit, the shoes are free. I really wish I had better shoes and will try to find some better ones, but the price is right.

This is Luis. From France, he is one of the best climbers out here, and it's been great fun to see the strength and grace of his climbing. I forget the name of this rock, “that rock with the eyes painted on it”, but it has a few beginner routes, and this monster problem. A good place to play.

Katie (England) and Danni (Mexico) working on a different problem on the same rock.

And as the schedule goes, off to eat during middle of the day. We have all adopted the Tibetan Kitchen restaurant next to Bobby Guesthouse as our official hangout. It's a great place to just relax in the shade, and the food is all fantastic. I pretty much eat three meals a day here and am never disappointed. Around the table here is Alex, Kim, Paolu, Jenny, Katie and Will.

Due to the heat, we deviated from the usual schedule a bit and went for a dip in the reservoir. Rather than spending money on renting a scooter to get there, Kim and I decided to rent bikes for 25 rupees and ride. The ride was only 20 minutes or so, but it was very hot and the bike was the worst I've had yet! At water, a few of us did the big cliff jump again (this time being told it was 18 meters rather than 25, which sounds much more realistic to me) and cooled off in the water.

We then decided to 'float the rapids' which is just a minute away from the jumping rocks. This is an outflow of the reservoir and the current is very fast. What you do, is jump (or dive) off the bridge right into the middle of it (the sides could suck you in!) and the water carries you very quickly down a the channel. On the sides are nearly vertical cliffs, and fighting the current is hopeless. That said, all you do is tread water and let the current take you. It's a blast to go flying through the little channel for a minute or two like a little twig, and then a ways down it flattens out and you can swim to shore. We set up a shuttle system with the scooters, giving everyone a chance to ride the river and not have to walk all the way back. It was a ton of fun, and a perfect thing to do on a hot day.

In the evening, we went back to the boulders, climbed until dark, ate late into the night, and another wonderful day in Hampi had passed by, everyone satisfied, no one wanting to leave.

My plans are up in the air now. I've got so much of India to see yet, with the mountains being the big draw, but I'm thinking about spending more time south, climbing and renting a motorcycle, taking a long train trip back north, and seeing far less of northern India than I was hoping. Instead, maybe I can get to see one or two of the highlights, then go to Nepal and feed my mountain fix out there.... not sure if it will work, but that's the plan so wish me luck!

Goodbye Gorgeous Goa, Hello Heavenly Hampi!

As I mentioned last post, I am now in the town of Hampi, which is a truly magical place. But before I get into the pictures and story, I have some reflecting to do. I have recently passed the three month mark of my trip and I think that deserves some comment and thought.

(that's me being thoughtful and reflective, haha)

That said, I don't have a great deal to say other than “This has been an incredible experience and I am as happy or happier than I've ever been in my life.” Anyone who has been following my blog for the past three months probably could have told you that! I mean, I've met amazing people, learned so much, gone scuba diving, rock climbing, elephant riding, seen countless amazing ruins, huge and bizarre cities, eaten wonderful food, seen friends and family, gone to a wedding, seen wonderful new animal and plant life, hiked, ridden planes, trains, motos, boats and cars, and so much more. I've never been bored, in poor spirits or afraid for my safety. I was sick for one night, but really that is about the only bad thing that has happened to me the whole trip so far. I feel so fortunate that I'm am able to travel the world right now and have the understanding of my boss and the help of my family to make it all possible, so once again, thank you!

All this fun has also meant a longer term change for my life: that I want to start structuring my life around being able to travel like this again and on a somewhat regular basis. I'm not sure the best way to do this right now, or how often, but maybe doing a few months each year isn't impossible? Maybe 6 months off every other year? Ha, that doesn't sound like enough! The other complicating factor is that I absolutely love my house in Seattle and don't want to give that up, plus I still really enjoy my current job... Do I need to find new and seasonal work? Do I need to simply make more money? Should I find a housemate who isn't interested in travel and can keep up the house while I'm gone? Will I have to give up the house? I don't know, but it's a lot to think about, so I'll deal with it when I get home!

Finally, some thoughts on packing since I meticulously reported it all before I left. A few things have stood out for their usefulness, one of my favorite being my bag solution. I have two hiking type backpacks, a large one and a day bag. In the big bag I keep all my cloths and toiletries, in the day bag I keep everything else, including my laptop. The smaller bag fits in the larger one meaning I can have everything valuable, plus things like books and water, then when I get on a bus or somewhere else I can just pull the smaller bag out, keep it with me, and put the cloths below.

The cotton sleeping sack has been critical. It's not that I've stayed at many places where I was afraid of the sheets being unclean, but rather that many places just have a bed sheet and nothing to sleep under, so having your own is a must. The North Face zip off pants have also been good, and don't look too dorky at all, I even wore them to the wedding! Being able to wear shorts and then put the legs on was nice in Buddhist temples where you are required to cover up, as well as buses that get way too cold once they crank the AC. I didn't bring shoes and have worn nothing but flip-flops over than one day. I've worn everything I brought, even the fleece and windbreaker, and long underwear bottoms. A few mornings were cold in the north, especially when getting up before the sun, and it was nice to have them. I expect to use the more in northern India.

The other thing of course is the laptop. Having it has been great and I wouldn't be able to do this blog as it is without it. Being able to write whenever I want to, and being able to handle all my photos has been great and until getting to India free wifi was usually very easy to come by. Obviously it has also been extremely helpful for keeping in contact with all my traveling friends, my family back home, and killing time on bus rides. The 10” netbook is also a perfect size for traveling, a fact many other people have pointed out to me as well.

The only things I've brought and not used have been my mosquito bed net, and head net. Bugs simply haven't been a problem, and where they are even mild a bed net is usually provided. The only things I wish I had were all easily purchased. I've ended up wanting more cloths than I initially brought, and have bought some lightweight pants and shirts on the road.

Whew! Ok, back to the pictures and stories now.

Still in Panajin, I decided to take a bus ride out to Old Goa, the old capital for the Portuguese. It was begun in the 1500s and was called 'the Rome of the east', but was abandoned in the 1835 after massive outbreaks of cholera and malaria. The bus ride was about half an hour and only 10 rupees, so it was an easy day trip out of the city.

Today the only thing that remains of the once mighty city is a series of beautiful churches. This is The Basilica of Bom Jesus, begun in 1594. The large basalt building has a massive golden main alter, as well as holding the glass encased body of St Francis Xavier. For another 5 rupees you can go into the small art museum, which has a some photography and some interesting surrealist art .

The other main attraction in Old Goa is right across the street, the Se Cathedral. Built in the 1600s, it is the largest church in the whole of Asia. The outside of the building is actually quite boring, but the inside as you can see is very nice. I had gotten to the area fairly early in the morning, but by ten or eleven, tourist buses had arrived in droves. I went into the last of the three largest churches in the area (there are many) and decided to check out the archeological museum. I found it a little boring to be honest, as it had some stone carvings, and dozens of large portraits of the Portuguese rulers who had ruled the area, not a whole lot else.

I left in the early afternoon and had some time to kill in Panajin. I hung out in the park reading, walked around aimlessly, and eventually sat down in a coffee shop, primarily to use an outlet to charge my computer since the guesthouse room didn't have an outlet which I found rather annoying.

At 8pm I boarded an overnight bus to Hampi. I had opted for a bed, but I couldn't really sleep. One reason, besides for the frequent stops to pick up more people, is the fact it went on smaller roads which are full of speed bumps. This meant it was a bumpy and uncomfortable ride, and falling asleep was not easy. The 'bed' I had was a compartment with two flat cushions less than two feet wide. I was happy I had both to myself, but then at midnight, a final stop put someone in the cramped space next to me.

Luckily it was a very friendly (and rather small) Swedish guy named Carl. He is traveling with two friends of his, and we ended up chatting for about an hour and a half. Before trying to catch a few hours of sleep (I got maybe 3), we decided to room together in Hampi.

We arrived in Hampi at about 6am, before sunrise. After negotiating the gauntlet of auto drivers (the Indian tuk-tuk/three wheel taxi) and meeting a friendly Aussie named Ollie, we headed down to the river to catch the 'ferry' (a seriously overloaded dinghy but the ride is only about a minute and a half) across the river to get to the guesthouses on the other side we got to see this early morning ritual, going to the ghats and bathing in the river.

On the other side we found a place to stay and got two double rooms for the four of us. From left to right, this is Leo, Alex and Carl. We ate breakfast next to the rice paddies and then set off to explore this new wonderland.

Naturally, I saw the tallest thing around and decided I wanted to climb to the top. I set off out of the palms, past the paddies, and into the crazy boulder fields.

This is the view from about half way up, simply amazing. Looking over this from atop a house-size boulder, I was blown away. This is one of the most surreal place I've ever seen, like something out of a dream. I pushed on, up towards the top. There are no trails and I was alone. I crashed through the lower brush (tons of thorns!) took my flip-flops off and continued barefoot across the boulders.

Once I neared the top, I decided I'd gone far enough and it was too difficult to get any farther. The going was rather treacherous and I was rock climbing in sections, but getting hurt would be a real problem and my better instincts told me to turn around. I was unable to return the way I'd come, so I headed off on a new route, taking me into a large cave-type area created by massive boulders suspended overhead.

Right away, I got an idea and started to build. I cleared the leaves from the dirt and began to gather rocks. This was the result. I like the idea of creating a piece of art somewhere almost no one will see it. It was fun to build, and I hope the next person that stumbles upon the spot will enjoy it. I continued down the hill through the boulders, climbing and skidding down into more cave type areas, some full of bats. I got dead-ended a few times and had to turn around to find a different path, and ended up having to squeeze through a few tight spaces but I got out, and laid on a large boulder in the sun just taking it all in.

Once I had gotten back into the town, I caught this wonderful view across the paddies and through the palms of where I had just been.

This is looking back towards the Hampi Bazaar area, over the river from where we are staying. As I said, this place is a wonderland.

The next morning Alex, Carl and I woke up early for an 8am yoga class. Yoga is another of those thousands of things I've been interested but never tried, so it was on the list for this trip, especially here in India. It felt nice to get up and move in the morning, but I felt the instructor moved too quickly to really stretch out, and I wasn't all that pleased with it. I'll definitely give it another try at a different place though.

After yoga and breakfast the four of us headed out to explore the dozens of temples in the area. We took the ferry across the river, and went off in search of motorbikes to rent. To our surprise there were absolutely none available, they had all been rented. This was especially strange, because on our side of the river there were dozens waiting to be rented. As a result, we set off walking. We went into Virupaksha Temple, but it was closed for an hour so we walked up the hill and checked out the Kadlakalu Ganesha, a 4.5m tall sculpture made fro a single boulder.

As we walked farther up the road we walked past more and more ruins. I don't have the map so I forget the name of this part, but it is one of the sites where the (at the time) world famous Hampi bazaar took place.

After walking down the road a bit farther and visiting another temple on the way we arrived at the Kakshii Narasima Temple. This is a sculpture of the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu made in 1528. I like this one a lot, but maybe because the goofy face is hilarious.

A few temples later, we arrived in the old Islamic Quarter. We looked around briefly, but were all a little templed out (its easy when you visit one after another for a few hours), tired from walking in the hot sun, and hungry for lunch. I'll come back with a bike and see the rest of it another day.

That night we had dinner at the guesthouse restaurant and I had a bit of a feast. I had some really delicious Tibetan dumplings, a salad, pudding and water. This excellent meal cost me just about $4. The guys left the next afternoon, they were fun to hang out with and yet another example of the good people you meet on the road.

The next day I awoke at 6:30am and climbed up the biggest hill/rock pile again to watch the sunrise. Again I was scrambling around barefoot across the rocks, and eventually found a place to sit and watch from. I stayed up there for two and a half hours, just looking at the world around me, watching lizards and birds and taking it all in.

In the afternoon, I rented a motorbike and set out for a reservoir. I'd been told it was a short way out of town and that in addition to nice water and places to relax, it had some big rocks to jump off. I rode away from my room down some of the most potholed roads I've seen yet, my anemic little scooter buzzing away. I followed a dirt road along the side of the reservoir but shortly realized I'd gone to far. I had just turned around and two young Indian girls in bright red saris indicated they wanted me to give them a ride. I said sure, and they got on. It was a bit nerve wracking, since the roads were terrible and the brakes of the bike even worse, but after a quick ride they got off on the other side of the hill and thanked me.

I backtracked a bit longer and saw a spot with a few other bikes. I figured that would be a good place to enjoy the reservoir, and parked. I had in fact found the jumping spot. A huge mass of exposed rock jutted almost straight out of the water and atop that was a pile of three boulders. The local selling water at the spot said it was 25 meters down to the water (I think it may be a bit less than that), and I scrambled up the rock to give it a try. With a running start and big leap, I flew towards the water, it was quite a ways down really. A lot of fun, and certainly the highest thing I've ever jumped off.

Also at the spot was Elel (middle, sp?) and his friend, from Israel. He jumped after I did and as we got to chatting we decided to grab some lunch back in town. We had felafel and tea and went to his guesthouse to exchange our jumping photos we had taken of each other. Next was going up to the Monkey Temple for sunset, but we had time to kill so we hung out in the common area and played a game of chess. Now I haven't played chess in probably ten years so naturally Elel won but I thought I put up a decent fight!

Another short moto ride and we were at the base of another hill of boulders. Up this hill was a long and steep white staircase to the top and we began climbing. It was a lot of stairs, but didn't take more than a few minutes if you go at a quick pace. As you would expect, the view was amazing, the the light of the setting sun on the boulder covered hills was simply beautiful.

In Indian mythology, this is the birth place of Hanuman, the monkey-god, and the top contains a small temple in Hanumans honor. Inside, in one of the small rooms sit an alter to get your blessing, and next to it is another small room with men playing musical instruments and chanting, which they do all day long I am told. We sat for quite some time watching the deep-red sun go below the horizon and returned to the village.

Back at my guesthouse a few people were sitting around the TV and I was curious what was on. The movie they had put on was 'Hercules in New York' from 1969. Now for those who don't know, this was Arnold Schwarzenegger's first ever movie, and regarded by some as one of the worst movies ever made. Everything about the movie is bad, just awful really, but of course that makes it hilarious and worth watching. The part where Arnold fights the man in the bear suit is classic, the spray-painted re-bar of Zeus lightening bolts are a hoot and and and Arnold tears is shirt off every chance he can get. It is a classic.

And that is about where it stands right now. I'll probably spend a few more days here exploring the ruins and the nature a bit more then head south to Kerala and try to find a houseboat to join. Hampi is one of those places that sucks people in and doesn't let them go. I can see how easy it is to come for two or three days and spend a week or two and many people do just that. Until next time

The Last Days On The Goan Beach

Hello from Hampi! I've left Goa and the beach, am now inland and and for various reasons (time, internet access, etc) behind on the blog, so I've got some catching up to do. Let's get to it.

Our first full day in Goa got off to a lazy start, as any time on the beach should. We slept in, laid around, got breakfast at the restaurant across from our guest house, Avalon Sunset (highly recommended, we became regulars eating just about every breakfast and dinner there). Honestly I'm really not sure what we did all morning, but it was nice to lay back and read a book.

We managed to get to the beach at FIVE o’clock, haha, and were greeted by this scene. Because cows hold a special place in the Hindu religion they are essentially allowed to roam as the please. The cows take full advantage of this naturally and they want to chill on the beach like the rest of us! As I walked through this group of cows, one of the largest ones walked straight towards me and bumped into me head on. I was unsure what this meant, but given the size of the bulls horns (and testicles!) I was not going to wait and find out. We laid out on the beach with a cold Kingfisher (India’s most popular beer?) , kicked the soccer ball around and watched the sunset. We then had dinner, walked down the beach to see what was going on in the evening (nothing actually) and turned in for the night. An uneventful day no doubt about it.

The next day we walked around town trying to find a place called Cafe DeLish, because the woman who ran it, Jane, was a friend of Hunter's uncle. We had breakfast there, chatted for a few minutes, and then took off on our newly rented scooters to explore the beaches of Goa.

We rode north from Anjuna to Vagator which was small but nice, and walked up the hill to Chapora Fort, which was really just an old wall and nothing else. After the last fort, nothing will compare, but especially not a wall. As usual, the cows were there to keep us company. We had another feast at Avalon Sunset, including a great seafood sizzler and turned went to bed.

Our plan for the next day was a full on moto-adventure. After breakfast we took off again and came to the next beach up the coast, Morgim Beach. It is a very large flat expance of sand with nice sun shades and beach beds. I spent most of my time reading my book (Papillon, fantastic) but the beach was nice and sandy and the waves were fun to play in. A little farther down the road we stopped at a small temple with a fresh, bright coat of paint and some wonderful characters at the entrance. Moving up the coast we went to Mandrem Beach which seemed to be only European people, ate lunch and kept moving. Next up the coast was Arambol, which was a real scene. I thought Anjuna was supposed to be the hippie beach, but Arambol was a whole different level. It was a long, tight, crowded drive to the packed beach, and every other person was covered in dreadlocks. Having no interest in such a crowded place, we turned around without even getting off our bikes and drove the rest of the way to Querim Beach at the very northwest corner of Goa. This beach was very small, very quiet and just had a few beach restaurants and venders rather than the chaos of the other beaches. We watched the sunset and got back on the scooters. The ride back was pretty intense. The roads of India are crazy enough during the day, but darkness adds a whole new element. The roads were narrow and winding, and for an hour or so we were blasting through the streets, dodging other bikes, cars, cows and more. It was a very fun ride.

Back at Anjuna, we were looking for a party or a band or something, so we started walking down the beach. What we found was a ghost town. It seemed that most of the bars were closed, and those that were actually open were nearly empty. I thought this was supposed to be a center of nightlife! It turns out that it's no longer the case, the party died in the 90s or something. Now there are noise ordinances that close many places at 10pm, and we were told that the bars who hold events from time to time bribe the cops to stay open late. It was a bit of a bummer, because we were all looking forward to a night out.

The next morning we had planned another scooter adventure, this time heading south. We bypassed Calangute Beach which is the section with most of the big beach resorts and a large casino, and checked out Siquerim Beach. It was another tourist hellhole. As soon as we pulled up, we were assaulted by demands to pay for parking (we parked right outside the pay area), to go on sightseeing tours, and to buy tourist junk. We walked down to the beach to see the old fort which was just another wall, and turned around disgusted.

Our next stop was Aguada Fort. It was built by the Portuguese in 1612 to protect ships and refill their fresh water tanks, store arms and to house the lighthouse that marked the point. The fort was really just a big wall with a large empty courtyard in the middle and a lighthouse at one side. Rather boring really.

We motored on in search of one nice beach to relax at and eat some lunch since we had struck out all day. This is what a typical road around the beaches of Goa look like. We went furhter on and found ourselves on the main bridge to Panaji, the capital of Goa. This was a bad thing, because we didn't have helmets (they didn't have helmets to give out of course) and that was illegal on the main road. Everyone had them but us, and being tourists we were prime bait for police harassment and extortion really. Also, technically you are supposed to have an international drivers license to ride a bike, and we didn't have that either. Not that any tourist does (well, maybe a handful, but I've never met one of them), but that would be another thing for the police to get us on. We hurridly turned around to get back to the relative safety of the tourist beaches, hoping we wouldn't see any traffic police in the next few minutes.

We then stopped at the last of the popular beaches, Candolim. This place is strange for a few reasons. For one, there are so many Russian tourists here (and more than one Indian here has told me they don't like the Russian tourists) that many shop signs and menus are in Russian. For another, the beach seemed to be only, and I mean only people in their 50s and 60s, most of them overweight. And finally, maybe the strangest of all, the beaches key feature is the River Princess, a huge tanker ship that ran aground on the beach in the 1990s.

The next day Sazzy and Hunter had to fly back to Delhi. Hunter was going back to the Sates, and Sazzy is going to Bangkok to meet up with Sam, yet another of my Seattle friends coming out to southeast Asia! We took a taxi from Anjuna beach all the way to Panaji, the capital city of Goa. The book had some good things to say about Panji, and I was going to use it as my transport hub to Hampi, so I went with them and planned on spending two nights in town.

The town has a few nice attractions and this is the main one, the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, built in 1541. The town also has a very nice and newly renovated (2010) 'cenral park' area called Garcia de Orta, plus all the other cool old streets and architecture that come along with a history like this town has. We walked around in the hot sun for a while, taking in the sites and I have to say I did kind of like the place.

I ended up staying at a place called Comfort Inn, on 31^st January Road. The guy was a bit of a jerk, the room cost 300 rupees for a shared bathroom, he wouldn't even let Sazzy use the bathroom (quoting 'terrorist concerns'), and the checkout time was 8:30! I ended up staying anyways, because other than the guy being a jerk, the room was decent and clean, plus the others in that area/price range have similar policies.

After passing and juggling a soccer ball in on a sidewalk and then a park for a while, it was time for Sazzy and Hunter to get to the airport, so it was time to part ways. Just like everyone else I've been with on this trip, as expected Seeing some of India with Sazzy and Hunter was fantastic. Getting to see a bit of India with Sazzy and his family, and especially the wedding was something I'll never forget. Traveling with Hunter, who was just like me, along for the ride, was a pleasure and has helped convince me three can be the perfect number to travel with.

At this point, I have no other friends to meet up with since flying out to meet Sam just isn't fitting into my schedule right now. That means I'm in India for nearly a month and a half solo right now, but I certainly hope and expect to meet some new friends on the road to travel with and I am looking forward to that.

That evening I pretty much just wandered around town alone taking in the sights again, and looking at the brightly lit church and park. As I walked down the waterfront I ended up chatting with two members of Green Peace India for about a half an hour which was pretty interesting. We talked mostly about the changes that need to take place and what they are doing about it, as well as asking me a few questions about America and American perceptions on environmental issues.

Based on the advice of the rude guy who ran the guest house, I decided to return to Anjuna (and I just left, haha) for the Wednesday Market, an outdoor market that is supposed to be a big deal. I went to the public bus station, and for 10 rupees got a ride to Mapusa, and then paid another 10 for the ride from Mapusa to Anjuna. The bus was old, crowded and bumpy, but it was worlds cheaper than a taxi and very easy. If we had known this earlier, we would have saved a lot money taking it instead of a taxi, oh well.

The market was indeed big, and it did seem to bring in people from all around. While it had some nice crafts, lots of clothing, tea and spices, and many more things to be honest it wasn't anything that isn't already sold at the stands along the beaches every day, just more of it. I'm really not sure what the big deal is, it's mostly just tourist junk...

That said, I did buy a few things that I needed. I broke my sunglasses (they cost me about $3, no big loss) the other day, so I replaced them with some equally cheap ones, I bought some light weight pants because I want something cooler and more comfortable to wear, and bought a new shirt for the same reasons. One of the things at the market I actually liked were some of the door handles, especially the ones in the shape of an elephant head and trunk. Satisfied with my purchases I took the bus back to Panajin.

In town I wandered into a different park, the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Park. This one was pretty run down, full of men taking siestas on the benches, brown grass, strange fiberglass garbage cans such as the giant penguin, that have “Use Me” written on them and some rusting yellow and orange playground equipment.

I'd been putting off shaving and decided I'd get it done at a barber. I've only had someone shave me once before, so it was a bit of a new experience. And yes, I watched him put the handle in disinfectant and then put a brand new blade on! For 40 rupees (less than a dollar) I got quite a shave. First he washed my whole face off, then brushed on the shaving cream with the old style brush. He went over my face with the razor two times, than gave a sort of face massage and a rub of three different moisturizers or something. He didn't nic me once, and it was certainly the best shave I've ever had.

I then bought my bus ticket to Hampi for 700 rupees, more than I was expecting to spend, but not feeling too bad about it. Next on my to-do list was to get a mobile broadband modem, but as I was wandering almost aimlessly to find the store, I herd a lout parade two blocks, and I walked quickly to get in front of it and see what was going on. I suddenly found myself in a massive parade of Goas Muslim population and one of the banners said it was the “Birth Anniversary of Prophet Muhammad.”

I stayed right in the middle of it all, as hundreds of people walked passed me along with many cars and trucks loaded with speakers and piled with men singing, teens chanting and little kids running around smiling, it was all pretty exciting actually. This guy seemed to be the main event, singing with a group of drummers and then making a short speech. It was sort of amusing that this was all taking place at the base of the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, but the only reason for that was that the mosque, Jama Masjid, built in 1779, was only a block away.

After being distracted by the parade, I wandered around for quite a while more before I finally found it, the Tata Indicom store. Because I've had trouble getting online since being in India, I decided to spend a few bucks on a mobile internet system. India hasn't been anything like Thailand or even Cambodia. There is no free wifi anywhere, neither at guesthouses or bars/restaurants, and while internet cafes are still around they are a pain. This, if the coverage area ('Nationwide') is should be very helpful with keeping my my blog, usual communications, train tickets, and of course keeping up with my sister Holly's ski races in Oslo, Norway!

I ended up with the Tata photon+, which I was told is the best. I used one in Delhi, and it was quite fast, but where I've been so far it has been slow and a bit problematic... That said, it works, and is nice to have.

While I had been looking for the wireless store, I'd seen a sign on a building for a 'public observatory' that was going to be open that night. Intrigued, I entered the big building of government offices ranging from the 'Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs' to the ''Directorate of Official Language' to the 'Office of the Conservation of Forrest, Wildlife and Ecotourism' and took the elevator to the seventh floor terrace for the 'Public Amateur Observatory Department.' On top I found an older Aussie couple, and a handful of locals, all under 16 I think. Three boys were the leaders of it, pointing the 5” telescope into the sky. We looked at the Andromeda galaxy, Orion, Saturn, the moon and others, as well as getting to watch the International Space Station pass overhead. I hung around and talked space with the kids until the were out of things to show me with their scope (the big scope only gets used 'on special occasions') and walked back to my room, having really enjoyed coming upon that little activity

Next I head off to Old Goa, home of the largest church in Asia and off to Hampi. Being back on my own is exciting, and I'm really looking forward to exploring India in the coming few weeks and meeting new people along the way. Since I'm already in Hanpi as I write this, I'll give a sneak peak: it's awesome, so stay tuned!