Velcro Hearts

Well the title I initially had in mind for this post was Sex, Drugs, & Bangalore. But that was uncannily (in)appropriate. Ahem.

So anyways, wow, what a journey. As I’m writing this, I’m on a night train from Bangalore to Hampi, back on the road all on my lonesome after about 2 weeks with the same group of incredible people in Mysore and Bangalore. Not the initial intention, as usual. It shouldn’t come as a surprise anymore, and in fact I should just stop mentioning it seeing as how everything is unplanned :-P As a fellow cool traveller, Meredith, would say: “If the plans don’t drop you, drop the plans”.

The people I met during this time have rocked my socks, all six pairs of them. Another family away from home. And they’ve inspired me so much as well; a bold woman who has been travelling for three years and has sailed across most of the globe, an artist, motorcycle rider, hippie yoga chick turned confidante to an insecure me, a kind-hearted sister and nose-piercing companion (yes, I went there, more on that later), lots of good-looking, incredibly intelligent veterinarians (eheh), an incredibly supportive, open, loving, and close friend with the most generous heart and amazing soul, and everyone in between. All family :-). This was one of the most difficult departures so far. 

Sometimes I wonder if I, and other travellers, get a kick out of this goodbye torture. I used to think that I leave because I am afraid of becoming attached, because I’m running away, but now I have an alternate theory. My suspicion is that if you know you are there only in passing, you don’t waste time; you very often skip the small talk and almost immediately bond with the people you get that initial connecting vibe with. You make it meaningful, true, emotional, loving. Concretely feeling how limited your time together is, you strive to enjoy every single moment you have together. Short, concentrated, and real. And sometimes too intense. The CouchSurfing world is often full of such encounters. I think what’s addicting is not meeting and leaving, but the fierceness with which you get to connect with people in such a short amount of time. It’s something you very rarely experience in daily life staying in one place. I know people whom I’ve seen every day for years back home, and we never got past the acquaintance level, even though we potentially could have been very close friends. And when I travel, I sometimes feel like every person I meet is a soul mate. There is less fear to approach, less holding back. And sometimes you need a break from this intensity too… Velcro heart syndrome is a chronic travelling condition, with self-initiated remission periods.

So, yeah, back to the cities. Mysore was beautiful and regal – fitting for a palace city – and more laid-back than Bangalore. One of my personal achievements while there would probably have to be getting to go to a South Indian wedding and pooing in an Indian-style toilet while wearing a sari. No photos of that though, fortunately.

Blore – as the locals call it when texting :P – is loud, polluted, modern, cosmopolitan. It’s not a place to see so much as to experience. I can understand why most travellers do not enjoy visiting this city. I would have hated it were it not for the people. What did I do? Mostly party almost every night, be hungover, party again, visit a restricted access army riding school (hurray for local connections :P), party some more, take naps, hug people, get a nose ring (simultaneously with Ali, my piercing sister – whenever my nose aches, I will think of her ;-)), shop (my bag gained some serious kgs with all the beautiful kurtis), visit one of the city’s lovely parks and rediscover science, dance, hug more people, party some more, listen to vets talk about their passion, visit to the hospital (I had been feeling dizzy, irritable, and had trouble breathing – apparently I’m allergic to Bangalore), more dancing, more hugging.

So all in all a positive experience. A lot of self-analyzing, thinking, processing, and breaking down also happened, most likely because I felt safe and had support from the people around. Not a bad thing :) I feel more lost than ever, still incredibly insecure and afraid of so many things, unsure of what I want and who I am. But I’m thinking more and more that these aren’t the kinds of problems that will be resolved by working on them directly. I need to learn to relax and enjoy the moments as they come. Everything else will fall into place as it needs to.

Now back to the train, my first sleeper train experience! I’m on the upper berth, and even before boarding I noticed a lovely girl settled in the berth below mine. It didn’t take long for us to start talking about the things that matter :P, eventually fading into silence as people fell asleep around us, and watching the darkness and stars go by. Excuse me while I join the others in Morpheus’ arms, a train-shaped, soothingly rocking Morpheus…

Photos: Mysore & Bangalore

Road to Munnar

I’m starting to get more used to taking the state buses alone. Still not fully comfortable with everyone staring at me but at least I know that at rest stops they won’t leave without the white girl :-P

The road to Munnar from Madurai is something to be experienced. I’m a mountain girl. Seeing the mountains again brought back memories of past treks and hikes. Yet this was one of the most unnerving roads I’ve been on. Something out of Top Gear. The climb is incredibly steep, and the bus – overcrowded with people packed and standing – takes hairpin turns on the road barely wide enough for one truck. Everyone suddenly went very quiet as the bus began its ascent. You know something is not right when even the locals show signs of fear :P. The best is when you pass oncoming trucks and buses, rolling a couple of inches from the deep precipice below. Adrenaline rush guaranteed. 

Munnar itself is not so special except for the communist flags everywhere and three religions coexisting actively side by side, seemingly peacefully, though these are characteristics of Kerala in general. The surrounding area is a fairytale though. Endless mountains to hike on the Kerala Tamil Nadu border, green rolling tea plantations as far as the eye can see.

 

I think I had too high expectations of the place. I wanted to go roam the hills and get lost in nature. But I ended up doing the touristy things with a few other travellers, which left me incredibly fed up and impatient to leave and move on. I chose Munnar because it was recommended as an alternative to Ooty which is even more touristic. But even in Munnar you get treated as a wallet on legs by the locals – I wasn’t used to that anymore, I like interacting with people on a more meaningful level. And at the restaurants you get served food with forks – that was incredibly strange and disappointing to me by that point haha! The first time that happened, I refused to use it and was the only stubborn foreigner digging into the rice with my hand, but eventually I re-westernized for a time.

After Munnar, we headed to Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary for some elephant spotting and spending a night in a treehouse in the jungle. Sounds like fun, right? But again, expectations versus reality story happened. As soon as we arrived, we were rushed on a “jungle trek” in the middle of the unbearably hot day in the dried up forest and plains. Of course there won’t be much chance of seeing any animals; in that heat most of them are probably sleeping or hiding in the shade somewhere. Our guide could only say the names of some animals in English, and the evening’s menu, which was his answer to most of our questions :P. On the hills we got to see some deer, some bison – which from that distance could have been anything – some birds, and lots of elephant shit. Fresh piles, old piles, fossilized piles – the elephant’s soul. We even spotted a rare Jeep mating ritual on the road below – highlight of the trek :-P. I almost snapped from heat exhaustion and frustration, but ended up laughing when the guide showed me photos of the famed giant grizzled squirrel in that area on his phone, because we didn’t get to see any. And seeing my state, he even offered to carry my bag back.

Upon our return, we were informed that we might not be able to spend the night in a treehouse, so we waited to find out if the people who had booked it would call. In the meantime, there weren’t any other facilities there and no phone reception, so we just watched the monkeys get close and try to steal food. 

Eventually we got the treehouse and set off. When we reached the spot, our guide (another one) kept pressuring me to take a bath in the river near the treehouse. Yeah, right. Then he fell asleep for a long nap and we had no idea what to do, so we just sat there and ate some snacks. Eventually it got dark and another guide came. While they were having fun bathing and fishing, we were just sitting there wondering what the plan was. It would have been better to know from the start what to expect. I took some photos of the moon rise, and we then ate some parota with curry by candlelight. Not the best quality food but I was starving, and it was nice to eat with my fingers again. 

 

Because it was dark, I started feeling sleepy pretty early. But before retiring to our treehouse, we witnessed some suspicious activity going on on the other side of the river (which was the border with Tamil Nadu). Some people were trying to get a huge tractor through the water and forest and made an incredible noise for about an hour. Forget about seeing any animals that night. We climbed up into the treehouse and our guide told us to leave candles on and hang the bags so that the mice don’t burrow any holes. And if we had to pee in the night, do it on the treehouse balcony. Lol. No wonder the place smelled like shit and urine. It was pretty bad but I was so exhausted that I fell asleep easily enough. No animals in the night. 

The following morning they made us chai and gave us biscuits but we were in a hurry to get back to catch our respective buses. It wasn’t my favourite episode on this trip but it makes for some fun stories. And sleeping in the trees in the jungle is still pretty awesome :) 

Photos: Munnar & Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

10 Days in Pondicherry

I didn't intend to stay that long. Honest.

But I don't regret it one iota :)

So. How was life in loveable Pondy? Fantastic. Eventually I started feeling like a local and like a host myself. I saw through a few batches of couchsurfers and became a "second in command" of sorts. My host and now good friend Shyam is quite active as a host and, dare I say it, famous in Pondy :P. Now, when you've got an in with the alpha male, doors open for you; you get to ride on the motorcycle while the others take the rickshaw, get in to places otherwise not accessible to you, not be treated as a tourist, get invited to a wedding reception, eat with the family, and much more. I'm so incredibly thankful for all those wonderful experiences.

Pondicherry itself is a former French colony, with a super laid-back atmosphere. The French quarter has French street names as well as bakeries and restaurants where you can get croissants and other French goodies :). Although I actually didn't eat any French pastries while I was there, I did have ratatouille on one occasion. I much preferred the home-made dosais and other aspects of Tamil cuisine, yummm.

There isn't much to see per se in Pondy, but it's great to be there to experience the lifestyle. A few fun things happened while I was there. One of the most exciting was getting to drive a rickshaw! While coming back to Shyam's place one evening, myself and three other French girls bargained with the driver but he wouldn't budge. He did however jokingly offer to let us drive. We didn't let it pass, even as a joke :P The driver had a good laugh but he indulged us, and I'm proud to be able to say that I drove one of the quintessential modes of transportation around here.

Other fun shenanigans included an enthralling African dance course (not the best when it's 35 degrees though), a super cool Tamil film without subtitles (Nanban - and the best is that we understood the story for the most part), riding motorcycles in triplets (2 bikes, 2 guys, 4 girls, all that was missing was the Beach Boys), and last but not least, Auroville.

I had initially intended to stay at Auroville for about a week, and Pondy only a couple of days a starting base. Unfortunately, it was high season and the guest houses were full and reserved in advance. They only had openings later in February. I actually had no clue how Auroville "worked" so it took me some time to just figure out the accommodation business. Had I been informed in advance, I would have joined a farm through WWOOF and volunteered there for a couple of weeks. Because most communities there had a minimum of 2-4 weeks stay. I was so close to joining Sadhana Forest, on a few recommendations. I didn't feel ready to spend a month there though (minimum stay), but I was torn between going to visit other places and doing something spontaneous and different. 

Before I started travelling, I told myself I have to remember to do some "homework" along the way as well. I'm trying to keep in mind that I'm not travelling only for fun, I also want to actively partake in different lifestyles and learn new skills (in the sustainable living domain mostly) that could eventually help me to carve out the life I want for myself.

I did get to go to Auroville a few times with Shyam though, and even got to see a music festival there. When you're there, you don't feel like you're in India; it's another world. Very interesting people and communities. I told myself that if I come back, then I'll commit to a longer stay, and maybe even raise my children there :P. It really feels like the best possible place to have an enriching upbringing.

Photos: Pondicherry & Auroville

Learning the Ropes

It took me a while to start feeling more comfortable with the way things work around here. Three weeks ago I would have been completely unable to hop on a local bus alone - the only foreigner :-P - and head to unknown towns whose names I can only remember for 30 seconds, without a guide, without a map, only relying on the people to help me get to where I need to be.

And I still have a lot to learn and get used to. Every province is like its own country; different customs, different languages.

So inevitably, I have been getting ripped off during this initial part. The most embarassing was probably in Mahabalipuram when I booked a room for 2 nights with Liz. After calling a few guest houses, we found one where we were quoted 600 (~$12) rupees per night, which seemed incredibly cheap for our standards. So we get there and the room is clean and everything, a bit small, but the bed is huge and has a mosquito net. I paid 1200 rupees for myself, and then Liz goes to pay her part... The owner seemed a little confused at first, but eventually accepted both of our payments without a peep. Had I had my wits about me, I would have realised that the room was 600/night for both of us, not per person XD We only realised the day that we left that the price was likely for the room, but still it was so cheap that it wasn't even worth getting frustrated over.

Now I am much more picky about accommodation prices though. I know the rates a bit better and I try as much as possible to pay by local standards, even if it's dirt cheap in any case, because I realised that all these minuscule purchases add up if you intend to travel long-term! In Munnar I was quoted 350 rupees for a room, which is about the normal backpacker price for accommodation, but when I got there they asked for 550. And I bickered with them for a while but eventually ended up agreeing to pay the higher price when I put things into perspective: this was a room for two people that I was paying alone, it was even cleaner and more luxurious than the one in Mahab, and even had hot water for showers (which is super uncommon)!

To give further perspective about value, consider the following:
40 rupees...
= 1 roll of toilet paper (in touristy areas)
= 1 hour in an internet café
= 20 bananas
= 2 L of water
= ~3 hour ride on a state bus
...and still under $1 :-)
The tp is a rip off in my opinion though, better get used to the bucket method :P

So anyways, back to Mahab. Despite that minor, er, accommodation failure, we had a great time there. Such a chilled out place, which is so very welcoming after a city like Chennai (not at all the right place to get introduced to the country!). Beach, lots of restaurants, lots of shops...lots of tourists. We bought a few handicrafts and practised our bargaining skills with the shop owners who were mostly from Kashmir (as were the crafts). In fact, we couldn't help but notice that Kashmiri men are, well, incredibly gorgeous, heeeee. Those dark penetrating eyes... Oh my. /end girly swooning.

One thing we also discovered in Mahab is that making friends and being a loyal customer is definitely advantageous! For our shopping needs we frequented a convenience store a bit off the main tourist road, and bought bananas and snacks from them every day, mostly because we liked the shop owners very much. But we were so touched when they made a discount for toilet paper for us on the third day, knowing fully that it's not a very cheap item!

Eventually I was really reluctant to part with Liz in Mahab; after just a few days it felt like we were family. But she made it back to Chennai on her own and I set off to Pondicherry, where the unexpected greeted me...

Photos: Chennai & Mahabalipuram

A New Adveeentuuuure Chaaaarliiiieee!

Ow, my brain. I had gotten so used to sitting on a chair with a computer and internet for most of my days, with potable water, a fridge full of food two steps away, two closet-fulls of clothes and all the other comforts of the Western world. This new profound pattern shift has been beyond overwhelming for my poor little psyche that was so ingrained in its comforts. I don’t regret anything. Not even the breakdowns and feeling utterly overwhelmed and useless. I feel alive again.

The departure is the worst. And this one dragged on and on, due to a bunch of preparations and couple of days in transit.

Home, Montreal - 01.18.12 1200 hours

Running on a couple of hours of sleep. I can't think. I am alive. This is madness. Enjoy the disparateness :) See you in my rebirth, dear world. Quote: My friend has this theory that everyone is at their best when they travel. - Anna

Fast forward a few hours.

 

Airport. Check-in. Goodbyes. Board. I had a centre seat but all the 4 seats in the middle section were empty so I could stretch out on them :D Soon enough I started a conversation with the passenger in the seat across the aisle. Turns out he was Indian so we had a few good chats about different things, although he was transferring to Istanbul where he was going for work. Oh well, would have been nice to have someone accompany me into Delhi. (Actually, the flight into Delhi and the first few hours here were some of the worst, psychologically, and some familiar company was the only thing I really wanted!)

They were showing a lot of Indian films on the way to Zürich, so I watched I am Kalam, which was super cute! Ali (my flight companion) watched One Day, and he warned me it was depressing (yet still I watched it on the flight to Delhi and regretted it :P)

Tried to sleep a bit, not very successful. In Zürich, Ali went for his transfer and I went into town, woo! The guy at immigration was like:

“So, how long will you be in Zürich?”

“Just 6 hours.”

“Oh. Where are you going after?”

“Delhi.”

(Giving a puzzled look) “India? Why would you go there?”

I had come across enough people with that reaction so I was pretty used to it, but it still irritated me somewhat.

Zürich Hauptbanhoff - 01.19.12 0740 hours

So getting there wasn’t as easy for a sleep-deprived mind. After following helpful instructions from couchsurfers for getting to the train. I hopped on the first one there and turns out it was going in the opposite direction from central station. Sigh. Get off. Try again. With all this, I still managed to make it for around 7:40am, while my appointment with Roger and another couchsurfer was at 8:30am. So I went out and walked a bit in the cold drizzly dawn in the old city, taking some photos of the water and buildings before getting cold and turning back.

Soon enough, I met up with Roger and it was so so so incredibly comforting to see a familiar face. It felt like being reunited with family, even though we didn’t hang out all that much in Van. I think just because I was so overwhelmed by this trip, being able to have familiar company was worth more to me than anything. Another couchsurfer, Aanjhan, joined us as well. After I had posted on the Zürich CS forum if anyone wanted to get up that early for a stroll, he answered me because he saw that I was going to India, so we had some interesting conversations as well!

Toilet at Odeon Café

It was certainly chilly in Zürich, but still I was the happiest I had been in a while, even in my baffled sleep-deprived state. Setting foot in Europe again, pretty streets, good company, lots of laughing. After a final photoshoot at the lake, the wind persuaded us to go inside. On Aanjhan’s recommendation, we had a delicious breakfast and shared hilarious travel stories at Odeon café, which has an interesting history. An absolutely delightful morning in the city :)

Sadly it was all over too soon and goodbyes never get easier, but it’s moments that happen quite often during travelling unfortunately.

Zürich Flughafen - 01.19.12 1200 hours

Back at the airport, I started to freak out more seriously, asking myself endlessly: “What the hell am I doing?”. I even almost lost my new netbook, on day one! I had used it in the restroom and forgot it on a shelf in the stall. It had been maybe 5-10 minutes when I realised, and the flight to Delhi was about to start boarding. Thankfully I didn’t realise on the plane! And even more thankfully, it was still there when I went back to check!! I was convinced it would be gone. There was a girl in the stall and when she came out I immediately looked to see if it was there. I exclaimed my relief aloud and she said that she actually didn’t even notice it and that I am incredibly lucky. That I am! :D  

Delhi Airport - 01.20.12 0100 hours

Cold. Humid. Unknown.

The guy at immigration asked me what is Vizag (the city I was headed to that I put down as address on the declaration form). I explained it was a city near Chennai omg lol. He seemed irritated but eventually let me through. Well, at least you can get into India with a one-way ticket, so my whole story was unnecessary, hurray! Pick up bag. So overwhelmed. And um, my plan kind of stopped there. So I walked back and forth, looked for the sleeping areas, or just a secluded area where I could sit. Hah, forget about isolation in Indian cities! It’s a good thing I didn’t go out of the terminal though (again on advice from couchsurfers, though I didn’t know why initially), because you’re not allowed back in. The security guards with rifles won’t let you :) (There is a visitor entry fee for the airport though actually, but the next morning I didn’t see anyone at the counter where they sell the visitor tickets). I didn’t research all these things so this first part was kind of rough and I’m learning the ropes as I’m going!

Tried to connect to internet but failed (I’m thinking since I tried 3 times it may have charged my credit card that many times too without getting my goods, oh well…). I was just getting more and more tired, stressed, overwhelmed, confused, hungry, in pain (the stomach aches due to the pressurized cabin + stress). I decided to check out the Visitor’s lounge (on advice from an internet forum post I found some while back), and it looked so sketchy; people sleeping on the floor, seats everywhere. So I asked the security guard who was guarding the elevator between the arrival hall where I was previously and the lounge to let me go back down. After seeing my flight confirmation, he mumbled something about wrong terminal. Turns out that was crucial information. I went back down, used the toilet and asked about the price of the napping facilities, but they were full! Oh well, back to the lounge I go. 

I really wanted to try to accost someone so I would feel less alone, so I started talking with these guys who were speaking in Spanish. They were from Chile, and going snowboarding in Kashmir! They actually followed what others did in the lounge, just set their stuff on the floor and lied down for a nap. I soon decided to do the same. Hobo-style. It actually made me feel a lot better! I used my sleeping bag as a mattress, my backpack as a pillow, and scarf as a cover (did I mention it was cold in Delhi? Like 5 degrees, it was on the “breaking news”, along with the fog). I think the mix of letting go of perfect solutions with feeling less alone made me feel a ton better. I even fell asleep for some hours…

Delhi Airport - 01.20.12 0800 hours

The following morning, just as they were about to say goodbye, I discovered the Chileans were headed to terminal 1D and my flight was there too, which was in another building! So I tagged along (possibly to their annoyance, heh) because I felt lost and clueless. 

There was a shuttle to take you to the terminal, which was 15 minutes away by car! Wow I had no idea about all this previously, so it was lucky I met them! We were told the shuttle was free if you have a flight ticket, so we got on but they asked for money or a ticket, and the guys paid but I got off. I was definitely lost and confused. Couldn’t go back inside the airport where you had currency exchange booths and functional ATMs, got turned back by security who told me to use the ATM outside which didn’t work. Great. Now what? A taxi driver offered to drive me to an ATM and I can pay there. Yeah right :)

Luckily I bumped into some other guys who also got fooled by the useless ATM so I basically asked “can I tag along until we all find money?” XD But they already had a prepaid bus to their hotel, which was half an hour away, but they said the bus was already paid for and I could definitely join them and use ATMs at the hotel if there’s any. (My flight was in 6 hours, so I had the time if need be for these roundabout solutions.) So they asked their guide, who confirmed ATMs at the hotel, but he had a better solution. He actually took me to the booth where you show your connecting flight confirmation and previous flight ticket (thankfully I kept it!) to get a free ticket for the shuttle. Somehow I completely missed this booth before! I was incredibly grateful to that guide!

Vizag -  01.20.12 0800 hours

So after waiting endlessly at Delhi airport due to flight delays because of the heavy fog, I finally got on the flight to Vizag. I was the only white person on this tiny plane; adventure begins now, woo! :D I slept for most of the flight and my body and mind felt dead. 

Meeting up with Liz was another incredibly absolutely amazing moment. Soooo excited and super happy! The only two white girls hugging it out at the airport, haha! Then I met her friend and the family she was staying with who kindly agreed to host me for a couple of days. The ride to their home was amazing. I was just absorbing all sights and sounds: bicycles, rickshaws, dirt, dogs, cows, pani puri and so many street food carts, small shops, mad driving, endless honks, tropical heat…

When we got to the house, my brain was just pretty much dead by then. But I was still under adrenaline, so I had a nice chat with Liz whom I felt like I had known forever, and it probably didn’t show at all that we had met for the first time this night, haha!! Then off to sleep. Tomorrow we head into town for awesomeness and then attend a party for the grandparents’ 50^th anniversary.

***

I’m probably not going to be able to keep recounting every moment so diligently, hah!  Not only because access to internet will be very very limited, but being mostly alone during this sharp initial shift has made me all that more in need of finding a way to express some of the insane emotions I’ve been spiralling through (seriously, I don’t know how much Attivan I went through XD Despite the lack of sleep, the cortisol was definitely through the roof).

This way for photos... Zürich & Vizag

Nordkapp - The Commercial Edition

After a couple of nights camping on the road, a stop in Alta to see the prehistoric rock art, and being smuggled past a tunnel toll booth by a kind truck driver, we finally reached Nordkapp; the main destination of this trip! (Seriously though, what is up with paying for all the tunnels up there?! Suuuure, it's to build and maintain nicer tunnels and roads.) I remember the sheer excitement as we reached what I thought to be THE Northernmost point of continental Europe, and just around midnight too. It was an exhilarating feeling! I was partially conflicted though, because I felt like a pilgrim finally arriving, only to find crowds upon crowds of travellers of all ages and styles, all piling up at this plastic entity. I suppose I didn't expect Nordkapp to be quite like a theme park. People arrived there from all over the world by boat, bike, foot, car, tour bus...

 

The point on the right, Knivskjellodden, is actually more Northern.

Still, I basked in the accomplishment, and tried to just let go and enjoy being a typical tourist for a bit. Besides, the short panoramic film that was shown at the centre was actually quite amazing.





So around 1:00 am everything shut down and they kicked us out into the biting cold. What to do? Easy. Layer on all the clothing you are travelling with and realise you're still shivering, set up the tent, spend the coldest night of the entire trip, and enjoy every bit of it :)

The Wonder That Is Lofoten

I thought I would let the pixels, your retina, and the visual processing stream do the work alone today, and give Wernicke's area a day off. For the original captions, check out the album.