Ahh warm weather at last. We have finally reached the south after a rather comfortable 27 hour train ride from Delhi. Stepping off the train we were greeted with hot, humid air, a refreshing breeze, and the smell of coconut tanning oil. Palolem beach here we come! After a sticky hour bus ride to the beach we flipped off our sandles, buried our feet in the sand and marveled at the palm fringed paradise. We quickly found a suitable bamboo beach hut and within a half hour of our arrival we were popping the top of a refreshing, cold Kingfisher beer.
Goa is India's smallest state and is famous for its beaches. It is unlike any other place in India, in fact it doesn't feel as though you're even still in India. You might as well have stepped off the plane back into the western world. Skimpy bikinis were everywhere in sight. Booze and blonde hair were the norm and European accents and reggae music mixed with the sound of breaking waves. We love India and all, but Goa was just the break we needed.
After a couple days of endless lounging and body surfing we decided we need to step up the adventure and try out a new sport called canyoning. Simply put, canyoning is trekking through the jungle and finding waterfalls to jump off from. What you cant jump off from you abseil (or repel) down. Why not right? We were in the jungle of India so we might as well take advantage of every chance for excitement.
Mr. Emanual is by the craziest french man I have ever met. He stands about 5 feet 7 inches tall and has a stalky frame. His curly blonde hair is pulled back in a ponytail and look as though it hasn't been combed sense he arrived in India 15 years ago. He is the Goan Bear Gryls and his hobby's include catching poisonous snakes and kissing them in the head, pushing Asian tourists off waterfalls when he knows they can't swim, and sleeping in the jungle living off from delicious red ants. Mr. Manu was going to be our canyoning tour guide. My first thought was I don't think our travel insurance is going to cover this.
The next day we were thrown a waterproof backpack which included a wetsuit, a harness and a helmet and we set off for the jungle. Thank God Manu brought a chopping knife to clear a trail for us and protect us from the black panther we jumped. Once we got to the river the first couple jumps and abseils were fairly easy but still exciting. The 3rd jump was around 30 feet and we only had a small pool that we could to jump into, avoiding a huge rock and the waterfall that we were jumping off from. Naturally I was feeling some small butterfly's. I had jumped from 30 feet many times but I always had a huge, deep lake below me, not some small pool. Right in the middle of a deep inhale I was pushed from the cliff by none other than my friggin guide! Don't worry... I lived :)
The rest of the day was full of similar excitement. Manu caught a water snake that was poisonous, but there was no need to be afraid because it was still a baby and you could live for 24 hours if it happened to bite you. Our friend Dave was extremely scared to abseil down the 115 foot waterfall so instead of giving him words of encouragement, our guide flapped his arms and made chicken noises. As a whole the canyoning trip blew us away and was by far the coolest thing we had done in India so far. We were exhausted by the time we reached the jeep so we let our hair and wrinkled skin dry in the wind while we were pelted in the face by bugs. Yet another wonderful journey in incredible India!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Snow Storm
Our main reason to go to Manali was to snowboard. We were practically missing a whole Maine winter (which believe it or not is one of our favorite times of the year) so what better place to fill that void than the Himalayan mountain range. We couldn't get the idea of a virgin powder expedition out of our heads and thought we might be gaining a once in a lifetime experience (not to mention it would be at a fraction of the U.S. cost). Our hopes were high on our arrival in Manali because there we massive snow covered peaks in every direction.
The next couple days we bounced around from tourist information shops to trekking and expedition companies. We were asking about the conditions at a nearby ski resort called Solong Nallah. We were getting mixed reviews, most of them negitive. How can we be in the worlds highest mountain range in the middle of the winter and there not be any snow on the only ski resort in the state? We had to remind ourselves that yes we were still in India and nothing is ever what it seems. Taking matters into our own hands we planned a day trip to Solong to see for ourselves. The next morning we crammed ourselves into an overcrowded minibus (and by overcrowded I mean a bus that is meant to uncomfortably seat 20 passengers, had 40 plus in it) and arrived in Solong to feast our eyes on the muddy trails and the green grass. That's right no snow at all... you couldn't even tell it was winter. Slightly disappointed, we decided to enjoy the scenery and walk the 13km back to town along the breathtaking Beas river.
Arriving back at town we caught word of "a chance of snow" in the next couple days. The online weather report listed 1-3 inches but 1-3 inches in lower elevation could mean a foot or more up higher. With time on our side (and a $2 per night room doesn't hurt) we waited for the flurries.
Two days later the rain came. Heavy downpours mixed with thunder and lightning came crashing down for 8 hours straight. These monsoon-like rains took the power with them and left us reading in our room by candlelight. Later that night a group of foreigners gathered around our room for a little late night BBQ. Why not right? We sat and talked and watched the rain slowly turn to snow. The snowflakes were as big as cotton balls and they quickly turned the dreary night into a white dreamland. I had never seen anything like it. My body rushed with excitement. Two of the foreigners were witnessing their first snowfall and I was thinking to myself "it doesn't get any better than this girls."
The next morning I jumped out of bed at the first sight of dawn and what awaited for me outside was unbelievable. Three plus feet of fresh white stuff. "Perfect snowball snow" is what we would call in in Maine, and it was still spilling out of the sky. We could have never imagine the events that were about to take place over the next 3 days...
To be continued...
The next couple days we bounced around from tourist information shops to trekking and expedition companies. We were asking about the conditions at a nearby ski resort called Solong Nallah. We were getting mixed reviews, most of them negitive. How can we be in the worlds highest mountain range in the middle of the winter and there not be any snow on the only ski resort in the state? We had to remind ourselves that yes we were still in India and nothing is ever what it seems. Taking matters into our own hands we planned a day trip to Solong to see for ourselves. The next morning we crammed ourselves into an overcrowded minibus (and by overcrowded I mean a bus that is meant to uncomfortably seat 20 passengers, had 40 plus in it) and arrived in Solong to feast our eyes on the muddy trails and the green grass. That's right no snow at all... you couldn't even tell it was winter. Slightly disappointed, we decided to enjoy the scenery and walk the 13km back to town along the breathtaking Beas river.
Arriving back at town we caught word of "a chance of snow" in the next couple days. The online weather report listed 1-3 inches but 1-3 inches in lower elevation could mean a foot or more up higher. With time on our side (and a $2 per night room doesn't hurt) we waited for the flurries.
Two days later the rain came. Heavy downpours mixed with thunder and lightning came crashing down for 8 hours straight. These monsoon-like rains took the power with them and left us reading in our room by candlelight. Later that night a group of foreigners gathered around our room for a little late night BBQ. Why not right? We sat and talked and watched the rain slowly turn to snow. The snowflakes were as big as cotton balls and they quickly turned the dreary night into a white dreamland. I had never seen anything like it. My body rushed with excitement. Two of the foreigners were witnessing their first snowfall and I was thinking to myself "it doesn't get any better than this girls."
The next morning I jumped out of bed at the first sight of dawn and what awaited for me outside was unbelievable. Three plus feet of fresh white stuff. "Perfect snowball snow" is what we would call in in Maine, and it was still spilling out of the sky. We could have never imagine the events that were about to take place over the next 3 days...
To be continued...
Gold
the temples
the shimmer in the sand
the hearts of the people
the rings on their hand
bangles decorating every wrist
the contrast on dark skin
sari's twinkling in the sun
karma preventing every sin
India is gold everywhere you look
outlining scripture and every holy book
how a country so poor can represent such precious metal
happiness is the future on which their simple live settle
the shimmer in the sand
the hearts of the people
the rings on their hand
bangles decorating every wrist
the contrast on dark skin
sari's twinkling in the sun
karma preventing every sin
India is gold everywhere you look
outlining scripture and every holy book
how a country so poor can represent such precious metal
happiness is the future on which their simple live settle
When a good man becomes great :)
Most people go through an important change in their 20's. The searching, learning, experimenting, and living starts to come together and your individual is found. Life starts to make sense and you purpose becomes clear. Your direction and motives are far less selfish and a different sort of love emerges from you soul. You start to understand yourself and your emotions and moods. Compassion, forgiveness and acceptance come easier and you feel yourself being, well, happy :) This process can be brought upon by relationships, love, or life experiences, or like with myself, with all three.
This trip has been a great personal and spiritual growth journey for me. I've learned a lot about myself and have developed strategies and awareness to improve upon my flaws. I've really developed a love for myself and I am proud of the woman I have become. I credit the majority of that to my soul mate, Kendrick. He has really taught me so much about myself and he completely brings out the best in me. He minimizes my weaknesses and enhances my strengths. He brings out a great confidence in me and together we could conquer the world. Perhaps you could say we have already begun to do just that.
The past couple weeks I have noticed this overwhelming genuine kindness coming from Kendrick. He is just radiating love. Not just toward himself or me, but toward every man, woman, and child he comes in contact with. India has brought out his pure heart of gold. The random acts of kindness are endless and he lights up with a huge smile at every stranger that makes eye contact with him. The cocky, tough guy image had completely vanished. He is protective but not aggressive or dominate in any way. Kendrick has this strong positive aura radiating from him like a single candle lighting an entire room. His expressive eyes and goofy smile make you feel warm and fuzzy and at ease in any situation. He is a true diamond in the rough and I couldn't feel luckier to be his life companion and best friend.
We both have benefited so much from this trip and from each other. We have built a strong foundation full of love and respect and we can't wait to come home and spread what we have learned into all the other relationships in our lives. We want to thank all of you for following our journey and sending your love and best wishes. We have one more part of our trip to conquer and it is waiting for us in the Himalayas in Nepal. After that we will travel back to our favorite place in the world... MAINE! We love and miss you all and we can't wait to see your smiles when we arrive home.
This trip has been a great personal and spiritual growth journey for me. I've learned a lot about myself and have developed strategies and awareness to improve upon my flaws. I've really developed a love for myself and I am proud of the woman I have become. I credit the majority of that to my soul mate, Kendrick. He has really taught me so much about myself and he completely brings out the best in me. He minimizes my weaknesses and enhances my strengths. He brings out a great confidence in me and together we could conquer the world. Perhaps you could say we have already begun to do just that.
The past couple weeks I have noticed this overwhelming genuine kindness coming from Kendrick. He is just radiating love. Not just toward himself or me, but toward every man, woman, and child he comes in contact with. India has brought out his pure heart of gold. The random acts of kindness are endless and he lights up with a huge smile at every stranger that makes eye contact with him. The cocky, tough guy image had completely vanished. He is protective but not aggressive or dominate in any way. Kendrick has this strong positive aura radiating from him like a single candle lighting an entire room. His expressive eyes and goofy smile make you feel warm and fuzzy and at ease in any situation. He is a true diamond in the rough and I couldn't feel luckier to be his life companion and best friend.
We both have benefited so much from this trip and from each other. We have built a strong foundation full of love and respect and we can't wait to come home and spread what we have learned into all the other relationships in our lives. We want to thank all of you for following our journey and sending your love and best wishes. We have one more part of our trip to conquer and it is waiting for us in the Himalayas in Nepal. After that we will travel back to our favorite place in the world... MAINE! We love and miss you all and we can't wait to see your smiles when we arrive home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)