My great big GUNGULA!

The long awaited trip to India is nearing it's end already, which is hard to believe. I found the train yesterday morning with no problems. I took an auto-rick to the station about an hour from my hotel. My butt was numb by the time we reached the station from bouncing on the barely-padded seat as thr driver flew over the bumps and gouges in the roads. I found my seat right away. A nice elderly couple and their maid/servant sat near me and insisted on feeding me. I was handed a strange sandwich with a bright green paste between 2 pieces of bread, which I was told was garlic, mint leaves, cardamom, etc. I choked it down and said thanks. The egg curry and rice they gave me for lunch was much better and very much appreciated! As I sat on the train flying north to Mumbai (Ambernath actually), my jeans sticking to me, my hair a frightful mess from the open windows, I tried to remember if I had ever in my life felt so hot. It was hotter than sitting in a sauna. My train car was located directly behind the pantry car where they were preparing all the food. I really didn't know if I'd make it. It seemed that everyone else was content to sleep most of the day away, but I could not, I felt like my insides were cooking! I found myself praying for more tunnels to go through because the air blasting in from the windows was a few degrees cooler then. The scenery was quite beautful though, lots of mountains, square rice paddies growing (well some were growing others were dried up), lots of shallow rocky creek beds, palm trees that (grew fewer and fewer as we neared Mumbai) and a really nice sunset. The best part of the sunset was that it brought cooler air! Another unique element of train travel is cadances that food vendors sing as they walk hurridly through all the cars on the train. The songs only stop when you are passing through a tunnel and it is too dark for them to see where they are going. "Chai, chai, chai", "coffee, coffeeeee, cold drinks", "ahhhh...cheese sandwish, cheese sandwishhhh", "masala dosa, dosaaaaa, dosa", "alooo parathaaaaa", "pani, pani, paniiiii (water)" etc. I like listening to them Anyway, I made it back to Ambernath safely. Simones mom, Lynn and brother, LuLu found me at the station...eventually! My train came an hour earlier than expected so I got to watch the life of the station while I waited. I came back and had a nice big dinner prepaired by Simons mom, washed the layer of black dirt from my face and slept. Today I may go shop some, may not. It doesn't really matter. I know that I havent seen all of India that I want to see and already desire to come again. Maybe its the place, the people, the culture, of all of it, I'm not sure, but being here is so very wonderfully different. Now in 2 days (the early morning of the 21st), I will be flying out for Bangkok. I really know hardly anything of the place yet, but am curious to get a taste of it!
It is not fair at all that I have all that I have, or that I have the opportunity to travel like I do. I am extremely blessed. Thanks also to all of you who have been writing me emails. Strangely, I feel like even though I am away, I am actually getting to know my friends better than when I was at home. Please write me with ideas of what to write about on here. Sometimes I just start to ramble and I dont know if its making any sense or not. Thats all for now,
love, peace, and curry grease
PS I just finished reading a novel (not something I usually do), so if my writing style is goofy today thats probably why :P (My brain keeps thinking in the style of writing that I just read...wierd huh?!)

Hi All! Things are ok here. I spent the past 2 days doing the same thing as the day before - that being, sunbathing and swimming at Calangute (correct spelling this time) beach, in the Arabian Sea. It got a little easier to just be in my own company each time. And I got a little more accustomed to riding the buses, warding off vendors and just enjoying my time. I am a bit sunburned, but not too bad, I used up an entire bottle of sunscreen in 3 days (so don't yell at me too much for not trying to protect my skin!) The yesterday (my second day at the beach) I spent in front of "Queens Beach Shack" and to my surprise, there was a girl sunbathing topless next to me! This was also to my great advantage, as most of the men passing by chose to stare longer at her than at me! Today I was in front of "Peters Restaurant" yet another one of the many, many beach shacks that line the beach. It is the third longest beach in India (though unfortunately I cant remember exactly how long that is.) It seems to go on forever though. All together, I think I like Goa, but would like to come with family or friends in the future. It is tropical, but yet still everything crazy about India, just a lot more contained than in say, Bombay. There are palm trees and coconut trees, and vineyards, and grass huts, but also cows roaming around everywhere, the smell of incense and various curries, and the chaotic flow of traffic that let you know you are certainly still in India (not to mention the women in sariis and men in...well just the staring eyes of men!) Well, I need to go buy some dinner and some gifts and pack my bags, because in the morning I need to figure out how to find my train back to Bombay! Yikes! I still dont really understand the train system here so it kind of freaks me out, so hopefully I'll figure it out and get on the right one! Thats all for now folks!

Dont know if I spelled that right, but thats the name of the beach I spent the day at. I had a decent day. I was able to follow peoples directions and take 2 different buses to make my way to that beach (about 45 min away) and suprisingly, find the same 2 buses to make my way back! This was a more difficult yet much more affordable option than getting a taxi (I paid about $.50, sweet!) I spent the day camped out on a sun bed next to a grass hut called "The only Spot", which was a restaurant that served fish and some snacks. It was interesting there, lot so European grannies and gramps in speedos. I chose one of the places full of white/wrinkled tan bods of other foriegners like myself (umm accept I was the youngest one there by far!) A few stray dogs and a cow the exact color of the sand also spent the day nearby. I read my book, drank much water, fended off countless vendors selling everything from peanuts and wooden snakes to massages. Oh, I also had a moment of fright when the clasp on the back of my bikini top suddenly snapped. Luckily I was laying on my stomach. I quickly snatched my t-shirt and threw it on, ran to find a bathroom and remedied the situation with an extra hair tie. What did I expect anyway, from a swimsuit bought from a thrift store?!? (Plus the clasp broke once before and I had to replace it. At least that time I was in my own backyard not in Goa!) I'm a bit burned but not too bad. I bought some aloe vera gel to lather up with. Something I havent said much about is the issue of beggars. There are plenty of them here, especially in the touristy places, and of course they migrate to white skin. When I was in India 5 years back, I occassionally would give to them, but this time I havent yet. It's kind of a tricky issue. On one hand you do feel inclined to give, but on the other, you know that this is what they do for a living, they try to sell themselves to your pity so you'll give them money. Many of them could just as easily be selling jewelery and sarongs like other people there. Some of them intentionally mame themselves or try to make theyselves look pitiful (no I'm not joking, I've studied this!) Also some of them will not leave you alone if you give them something and they will watch where you keep your money and steal from you. I feel kind of like a wench when I'm here on my own. I usually naturally smile and laugh all the time but I find that I need to guard myself so as not to attract attention. Not to sound concieted, but there are times I wish I was a bit fat and ugly so that people wouldnt care so much to look at me. (Ok, I really dont want to be that, but it would be nice to have a disguise like that for times like this!) I decided not to switch hotels because I'm already quite moved in where I am, and plus it gives me something to do, riding the buses to other places! I'll probably go back to the same beach tomorrow, but this time sit under an umbrella to avoid further burning. And if you were wondering why I am suddenly writing so much, well its because I have no one to talk to during the day, and being such a social person, I have to get it all out somehow, without running into any more sticky situations. Well, thats all for tonight, time for dinner. I have to go buy more chapattis though - in my haste I dropped mine on the way back to the hotel!

Its kind of wierd to be counting down the days until your vacation is over isnt it? I am enjoying myself, but the stress makes me wish for friends to be around more of the time. Today I went on the last of my Goan tours. Today we went to south Goa and I was so happy to discover my friend from yesterday, Ruchita and her family were again on the same tour bus. Today we saw a few churches (one with St. Francis Xavier's body preserved there...weird!), a few Hindu temples, one beach and a lot of scenery. It was really hot here again. This time I didnt bother with the swimsuit, I gave up and wore jeans and a t-shirt. All in all, it was a good day. I got to talk to Ruchita and her sisters, I learned about Jainism (their religion), bought an orange T-shirt (I have an obsession) and best of all....I got to go para-sailing! I tried going once before in Florida with my girlfriends but it got canceled due to bad wind. So anyway, I got to go today. For the equivilant of $6 US! There was a great view from up in the air and it was a very clear day. So today I'm feeling better. I dont know what I'll do with myself the rest of the time I'm here though, with no more organized tours. I hope to get back to that one beach tomorrow, but we'll see. My dinner last night, by the way, was quite excellent, and it is again waiting for me in my room I'm starting to think that solo travel is sort of an art or learned trade (and right now I'm in preschool doing finger-paintings!). But I'm hoping, if my theory is right that it will get more fun with practice and that I'll get better at it. Ok, thats all for now Thanks to everyone who has been writing to me, I really appreciate it! You really help pull me through!

Here in Goa I've faced many emotional challenges. Loneliness is a strange creature. It kind of attacks your sanity, so it is a constant battle to relax and enjoy yourself...just by yourself. My hotel is fine. Its called "Delux"...not so delux, but whatever. I've got a room, with A/C (Halleluia!), a TV, and umm well thats about it. There is a cool market bazaar place that I discovered by accident right across form my hotel. I'm staying on the 6th floor and even from there you cant see the market because it is under another building, but it is really big. I went there and got fresh fruit and bread and some roses. Going there makes me happy. Last night was interesting. I went on this Goa by night tour. First there was a one hour cruise with Goan dancing. What Simones family failed to mention about this tour was that there are no non-Indians...accept for me. I was once again out of place. It was ok, though kind of aimed at families (and people who speak Hindi!). I danced during the last song, the Santa Monica dance they called it. And of course became an instant celebrity because I danced Hindi style and I'm white! Haha, I am such a dork. Then they drove us to some restaurant and to some other look out points, none of which were too cool at night. I also learned the hard way that it is best not to be friendly with everyone who is friendly with you even when lonesome. I got out of a situation with a person who thought friends meant something a whole lot different than what I think it means, very quickly. It freaked me out, which is a good thing, and I am wiser for it now. So today I went on another tour with the same company, again the only 'whitie" in the group. This time, thank God, I sat next to a nice girl who was with her family and I spent parts of the day with them (sort of with alterior motives - I needed protection from all the locals, and they dont bother you as much when you are iwth Indians!) I of course came dressed ready to jump in at all the beaches we were to visit. When we got to the first one I saw that I had been mistaken! Again, I was one of the very few with western style swimwear, the rest went in fully clothed, if at all! The last beach we went to, Calangud was pretty nice. There were a lot of people there and also a lot of tourists so I wasnt the only one hoping to catch some rays. I ditched the family and went to one of the more out of the way sun bathing chairs. (All the restaurants and bars that line the beaches have sun beds laying out to attract customers.) So I got a bit of sun and also jumped in the Arabian sea for a bit. It was really nice, though terribly salty. I have yet to shower and my skin is getting pretty tight and dry, ugg! So tonight I went to the market again and got some dinner and stuff. I'll go back to my room after this and enjoy my bottle of Goan Port (I know someone who's jealous!) and my Chicken Maharajah and naan bread and my Cadbury dairy milk bar. It sounds lovely. Tomorrow I'm booked for yet another awkward tour, this time to south Goa. I dont think we are stopping at any beaches though. I may switch to a hotel near the beach I liked after tomorrow. But who knows, I'll have to wait and see. In spite of the loneliness I think this must be building character somehow...right? As stupid as it sounds, it is stressful to have no one to worry about but yourself. It is also stressful to be on permenant vacation. I want to be doing something useful and have a place in the world where I make a difference. Umm, anyway, enough rambling...my dinner awaits Love you and miss you guys...and if any of you want to meet me somewhere for a vacation, it would be a welcome change!
PS Did I mention that God is so good? He has been so faithful in taking care of me I'd be a jerk not to say so.