Final post.
I'm back at home already two days. The travel back home was smooth and everything went as planned. The kids waited for me in the airport which was very nice. It was great to see family and Fiji my dog. We had a very nice dinner. Thanks Janine for the good cooking.
For the last two days I'm feeling a bit weird. Trying to re-adapt to the routine.
It is also a bit cold (much colder than India) and I feel cold most of the time. Probably because
I lost weight, my body is feeling more the cold. After doing nothing for so long, and being served by Indians in eating places all the time, I have to get used to cook, shop, etc do things on my own.
Fortunately the war in Gaza finished exactly the day I got in, therefore the news are a bit more optimistic.
Overall the trip to India was unforgettable. I visited so many amazing places and met so many interesting people. I'm sure it will have a big impact on my future.
I recommend a long back-packing in India to anyone. I believe it really changes your life as it forces you to flow and enjoy the moment much more than in western countries.
For me the big question is what is next ? I have to make some big decisions in my life in special related to my work. So this will stay as a question mark as I'm not yet in the mood to deal with it.
This blog has been written as a very personal travel diary of my 2.5 months in India.
END
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Mamalapuran, Jan 15 2009
This is probably my last post, as tomorrow I'm starting to fly back home.
As I said before Mamallapuran has been beyond expectations. Tod
ay I woke up early and went for a long beach walk.
On the way I passed by a restaurant which I had been in my last beach walk. They had a Pongal breakfast buffet. So for 80 rupees I ate Idly, Puri, Dosa, Omelet, fruits, coffee, tea, etc. It was great and a surprise. So this is was my brunch. Then in the afternoon
I went to a village visit organized by the local Tourism office. I met my German friend Margaret and I also met another German girl which I had 1st met in Gokarna. The tourism office organized a trip for tourists to this very authentic village to commemorate Pongal. It was just amazing. We get there and they greet us with flowers, music, etc. Then we go around the whole village and are greeted by all the locals.
They live mostly in Huts but the village looks very well organized. Then they organized some games like musical chairs and breaking pots (blindfolded). Later the local women prepared the Pongal which is the traditional food which is eaten during this harvest festival. It is a kind of sweet rice porridge with different condiments and cashews. The tourist women helped stir the Pongal. The village people were very excited with our visit and very happy, specially the kids. I took tons of pictures. Later they organized for us a bullock car tour around the village. We spent some 4 hours in this very cute village with the locals commemorating the Pongal festival.
Tonight they say there will be similar commemorations on the beach which I'm planning to go.
I made some shopping for gifts and tomorrow I'm heading by taxi to the Chennai airport at 2:00 PM. From Chennai I take a flight to Mumbai and from there home.
Overall this India trip has
been amazing and will be memorable. I visited amazing places, met tens of nice and very interesting people and less but not least really relaxed myself physically and mentally. It is good to go back home,
And who knows, when I get there I may start planning my next one (Himalaya, Nepal, etc ...... :-)
THE END
As I said before Mamallapuran has been beyond expectations. Tod
ay I woke up early and went for a long beach walk.On the way I passed by a restaurant which I had been in my last beach walk. They had a Pongal breakfast buffet. So for 80 rupees I ate Idly, Puri, Dosa, Omelet, fruits, coffee, tea, etc. It was great and a surprise. So this is was my brunch. Then in the afternoon
I went to a village visit organized by the local Tourism office. I met my German friend Margaret and I also met another German girl which I had 1st met in Gokarna. The tourism office organized a trip for tourists to this very authentic village to commemorate Pongal. It was just amazing. We get there and they greet us with flowers, music, etc. Then we go around the whole village and are greeted by all the locals.
They live mostly in Huts but the village looks very well organized. Then they organized some games like musical chairs and breaking pots (blindfolded). Later the local women prepared the Pongal which is the traditional food which is eaten during this harvest festival. It is a kind of sweet rice porridge with different condiments and cashews. The tourist women helped stir the Pongal. The village people were very excited with our visit and very happy, specially the kids. I took tons of pictures. Later they organized for us a bullock car tour around the village. We spent some 4 hours in this very cute village with the locals commemorating the Pongal festival.
Tonight they say there will be similar commemorations on the beach which I'm planning to go.
I made some shopping for gifts and tomorrow I'm heading by taxi to the Chennai airport at 2:00 PM. From Chennai I take a flight to Mumbai and from there home.
Overall this India trip has
been amazing and will be memorable. I visited amazing places, met tens of nice and very interesting people and less but not least really relaxed myself physically and mentally. It is good to go back home,And who knows, when I get there I may start planning my next one (Himalaya, Nepal, etc ...... :-)
THE END
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Mamalapuran, Jan 14 2009
This is my 2nd day in Malalapuran and this place is far exceeding my expectations. I thought I was coming to a small beach place with good seafood, etc. Actually this place is a world heritage and is full of huge stone boulders all with amazing carvings. It has many temples in the area, most dating back 1300 years. Therefore it is proving to be one of the most interesting places in my trip. It also has an incredible concentration of Stone Carving artists known world-wise. Additionally it is a quite cute beach place, with a few guest houses, many western tourists (many French coming from Pondecherry) and many restaurants serving western food and seafood. 
The beach is OK, but the sea on the gulf of Bengal is very wavy and almost impossible to swim. I got here yesterday morning from Pondencherry, the road to my surprise was extremely good and well signed. I'm staying in the Siva guest house, very good room for 400 RPs. As soon as I arrived, I met in front of my guest house in the cafe a nice German woman, Margaret. Since we have been sight seeing together. Yesterday we did a 9 kilometer wald on the beach. And today we rented bicycles and did a tour of 40 kilometers. She lives in Munich and commutes by bicycle every day. I'm also in very good shape. We went to an amazing temple which is on a high mountain. You have to climb about 500 steps (barefoot) to get there. On the way you pass by many small Indian villages, rice fields, etc. It was really very pleasant. At the same there is a dance festival going on, with performances every night. It is Indian folk and classical dancing. It is considered one of the best in India and is very high level. On this days there is also the Pongal festival, where people thank the gods for the harvest. All homes have some chalk drawings on their entrance which women do early in the morning. The area is full of Indian families on vacation for the Pongal festivities. All in all I'm enjoying this place a lot.Two more day and back home.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Pondencherry, Jan 12 2009
So I got to Pondencherry two nights ago. I got here in the evening, and as expected most of the recommended guest houses in Lonely Planet were full. I called them from the train. I found one which was available, a bit on the expensive side (700 RPs) but pretty nice.
I went for a walk in the beach in the French part of the city and it was very nice. On the way I checked another very recommended guest house, Park GH which was very full. They told me to come the next day at 9:00 for possible availability. Pondencherry has a "Fren
ch" part, with numerous heritage houses, as it was a French Colony till 1952. This area is extremely clean (for India), it has French Heritage buildings and hotels and French restaurants. Most of the tourists are Indians. The boardwalk near the beach is very nice about 1.5 km. You cannot bathe in this area as it does not have a sandy beach. You need to go farther away. My hotel had very good hot water and I took a long hot shower after a long time with cold water only.
The next morning I woke at around 6:30 and went to check other lodging
opportunities. I went to the Park GH again and they told me that they probably would have rooms but to get back at around 10:00. So I decided to go some sight-seeing before checking-out and trying to move to a different guest-house. I was a bit disappointed as I planned to stay a few days in Pondencherry and it did not seem that it deserved it.
As I've been saying, everyday is a new day.
So while I'm walking, comes this Young French woman Candice and stops me in the street asking If I knew of any good and cheap guest houses in the area. I told her about Park, but also the possible price. It was a bit high for her and she told me that she had checked another one which was cheaper. She decided to go back to the one she checked before and invited me to come and check too. We get there, they have only this big room with four beds, which is kind of a dorm and they offer for both of us to take the room for 350 RPs. Therefore we decide to share the room, which is great, big with a huge shower and toilet inside. So we become friends and we spent the whole day and evening together. We rented a scooter and wandered around Pondicherry. We went to Auro-Ville which is an experimental community (a bit like a kibbutz) with people from 50 different countries. Looks an amazing experimental community. They don't let you go Inside but they have a big visitors center and the place attract lots of tourists. It is impressive.
Then we went to a lake nearby, and to a temple city about 10 KM range from Pondencherry.
Candice actually changed my perception of french woman I had met before. They seemed a bit distant and not approachable. Maybe because she had such a good English and had traveled so much. She had been 6 months in Indonesia, quite a few months in Africa, spoke German, etc.
She has a degree in business administration and is doing research in Recruiting. This time she is traveling for a whole year by herself around the world. She has been in Africa in a few different french speaking countries, now in India for a few months, then to Tokyo, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Peru, etc. Today she already left and I'm staying another day in Pondencherry prior to going to my last destination (I think) Malalapuran.
Yesterday was Sunday and Pondencherry had the Sunday market, which filled with thousands of people the central streets.
So my India experience is a blend of seeing some very interesting places and meeting amazing people.
I went for a walk in the beach in the French part of the city and it was very nice. On the way I checked another very recommended guest house, Park GH which was very full. They told me to come the next day at 9:00 for possible availability. Pondencherry has a "Fren
ch" part, with numerous heritage houses, as it was a French Colony till 1952. This area is extremely clean (for India), it has French Heritage buildings and hotels and French restaurants. Most of the tourists are Indians. The boardwalk near the beach is very nice about 1.5 km. You cannot bathe in this area as it does not have a sandy beach. You need to go farther away. My hotel had very good hot water and I took a long hot shower after a long time with cold water only.The next morning I woke at around 6:30 and went to check other lodging
opportunities. I went to the Park GH again and they told me that they probably would have rooms but to get back at around 10:00. So I decided to go some sight-seeing before checking-out and trying to move to a different guest-house. I was a bit disappointed as I planned to stay a few days in Pondencherry and it did not seem that it deserved it.As I've been saying, everyday is a new day.
So while I'm walking, comes this Young French woman Candice and stops me in the street asking If I knew of any good and cheap guest houses in the area. I told her about Park, but also the possible price. It was a bit high for her and she told me that she had checked another one which was cheaper. She decided to go back to the one she checked before and invited me to come and check too. We get there, they have only this big room with four beds, which is kind of a dorm and they offer for both of us to take the room for 350 RPs. Therefore we decide to share the room, which is great, big with a huge shower and toilet inside. So we become friends and we spent the whole day and evening together. We rented a scooter and wandered around Pondicherry. We went to Auro-Ville which is an experimental community (a bit like a kibbutz) with people from 50 different countries. Looks an amazing experimental community. They don't let you go Inside but they have a big visitors center and the place attract lots of tourists. It is impressive.
Then we went to a lake nearby, and to a temple city about 10 KM range from Pondencherry.
Candice actually changed my perception of french woman I had met before. They seemed a bit distant and not approachable. Maybe because she had such a good English and had traveled so much. She had been 6 months in Indonesia, quite a few months in Africa, spoke German, etc.
She has a degree in business administration and is doing research in Recruiting. This time she is traveling for a whole year by herself around the world. She has been in Africa in a few different french speaking countries, now in India for a few months, then to Tokyo, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Peru, etc. Today she already left and I'm staying another day in Pondencherry prior to going to my last destination (I think) Malalapuran.
Yesterday was Sunday and Pondencherry had the Sunday market, which filled with thousands of people the central streets.
So my India experience is a blend of seeing some very interesting places and meeting amazing people.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Madurai, Jan 9 2009
Today at 3:00 AM I took an 8 hour train from Varkala to Madurai. I got to Madurai two hours ago. Here there is a wonderful temple but unfortunately the temple is being renov
ated and most of its facade is covered with straw. I hope I'll be able to see some of its inside later. Otherwise this trip here may have been a waste of time. Tomorrow I'm continuing to Pondicherry which is supposed to be a very nice place, french style as it was colonized by the French.
Varkala was nice. The beach is OK, too wavy and very difficult to swim. The 2nd day was pretty good. I met a Brazilian woman from S. Paulo. Thais, she has been traveling 4 months in India and mostly doing yoga in different Ashrams. She is a Yoga teacher. You find a tremendous amount of Yoga people everywhere in India.
As I said before Varkala is pretty touristic, but on the 2nd day I started to feel more a
t home, after I moved to this more centrally located guest house. Thais was looking for a room, so we met, quite a coincidence to meet a Brazilian in this circumstances, and she was actually taking the room that I was vacating. I got a very good hotel in Madurai, and I started reading Chantaram, this famous book about Mumbai which I'm enjoying a lot. I have too much time in Pondicherry, and Chennai where I'm catching my flight to Bombay seems pretty boring, therefore I may pass by another beach in the area for a day or two before I head home.
The closer it gets to my return the more I'm feeling home-sick
ated and most of its facade is covered with straw. I hope I'll be able to see some of its inside later. Otherwise this trip here may have been a waste of time. Tomorrow I'm continuing to Pondicherry which is supposed to be a very nice place, french style as it was colonized by the French.Varkala was nice. The beach is OK, too wavy and very difficult to swim. The 2nd day was pretty good. I met a Brazilian woman from S. Paulo. Thais, she has been traveling 4 months in India and mostly doing yoga in different Ashrams. She is a Yoga teacher. You find a tremendous amount of Yoga people everywhere in India.
As I said before Varkala is pretty touristic, but on the 2nd day I started to feel more a
t home, after I moved to this more centrally located guest house. Thais was looking for a room, so we met, quite a coincidence to meet a Brazilian in this circumstances, and she was actually taking the room that I was vacating. I got a very good hotel in Madurai, and I started reading Chantaram, this famous book about Mumbai which I'm enjoying a lot. I have too much time in Pondicherry, and Chennai where I'm catching my flight to Bombay seems pretty boring, therefore I may pass by another beach in the area for a day or two before I head home.The closer it gets to my return the more I'm feeling home-sick
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Varkala, Jan 7, 2009
So I'm changing my plans. I was planning to stay many days in Varkala, but I figured that two days will be enough. Varkala is a very nice beach, but too touristic. Feels a bit like Pucket in Thailand. Many charter tourists from the UK, sophisticated resorts and relatively expensive restaurants (in Indian terms). All the resorts, hotels, restaurants are on the top of a cliff and the beach is down the cliff. Reminds a bit of Hertzliah Pituach. There are tons of guest houses, hotels, small resorts and restaurants. The tourists are very different than 
the other places I've been. More middle class, older and richer than the typical back-packer which I have been meeting so far. For me it is less interesting and I decided to move on to Madurai on the 9th by train. My train leaves in the middle of the night. I get to Madurai at about 11:00 AM. Madurai supposedly has a very beautiful temple. From there I'm moving to Pondicherry. Which is a very nice city on the east cost of India. Pondicherry was under French colonialism and supposedly has a French charm to it. From there I go to Chennay and I have already booked another flight from Chennay to Mumbai.Varkala has very good seafood and fish, therefore I'm profiting to eat some fish and seafood.
The beach is not very good, as it is very wavy and with strong currents. Quite dangerous for swimming. In the beach there a few Indian guys with whistles controlling where people b
ath. Feels a bit like in Israel, but without the Megaphones. They only whistle. Not clear that they are life-guards. Today I changed to another guest house. It is cheaper and better located. In the previous one I felt that I was not getting to return to my money. So Varkala and in General Kerala is one of the richest states in India and in many respects sometime you feel it is too organized. I prefer the messy India. Tomorrow I'm going to the town, as the beach does not feel like India. I liked much better Goa and Gokarna compared to Verkala. Today I bought a few used books. The books in India are in General quite cheap, specially used. There is a book that all tourists are reading called Shantaram. This is a story which happens in Mumbai and talks a lot about the life in this huge city. So it is quite interesting for someone which is traveling in India. I also bought a book of Salman Rashid, his books are very recommended to all the ones I talk.So now my travel is much more planned as I cannot just flow. The days are counted. I'm starting to feel homesick, so it seems I had enough.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Allepey, Kerala Jan 6th, 2009
Now I'm in Allepey for my boat trip in the backwaters. I've decided to take the trip down to Kollan which is an 8 hour trip. Some people say it is a bit boring, but it is convenient to me as I'm going down to Kerala and it is on the right direction.
Allepey is a small village close to the see. Not much to see here. It has two big canals and many of the boat trips to the backwaters start here. I'm in this Heritage Hotel (long name) which is nice and nicely located. Unfortunately they gave me a room which has lots of problems with the water. Everytime I need to use water, they need to turn a noise pump on. But the place has a very nice internal garden full of birds, and green.
Yesterday I passed the day in Fort Cochin. Cochin is nice but not much to see.Fortunately I'm becoming pretty good at meeting people and starting to talk to them. Today I basically spent most of the day with a Canadian woman (a Jewish one) and made my day more enjoyable, instead of touring by myself. Cochin
has a very ancient (1600) Jewish community. One of the highlights of the city is the Jewish city, which is basically a small neighborhood with a very ancient synagogue and Jewish cemetery. So I met my Canadian friend in the Jewish cemetery :-). It was closed but we were the only ones there. It is quite interesting. So I figured she would be Jewish and started a conversation. She is a Yoga practicer for many years, a chef and lives in an Ashram in Vancouver Island in Canada. So Cochin has not much to do in the evening. Food here is very good, but quite expensive in India terms (not in western). Actually Kerala is a communist state inside India. It is richer than most states, more educated and more 
quiet. You really feel the difference. Streets are clean, well signed and cars don't use their horn at all. Feels quite different than the standard Indian City. Lots of arts, spices, antiques, etc.
Allepey is a small village close to the see. Not much to see here. It has two big canals and many of the boat trips to the backwaters start here. I'm in this Heritage Hotel (long name) which is nice and nicely located. Unfortunately they gave me a room which has lots of problems with the water. Everytime I need to use water, they need to turn a noise pump on. But the place has a very nice internal garden full of birds, and green.
Yesterday I passed the day in Fort Cochin. Cochin is nice but not much to see.Fortunately I'm becoming pretty good at meeting people and starting to talk to them. Today I basically spent most of the day with a Canadian woman (a Jewish one) and made my day more enjoyable, instead of touring by myself. Cochin
has a very ancient (1600) Jewish community. One of the highlights of the city is the Jewish city, which is basically a small neighborhood with a very ancient synagogue and Jewish cemetery. So I met my Canadian friend in the Jewish cemetery :-). It was closed but we were the only ones there. It is quite interesting. So I figured she would be Jewish and started a conversation. She is a Yoga practicer for many years, a chef and lives in an Ashram in Vancouver Island in Canada.
quiet. You really feel the difference. Streets are clean, well signed and cars don't use their horn at all. Feels quite different than the standard Indian City. Lots of arts, spices, antiques, etc.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Gokarna, OM Beach, Jan 2 2009
Tomorrow is my last day in OM beach, I'm traveling to Kerala starting in Cochin. The last few days have been very relaxed. Waiting for new years. Thinking where the big party would be, etc. Many people talked about going to Kuttle beach which is a 20 minute walk. But in the night and not being completely sober would be tough. So ultimately I stayed in OM. Had a great dinner with my Serbian friend Ivana and some other people. Wow amazing King fish. I have figured that eating with my hands makes food more delicious than ever (on a side note, I used to criticize my daughter Daniela for doing this at home). It seems that using your hands increases your senses and things a
re even more tasty. Very early in the evening everybody was either drunk or stoned in this beach. So everybody is happy and smiling, etc. Around 10:00 PM a few fires where lit on the beach and people started singing, playing all kinds of instruments. Therefore the atmosphere was great. Watching the fire is amazing, you don't get bored any second. At some point I decided to go to sleep and it was already 5:00 AM. Later I heard that the party in Kutle beach was a flop, was police was all over and stopped the party at 11:00 PM.
So the days pass by with this wonderful lazyness of not doing much. I'm doing some kind of fitness exercice every morning: Yoga, Jogging, Walking and then swimming
in this fantastic little beach. It is so refreshing. Spend a long time in the water and then on the sand (when the sun is not very hot). New Years is an Indian holiday and the beaches are full of local Indians.
The majority don't know how to swim and it feels that they haven't been much on beaches. They get crazy about playing in the water.
In many cases you see them watching the western women in their bikinis and quite astounded. I can imagine how different it looks to them from the local women which bathe on their clothes.
They are wonderful people. On the
few occasions that you get to talk to them
They typically keep asking your name, country, etc. At some point it gets a bit tiring as they are so many. But when you do get to the next level of conversation you find wonderful, knowleadgeable and good people.
About drugs: It is just amazing the amount of people that you see consuming drugs around. From Charas to other more heavy stuff. I'm a passive smoker of cigarretes, joints ... You just sit aroudn and it is in the air. It starts with breakfast and goes on for the whole day. If not drugs, lots of drinking goes on. So people are happy, friendly, talkative, etc.
Also there is always a place where someone is playing some instrument.
On the 31st, I met quite a few people that wanted to have a great trip experience. So a few I know tried LSD. I'm too old for this stuff and too afraid to try it. But I'm learning a bit about it through the experience of others.
Today I wanted to jog on the beach, but I have a little wound on my leg and it hurts. So put some medicine on it and will wait for it to be better. Wounds here for some reason don't heal very fast, so I need to be careful.
It will be hard for me to leave as with time (I'm more than 10 days here) you get to know many people around, in the guest house, in the beach and you feel like home.
But so far every new beginning has been better than the previous. Therefore I'm sure Cochin will be great too.
re even more tasty. Very early in the evening everybody was either drunk or stoned in this beach. So everybody is happy and smiling, etc. Around 10:00 PM a few fires where lit on the beach and people started singing, playing all kinds of instruments. Therefore the atmosphere was great. Watching the fire is amazing, you don't get bored any second. At some point I decided to go to sleep and it was already 5:00 AM. Later I heard that the party in Kutle beach was a flop, was police was all over and stopped the party at 11:00 PM.So the days pass by with this wonderful lazyness of not doing much. I'm doing some kind of fitness exercice every morning: Yoga, Jogging, Walking and then swimming
in this fantastic little beach. It is so refreshing. Spend a long time in the water and then on the sand (when the sun is not very hot). New Years is an Indian holiday and the beaches are full of local Indians.The majority don't know how to swim and it feels that they haven't been much on beaches. They get crazy about playing in the water.
In many cases you see them watching the western women in their bikinis and quite astounded. I can imagine how different it looks to them from the local women which bathe on their clothes.
They are wonderful people. On the
few occasions that you get to talk to themThey typically keep asking your name, country, etc. At some point it gets a bit tiring as they are so many. But when you do get to the next level of conversation you find wonderful, knowleadgeable and good people.
About drugs: It is just amazing the amount of people that you see consuming drugs around. From Charas to other more heavy stuff. I'm a passive smoker of cigarretes, joints ... You just sit aroudn and it is in the air. It starts with breakfast and goes on for the whole day. If not drugs, lots of drinking goes on. So people are happy, friendly, talkative, etc.
Also there is always a place where someone is playing some instrument.
On the 31st, I met quite a few people that wanted to have a great trip experience. So a few I know tried LSD. I'm too old for this stuff and too afraid to try it. But I'm learning a bit about it through the experience of others.
Today I wanted to jog on the beach, but I have a little wound on my leg and it hurts. So put some medicine on it and will wait for it to be better. Wounds here for some reason don't heal very fast, so I need to be careful.
It will be hard for me to leave as with time (I'm more than 10 days here) you get to know many people around, in the guest house, in the beach and you feel like home.
But so far every new beginning has been better than the previous. Therefore I'm sure Cochin will be great too.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Gokarna, OM Beach, Dec 29 2008
Everything is great. I'm staying in Gokarna, OM beach at least until the 3rd of January.
I have a booked train ticket to Cochin in Kerala (14 hours). Many people say that Cochin
is not that great, but I want to see Kerala and go in the back-waters.
OM beach is full of Israelis, as many people came from GOA to make sure their parents are not too worried. My guest house has a load of t
hem. But also other Europeans. I'm not sticking in particular with the Israelis, too young for me.
Yesterday I met an Indian woman which is breaking all my stereotypes of Indians. She comes from Bangalore, she is divorced, owns a business, has her own car, etc, etc.
Therefore I'm getting to know how modern Indians live and not only the low classes which are extremely conservative. This is an amazing experience, as so far the Indian Woman I met here are too distant and don't get to close to westerners. From what I'm learning more and more you have modern Indians in the big cities, but also how hard it is to be divorced in such a conservative society. Her na
me is Sarita. She came here with her car. So yesterday we travelled to another nearby beach Karwar, north towards Goa. The beach was a bit of a disappointment.
OM is much better. Today I went again to Half Moon and Paradise beach. Wow so beautiful. Little bay with a few guest houses, shacks. You have to walk over the rocks to get there.
The huts don't have electricity, the restaurant has solar panels. And somehow there is an internet cafe. In the past, it was difficult for me to see me staying in such a place, but now I got the point and it can be really amazing. I'm not moving there, but who knows.
There is an Israeli guy, leaving in Half-Moon for 8 years with a scandinavian girl. They are building an Iglo with sand-bags to live. Wow such interesting people.
There is a German guy in my guest house, in his late 40s always playing the guitar. I talk to him and he had liver for quite a few years in Porto-Alegre. His wife is from there (which he is divorcing) and we spoke portuguese. Such a small world.
The food here in the different shacks is just delicious. I'm eating more and more with my hands and slowly and enjoying every bite.
Evening here starts with sunset around 6:00 PM and everybody seats on the beach, on the rocks. Many smoke joints (if not all) and beers start flowing. Around 7:00 places fill with people for dinner. Later in the evening the fires on the beach start, with people playing music and having a good time. It is an amazing lazy routine and real heaven.
The restaurant shacks are always full with people eating, drinking, smoking, playing cards, reading books, etc,
I'm happy
I have a booked train ticket to Cochin in Kerala (14 hours). Many people say that Cochin
is not that great, but I want to see Kerala and go in the back-waters.
OM beach is full of Israelis, as many people came from GOA to make sure their parents are not too worried. My guest house has a load of t
hem. But also other Europeans. I'm not sticking in particular with the Israelis, too young for me.Yesterday I met an Indian woman which is breaking all my stereotypes of Indians. She comes from Bangalore, she is divorced, owns a business, has her own car, etc, etc.
Therefore I'm getting to know how modern Indians live and not only the low classes which are extremely conservative. This is an amazing experience, as so far the Indian Woman I met here are too distant and don't get to close to westerners. From what I'm learning more and more you have modern Indians in the big cities, but also how hard it is to be divorced in such a conservative society. Her na
me is Sarita. She came here with her car. So yesterday we travelled to another nearby beach Karwar, north towards Goa. The beach was a bit of a disappointment.OM is much better. Today I went again to Half Moon and Paradise beach. Wow so beautiful. Little bay with a few guest houses, shacks. You have to walk over the rocks to get there.
The huts don't have electricity, the restaurant has solar panels. And somehow there is an internet cafe. In the past, it was difficult for me to see me staying in such a place, but now I got the point and it can be really amazing. I'm not moving there, but who knows.
There is an Israeli guy, leaving in Half-Moon for 8 years with a scandinavian girl. They are building an Iglo with sand-bags to live. Wow such interesting people.
There is a German guy in my guest house, in his late 40s always playing the guitar. I talk to him and he had liver for quite a few years in Porto-Alegre. His wife is from there (which he is divorcing) and we spoke portuguese. Such a small world.
The food here in the different shacks is just delicious. I'm eating more and more with my hands and slowly and enjoying every bite.
Evening here starts with sunset around 6:00 PM and everybody seats on the beach, on the rocks. Many smoke joints (if not all) and beers start flowing. Around 7:00 places fill with people for dinner. Later in the evening the fires on the beach start, with people playing music and having a good time. It is an amazing lazy routine and real heaven.
The restaurant shacks are always full with people eating, drinking, smoking, playing cards, reading books, etc,
I'm happy
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Gokarna, OM beach, December 25th 2008
The last few days have been focused on what to do for Christmas. Two days ago, me and my french friend Bruno went to visit the German girls I had met in Hampi. We went there, had dinner with them and there was a live music show in the restaurant. It was great a jam of all kinds of musicians playing guitar, flute, table, and a woman singing in Spanish. I also met in the place a Brazilian guy from S. Paulo which is a capoeira teacher here in Gokarna (he has been traveling in many places in Asia teaching capoeira). This guy is also an amazi
ng repercussion player. So my friend Bruno which is a drummer (and a very good one) joined the group and was very happy. So we decide that we will come again to Kuttle beach for Christmas.While listening to the music I drink and have a Bang Lassie (Lassie with Marijuana) which was a disaster. Its effect on me what not very good and I had a hard time going back to my guest house in OM beach during the night. But the end was OK, I made it and recovered.
So on Christmas day we go again to Kuttle beach. This time I took a room in the guest house my German friends Vera and Lisa where staying. So we had a very good dinner with our friends. They are the kind which don't sleep too late. Therefore I stayed with Bruno until late in the beach where people light a fire and musicians play their different instruments. It was great.
Bruno is a very interesting guy. I met him on the bus coming to Gokarna. He ha
d a huge suitcase where he brings his electronic drums. He plays professionally with an old guy which plays the saxophone. His story is weird. He married an Indian woman, lived with her for two years and is currently divorcing her. Very difficult situation in India. The he has been studying tabla with a local Indian guru. He plays great all repercussion instruments.
The German girls are very nice, but they are moving tomorrow and we are in different beaches.
I'm meeting such amazing people. Today I met a girl 19 years old from Munich. We spoke for at least two hours and I'm so amazed how this kid is so mature in her political opinions. At 17 years old she left home. Her parents are both doctors. Lately she was 6 months in south America, now a few months in India and then she is going to New Zeland. So she speaks very well Spanish and we are speaking Spanish as she wants to practice. We talked about politics, solving the worlds problems, etc, etc. I did not feel in any moment that I'm talking to a 19 year old.
Today the Giraffe Israeli band was in my guest house. They have a show in Goa on the 28th, but there are rumors that the show is canceled due to the terrorism concerns. They came specially from Israel to do this show. They where in my guest house to promote the show and make clear to people that it is not canceled. It was nice to see those guys personally and I also talked to them. My friend Bruno asked to join them during the show in Goa.
So now I ordered a train ticket to Cochin in Kerala. I'm planning to move on January 3rd. I'm staying here for a while. I'm having a great time, there is no reason to move.
ng repercussion player. So my friend Bruno which is a drummer (and a very good one) joined the group and was very happy. So we decide that we will come again to Kuttle beach for Christmas.While listening to the music I drink and have a Bang Lassie (Lassie with Marijuana) which was a disaster. Its effect on me what not very good and I had a hard time going back to my guest house in OM beach during the night. But the end was OK, I made it and recovered.So on Christmas day we go again to Kuttle beach. This time I took a room in the guest house my German friends Vera and Lisa where staying. So we had a very good dinner with our friends. They are the kind which don't sleep too late. Therefore I stayed with Bruno until late in the beach where people light a fire and musicians play their different instruments. It was great.
Bruno is a very interesting guy. I met him on the bus coming to Gokarna. He ha
d a huge suitcase where he brings his electronic drums. He plays professionally with an old guy which plays the saxophone. His story is weird. He married an Indian woman, lived with her for two years and is currently divorcing her. Very difficult situation in India. The he has been studying tabla with a local Indian guru. He plays great all repercussion instruments.The German girls are very nice, but they are moving tomorrow and we are in different beaches.
I'm meeting such amazing people. Today I met a girl 19 years old from Munich. We spoke for at least two hours and I'm so amazed how this kid is so mature in her political opinions. At 17 years old she left home. Her parents are both doctors. Lately she was 6 months in south America, now a few months in India and then she is going to New Zeland. So she speaks very well Spanish and we are speaking Spanish as she wants to practice. We talked about politics, solving the worlds problems, etc, etc. I did not feel in any moment that I'm talking to a 19 year old.
Today the Giraffe Israeli band was in my guest house. They have a show in Goa on the 28th, but there are rumors that the show is canceled due to the terrorism concerns. They came specially from Israel to do this show. They where in my guest house to promote the show and make clear to people that it is not canceled. It was nice to see those guys personally and I also talked to them. My friend Bruno asked to join them during the show in Goa.
So now I ordered a train ticket to Cochin in Kerala. I'm planning to move on January 3rd. I'm staying here for a while. I'm having a great time, there is no reason to move.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
OM Beach, Golkarna, December 23 2008
I'm having a great time in OM beach. I'm now in a better guest house. The food is also good and many people come to eat. It is called Sangang. If you are local to the guest shop. You don't need money. They write down what you take and you can pay all together.
OM is the 2nd beach after the Gokarna village and Kuttle beach. From the village
you walk over the a rocky hill (15-20 minutes) and you get to Kuttle beach. This is a wider beach with more guest houses and more bars/restaurants. From Kuttle you walk another 15-20 minutes over a rocky hill and you get to OM. You can keep going and get to paradise beach. I haven't been there yet. OM is a small bay with about 10 guest houses. In each t
here is a restaurant. Most guest houses have a few rooms and a few huts. Most rooms don't have a shower/toiled inside. They are shared. Some do. Nirvana Guest house seems to be the best in OM with beautiful rooms with hammocks, great garden, etc.
I'm happy in the Sangan where I'm staying. Shared bathroom (western style) and shared shower (cold only) but at least you don't need to use a bucket.
For the last two days I've been walking at 7:00 AM to the village. The village has a few temples and is quite sacred to the Hindu. The walk is about 35-40 minutes.
I'm meeting tons of people. I'm putting my shyness aside and talking to everybody. I'm surprised on how good I can smalltalk with whoever. I'm also using all the languages I know.
I'm meeting many people, of special notice is Ivana. She is 52 and bit older than the crowds, like me. She has been coming to OM for the last 15 years. An interesting woman Serbian
/Croatian which has been married with a dutch guy and to a greek guy 15 younger than her. She lived for 12 years in Greece. She speaks many languages. She and a group of people are staying in the neighbor guest house Nirvana. She is kind of the Mon of the group which has two Norwegian girls, an Israeli, a Canadian, two Indians, a few British, etc.
I became good friends with her and now she is kind of getting me in the group.
She likes to drink a bit (and smoke good stuff) so the mood is always fun.
So I've been hanging around with them sometimes.
Yesterday after 20 years I played soccer on the beach. This 26 year old Norwegian girl comes with this ball which I though was a volleyball, but not, it was a soccer ball. Inga this girl is like a bull. Very strong and incredible good in playing soccer. So we played. Two by two. Me and the Italian against her and another Turkish guy. I feel great that I'm not falling behind in my shape from people 20 years younger than me. Surprisingly I still can play OK soccer.
So we stay in the beach until sunset. The water is calm, few waves. I'm doing body surfing which I used to do when I was young. I feel in great shape. I think I lost some more weight. I don't even have a mirror in the room, so I don't know how I look.
Today I went to a Yoga class in the neighbor beach. OK but not amazing. There are other yoga places around.
Tomorrow is Christmas and I think the Nirvana group will organize something.
I'm sitting in the evening with all kinds of people. And everybody smokes joints h
ere.
You really don't belong if you don't. Another set of guys tried to teach me to smoke.
I'm trying but I don't feel anything. Anyway I can fake :-).
Alcohol is much more expensive than in Goa, but readily available. Beers are all around and more. So towards evening everybody is happy.
There are lots of cows in the beach and also many dogs, puppies. There are gangs of one female and many male dogs and they kind of protect their territory. Sometimes they bite the female.
The cows are very friendly, but many people had their books eaten by the cows. So you can easily be cow hassled, or they can eat your stuff or book.
I love the dogs. They are dirty and ugly but friendly. In the morning I pet them and they come with me wherever I go.
Paradise !!!!!!!!!!
OM is the 2nd beach after the Gokarna village and Kuttle beach. From the village
you walk over the a rocky hill (15-20 minutes) and you get to Kuttle beach. This is a wider beach with more guest houses and more bars/restaurants. From Kuttle you walk another 15-20 minutes over a rocky hill and you get to OM. You can keep going and get to paradise beach. I haven't been there yet. OM is a small bay with about 10 guest houses. In each t
here is a restaurant. Most guest houses have a few rooms and a few huts. Most rooms don't have a shower/toiled inside. They are shared. Some do. Nirvana Guest house seems to be the best in OM with beautiful rooms with hammocks, great garden, etc.I'm happy in the Sangan where I'm staying. Shared bathroom (western style) and shared shower (cold only) but at least you don't need to use a bucket.
For the last two days I've been walking at 7:00 AM to the village. The village has a few temples and is quite sacred to the Hindu. The walk is about 35-40 minutes.
I'm meeting tons of people. I'm putting my shyness aside and talking to everybody. I'm surprised on how good I can smalltalk with whoever. I'm also using all the languages I know.
I'm meeting many people, of special notice is Ivana. She is 52 and bit older than the crowds, like me. She has been coming to OM for the last 15 years. An interesting woman Serbian
/Croatian which has been married with a dutch guy and to a greek guy 15 younger than her. She lived for 12 years in Greece. She speaks many languages. She and a group of people are staying in the neighbor guest house Nirvana. She is kind of the Mon of the group which has two Norwegian girls, an Israeli, a Canadian, two Indians, a few British, etc.I became good friends with her and now she is kind of getting me in the group.
She likes to drink a bit (and smoke good stuff) so the mood is always fun.
So I've been hanging around with them sometimes.
Yesterday after 20 years I played soccer on the beach. This 26 year old Norwegian girl comes with this ball which I though was a volleyball, but not, it was a soccer ball. Inga this girl is like a bull. Very strong and incredible good in playing soccer. So we played. Two by two. Me and the Italian against her and another Turkish guy. I feel great that I'm not falling behind in my shape from people 20 years younger than me. Surprisingly I still can play OK soccer.
So we stay in the beach until sunset. The water is calm, few waves. I'm doing body surfing which I used to do when I was young. I feel in great shape. I think I lost some more weight. I don't even have a mirror in the room, so I don't know how I look.
Today I went to a Yoga class in the neighbor beach. OK but not amazing. There are other yoga places around.
Tomorrow is Christmas and I think the Nirvana group will organize something.
I'm sitting in the evening with all kinds of people. And everybody smokes joints h
ere.You really don't belong if you don't. Another set of guys tried to teach me to smoke.
I'm trying but I don't feel anything. Anyway I can fake :-).
Alcohol is much more expensive than in Goa, but readily available. Beers are all around and more. So towards evening everybody is happy.
There are lots of cows in the beach and also many dogs, puppies. There are gangs of one female and many male dogs and they kind of protect their territory. Sometimes they bite the female.
The cows are very friendly, but many people had their books eaten by the cows. So you can easily be cow hassled, or they can eat your stuff or book.
I love the dogs. They are dirty and ugly but friendly. In the morning I pet them and they come with me wherever I go.
Paradise !!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Gokarna, Dec 21 2008
The trip from Mysore to Gokarna was quite and adventure. I had booked a seat on the train and was in the waiting list. So I was not sure I could get a seat. My train was at 11:45 PM. At 9:30 PM I check and see that I'm still in the waiting list and the chart has been closed. I did not know that this means I have got my money back and that there is no point in going to the train station.
So at about 11:00 PM I go to the train station, check-out from my room (paid for the full day).
So I did not get in the train and had to go back to the hotel. The hotel guys were kind
enough to let me go back to my room as long as I leave before 6:30 AM. At 4:00 AM I wake up, free the room and go to the bus station for a bus which was supposed to leave at 5:15. The bus I took, is what is called the government busses. They are very cheap and that is where most Indians travel. The journey to Mangalore was supposed to be 8 hours. The bus is like a normal city bus. No special seats for this long journey. Also the roads are terrible and bumpy most of the time. The bus goes through many different villages and people go up and down. It was very tiring, but I cannot say I suffered. I put my back-pack on the seat and slept on it. After this 8 hours I get to Mangalore, and luckily the bus to Gokarna was leaving in a few minutes. Another 7 hour journey of the same kind. In the bus I met Bruno a very cute french guy which is a drummer and is learning to play the table in India. After a long and tiring trip I get at night 8:30 PM to Gokarna. I was planning to stay the night in the village and wait for the morning to check a beach place. But Bruno convince me to go with the Rickshaw directly to the beaches. He is travelling with a
big suitcase where he has his electronic drums. We were so fortunate to find two Huts availabe in OM beach. As everything is full. This is the most hectic time of the year.
This is probably the simplest place I've slept so far. A straw hut, right at the beach with sand floor, shared shower (bucket shower, no running water) and shared Indian style bathroom.
But inside the hut is very nice. A clean and confortable bed with a big moskito net.
The place serves very good food, and you just seat on the guest house for a long time enjoying.
The beach is breath-taking. Amazing small bay, with very few people, and very calm water.
The water is not clear like most of Indian beaches. There are cliffs that you can go up and see magnificent views. People tell me that there are dolphins very nearby. So this is really a paradise. It is full with back-packers from all places and has quite a few restaurant shacks where you can drink beers, etc. People tell me that they have here Bangee-Lassi (for the ones that know what it is) and I'll try. To my understand this is a narcotic lassi (yougurt drink) and should make you feel really happy.
So I'm dazzled with this place. I already went for an early morning walk (6:30 is still dark) and it has lots of cows and dogs on the beaches.
I'm planning to stay here for quite a few days, hopefully including new-year. Now I'm shopping for a bit more confortable guest house. I'm paying $3 a day.
My friend Tania, for which I decided to come is here somewhere, but I haven't met her yet.
We were communicating through SMS, but reception here is not always available. In any case I'm already thanking her for having come to such a wonderful place.
So at about 11:00 PM I go to the train station, check-out from my room (paid for the full day).
So I did not get in the train and had to go back to the hotel. The hotel guys were kind
enough to let me go back to my room as long as I leave before 6:30 AM. At 4:00 AM I wake up, free the room and go to the bus station for a bus which was supposed to leave at 5:15. The bus I took, is what is called the government busses. They are very cheap and that is where most Indians travel. The journey to Mangalore was supposed to be 8 hours. The bus is like a normal city bus. No special seats for this long journey. Also the roads are terrible and bumpy most of the time. The bus goes through many different villages and people go up and down. It was very tiring, but I cannot say I suffered. I put my back-pack on the seat and slept on it. After this 8 hours I get to Mangalore, and luckily the bus to Gokarna was leaving in a few minutes. Another 7 hour journey of the same kind. In the bus I met Bruno a very cute french guy which is a drummer and is learning to play the table in India. After a long and tiring trip I get at night 8:30 PM to Gokarna. I was planning to stay the night in the village and wait for the morning to check a beach place. But Bruno convince me to go with the Rickshaw directly to the beaches. He is travelling with a big suitcase where he has his electronic drums. We were so fortunate to find two Huts availabe in OM beach. As everything is full. This is the most hectic time of the year.This is probably the simplest place I've slept so far. A straw hut, right at the beach with sand floor, shared shower (bucket shower, no running water) and shared Indian style bathroom.
But inside the hut is very nice. A clean and confortable bed with a big moskito net.
The place serves very good food, and you just seat on the guest house for a long time enjoying.
The beach is breath-taking. Amazing small bay, with very few people, and very calm water.
The water is not clear like most of Indian beaches. There are cliffs that you can go up and see magnificent views. People tell me that there are dolphins very nearby. So this is really a paradise. It is full with back-packers from all places and has quite a few restaurant shacks where you can drink beers, etc. People tell me that they have here Bangee-Lassi (for the ones that know what it is) and I'll try. To my understand this is a narcotic lassi (yougurt drink) and should make you feel really happy.
So I'm dazzled with this place. I already went for an early morning walk (6:30 is still dark) and it has lots of cows and dogs on the beaches.
I'm planning to stay here for quite a few days, hopefully including new-year. Now I'm shopping for a bit more confortable guest house. I'm paying $3 a day.
My friend Tania, for which I decided to come is here somewhere, but I haven't met her yet.
We were communicating through SMS, but reception here is not always available. In any case I'm already thanking her for having come to such a wonderful place.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Mysore, December 19 2008
Today is my second day in Mysore. Mysore is not extremelly exciting. There is a nice Maharaja Palace, a colorful market (great) and the 1000 stair uphill walk that leads you to a famous temple (Chamundi Hill)
I'm in Hotel Dasaprakesh which is a very nice, simple but old Indian hotel. It seems that many years ago this was a very luxurous place. Today it is kind of old. Everything in the
room is quite old, but works. I have a bathroom and shower with hot water (my 1st hot shower in a month).My plan was to meet here my two German friends Vera and Lisa which I met in Hampi and maybe go with them to Kerala (Cochin 1st). It seems that Lisa got food sick and they will come later to Mysore. I was a bit depressed in the beginning. Not many tourists, not very exciting place.
But as I've been saying, everyday is a new day. The 1st highlight was an India restaurant which I found serving amazing Indian food. I ate a delicios Dosa. Then in the Internet cafe, the only one around I met Danielle's, Yoel's 1st girl friend. What a small world, here in Mysore to met her after so many years. She is travelling with her sister and some other Israeli gu
ys/gals.
As I don't like to be alone, I'm becoming pretty good at approaching other tourists to get together.
Suddenly I see this western woman in the streets, and I ask her if she wants my company to do something together. Her name is Tania and she is from Germany. It was the end of the afternoon. So we go walking for a while and then sit in a restaurant, have a beer, etc.
Destiny is that Tania's room is beside mine. So we become friends and decide to do sight-seeing together the next morning. Its being wonderful, she is a social worker and has been on a volunteering assignment in India. She lived with an Indian family for 2.5 months and is now just on vacation. She is from Berlin. She is an angel in looks, talking, etc. Soft and easy w
illing to try food and everything else. She is going to Gokarna, another famous beach. Not in Goa but in the state of Karnataka. The beach is supposed to be much quieter and more authentic than Goa's beaches. So I decided to change my route and I'm going to Gokarna too. She left yesterday, I'm going tonight. Amazing people you meet here. Meanwhile another German woman joined us (living in Switzerland) Benedetta, and I'm spending the day with her. It much more enjoyable if you are not alone.
Yesterday we spent many hours going to this temple on the top of the hill. It is a 10
00 stairs uphill which supposedly the pilgrims use. We decided to walk up, and it was amazing. We found on the way tens of monkeys, very friendly. I took many pictures feeding them, giving them to drink. It was so nice. Then we went to the market, where the colors of the fruits, flowers, vegetables, the smell of the Insense, the people make this place be magic. At some point I felt
in a drug trip with the scenery and the atmosphere.
So tonight I'm taking an 8 hour train to Mangalore and then a 7 hour bus to Gokarna.
After a while you get used to this long trips, not always confortable but part of the experience of travelling in India. So most probably Christman and New Year will be in Gokarna.
I'm in Hotel Dasaprakesh which is a very nice, simple but old Indian hotel. It seems that many years ago this was a very luxurous place. Today it is kind of old. Everything in the
room is quite old, but works. I have a bathroom and shower with hot water (my 1st hot shower in a month).My plan was to meet here my two German friends Vera and Lisa which I met in Hampi and maybe go with them to Kerala (Cochin 1st). It seems that Lisa got food sick and they will come later to Mysore. I was a bit depressed in the beginning. Not many tourists, not very exciting place.But as I've been saying, everyday is a new day. The 1st highlight was an India restaurant which I found serving amazing Indian food. I ate a delicios Dosa. Then in the Internet cafe, the only one around I met Danielle's, Yoel's 1st girl friend. What a small world, here in Mysore to met her after so many years. She is travelling with her sister and some other Israeli gu
ys/gals.As I don't like to be alone, I'm becoming pretty good at approaching other tourists to get together.
Suddenly I see this western woman in the streets, and I ask her if she wants my company to do something together. Her name is Tania and she is from Germany. It was the end of the afternoon. So we go walking for a while and then sit in a restaurant, have a beer, etc.
Destiny is that Tania's room is beside mine. So we become friends and decide to do sight-seeing together the next morning. Its being wonderful, she is a social worker and has been on a volunteering assignment in India. She lived with an Indian family for 2.5 months and is now just on vacation. She is from Berlin. She is an angel in looks, talking, etc. Soft and easy w
illing to try food and everything else. She is going to Gokarna, another famous beach. Not in Goa but in the state of Karnataka. The beach is supposed to be much quieter and more authentic than Goa's beaches. So I decided to change my route and I'm going to Gokarna too. She left yesterday, I'm going tonight. Amazing people you meet here. Meanwhile another German woman joined us (living in Switzerland) Benedetta, and I'm spending the day with her. It much more enjoyable if you are not alone.Yesterday we spent many hours going to this temple on the top of the hill. It is a 10
00 stairs uphill which supposedly the pilgrims use. We decided to walk up, and it was amazing. We found on the way tens of monkeys, very friendly. I took many pictures feeding them, giving them to drink. It was so nice. Then we went to the market, where the colors of the fruits, flowers, vegetables, the smell of the Insense, the people make this place be magic. At some point I feltin a drug trip with the scenery and the atmosphere.
So tonight I'm taking an 8 hour train to Mangalore and then a 7 hour bus to Gokarna.
After a while you get used to this long trips, not always confortable but part of the experience of travelling in India. So most probably Christman and New Year will be in Gokarna.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hampi, December 16 2008
Wow the more I see things in Hampi I'm more impressed. This place is just amazing. And I'm meeting such interesting places.
Yesterday I decided to go to the royal enclave. It is about 3 KM walk from the
Hampy Bazaar where I'm staying. On my way over there, in a place where very few tourists are seen I meet this young danish woman Julii walking in the same direction. I start small talking with her, whether she is going to the royal enclave, and she says that she is just walking to next village where she wants to take a bus to the Hospet where she is staying. Also that she is just killing time, as her bus leaves at 10:30 PM (It was 3:30 PM or so). So we start talking, and she comes with me sight-seeing in the royal enclave, then we go back to Hampi for dinner and eventually we spend 5 hours talking and going around. This is the amazing thing about being in India, from nowhere, unplanned you meet such amazing people which makes your travel much more enjoyable, specially in my case as I'm travelling alone.
This morning I decided to go to other side of the river. You take a little
boat which crosses the river in about 3 minutes. The objective was to get to a temple which people call the monkey's temple. On this side of the river, there are many guest houses, it is a bit cheaper, quieter and where most of the Israelis like to stay. Effectively you see many more signs in hebrew everywhere. On the way I met Vera from Germany. Vera was in the same guest house I was, but she moved to the other side of the river. She says that she is going for the 2nd time to the Monkey temple. So we go together on an 1.5 hour walk. Vera is such an interesting person and she actually worked with Monkeys in the Netherlands before. I was fortunate to meet her, as actually guided me around (Thanks Vera). Wow this is the most amazing place in Hampi.
Full of monkeys, which you can almost touch (as long as you give them a banana or water).
After you see the monkeys there is a 600 steps stair that bring
s you to a temple very high in the mountains. The view is just breath-taking. There are no words to describe the whole experience but WOW. It was a pleasure walk and a wonderful visit to this temple.Later I also met Vera's friend Lisa, they are travelling together.
They are also going to Mysore and we may meet there, possibly go to Kerala together.
As I've been saying, everyday is a new day. New places, new people, new experiences all that with this magic indian atmosphere in the background.
I'm so happy as I'm doing Yoga for about an hour in the mornings, and long walks during the day, therefore I'm keeping my shape. I'm also eating less which helps.
Tonight I'm going to Mysore on a 12 hour bus trip.
On attaching/detaching: One reflection I've been thinking about. You meet so many nice and interesting people, for a few hours, a days, a few days. With some you really become good friends or more. As people are always coming and going, there is always the separation part which is a bit sad on me. But then in the next day you meet someone else. All this forces to really think on enjoying today, this is a great learning experience which teaches you to accept things as they are, the happiness of meeting some nice people, but also the sadness of having to say good bye.
Yesterday I decided to go to the royal enclave. It is about 3 KM walk from the
Hampy Bazaar where I'm staying. On my way over there, in a place where very few tourists are seen I meet this young danish woman Julii walking in the same direction. I start small talking with her, whether she is going to the royal enclave, and she says that she is just walking to next village where she wants to take a bus to the Hospet where she is staying. Also that she is just killing time, as her bus leaves at 10:30 PM (It was 3:30 PM or so). So we start talking, and she comes with me sight-seeing in the royal enclave, then we go back to Hampi for dinner and eventually we spend 5 hours talking and going around. This is the amazing thing about being in India, from nowhere, unplanned you meet such amazing people which makes your travel much more enjoyable, specially in my case as I'm travelling alone.This morning I decided to go to other side of the river. You take a little
boat which crosses the river in about 3 minutes. The objective was to get to a temple which people call the monkey's temple. On this side of the river, there are many guest houses, it is a bit cheaper, quieter and where most of the Israelis like to stay. Effectively you see many more signs in hebrew everywhere. On the way I met Vera from Germany. Vera was in the same guest house I was, but she moved to the other side of the river. She says that she is going for the 2nd time to the Monkey temple. So we go together on an 1.5 hour walk. Vera is such an interesting person and she actually worked with Monkeys in the Netherlands before. I was fortunate to meet her, as actually guided me around (Thanks Vera). Wow this is the most amazing place in Hampi.Full of monkeys, which you can almost touch (as long as you give them a banana or water).
After you see the monkeys there is a 600 steps stair that bring
s you to a temple very high in the mountains. The view is just breath-taking. There are no words to describe the whole experience but WOW. It was a pleasure walk and a wonderful visit to this temple.Later I also met Vera's friend Lisa, they are travelling together.They are also going to Mysore and we may meet there, possibly go to Kerala together.
As I've been saying, everyday is a new day. New places, new people, new experiences all that with this magic indian atmosphere in the background.
I'm so happy as I'm doing Yoga for about an hour in the mornings, and long walks during the day, therefore I'm keeping my shape. I'm also eating less which helps.
Tonight I'm going to Mysore on a 12 hour bus trip.
On attaching/detaching: One reflection I've been thinking about. You meet so many nice and interesting people, for a few hours, a days, a few days. With some you really become good friends or more. As people are always coming and going, there is always the separation part which is a bit sad on me. But then in the next day you meet someone else. All this forces to really think on enjoying today, this is a great learning experience which teaches you to accept things as they are, the happiness of meeting some nice people, but also the sadness of having to say good bye.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Hampi, December 14, 2008
Wow Hampi is just amazing. This place is magic. The scenery is just unbelievable with the many temples and boulders every where.
Good pictures here
Hampi, was the medieval capital of the Hindu empire Vijayanagara (the City of Victory).
Hampi in the Karnataka state of India is listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
It has large stretches of boulder-strewn hills make the backdrop of Hampi unique. Around the hills and
valleys are 500 plus monuments. Among them are beautiful temples, basement of palaces, remains of aquatic structures, ancient market streets, royal pavilions, bastions, royal platforms, treasury buildings.., the list is practically endless.The city is very sacred for the Hindi and full of pilgrims. In special today (sunday) due to the full moon a huge festival it is very crowded with pilgrims which come to the various temples and to bathe on the r
iver.The overall atmosphere and scenery is breathtaking.
I'm staying in the Shanti Guest House, which is right across the big temple where most of the action happens. Pilgrims even sleep in the temple during the night on the floor.
The guest house is in the middle of the action, but at the same time quiet and a bit isolated. It has this very nice internal garden which is an island of silence in the middle of this chaos of people, cows, pigs, monkeys, etc, etc.
In principle you can see the main sites in about two days, but the atmosphere is conquering and invites you to stay longer.
Yesterday I went for a bike ride of about 12+ KMs with my British/Uruguayan friend. It was
amazing and very pleasant. You bike very slow on this magic place while at the same time going through small authentic Indian villages. In those place we (whites) are really and attraction and everybody wants to shake our hands or take a picture with us.Many small guest houses and restaurants in the area. Many roof-tops where you can sit, watch the chaos from the top and enjoy amazing views. The food is excellent. In principle no alcohol is allowed in this sacred place, but many places serve special drinks (vodka and so) and also we found a place which had beers.
Lots of backpackers just come and enjoy the energy, while chilling down with boo
ks, etc on the guest houses.In the main temple nearby they have an amazing elephant, Laxmi. People give Laxmi 1 rupee coins, the elephant will take the coin, give to his master and salute people very gently in the head with his tromp. Sometime people come with kids in their hands, give two coins and Laxmi will salute both people. Very clever elephant. The kids love it.
I'm still touched by everything that is happening here. I'll probably stay two more nights and decide where to go next. WOW
Friday, December 12, 2008
Hampi, November 12, 2008
I'm finally in Hampi. After a long and surrealistic trip of 18 hours.
I left Mapusa at about 3:00 PM as the bus was supposed to leave at 6:30. Waited in
Mapusa about 1:30 hours and then the bus which is a pick-up bus arrives at around 7:30 and takes us to Panjim where the final bus was waiting. So we leave from there about 8:30. Fortunately I had a seat with no one sitting beside me. Actually they did have sleeper for singles, only two. But I did not know. The bus is very old, and air-conditioning is opening of the windows. Not too bad as it is not very hot, but air pollution is a hassle. The bus was full of foreigners including many Israelis. So company was very good. I also met a nice British woman which lives in Montevideo and became friends with her.
The trip is surrealistic. The bus goes very slow, while crossing cities there are lots of street bumps which slow it down even further. At about 3:00 AM in the morning the bus stops and the responsible person tells us that there is a traffic jam. It is unbelievable. You get out of the bus and the wh
ole road which is not very wide is completely blocked by trucks on both sides. The thing is completely clogged and nothing moves. We stayed the whole night for 6 hours waiting until things started to move. So instead of getting to Hampi at 7:00 AM we got to Hampi at about 3:00 PM. I got to a nice guest house called Shanti Guest house. I joined some other people I met in the bus. It does not have a toiled and shower in the room but is very clean, nice and very cheap. It is also located in a great location. Hampi is just amazing. The temples are breath-taking and there natural rock bolsters just unbelievable. Now I downloaded all my pictures to a CD which I'll send soon be able to send.
Overall I'm tired but the place is quite amazing and well worth the trip. Will see how many days I stay here.
I left Mapusa at about 3:00 PM as the bus was supposed to leave at 6:30. Waited in
Mapusa about 1:30 hours and then the bus which is a pick-up bus arrives at around 7:30 and takes us to Panjim where the final bus was waiting. So we leave from there about 8:30. Fortunately I had a seat with no one sitting beside me. Actually they did have sleeper for singles, only two. But I did not know. The bus is very old, and air-conditioning is opening of the windows. Not too bad as it is not very hot, but air pollution is a hassle. The bus was full of foreigners including many Israelis. So company was very good. I also met a nice British woman which lives in Montevideo and became friends with her.The trip is surrealistic. The bus goes very slow, while crossing cities there are lots of street bumps which slow it down even further. At about 3:00 AM in the morning the bus stops and the responsible person tells us that there is a traffic jam. It is unbelievable. You get out of the bus and the wh
ole road which is not very wide is completely blocked by trucks on both sides. The thing is completely clogged and nothing moves. We stayed the whole night for 6 hours waiting until things started to move. So instead of getting to Hampi at 7:00 AM we got to Hampi at about 3:00 PM. I got to a nice guest house called Shanti Guest house. I joined some other people I met in the bus. It does not have a toiled and shower in the room but is very clean, nice and very cheap. It is also located in a great location. Hampi is just amazing. The temples are breath-taking and there natural rock bolsters just unbelievable. Now I downloaded all my pictures to a CD which I'll send soon be able to send.Overall I'm tired but the place is quite amazing and well worth the trip. Will see how many days I stay here.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Goa, Aranbol, November 11, 2008
It is just amazing that I'm already one month in India. At the beginning I was thinking what I would do in 9 weeks, and it is passing very fast and I'm already starting to feel that it will be two short. Specially when I meet people that are here for 6 months, 1 years, etc.
So I left my guest house and I'm on my way to the bus station in Mapusa (pronounced Mapsa) which is just ~30 KM from here, but the bus takes an hour. From Mapusa to Hampi is probably 500 km and the bus takes 12 hours. This is India pace, average of busses and trains is 50 KM/h.
The roads are typically very bad and everything is veryyyyyyyyyy slow.
All the young Israelis in the Internet cafes are hysterically being called by their families to go back home or to leave Goa. As the foreign department in Israel is warning against traveling to Goa in this holiday season. I'm not too concerned. Following the Mumbai attacks there is much more awareness of the local police and authorities and as Goa is the most touristic state in India, they are very alert to any attack possibility. My own judgment is that Aranbol would be less likely a target as it has NO hotels and resorts at all. It is all cheap budget guest houses. I'd imagine that terrorists would rather attack a more flashy hotel. In any case, this is my rational to be calm.
So I'm leaving Aranbol today but after Hampi there is a likelihood that I'll come back. At least to somewhere in Goa. More and more I'm enjoying, the longer you stay the more you get acquainted with the interesting people and spots.
A few days ago I found a very cheap little eatery which many westerners sit. You can have a nice Tally and few SHAIs for around 60 rupee (1.5$). Also I found that the people sitting in this place are very nice and they blend on the few tables. There I met a couple from Portugal. Jose which is Portuguese and Tomoko which is Japanese and leaved in Brazil. She is Jose's girl friend. She is a very short little Japanese which speaks Portuguese with a Brazilian accent. Very nice people.
I went there around 6:30 PM for a Shai (Milk tea) and suddenly someone from Germany joined us and I stayed for 3 hours talking to this people in this little spot. The German woman came for a year. All those long time travelers are always traveling on a very low budget, so they come to this cheap places.
After that I went to a another restaurant, which had some amazing live music. The place is called sports bar. As they play on a big screen sports. I come for a little while to watch and stayed till 3:30 AM. At 1:30 AM the Champions league games started and watched the Arsenal / Porto game. Meanwhile I talked to many different people, including the singers which many have interesting story and interesting lives.
So this is Aranbol, very lively, never a dull moment.
I'm profiting that I don't have a room anymore to enjoy the A/C in the Internet Cafe and write my blog. But soon I'll start my long journey to Hampi.
So I left my guest house and I'm on my way to the bus station in Mapusa (pronounced Mapsa) which is just ~30 KM from here, but the bus takes an hour. From Mapusa to Hampi is probably 500 km and the bus takes 12 hours. This is India pace, average of busses and trains is 50 KM/h.
The roads are typically very bad and everything is veryyyyyyyyyy slow.
All the young Israelis in the Internet cafes are hysterically being called by their families to go back home or to leave Goa. As the foreign department in Israel is warning against traveling to Goa in this holiday season. I'm not too concerned. Following the Mumbai attacks there is much more awareness of the local police and authorities and as Goa is the most touristic state in India, they are very alert to any attack possibility. My own judgment is that Aranbol would be less likely a target as it has NO hotels and resorts at all. It is all cheap budget guest houses. I'd imagine that terrorists would rather attack a more flashy hotel. In any case, this is my rational to be calm.
So I'm leaving Aranbol today but after Hampi there is a likelihood that I'll come back. At least to somewhere in Goa. More and more I'm enjoying, the longer you stay the more you get acquainted with the interesting people and spots.
A few days ago I found a very cheap little eatery which many westerners sit. You can have a nice Tally and few SHAIs for around 60 rupee (1.5$). Also I found that the people sitting in this place are very nice and they blend on the few tables. There I met a couple from Portugal. Jose which is Portuguese and Tomoko which is Japanese and leaved in Brazil. She is Jose's girl friend. She is a very short little Japanese which speaks Portuguese with a Brazilian accent. Very nice people.
I went there around 6:30 PM for a Shai (Milk tea) and suddenly someone from Germany joined us and I stayed for 3 hours talking to this people in this little spot. The German woman came for a year. All those long time travelers are always traveling on a very low budget, so they come to this cheap places.
After that I went to a another restaurant, which had some amazing live music. The place is called sports bar. As they play on a big screen sports. I come for a little while to watch and stayed till 3:30 AM. At 1:30 AM the Champions league games started and watched the Arsenal / Porto game. Meanwhile I talked to many different people, including the singers which many have interesting story and interesting lives.
So this is Aranbol, very lively, never a dull moment.
I'm profiting that I don't have a room anymore to enjoy the A/C in the Internet Cafe and write my blog. But soon I'll start my long journey to Hampi.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Goa: Aranbol, December 09, 2008
Today I completed my Yoga class. Overall it was very nice. Quite challenging and difficult but
very worth as the teacher Sharrat is really amazing and gave me and the class basic concepts of yoga that you don't learn in every place. The class was good today I made progress on my headstands and I'm mostly able to go on by myself. I bought the ropes necessary to do the headstands at home. A bit heavy to carry but I'm not sure I could find them in Israel.
Other than that I enjoy a lot the live music which is almost daily in a different place.
Yesterday it was electronic music from a group called Electronic Traffic. They are just amazing.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=388336567
I've already seen them before.
They are amazing, the play here and in Ibiza. They are almost everyday in
a different restaurant here. The most amazing thing was after 10:00 PM when officially no noise can be done.
The guys from the restaurant which was on the beach, lit a fire and everybody sat around the fire. All kinds of people which play different instruments, specially drums started playing. Others sing. Lots of candles are lit on the sand. It was just amazing and so spontaneous.
I have found my winning formula for feeling great. A kingfisher beer (630 ML) and an Indian vodka (Romanov). After those I feel really good and in tune. I'm whistling a lot with the pace of the music and nobod
y tells me to shut-up.
More and more I'm becoming friendly with the dogs which are everywhere. Some already recognize me and approach me.
I found a place which has a wonderful Fish-Tally for 40 rupees.
What can I say, life is good.
The big dilemma is to stay here or move to Hampi. I had planned to move tomorrow, but decided to postpone at least a day (maybe more). The routine here is so pleasant. The inertia is keeping me longer.
very worth as the teacher Sharrat is really amazing and gave me and the class basic concepts of yoga that you don't learn in every place. The class was good today I made progress on my headstands and I'm mostly able to go on by myself. I bought the ropes necessary to do the headstands at home. A bit heavy to carry but I'm not sure I could find them in Israel.
Other than that I enjoy a lot the live music which is almost daily in a different place.
Yesterday it was electronic music from a group called Electronic Traffic. They are just amazing.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=388336567
I've already seen them before.
They are amazing, the play here and in Ibiza. They are almost everyday in
a different restaurant here. The most amazing thing was after 10:00 PM when officially no noise can be done.The guys from the restaurant which was on the beach, lit a fire and everybody sat around the fire. All kinds of people which play different instruments, specially drums started playing. Others sing. Lots of candles are lit on the sand. It was just amazing and so spontaneous.
I have found my winning formula for feeling great. A kingfisher beer (630 ML) and an Indian vodka (Romanov). After those I feel really good and in tune. I'm whistling a lot with the pace of the music and nobod
y tells me to shut-up.More and more I'm becoming friendly with the dogs which are everywhere. Some already recognize me and approach me.
I found a place which has a wonderful Fish-Tally for 40 rupees.
What can I say, life is good.
The big dilemma is to stay here or move to Hampi. I had planned to move tomorrow, but decided to postpone at least a day (maybe more). The routine here is so pleasant. The inertia is keeping me longer.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Goa:Aranbol, November 6th 2008
Today was my 3rd day in the Yoga class and I'm really proud of myself. I'm doing head-stands hanging from a rope on the ceiling. I manage to get up on a head-stand and holding myself a bit.
The teacher Sharrat is amazing, he is so good explaining the details and how everything is so based on the legs. Spreading and extending the fingers, and pushing the heels to the floor, this makes the whole difference.
I'm in a class with 10-15 young Chinese woman and man. They are all so lean and flexible, it is amazing. One of them is the translator, therefore all the teacher's explanations have to be translated which makes the class longer. We start at 6:30 AM, we do head-stands, some flexibility exercises by ourselves and the teacher arrives at 7:00 AM. We go until about 10:30.
After Yoga I go back to my room, shower and go for my brunch about 11:00 AM.
Today I decided to try the Israeli breakfast. It had Lemon Nana drink. The drink is amazing, the probably put in the blender nana, lemon and ice. The drink is very green and tastes great. I've drunk this in
Israel. Additionally it had hummus, a salad, eggs any style and a pita (a naan). All this for about 2$. Amazing, it was one of the best Israeli breakfasts I've even had, including in Israel. Everything is cooked and made on the spot with a lot of care.
More about the Indian dogs. Today at 6:15 when I went to my yoga, while it is still a bit dark outside, a dog was by my door. He saw the noise and the light on the silence of the night.
The dog was so friendly and happy and eager for some care. So I gave him some care, and for a while he became my dog. I walked for 15 minutes on the beach and he came with me all the time.
You see gangs of dogs walking with western people. Sounds that if you give the dogs some love (and maybe some food) they become your dogs, at least for a while.
Yesterday I was eager to go see again the Saturday night market. I drove to there with my scooter (for about 45 minutes) just to find that it had been canceled. The Indian authorities are quite concerned with terrorism after what happened in Mumbai. I'm starting to see a few Indian policeman going around in the beach. But they are not armed, and it is not clear what they can do against terrorists. They are so unprepared for it.
The teacher Sharrat is amazing, he is so good explaining the details and how everything is so based on the legs. Spreading and extending the fingers, and pushing the heels to the floor, this makes the whole difference.
I'm in a class with 10-15 young Chinese woman and man. They are all so lean and flexible, it is amazing. One of them is the translator, therefore all the teacher's explanations have to be translated which makes the class longer. We start at 6:30 AM, we do head-stands, some flexibility exercises by ourselves and the teacher arrives at 7:00 AM. We go until about 10:30.
After Yoga I go back to my room, shower and go for my brunch about 11:00 AM.
Today I decided to try the Israeli breakfast. It had Lemon Nana drink. The drink is amazing, the probably put in the blender nana, lemon and ice. The drink is very green and tastes great. I've drunk this in
Israel. Additionally it had hummus, a salad, eggs any style and a pita (a naan). All this for about 2$. Amazing, it was one of the best Israeli breakfasts I've even had, including in Israel. Everything is cooked and made on the spot with a lot of care.More about the Indian dogs. Today at 6:15 when I went to my yoga, while it is still a bit dark outside, a dog was by my door. He saw the noise and the light on the silence of the night.
The dog was so friendly and happy and eager for some care. So I gave him some care, and for a while he became my dog. I walked for 15 minutes on the beach and he came with me all the time.
You see gangs of dogs walking with western people. Sounds that if you give the dogs some love (and maybe some food) they become your dogs, at least for a while.
Yesterday I was eager to go see again the Saturday night market. I drove to there with my scooter (for about 45 minutes) just to find that it had been canceled. The Indian authorities are quite concerned with terrorism after what happened in Mumbai. I'm starting to see a few Indian policeman going around in the beach. But they are not armed, and it is not clear what they can do against terrorists. They are so unprepared for it.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Goa, Aranbol, December 4, 2008
So today I started my day with the normal 8 km walk in the beach.
Then I rented a scooter and drove down to Vagator. Yesterday I had
set with Ela that I would visit her while over there.
Vagator is a bit north of Anjuna. I visited a place called Little Vagator.
This is a terrific beach. Enclosed in two small bays, the place is like paradise.
White sand, enclosed beach. Full of chairs and beach shacks where you sit and eat or
drink tropical juice fruits. I'm profiting to drink as much as I can pineapple and papaya juices.
I called Ela and we set to met on the area of the Saturday Night Market, which is close to her house and where she needed to make some business. Ela already has a booth on the market and is trying to sell her stuff. So we met there. Last time we talked, I mentioned to Ela that a scooter would be good to her, and today she was already on one. We took sugar-cane juice
on the way and went to her house.
Her house is amazing, an old Portuguese house with very high tiled roof. Very big, with many rooms sitting in a very large garden full with palm trees. The floors are cold, something like colored concrete. Really a lovely place. Also very central as Arpora is central to many of the beaches in the Area. Ela has made a flier and wants to start teaching yoga at home, as she has plenty of space. She is also selling on the Saturday night market, which attracts thousands of visitors. But she is not happy with the position of her booth which is not central.
In general she was telling of the difficulties in starting a new business in Goa, also about the incredible bureaucracy that Rishal is having in dealing with Real estate.
Today is Thursday and there is music on the Loeki. Yesterday there was some music in another place, but was not very exciting. I'm starting to know the different musicians which play daily in different places. The guy from my guest house told me that his rooms are all rented. But it feels that Aranbol is not too crowded. I maybe that the financial situation in the world and the terrorism attacks have made an impact.
Then I rented a scooter and drove down to Vagator. Yesterday I had
set with Ela that I would visit her while over there.
Vagator is a bit north of Anjuna. I visited a place called Little Vagator.
This is a terrific beach. Enclosed in two small bays, the place is like paradise.
White sand, enclosed beach. Full of chairs and beach shacks where you sit and eat or
drink tropical juice fruits. I'm profiting to drink as much as I can pineapple and papaya juices.
I called Ela and we set to met on the area of the Saturday Night Market, which is close to her house and where she needed to make some business. Ela already has a booth on the market and is trying to sell her stuff. So we met there. Last time we talked, I mentioned to Ela that a scooter would be good to her, and today she was already on one. We took sugar-cane juice
on the way and went to her house.Her house is amazing, an old Portuguese house with very high tiled roof. Very big, with many rooms sitting in a very large garden full with palm trees. The floors are cold, something like colored concrete. Really a lovely place. Also very central as Arpora is central to many of the beaches in the Area. Ela has made a flier and wants to start teaching yoga at home, as she has plenty of space. She is also selling on the Saturday night market, which attracts thousands of visitors. But she is not happy with the position of her booth which is not central.
In general she was telling of the difficulties in starting a new business in Goa, also about the incredible bureaucracy that Rishal is having in dealing with Real estate.
Today is Thursday and there is music on the Loeki. Yesterday there was some music in another place, but was not very exciting. I'm starting to know the different musicians which play daily in different places. The guy from my guest house told me that his rooms are all rented. But it feels that Aranbol is not too crowded. I maybe that the financial situation in the world and the terrorism attacks have made an impact.
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