Sun, Sangrias, Spain and other S words

I love Spain and I could definitely live here! The weather has been amazing and hovers between 28-35 degrees every day. The Spanish people so far have been really friendly and really helpful, the food is awesome and we have spent our evenings sipping Sangrias..........it's a tough life.
Susan and I spent the first three days in Barcelona. She really wanted to see the Vuelta a Espana....which along with the tour de France and the Giro d'talia is one of the three big cycle races in Europe.........and as it happened the race went right past our hotel on the sprint finish.
We had a ball in Barcelona and have really enjoyed walking the streets (and getting lost) in the old city as well as visiting the museums and galleries.
The pace of life is very relaxed and the people are the same. There is a real outdoor cafe feel to the city......and people seem to take their time with everything :)

The last two days and nights we have spent at Montserrat monastery and have been staying in the hotel / hostel here. The monastery is a most amazing place. It is set high up in the mountains and is reached mostly by cable car or train. The views are breathtaking and the monastery itself is simply gorgeous. The Basilica itself looks impressive enough from the outside but it is simply awe inspiring inside. It's hard to describe how beautiful and how peaceful it is.......simply amazing.

We attended what was described as the "famous and well respected" boys choir singing in the basilica last night. I have to say that I was somewhat surprised when all the old monks entered the church and started their singing.......I thought that calling them a boys choir was stretching things a bit as some of them would have been in their nineties........and the singing was under-whelming. After about 45 mins with our interest seriously waneing........an actual boys choir filed into the basilica.....and just blew us away with the most amazing singing. You felt like you could soar with their voices.

Today we decided to walk up to the top of Monserrat and while the walk was fairly strenuous the views were so beautiful, and breath taking.

So we are loving it here.......and will drink a sangria for you all tonight :)

Have fun
Ant

The Fish eye'd Goddess is hot!

You have to love traveling by train in India. We took the 12hour overnight train from Varkala to Madurai (which is in Tamil Naidu).. . . . Third class as usual...... And these train trips are a microcosm of what the whole country is like. For example ;
(a) they may or may not arrive, and depart on time- but they will get you there
(b) the carriages themselves are falling apart at the seams - but everything that needs to function does . . . And anything that is not essential simply doesn't work.
(c) the people are really friendly. We might not be able to speak to each other but being so close and confined in such a small space . . . We always manage to communicate.
(d) there is no escaping the filth and the smells. Whether it is being perched over a hole in the floor that passes for a toilet, or having to sleep with you head away from the walls so the cockroaches stay out of your hair. The smells and the dirt of India follow you everywhere- and some of the less pleasant smells can imprint themselves in your memory.
(e) you can't escape beggars . . . . Even on the train :) how they manage to get on the train is beyond me but the seem to be able to track down a foreigner with all the stealth and accuracy of a cruise missile.
(f) you can guarantee that there will never be a time when things are quiet. Regardless of the time someone will always be shouting into their cell phone, or the food/lottery/chai man will walk past shouting out what they have for sale...........
(g) despite all of this......there is a charm amidst the chaos. Sometimes you just have to look hard for it:)

We arrived in Madurai early in the morning, and when we washed up at our hotel were surprised to see an elephant standing at the front door (a new form of bouncer perhaps?). Now having an elephant at the front door probably makes you think that the hotel was some former maharaja's palace, no doubt set amidst beautiful grounds and an oasis of peace and calm.
It would probably be stretching the truth to describe this place like that. In reality it was an "ugly mother of a concrete box", overpriced, worn out but offering an air conditioned vegetarian restaurant. And Madurai was hot. We had had plenty of hot weather up till now, but mostly tamed by the sea breeze. Here it was a different kind of heat. Between 35 - 38 each day it made walking around after 10am and before 5pm like taking a sauna.

And yet the Sri Meenakshi temple was awesome. This was the sole reason for coming to Madurai, and it was something that I had built up in my mind, but it was outstanding. According to religious tradition the beautiful Meenakshi was born with three breasts and with a prophecy that the superfluous breast would melt away when she met her husband. This happened when she met the god Shiv and became his consort. The temple itself is a six hectare complex enclosed by four huge gates (the highest Apparantly 52meters) and another 8 gateway towers. All of the gates and towers are carved with hundreds of gods, goddesses, demons and heros. All of which are painted in the most vivid colours. It is a riot of colour, form and fantasy.........and takes the breath away. Inside the complex has thousands of carved stone statues and pillars and a very cool, and subdued atmosphere. One of the things that I loved about the temple is that it is so much more than a beautiful tourist attraction. It is primarily a site of Hindu pilgrimage for everything from wedding blessings, to choosing baby names, to the forgiveness of sins and prayers of every shape and colour. Two parts of the temple are closed to non-Hindus and foreigners, but all around you are people prostrating themselves on the floor, or chanting, or throwing balls of butter at statues, or lighting candles.
It is quite beautiful. History and contemporary culture mixing together quite happily.

The city itself is Apparantly the oldest city in India (which makes it very old indeed in world terms) and it feels like it is. As is the case with all of the cities / towns I have visited. It is simply chaos and carnage. There is no real infrastructure and in Madurai not even any traffic lights :) so crossing the street is a fantastic experience. You simply throw yourself into the mix and hope for the best. If you waited for an opportunity to cross you could be there all day so you need to mix it up with the pedestrians, and motorbikes, and tuk tuks and cabs, and trucks, and cows and a million vehicles all simultaneously blowing their horns.............it's fun :)

I arrived back in Mumbai last night and fly out to Paris and then Barcelona in the early hours of the morning. So the first part of the Indian journey is at an end. I am really looking forward to seeing Susan and it will be good to have a chance to reflect on things away from the maddening crowd.

Be good and be kind to each other
Ant

Cliffs, coffees and sea eagles

I have been in a place called Varkala for the last four or five days. For those of your who are geographically challenged - it is right down near the southern tip of India. Our little traveling band has split up with two heading east while myself and one of the Irishmen carried on southward. Varkala itself is a little town that is built right to the edge of the coastal cliffs. It is divided in two and has a north cliffs section (where we are staying) and a south cliffs section. It is also called the Varanasi of the southas it is the place that Hindu's return the ashes of their loved ones to the sea

The town itself stretches a fair way inland and the cliffs area is quite touristy . . . .with lots of shops and cafes......but the atmosphere is very relaxed and there is no hard selling going on :).

I love it here. All of the cafes and restaurants look out over the sea and as I type this I am drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and watching the sea eagles swoop along the cliffs. Bliss........the ocean is warm, the people are friendly, the food is great and cheap, as is the accommodation......what is not to like.
The majority of my time here has been spent relaxing :) but I have managed to attend a cooking class. That was brilliant and I am looking forward to knocking up some secret Kerela recipes when I return.

I have changed my travel plans somewhat. I have a couple more days here before catching the train inland to Madurai and the amazing Sri Meenakshi temple complex - the temple of the triple breasted fish eyed goddess. Following that I am heading back to Mumbai and flying to Barcelona for three weeks to meet up with Susan. I am really looking forward to that. Then I will return to India for around three weeks and travel the north. Kashmir is in lock down at the moment so I will probably do Rajasthan and focus my time on Udaipur, Jodhpurs, Jaisalmer and Jaipur.

Have fun

Paradise at last

I loved the train journey down from goa to Kerela.
We traveled third class.....which mean't we were in with the locals.....for 16 hours. It was just how I imagined travelling by train in India.
We boarded the train in the dark at 11pm....and at first it felt like we were in prison cells. The carriages were all sleeper carriages and they had squeezed in a bunk in every possible location. We stumbled around in the dark with our packs until we located our bunks....and evicted the locals who had optimistically taken residence :)
The whole journey was one of confusion, colours, loud Hindi music and a constant stream of vendors walking the aisles selling just about everything. Definitively a journey to remember.
We also shared a mini bus from the train station for another two hour journey to our destination Allepeppy / Alapuzza.
The town itself is great. Typically busy and chaotic but full of colour and amazing spice shops and flower shops. Even though the noise and traffic are chaotic, Kerela province does seem very laid back and is much more fun to be in.
We arrived in time for the Nationally famous Neru Cup "snake boat" races. So we joined the multitudes [10,000 plus] to watch the race from stands on the river bank. The races took place over about six hours and everyone was in the "mood to party". The highlight for me was this enormous Hindu guy with the best mustache I have ever seen who was half naked and danced to the crowds from the front of a boat that cruised up and down the river all day.
the highlight of the trip so far was the overnight house boat trip that we took yesterday. The houseboat itself was amazing. It had a open lounge on the bottom deck and another on the top deck. The rooms were beautiful and we had a cook on board so were fed a constant stream of lovely food while we cruised very sedately around the back waters. we also managed to buy some huge tiger prawns from a local fisherman and had one of the best meals I have had in ages.
It was tremendously difficult to leave the boat this morning........I could get used to that lifestyle :)

be good and have fun

and the rains came......

Things have got much better over the last few days.

Perhaps I am starting to get used to it but baga was much more pleasant than arambol. More things were open, the little hotel was much better, and even though it continues to feel very run down......it was much more relaxed.
Have been sleeping, eating good food and doing lots of reading. The food is awesome and the spices taste so different from what they do at home.
I even managed to convince the life guards to let me swim.....so have been thrashing about in the arabian sea. there is lots of surf and the water is sooooooooo warm.

I am catching an overnight train to Ernakulam [in Kerala province] tonight. The trip should take about 16 hours and maybe another 2 hours afterward to get to Alappuzha. That is the jumping off point for exploring the Kerala backwaters and we will be arriving in time for the annual dragon boat racing!!!
I am really looking forward to this part of the trip, as it will include cruising and staying on a houseboat, a trip up into the western Gnat mountains to stay at the tea plantations and maybe a nature reserve before heading off the to sri meenakshi temple complex at Maduri.

WE have been filling in time today as the train doesn't leave until 11pm and spent some time in Old Goa. The highlight of which was an exhibition in the art museum that included "an accurate life size model of Jesus".....who had only one arm....only one finger on the hand that he did have....and best of all.......had bright ginger hair and beard.....priceless.

Be good and have fun

A scotsman, two irishmen, and a kiwi

Hey there,

Have finally managed to find a net Cafe :)

I am now starting my 3rd day in the south.I have to say that it was with great pleasure and with no small amount of relief that I caught the overnight train South out of Mumbai. I really hated Mumbai, with its filth, and inequality, I hated the sheer scale, confusion and Chaos all around and i found the needs of so so many people simply impossible to deal with. Perhaps i was not looking hard enough.....but i found nothing to admire and even less to like.

The train ride South was fun. we had 8 of us sleeping in our curtained off part of the carriage. it was a great way to travel and the trip took 12 hours. I had met a Irishman at the station and we washed up at the "beach resort" of Arambol the next day. He beautifully described our arrival at our accommodation as "like arriving in Darfur". While we knew that we were travelling in the off season.....we didn't realize that nearly everything is shut for the monsoon season. We managed to get accommodation at our fifth attempt.....in rooms that hadn't been opened since March, and where the smell of damp and mould was overpowering. After a lot of walking around we found a beach Restaurant that was open and where we met up with another Irishman from the train and his scots mate. We make an unlikely travelling party....but everyone felt better after a few beers.

We left the next day for a larger beach town called Baja....which is where we currently are. Again most of the shops and accommodation places are closed but enough are open that it doesn't feel like we are in a ghost town.

The greatest tragedy so far is that all the beaches are closed for swimming.....and patrolled by life guards to ensure they remain closed :(

The journey so far has really been one of hard slog. It has not been relaxing at all. everwhere so far is filthy and run down, the heat is amazing at first but also very draining and the needs of people are always present in their poverty and in their struggle for survival. India seems to require a hardening of the heart.....
A friend told me that India would be good for me.......because i would have to stop saving people and i would have to learn to say no.
Well "No" is now the first word on my lips............but I wonder what will happen to my heart

Like a gracefully aging great aunt

I would like to describe Mumbai as a gracefully aging great aunt. A city that would have been gorgeous in its youth.......but is now showing the signs of age. A city where the wrinkles show, where the skin has started to sag, where the life is starting to fade from its eyes............

However, that is probably not very accurate. It may well have been beautiful once, but if so I doubt that was in living memory. The city is well past the "worn" stage. Everything seems in need of a coat of paint, and a wash, and some green. It is a city of contrasts. Teeming with people, and colour, and dust and the scent of "the great unwashed" (finally that phrase has come to life for me :)), it is also filthy and falling apart and seems to be held together by goodwill alone.

Some thoughts;
(1) Pigeon restaurants.........places where you feed the pigeons rather than eat them. Apparantly feeding pigeons is a respectable religious activity and these "Pigeon restaurants" are scattered all over the city.
(2) Being white......and longhaired............ I haven't felt like this since I worked in the townships in south Africa and it is very stranged to be treated as a curiosity. Everyone seems to do a double take when they see me. It's like WTF......look at that strange white dude. Surprising really as I am sure they see plenty of tourists (although not at the moment as this is the rainy season).
(3) the beach.......I was excited to be encountering a new ocean (in this case the arabian sea) and one that even had waves :). However......it is filthy. I took a long walk along the beach yesterday at low tide and it was just covered in rubbish. Plastic bags by the millions and it is obviously treated a one big garbage dump. Such a tragedy really, and one that reminds me how lucky we are in nz. I took another walk along the beach this morning at high tide as I wanted to walk in the warm waves.....which was all good until i went to put my shoes on and discovered that my feet were black with some kind of dodgy oil like substance........lonely planet does not recommend swimming here and now I know why. A shame really as the water is beautifully warm. I hope it gets better when I head south.

Anyway, enough for now.
Have fun and be kind