Backwaters and Beaches

Happy Holidays!!
I don't mean to boast, but I've been spending the last week either sleeping on a train, lazying on a house boat, or sunbathing on a beach. ;)
After leaving Chennai, Sai, Sundeep, and I went to Kerala to spend a day in its backwaters. Kerala is also known as God's Country. We rented a house boat for a whole day. Seriously, this thing had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The bathrooms were nicer than some of the hotels we've been staying in! The three of us and our three person crew floated along the canals and lagoons. There were always small houses tucked into the palm trees, precariously built on narrow man-made strips of land. The strips enclosed rice paddies that went on forever. The locals rely on ferries and canoes to get around. Just imagine having to get to school or the market in a canoe! The day we spent on the boat was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle and crowds of India. The scenery was beautiful; however, the signs of human contanimation were hard to ignore. This is something that has somewhat marred my impressions of India. The country truely is beautiful and elegant with its cities, temples, and natural wonders. But you have to be able to look past the garbage, waste, and stinky sewers. I think the in-your-face poverty would be easier to bear if India's waste management system were more effective and its people more aware. Then again...there are over one billion people here! I don't imagine it to be easy to change that many people's mindsets about environmental concerns when they're fighting just to feed themselves.
Sai and I spent Christmas eve and Christmas hanging out on the beach. Erase that picture of pristine secluded beach out of your mind. The beaches here are packed with food/drink shacks made of palm leaves and bamboo. Beach recliners and umbrellas take over the sand. On Christmas eve, the beach was lit up with partiers, diners, and revelers. Fireworks were launched only 100 meters away from where we were sitting. The dancing lights, candles, fireworks all on a backdrop of a full moon was pretty darn magical. Oh and the sand!! The softest sand my toes have ever felt!

Overstimulated

A few notes.

1. I'm dirty. Everyday my face and nostrils are caked in dirt and grime. Thank goodness for facial wipes.

2. The men in India are drab, at least in attire. The women are like gemstones in a basket of pebbles. It doesn't seem to matter what their economic status is, the women's saris are always a rich, bright color. It's like nature reversed where the females display their plumes and waggle about to attract a mate. I don't think that's their intention, but it certainly attracts my eye.

3. Life in India is organic. Even the traffic. It is always flowing. Adjusting and altering course to get around an obstacle. Even though every bit of day-to-day life is chaotic and frantic, things get done. As Sai remarked, it has to. I kind of envy it. American life is so rigid in comparison. You have to fill out the right forms, follow the right steps, in the right order, at the right time. We could use a bit of the flavor here at home.

4. Traveling without knowing the language is hard! I got around in S. America fine because I spoke some Spanish. But man, I would be so lost here without 
a translator. All I can do is stare back blankly when someone tries to speak to me. I feel so dumb! I've just started to pick up a few Hindi words like one, two, hundred, how much, no. But we'll be heading to South India where they don't speak Hindi. D'OH!

5. Holy sugar high. I feel like I've been eating non-stop since we took off from Chicago. Every meal is followed by either chai or coffee. Both of which are sugared and milky. Yum, yes. Happy tummy, no. There are some traditional foods and treats that are nearly pure sugar. They taste so good, but my body just won't take more than a few nibbles.

Whoa. India.

Whoa...I'm in India.

We arrived Sunday morning around 3am (about 4pm Saturday Chicago time). 

In an attempt to adjust to the local time, we went to bed. I don't think either of us slept much. Instead we listened to the orchestra of India. A dog barked incessantly outside the window. At about 5am, a rhythmic swish, swish, swish, swish counted the minutes away as someone started their never ending battle against dirt and dust. A man sang to the sunrise, and the train whistles near by sounded like a battalion of trumpets.

My first day was spent learning to avoid being slammed into by rickshaws and mototaxis while trying not to step in a pile of cow dung all in the same moment! Let's just say that I'm lucky Sai has my back.

Much more to reflect on, but we've got to make the most of our day here in Delhi. We're off to Varanasi this afternoon.