Kerala - Not Meant to Be
I can only recall sitting at the train station in Goa waiting for my sleeper train to Cochin. I also remember taking 3 rock 'n'roll busses for a total of four hours to get from Gokarna to the train station in Margao, Goa. What a crazy mess to get where I want to go when there seem to be no direct routes either flying or training or anything!
The passenger buses were a little rough, but the truth is that I'm getting used to everything and I love it here even though there are some real inconveniences like bad air pollution, diesel trains, trash everywhere, trash fires, funky toilets and pushy hawkers. I can overlook it all when I am present to the love and peace I feel here.
I can even overlook all the smokers, hippie backpackers, men staring and beggars. It's all okay by me.
Okay, so I was sitting there at the train stattion when I discovered that the train I was supposed to take to Cochin, Kerala was now coming 6 hours late. What that means is instead of 9pm at night, it was now scheduled to be leaving at 3am. I sat together with Amit for awhile trying to detemine what to do if anything. All of a sudden, we discovered that this very same train was now deterred another 3-6 hours! No guarantee as to when it might arrive! Maybe 5:30am, maybe 6:30, maybe 7:30. Sorry. Not for me.
I lost it. I said, "Let's cash in my ticket and go back to your flop house!" (where he had taken a room thinking I would be on the train and that he would just rest until his flight back to Delhi that next afternoon.) Again I surrendered. Then I decided we should head back to Goa, Al Queda threat or no threat!
So, in the morning having spent the night in the absolute worst place in Margao, we headed out for Palolem Beach in south Goa. This is where I wanted to come last year, but could not figure out how to say it. On the way, I had the riskshaw stop at a wine shop so I could buy some before arriving in Palolem just in case. I paid 450 R's per bottle which is more than some of the rooms we have been staying in.
I remember when you could travel to Europe on $5 per day. Now I'm doing it on just a little more than that in India.
And my dreams of Kerala have gone down the Ganga. But my other wish to stay in a beach tree hut have now come true. I found this wonderful quiet and clean hut to stay in until departing for Delhi on the 29th of December.
The passenger buses were a little rough, but the truth is that I'm getting used to everything and I love it here even though there are some real inconveniences like bad air pollution, diesel trains, trash everywhere, trash fires, funky toilets and pushy hawkers. I can overlook it all when I am present to the love and peace I feel here.
I can even overlook all the smokers, hippie backpackers, men staring and beggars. It's all okay by me.
Okay, so I was sitting there at the train stattion when I discovered that the train I was supposed to take to Cochin, Kerala was now coming 6 hours late. What that means is instead of 9pm at night, it was now scheduled to be leaving at 3am. I sat together with Amit for awhile trying to detemine what to do if anything. All of a sudden, we discovered that this very same train was now deterred another 3-6 hours! No guarantee as to when it might arrive! Maybe 5:30am, maybe 6:30, maybe 7:30. Sorry. Not for me.
I lost it. I said, "Let's cash in my ticket and go back to your flop house!" (where he had taken a room thinking I would be on the train and that he would just rest until his flight back to Delhi that next afternoon.) Again I surrendered. Then I decided we should head back to Goa, Al Queda threat or no threat!
So, in the morning having spent the night in the absolute worst place in Margao, we headed out for Palolem Beach in south Goa. This is where I wanted to come last year, but could not figure out how to say it. On the way, I had the riskshaw stop at a wine shop so I could buy some before arriving in Palolem just in case. I paid 450 R's per bottle which is more than some of the rooms we have been staying in.
I remember when you could travel to Europe on $5 per day. Now I'm doing it on just a little more than that in India.
And my dreams of Kerala have gone down the Ganga. But my other wish to stay in a beach tree hut have now come true. I found this wonderful quiet and clean hut to stay in until departing for Delhi on the 29th of December.
posted by Latihan at 10:27 AM
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