Wanderings

I write after a blissful week of computer-free travels, so I have much to say.

I began with 4 days in Goa, a coastal area 12 hours south of Bombay by train, and the place was absolutely beautiful. It had hills, mountains, beautiful rivers and streams accented with palm trees and fishermen boats, and beaches all within one area.


I went with my 2 cousins and their families, boarding the train circa midnight and arriving in Goa 12 hours later, tired and cranky. The train ride was loud, shaky, and just overall bad but the worst was yet to come. On day 1, we went to an old fort with pretty views and a pretty small lighthouse and/or prison holding cell. I couldn't figure out which one. We then went to one of the beaches where I obtained my battle scars from jet skiing in the rough waters. Hurricane and monsoon seasons were on their way, so the waves come with force and gust. I believe there was a red flag, indicating that swimming or engaging in water sports is prohibited but eh. It's India.


We also saw old Portuguese houses and churches. Goa's architecture is unique, bright, and beautiful, even more so then the architecture elsewhere in the country. Looking at the details and colors in buildings here truly makes me want to study architecture after Duke.

The ride from Goa to Surat - the city where I partly grew up when I lived here - will likely be my worst experience here. The TWENTY hour ride was hot, humid, sticky, sweaty, and all other things that can be said about Indian heat. Plus, my obsession with cleanliness which had slowly been on the decline since arrival kicked into full gear once we boarded the train. Before we could sit down, we had to use a newspaper and wipe the dead bugs and/or dead flowers, plus dirt, off the seats which were already covered with strange stains. Literally every family around me had an unbelievably loud child or loud children who loved to cry and shriek in their highest pitches a lot. Needless to say, I did not sit, eat, drink, or do anything else properly the entire 20 hours. Sleep did not come. When it did, I would awake thinking we were 30 minutes away from home, only to find the train had once again decided to stop in the middle of nowhere to further delay arrival in Surat, and bring me one step close to killing someone.

We did finally arrive in Surat and I spent the next couple of days recovering from all the lost sleep, bad hygiene, and anger. This was does simultaneously with being dragged to different houses for visits to family friends/relatives where I answered the same questions over and over and over again.

The questions continued into Saturday and Sunday, when I went to Mandavi, a tiny town near Surat where my uncle lives. As a child, I used to come to Mandavi all the time, especially during summers, and stay with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. At that time, they didn't have a TV or any toys, so I would wander around town. I would walk up to a temple in the mornings and look down at the river that passes by. There's a bridge that still remains there; it was destroyed decades ago during a monsoon flood. I only got a glimpse of it this time but when I was younger, I would stare at it forever. I still wandered a little when I went to Mandavi and ate all the wonderful Indian junk food I used to eat.

It was nice going back. It's one of the few places I remember well and can still go back to. The other two houses I grew up in have been sold and completely changed. Mandavi was the end of travelling part of the trip (for now). I started my SOL project today - more on that to come.