BOOM, boom .




Startin' to sound a lot like.. X-mas...

(Fireworks, people... Relax.)

I made it to Goa. Not by train; too many numbers in this tiny brain to keep it straight... No. I went to the train station in what I figured was PLENTY of time.. at least 90 minutes before the train came!! - and then realized with horror that I'd just missed it by an hour. So, I immediately booked a flight- even after being told by the booking person at the train station that there was a possibility that I would be able to make it on a different train at 11:30 if I managed to make it out to another train station that was about 20 minutes away... I knew that the likelihood of A) that being true and B) if so, my being able to pull it off was nil, if not negative nil . I was bummed- I just pissed away $230 or so on the plane ticket, and half of my train fare (you can get a refund for half), which was some $15 or something, and the subsequent hour and a half running from desk to desk to desk to obtain the refund nearly pushed it over the “not worth it line”, but I was mad at myself for missing the train, so went through the rigamarole of getting the refund.. heavy pack in tow and all.

I'd had a good day and evening, that night before, writing, hanging out, eating lunch left-overs, and generally glowing from the day's success- but not a good night of sleeping. The kitchen that lay in the corner of the room I rented (surely it was in the same room... SO loud) didn't stop for five minutes of the 24/7 schedule it apparently kept... And I didn't sleep at all. The night's room rent included a cacophony of all-you-can-possibly-tolerate-and-then-some clinking of plates and silverware, banging pots and pans, phone ringing every 10 or so minutes as room service orders were placed ... No sleep at all. Long night. But no matter, said I, the traveler with a train ticket! I'll sleep on the train, which I soon shall board, and then enjoy the coastline trip I've been jonesing for years now.. Ah well. I did make it back to the airport and boarded the plane in plenty of time, and while my mistake afforded me another half-day in Mumbai, my sleeplessness and my morning running hither and yon to get my refund took whatever I may have had of any lingering juice and squeezed it right out... A mixture of sweat, dirt, and what may have once passed for patience could have been served right up over ice. ..Yum.

Malesh picked me up at the Goa International Airport and said, “Welcome Home!”. I was happy to have landed. A long, windy, familiar drive from the airport up through some small towns, and through the “hub”, Margoa, before we drop back down over the hills and towards the coast. Southern India is peppered with old Portugese buildings and Catholic churches; stylistically different from the English buildings (the train station, for instance- Victoria Terminal) which are left over from the British; grand, immortal building, that train station . Not so with the occupation, but I'd have to say that here on the beach, the British are a major force, for sure!

I am the only American (that I know of) here again this year. Frank (from Jersey, I believe) was here last year, but no sign of Frank this year. He was a camouflage wearin', American flag-patched, loudmouthed “F-You, America Rules” kind of guy... But a great cook with some medical training and a small arsenal of antibiotics hat he' take to neighboring villages almost daily to patch people up and is greatly missed, from what I hear this year. Since I am the only other American, I'm asked, have you heard from Frank? ...No... I haven't. But it would have been interesting if I had.

Great to see Erlend and Elin, and we've spent most days so far here together at least for a few hours in the sun, a cocktail on our collective porch, and for dinner, usually. I got here after a pretty exhausting day.. what... three days ago? ..and then sort of felt crappy for a couple of days- not the “Big Sick”, just needing a lot of sleep and some R & R, I think, from all the moving on the road after all the long work days at home. Next year: Come here first after all those long days and relax, and THEN plan the next move from here, after some days of nothing. I want to make it over to Hampi, and intend to go with those guys- I think that we can rent a car and driver for less (together) than it would cost to get an overnight bus that would take much longer and inevitably be uncomfortable and zoo-ey. Not that I don't love zoo-ey, but I'm ready to take a load off for this week between Christmas and New Year's before I start planning the adventure afterward. I don't know for sure if I'll shoot over to Kolkata, or try to get to Belgaum to see Rachell first (my inclination); I want to take at least one long train ride. Cutting cross country from here to Kolkata sounds challenging and about right (or from Mumbai to Kolkata) although it would probably eat up four days, but maybe going down to Bangalore by train and then flying up to Varanasi from there is a better idea? If I had an extra week or two that four day train ride would sound like a much better idea, because I wouldn't have to worry about that cutting in to my adventure time off the train... Not sure, and probably not going to figure it out today. First step: Finish this up and get my ass out there in the water.

Cheers, all; til next time! Time to throw pictures and this writing on to a drive, put all this shit away, grab my sarong, my water, my sunscreen, 50 rupees or so for lunch a little later, and hit the sand and surf...