Southern Perspectives on India

10 Days in Goa

After arriving in Bangalore (India) from Bangkok (Thailand) I met up with Kuttss, who was a leader from my NOLS mountaineering course. He lives in Bangalore part-time, when he´s not in the mountains, and he had time to travel in January. So, it worked to meet up to travel together, and shortly after I landed in India, we headed to the western coast of India to the state of Goa to spend Christmas with one of his friends (Xavier). My friend Hana (also on the NOLS course, we trekked in Nepal together), was also able to meet up with us. Together, Kuttss, Xavier, Matty (another friend), and Hana and I had a great time exploring the un-touristy parts of Goa. We zipped in and out of local beaches on motorbikes, ate delicious home-cooked Goan food (lots of fish curries and rice), visited Portuguese cathedrals from the 15th century, crashed weddings, and lazed around, avoiding the mid-day heat.

During these 10 days, we stayed in Xavier´s village. Throughout the Christmas to New Years season, the village is alive with many events. Because a lot of the villagers work on cruise ships for 9 months of the year (often times as cooks) or in the Gulf (Dubai), the community is seasonal and people take advantage of the times when everyone is back home. It was great fun to watch their week of Christmas and New Years events. Most mornings, there were different sports games such as soccer or volleyball. However, on New Years day, there was the equivalent of sports days. The whole village participated in events such as tug-of-war, egg tosses, short distance and long distance running races, slow cycling "race", and much more. The whole atmosphere was very festive and celebratory.

Speaking of celebrations...we also went wedding crashing two times and to Christmas Eve service. Xavier´s mom was kind enough to dress Hana and I up in sarees, and I learned important lessons such as: 1) don´t sit slouched down or with your legs spread in a saree, very un-lady or un-saree like (I horrified Xavier during Christmas Eve service!), and 2) how to ride a moped "side saddle" with both legs on one side while wrapped up in a saree. Not only was it fun to get to wear a saree, it also helped me understand a bit more how important, and personal, a saree is. For example, for Xavier´s mom to let me borrow a saree (the first time the saree was more basic, the second time fancier) was actually a pretty significant act of trust and sharing. Also, while women often wear a basic cotton saree, a nice, dressy saree could easily cost the equivalent of a prom dress or much much more. According to Xavier and Kuttss, the saree is the "sexiest dress in the world." I don´t know if that´s a fact, but the saree is definitely important to Indians, and like a Western person might say: "You look great in that dress!", an Indian person might say: "Wow, that saree looks really good on you."

A few more notes from Goa..

• I didn´t realize that some states in India have a significant Christian population. Goa was heavily influenced by Portuguese missionaries, and a lot of that culture and ideology remains. Additionally, in Old Goa, there are many remaining cathedrals built in the Portuguese style.
• Indians brush their teeth before breakfast so that that their mouth is clean and their food tastes better. One morning Xavier was confused why I was brushing my teeth after breakfast, and I said, "Well, to clean the food off of my teeth after I ate." He was quite confused, and at first I thought both Kutts and Xavier were pulling my leg, but no. They really do brush their teeth before breakfast.  It's just a different perspective, that's all.
• One of the most hilarious moments of the entire month was probably when Kuttss, Xavier, and Hana and I (both dressed up in sarees) were dancing at a Goan Christian wedding, and the next song they played with the funky chicken. Hana´s jaw dropped and she completely froze, her face to be consumed only moments later with a goofy smile of the irony of dancing this song in India. We all had a great time moving to the funky chicken, 70's rock, and Bollywood/Hindi hits...while also hitting up the free buffet table. I highly recommend wedding crashing (it was a distant connection of Xavier´s, actually) if you can...
• Realize that everyone, everywhere, has their own "home remedies." For us, if you feel sick, drink Sprite and eat soda crackers. For Xavier in Goa, drink "feni" - cashew liquor. Pour some into a glass, light it on fire, and then drink the warm feni. For Kuttss in Coorg (in the state of Karnataka), drink rum with hot water - you´ll wake up the next morning, good as new.

Kerala, "God´s Country"

From Goa, Kuttss and I headed south along the coast to the state of Kerala. There, we spent a few days with an old school friend of his before heading up off the coast and into the hills. Kerala was coined "God´s Country" by the tourist advertisements and while it is a beautiful state, the constant tourist promotions have made it difficult to navigate for non-tourist prices at times. In Kerala, we hiked up a hill/mountain (2100 meters), visited Fort Kochi (the first Portuguese colony in India, later fought over by the Dutch as well as the British), rode a slow boat through the Kerala backwaters, and watched men walk around in lungis (like a wrap-around skirt, really great for staying cool in the furnace-like heat of the Kerala summers). An interesting note is that Kerala is a communist state, and while the upward mobility of women in society isn´t very progressive, Kerala has succeeded in having one of the highest literacy rates in India, and also has one of the most successful health care systems as well. In Kerala, the predominant language in Malayalam (a palindrome).

The Southermost Point of India, and Northward Through the State of Tamil Nadu

After Kerala, we landed in Kanyakumari, the southernmost point of India. This point of land is the confluence of the Arabian Sea (from the west), the Indian Ocean (from the south), and the Bay of Bengal (from the east). Sunsets and sunrises are a main attraction, as well as it being a pilgrimage destination for many Indians. There is a large monument for Swami Vivekananda (a religious reformer and philosopher, formerly Hindu, who later adopted a spiritual worldview that was less "religion-centered"), a statue of Thiruvalluvar (Tamil poet), and also a Gandhi Memorial (where Gandhi's ashes were kept before being dispersed into the ocean. The memorial was designed in such a way that on Gandhi's birthday, 2 October, the first rays of the sun fall on the exact place where his ashes were kept).

From Kanyakumari, we went up to Madurai, an important Hindu temple town. The temple itself is quite impressive, full of colors and multitudes of figurines. However, it was a bit disappointing to find out that they´d changed the rules, and that foreigners are no longer allowed inside. After a few hours in Madurai, we had enough, and set out on a night bus to Pondicherry.

Pondicherry...Puducherry..Pondy...This formerly French colony has retained a strong French "feel" and culture. It was a fun city to visit, especially during Pongal (a 4-day Hindu harvest festival). We lucked out, and watched a very impressive dance performance that was staged on the street for Pongal. The dancers, a professional dance company, combined modern dance elements with dance traditional to Tamil Nadu, for a spectacular performance accompanied by local music. Overall, we didn´t "do" much in Pondicherry, but enjoyed a few days of moseying around, before starting the journey back to Bangalore.

Bangalore, Once Again

Back in Bangalore, I was fortunate enough to catch up with one of my college running buddies. She happened to see from a Facebook status message that I was in India. Of all the cities for her to be living in, it was great to spend a morning with her, catching up on life, and drinking South Indian filter (local) coffee. The last few days in Southern India flew by, eating my last few dosas (rice pancakes), drinking my last few South Indian coffees, and hanging out once again with Xavier and some of Xavier and Kuttss´ friends.

Saying Goodbye to India (for now...)

It might be an understatement so say that I really enjoyed my time in India - I really loved it. Compared to how I felt leaving home, thinking about India, I was surprised I liked it so much. India is a fascinating country. There is so much variety, so many languages, so many different cultural expectations (from when to brush your teeth to not passing a gift with your left hand), that after a month I still felt that I was only scratching the surface in regards to "knowing India." Also, I really enjoyed the food (Southern Indians LIVE on rice...oh so beautiful for my gluten-intolerant stomach) and getting to know local people, from Kuttss to Xavier to Xavier´s family and their group of friends.

Thus concludes nearly 5 months in Asia.  While I valued the opportunity to visit South East Asia (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia), I don´t know if they are places that I will return to again soon. However, I still feel drawn to exploring in more depth the complexities of culture and natural beauty of India or Nepal. Now I´m off to chasing more mountains and summer sun in South America.


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