Hampi and the Hospet Hospital

Ruins in Hampi
Reservoir
View from the Monkey Temple
Village girl
Guy sleeping outside of his shop - this is what you see as you walk down the streets in the morning
Lakshmi getting her morning bath

Lakshmi still getting her bathAnd one more of Lakshmi, because she's so cute
Indians bathing and doing their laundry at the river
Esin
Cuneyt and Benjamin
Group shot - but where is Esin?
Sunset at the reservoir
View from the Monkey Temple

Another view from the monkey temple
Main temple in Hampi
Me and some sadhus
Village life across the river in Hampi
Man making deep fried chili peppers - delicious!
On the boat ride to Hampi - I love this photo!
Ruins in Hampi
Rock formations in Hampi
Village baby
Striking a pose

After 10 days in Gokarna, I finally managed to pack up the backpack yet again and move on to a place called Hampi. It is located inland from the Karnataka coast and is known for its rock formations and temple ruins. I came together with 3 friends - Esin and Cuneyt from Turkey and Benjamin from Germany. We had all been hanging out together in Gokarna and decided to go together to Hampi. There is a river running through Hampi and the main town is situated on one side - with the other side being mostly guest houses, restaurants and small shops. After staying in the main town for one night, we decided to move to the other side which was much more relaxed. In order to get there, you had to take a very short boat ride across the river for a mere 10 rupees. We found a great place with a shaded garden, an incredible view over the river and nice swings to relax in. I was really getting into the groove there. I had decided to get up the following morning to go to the monkey temple - which was about a 30 minute walk from our guest house. I woke up bright and early and set off on the road. To give you a brief background - while I was still in Gokarna - I developed a most disgusting and painful reaction to my numerous mosquito bites. Instead of just acting like normal mosquito bites where they just itched and then went away - these got really infected. About a dozen of them got very swollen and filled up with pus. They became extremely painful - to the point that it was hard to walk on my one leg because there were so many infected around my ankle and foot. I was beginning to get a bit worried about them - not to mention that it was painful and the day before I decided to go to the monkey temple - I saw a doctor. He informed me that I had an allergic reaction and gave me some pills to take for the infection and gave me some cream to put on them. This all happened the evening before my morning walk to the monkey temple. So, where was I - oh yes, I woke up bright and early and set off on the road to the monkey temple. A few minutes into my walk, I got the feeling that something wasn't right. My kidneys actually hurt - I started thinking that maybe it was the pills that the doctor had given me. But, as I continued on, I realized that it was more than that - by the time that I got to the end of the road, I was so exhausted that I had to sit down for a minute. I decided to turn around and go back to the room. By the time that I got to the room, I had to crawl into bed immediately. Within minutes, my temperature was soaring - my skin was so hot to the touch - like an inferno. And then I got uncontrollable shakes/shivering. I was completely bundled in blankets and clothes and I was just shaking non-stop - so much that my teeth were chattering and I couldn't stop. I had a raging headache and both of my hands were numb - I couldn't get the feeling to come into them. The shaking went on for about 30 minutes or more and then it finally stopped. I made my way out to the restaurant and told the owners what was happening to me and they said that I needed to go to the hospital. I had just stopped taking my anti-malaria pills 4 days previous and I was pretty convinced that I had malaria - as I had every single one of the symptoms. At this point, my fever was at 101. The owners woke up my friends for me and Benjamin and Cuneyt accompanied me to the hospital. It was a horrific ride to the hospital for me as I first had to take the boat ride across the river and then a bumpy rickshaw ride from Hampi to Hospet - where the closest and best hospital was located. By the time that I got to the hospital - I could barely stand and my fever had gone up to 104 - within an hour. They immediately took my blood and tested me for malaria and other things - as well as took my fever. The doctor came back with the results and told me that I did not have malaria - that I had enteric fever. I wasn't sure what that was but he said that my fever was very dangerous and that I needed to stay in the hospital for 2 days and 2 nights. They immediately hooked me up to an IV and started pumping me up with stuff. The whole first day was a blur as I faded in and out of sleep and fought my fever. By the early evening, I was feeling much better but then the fever came back. It went on like this for 2 days and up until the morning that I got discharged. I questioned the doctor some more about my diagnosis and finally heard the word typhoid fever for the first time - which was more familiar to me than enteric fever. So, I got typhoid fever, even though I'd been vaccinated for it last year. I guess the vaccination is not 100% and you contract it through contaminated food or water. My theory is that when I had those open wounds on my legs and went swimming in Gokarna - I got infected from the sea water. I only say this because in India - people use the toilet wherever and whenever they need to - and although the ocean was clean in front of our hotel in Gokarna, where I swimmed - if you walked up the beach for a little ways - in front of the fishing villages - you could see piles of turds lined up all along the shore. So, not sure if my theory is correct but it seems that the infections on my legs and the sudden onset of the illness must be connected - or maybe not, who knows. Anyway, I am doing much better now as I am on antibiotics for the next 2 weeks. I did a lot of research on typhoid and it said that I could have the symptoms off and on for the course of my treatment but so far, i have been lucky - i've only had a headache. It was a very scary experience to be in a hospital in India - but I must say that they took very good care of me. It wasn't quite the Indian experience that I was looking for. The hospital was nice enough but nowhere near the standards of the hospitals at home, obviously. It may have been a bit better if I had been in a bigger city but considering the circumstances, I was happy to be where I was. By the last day there, I was almost climbing the walls - with nothing to do except stare at them while I laid on my rock hard bed in the heat - swatting at mosquitos and lighting the candle in between the power outages. Yes, this is India. I thankfully had an overnight guest on the first night - chunate came and stayed with me which was very nice adn then on the second night, I had a Canadian roomate who was also in the hospital with a bad case of diarrhea. I had planned to leave Hampi the day after I got sick and already purchased a train ticket and a domestic airline ticket from Bangalore to Calcutta but had to miss my train and re-schedule the ticket - as well as change my international flight from Calcutta to Bangkok. I shouldn't say "I", because the responsibility fell onto my friends who ended up helping me out so much through all of this. Esin, Cuneyt and Benjamin - you are the best and I am so thankful for meeting you on this journey! After returning to Hampi, I hung out for 3 more days to rest and see the sights that I had missed out on during my hospital stay. I finally made it to the monkey temple for sunset and it was well worth this journey - this time, I did it on bicycle. I also explored some of the ruins around Hampi - which there are hundreds, so I barely touched the surface. And I also made it to the reservoir for a nice dip in the cool waters and a lovely sunset. I got lucky to see the holy elephant, Lakshmi, getting her morning bath in the river, as well as getting a "blessing" from her in the temple. Lakshmi spends most of her day in the temple where you can go and feed her bananas or give her money. If you give her a rupee, she takes the rupee from your hand with her trunk, hands it to her trainer and then you stand there and wait for her to give you a tap on your head with her trunk. All in all, i absolutely loved Hampi. It was so different from anyplace else that I've seen in India. It was a good place to end my journey here in India and it definitely feels like time to move on - even though I'm not quite sure what the next step is. I am now in Calcutta and getting ready to fly to Bangkok tommorrow morning. I just picked up the Southeast Asia Lonely Planet here in Calcutta and i will be reading that during my airport time and flight and hopefully come up with a plan. It's a toss up between Laos, Vietnam or Cambodia - or a combination of one or two of those. It's looking like I'll have to spend a few days in Bangkok to smooth out the plans and figure out my visa requirements. So, from one crazy city to the next, I go. India has been an intense experience for me, all around. I completely understand why people say that one minute, you love it and the next minute, you hate it. I can now relate to that feeling. It's the most intense, chaotic, beautiful, disgusting, colorful, infuriating, noisy, dirty, populated and mesmerizing country in the world. And I hope that I added enough positive words in there as well because it's not all negative. It really is an amazing country and after visiting the south - I have a much more holistic and pleasant view of India. I'm not in a hurry to come back, just yet - but I know that I will.

Arambol, Goa and Gokarna, Karnataka

The northern end of Gokarna beach - at the rivermouth
Lush rice fields in Gokarna - this is just a 10 minute walk from the shores of the Arabian Sea
Village fisherman repairing his net - behind him you can see the fish drying in the sun underneath a fishing net
Fishing village in Gokarna
Small packets of cotton candy, anyone? We ran into this guy while walking on dirt paths through the fishing villages.
Fellow Homerites - Brad and Melissa
Sunset Cafe - the place that I stayed in Gokarna
Indian pilgrims at Gokarna Beach at sunset
The gardens surrounding my room in the village of Gokarna
Om Beach
This sign is posted outside of the Rama temple (Rama is one of the millions of Hindu gods) in Gokarna
I saw this man walking down the beach carrying a huge basket of dried leaves and I'm not sure what was inside but it looked unbelievably heavy
This crazy contraption is in the center of town in Gokarna and is supposedly going to be used i an upcoming celebration - they will actually pull this through the streets
Local fishermen working their nets in Gokarna
The beach in front of the place that i'm staying at in Gokarna
On my walk back to my room
Village life in Gokarna - this was also taken on the path that i use to get back to my room which goes through the gardens

Gokarna beach, Karnataka
Fishing boats at a beach north of Arambol, Goa
Worth a picture
It's not just us who likes the beach - only in India
Traditional fishing boat in Arambol, Goa
Arambol sunset, Goa
Arambol beach, Goa

After a long overnight bus journey, I arrived in Goa on the morning of my 32nd birthday. Goa is the name of a state in India and is comprised of many different beachside towns that are ever popular with tourists. I debated a lot about whether or not i should even visit this part of India and if so, which beach to choose. I decided in the morning to get off of the bus and go to one of the northern beaches - I was burnt out from traveling so much and needed a break. The beach town that i chose was Arambol. After arriving, i made the walk down into the town and began the search for a place to stay. I ended up meeting a nice German guy, Adrian, who informed me that there was a nice place to stay where he was staying and that they were having a confirmation party for their grandaughter and he could show me the way. One of the immediate things that i noticed upon arriving in Goa is that Christianity, mainly Catholicism, is more prevalent than Hinduism and Muslim - which is a big change from Rajasthan and other northern parts of India. All of these religions co-exist in India harmoniously. It is by far the most diverse, spiritual and fascinating country and culture that i've ever visited. Back to my story - I followed my German friend, Adrian, back to the guest house, which was tucked nicely away within the village. Indeed there was quite a celebration taking place and the owner, Maria, showed me to my room and invited me down to eat some food and have a beer. I took her up on the offer and joined Adrian and an American woman, Kathryn in the festivities. There was an amazing amount of food and Maria kindly served me a nice, cold Kingfisher - the beer of choice here in India. As I stuffed my face, I looked up and noticed that there were balloons hanging up everywhere and they said, "Happy Birthday." For a brief moment, i pretended it was my birthday party. I ended up spending 4 days in Arambol and spent a lot of time walking the beaches and exploring. Arambol - like most of Goa - is quite touristy and although there seemed to be great people there - it wasn't the experience or scene that i was searching for. I was feeling quite lonely, even though i spent a lot of time getting to know Adrian and Kathryn. One day I made an Indian friend at breakfast and he offered to take me to the Bunyon tree and the freshwater lake which was just around the corner from Arambol beach. I decided to join him and we made our way to the other beach, where the freshwater lake was. We then followed the trail into the forest and along a creek until we reached the Bunyon tree. i had no idea what to expect - i was just expecting a large tree and maybe some monkeys. Instead, I found a huge tree where an old hippy woman apparently lives and a bunch of hippies with instruments hanging out, twirling around and chilling out. I hung out there for a short while and then we made our way back along the creek and stopped off at one spot where there was a large deposit of clay. We chipped the clay off of the sides of the creek and mixed it up with water to form a paste and gave ourselves a mud bath. I covered my body completely in mud and then walked back to the freshwater lake to allow it to dry. I then took a glorious dip in the freshwater lake to wash off the residue. My skin felt incredibly soft afterwards. After exploring as much as i could in Arambol, I decided to continue south - where i heard about an amazing place called Gokarna. After 6 different bus rides and an entire day of traveling, i finally made it to Gokarna. It was only supposed to be 3 bus rides and then a very short train ride but I missed my train and ended up having to take 3 more buses and it took me 4 more hours than it would have if I had made my train. I literally watched my train pull away as i tried to run to the platform with my gigantic backpack. It wasn't my favorite day, that's for sure. Then, upon arrival - finally at 8:00 p.m., i roamed the streets of Gokarna to find a place to stay. i found a decent place and i was anxious to get the backpack off and get some sleep after a long day of travel. After walking around town, i quickly realized that the mosquitos were relentless and in abundance and that my place did not have a mosquito net. So, it was a very long night for me - and on top of that, it rained so hard that i thought the entire building would float away - which only made for more mosquitos. I anxiously awaited sunrise so that i could get the hell out of there. The next day, as i was walking down the street - i ran into a girl from Turkey - whom I had met in Pushkar about a month ago. She told me about that place that they were staying and i went to check it out. It was perfect - it's located on a very secluded part of the beach - just a short walk from town and it is only 100 rupees/night (equal to $2.50) and I even have an Indian toilet (squat toilet) and a bucket shower in my room. The best part about the place where i'm staying is that although it's not right on the beach - it's a beautiful 5 minute walk from the beach through acres and acres of lush, organic gardens. Although the room is nothing special - it can best be described as a prison cell-like cement room with no character - the surrounding village and gardens more than make up for the ambiance that my room lacks. My favorite time is in the morning when i wake up - which is usually just after sunrise - and as i walk to the restaurant for my morning chai, i watch the villagers tending to their gardens. Yesterday, as i walked back to my humble abode - a girl asked me to come and help her to lift a gigantic basket of vegetables onto her head. i couldn't believe how heavy it was - i followed her down the path in amazement. There are 4 other beaches just around the headland that you can explore as well and I spent an entire day walking all the way to the last beach, Paradise Beach - and then took a motorboat back. My favorite beach is Om beach - which is literally in the shape of an Om symbol. It's a great beach but there is something really special about where i am staying - i like being surrounded by the villagers and seeing their day-to-day activities - and did i mention the gardens already? I am spending a lot of time with people from Turkey - there is a little group of them traveling together and they have become a great support network for me and it's really good to have some company right now. I had grand plans for doing southern India in just over 3 weeks and now that i am here, i don't feel like moving. I have been in Gokarna for 5 days and not sure when I'll get out of here. I have my favorite restaurant which I hit daily for an ice cream lassi, a bicycle to ride around, good people to hang with, a hammock to chill out in on my porch, good books to read and the Arabian sea at my doorstep - practically. Not a bad place to get "stuck." More to come......
Still in Gokarna - it's now been over a week - just can't seem to leave this place. So, a funny thing happened to me while eating in my favorite restaurant, Prema. I'm hanging out with some friends that I've met - and one of the guys is from Turkey and we have an ongoing thing about him being anti-American. We're joking around about something and he says, "I ate Americans," - don't ask me why he said but he did - and I respond by saying, "Yeah, I hate Americans." And a girl that is sitting behind me turns around and goes, "Me,too!" Being that I was actually joking when I said it, I was a bit alarmed when someone actually responded by saying that they did hate Americans. I was a bit offended, I guess you could say - or taken back and after a few minutes, we got up to leave the restaurant. As I got to the counter, I turned to look at this woman, who was glaring and obviously very pissed off, and I smiled at her. I got outside and started talking to my friends about how this woman was really pissed off. A few minutes later, the guy that was sitting at the table with her comes out and says to me, "You're from Homer? We're from Homer, too. We live on Diamond Ridge." I really couldn't believe it. And this is how I meet Brad and Melissa from Homer. Melissa was the girl who I had allegedly pissed off with my comment. What a funny way to meet. It turns out that Melissa was going to be one of the chefs at the Homestead this summer but has taken another job. What a small, small world. For me, it was like a gift from the gods to meet them there because I had been feeling so homesick and to be able to hang out with some fellow Homerites almost felt like taking a quick trip back home for a few days. I no longer wanted to leave Gokarna so fast and stayed on for a few more days to hang out with Brad and Melissa and had a great time with them. I look forward to getting to know them more once I get back to Homer. We had one incredible day where we went up to the rivermouth to explore the area - where practically no tourists go. We walked through the fishing villages and went swimming in a perfect swimming hole - and then had the most delicious tandoori chicken that I've ever had for dinner. Am I talking about the food again? So much for my plan to be on a diarrhea diet here in India - instead, I've been putting on the pounds. It's just too good to resist. So, my time in Gokarna was a real highlight of my trip - it was exactly what I needed - some time to relax and really get to know a place - and time to spend with friends.

Varanassi, India

Doing laundry at the Ganges
Making a wish on a morning rowboat on the Ganges River
Dasaswamedh Ghat - the main ghat in Varanssi - where the nightly Puja festivities are held and the busiest of all the ghats in Varanssi
Harishchandra Ghat - cremations taking place

Walking along the ghats
Harishchandra Ghat - getting ready for the arrival of the recently deceased - you can see that below, closer to the river, there are people and other fires. Depending on your caste - you can be burned at different areas. Middle class castes are burned just next to the river, lower caste are farther away from the rivers edge and the one that is pictured here is saved for the Brahman, which is the highest ranking caste.
Stacks of wood piled up behind the Harishchandra Ghat - this is the smaller of the two main burning ghats in Varanassi. As you can see - there are fires going and this goes on every day, 24 hours per day.

After leaving ashram life, it was quite a shock to the senses to arrive in Varanasi. However, I was quite ready to get back into "real life." Much to my amazement, Varanassi seemed mellow in comparison to the other cities that I've visited in India. Varanassi stands in a class of its ow - it is believed to be one of the oldest living cities in the world. It is an extremely sacred place for Indians because it is the city of Shiva and the Great Mother, the Ganges River, which is considered the holiest place for a Hindu to be cremated after death. In the Hindu religion - dead bodies are burned, rather than buried and it is believed that burning purifies the soul - and if you are lucky enough to be burned at and disposed of in the Ganges River, then it is also believed that you will escape the cycle of life and death (called 'moksha'), since the Ganges is considered the river of salvation. So, Indians from all over India come to Varanassi to die and be burned at one of the several burning ghats. For as far as you can see, the western bank of the Ganges is lined with 80 ghats (cement steps where people come to bathe, do laundry, get cremated, brush their teeth, take a morning poop, peform religious rites - you name it). There are two ghats that are designated as the burning ghats, Harishchandra Ghat and Manikarnika Ghat, and it is here that the dead bodies are brought every day - 24 hours per day. The smaller of the two, Harishchandra Ghat, is one of the oldest ghats in Varanassi and also where I spent a lot of time observing and taking it all in - and I'm not just talking about the thick, black smoke. Manikarnika Ghat is much larger and always has more cremations occurring because it is the most auspicious place for a Hindu to be cremated. It was hard to believe that that many people are dying in Varanassi every day - one night, as we were taking an evening rowboat on the Ganges, I counted 10 fires burning at the smaller of the two burning ghats. I was morbidly fascinated with the entire process and spent an afternoon just sitting above the Harishchandra Ghat and observing. An Indian man explained to me the entire process, as I watched it occur before my eyes. When a person dies in India, their bodies must be dealt with immediatley - due to the lack of refrigeration. So, within a few hours after death, the body is put onto a bamboo stretcher, covered in colorful blankets, flowers, etc... and the men of the family carry the body through the streets in a funeral procession that leads down the road to the burning ghat. You know that it is coming because you can hear them singing, playing drums, dancing, etc.... They come marching down to the ghat and bring the body to the edge of the river. The body is then dipped into the Ganges and then the head is uncovered and the family members take water in their hands from the Ganges and put it into the mouth of the dead family member. After this, they build the fire, put the body onto the fire, throw a few more logs on top, march around the fire five times and then light it. It takes 3 hours for the body to incinerate and the bones that are left are thrown into the river. It is tradition for the closest family member to break open the skull once the body has been completely burned ( I thankfully did not observe this). The whole affair is attended only by men because they say that the women are too weak and they will breakdown and cry. You never see a person crying at this affair because death is viewed completely different in the Hindu religion - it is a celebration because the family member is exiting the cycle and reaching nirvana. It was very strange to be sitting in an internet cafe and watch the bodies and family members go by the window - I actually became a bit numb to it after awhile. As you sit at the ghat and see the bodies burning - along either side of the burning area you can see people doing their laundry, bathing, brushing their teeth, etc... Truly unbelievable. There are five types of people that are not burned and these are: pregnant women, children, a person who died from a snake bite (this has to due with the Hindu god - Shiva. Shiva is always pictured with a snake and therfore, anyone who dies from a snakebite is already purified), a person who died of leparcy (they don't want to risk spreading leparcy from burning the diseased body), and saddhus (holy men). Instead of being burned, these people are taken out into the middle of the Ganges River - where they tie a large rock around them and drop them to the bottom. They also dispose of dead cows this way and I had the pleasure (sarcasm here) of seeing a half-decayed cow carcass floating on the river while we took a rowboat on the river. The river is so heavily polluted at Varanasi that the water is septic - absolutely no dissolved oxygen exists. Samples from the river show the water has 1.5 million faecal coliform bacteria/100 ml of water. In water that is safe for bathing, this figure should be less than 500! And you sit there and watch people bathing, brushing their teeth and taking water into their mouths - it's unbelievable. I also want to mention the caste system a bit because I referred to it in one of the pictures above. In India, they still follow the caste system - meaning that before you are born, your caste (another word for class) is pre-determined. So, if you are born into the lowest caste - you will remain in the lowest caste for your entire life. The same goes if you are born into the highest caste. It is forbidden for someone of a lower caste to marry someone from a higher caste - although this system is slowly changing in India as more and more people are attending university and becoming more educated. And depending on what caste you are in - your line of work or livelihood is determined accordingly. And this follows you right up to your death when you are brought to the ghats to be burned. They have designated areas at the ghat in which you can be burned according to caste. The Brahman, or highest caste, is burned on a raised platform that is decorated with flowers (pictured above) and depending on their wealth - sometimes using sandalwood which is very expensive. The midde class castes can be burned right on the rivers edge - while the lower castes must be burned set back from the river. For families of a lower caste - it is extremely hard for them to afford to buy the wood needed to burn the body. They know exactly how many kilograms of wood is needed to completely burn a body so that there is no waste and so that people of a lower caste do not buy more than necessary. Each log is carefully weighed on giant scales so that the price of cremation can be calculated.

Okay, I think that's enough about dead people and burning bodies - but it's what is most vivid in my memory of Varanassi. We took a sunrise rowboat along the river as well as an evening rowboat to watch the nightly Puja festivities - which literally means 'respect' and it is an offering of prayers involving fire and dance. Every single night there is an elaborate performance - called the Ganga Aarti ceremony- at the Dasaswamedh Ghat to honor Shiva and the Mother Ganges (as they refer to it). The performance involves numerous ringing bells and men standing on platforms facing the river and circulating various things that were lit on fire. I didn't understand a lot of what they were doing but it was fascinating, nonetheless. I'm awe-struck by the seemingly endless religious rituals here in India. I don't know how they keep up with it all - there are so many Hindu gods, rituals, temples, celebrations, etc.... It seems that at any given time, a celebration is erupting - all surrounding one of the many Hindu gods - whether it be Rama, Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Ganesha, and the list goes on. Besides inhaling black smoke along the ghats, and taking rowboat cruises along the river, I got to go out and see some great live music on a few occasions. It was quite impressive to see the Indian men playing the tabla drums - as well as the sittar. We also took a tour around the city in a rickshaw to check out numerous temples, as well as the Muslim section of town where they die and weave silk to make elaborate and intricate scarves, wall hanings, tapestries, etc...

The plan after Varanassi was to go up to Darjeeling before catching my flight out of Kolkata on February 15th. However, after spending almost a month in Rajasthan and the northerly region - I decided that I didn't feel like being cold anymore. Up until this point, I had been wearing scarves, hat, fleece jacket, socks - basically everything warm that I had and during train travel, I was really cold. Since the moment that I arrived in India, I was being pulled in the southern direction and I decided that instead of going to Darjeeling, where it was extremely cold and snowing, I would extend my time in India and go south to the beaches. Amanda also decided to skip Darjeeling and instead, fly out of Kolkata early to go to Taiwan. So, we said our goodbyes and I hope to meet up with her in Indonesia. I left the afternoon after her and hopped on a train to head back to Bombay. Unfortunatly, I was sick with a bad head cold and had to endure a 29 hour train journey - in which I created a mountain of tissues the size of Everest and the Chinese people who were sharing my berth were throwing me oranges and giving me medicine that I didn't know how to take because it was all written in Chinese. It was one long journey and when I arrived in Bombay, I was supposed to have 6 hours to spare before boarding another train to Goa - this one only a 12 hour journey. I was feeling really spent and sickly. I had met an Indian guy, Chinni, in Pushkar who lived in Bombay and he gave me his email address just in case I ended up back in Bombay. We made plans to meet up during my layover in Bombay - and he graciously offered me a place to stay so that I could catch up on sleep if I wanted. I decided to accept his offer and catch up on some much needed Z's. It was just what I needed and I was ready to go the following night but unfortunately, the trains were all full and I had to take an overnight bus. And by now, we all know how much I LOVE bus travel in third world countries. I think I'm actually becoming numb to the erratic and reckless driving - it's just something that you have to accept because there isn't anything that you can do about it - except maybe pop a sleeping pill which is what I chose to do for this trip. My next destination was the state of Goa - to soak up some sun, get my feet in the sand and take a dip in the Arabian Sea.