The boisterous nature of Bombay (Mumbai if you will) brought out the frugal in me. Lucky for me, in India, the Salvation Army is a chain of guesthouses rather than clothing swaps. Stepping into this humble abode, the man behind the desk seized an opportunity with his fair new customers. Thus, the next morning, along with 500 Rs. apiece, me, Luke, and two other guests were ushered into a taxi and driven 2 1/2 hours to a Bollywood film studio. Upon arrival, we were immediately rushed into hair and makeup and I sat wide-eyed for an hour while two women combed, straightened, and pinned my locks while two men contemplated what to do with my unusually red complexion. After I had a glamorous up-do and eyes to kill, I was ushered into wardrobe where I was slipped into a black ballgown, some faux jewelry and strappy silver heels. Needless to say, the whole experience left me pretty disoriented.
Helping me back into reality, a small Indian man ushered me onto the movie set and I stepped into an exquisite rendition of an Indian wedding scene. Then, the four of us, having been reunited again, spent the next six hours standing as guests of the wedding in multiple positions, holding drinks (mixed with gasoline so we wouldn't drink them), and 'starring' in the upcoming Bollywood movie "No Problem" with the former Ms.Universe. Not bad for a day's work.
This whirlwind Bombay experience goes to show you that the totally unexpected can actually happen with just the blink of an eye. And, even a teacher like me can go from 'dirty backpacker' by day to movie star by night. Voila!
Arriving in Hampi feels almost like you've entered the twilight zone back to the paleolithic era when there was nothing standing in the way of your prey except, well, you and a massive boulder. The landscape there is so awe-stikingly bizarre that it seems to have simply emerged out of a dream, where you feel like anything can happen. In this 15th century Hindu temple complex, roaming around neverending ruins I felt something akin to Indiana Jones, about to unlock the hidden secrets of ancient pasts. Climbing up to the little temples at the tops of mountains of boulders makes you really aware of how close you can actually get to the edge while also being insanely jealous of the climbing powers of monkeys.
Probably my favorite thing that happened while in Hampi, however, was getting blessed in a temple by an actual living godess. Laxmi, a large Indian elephant kindly accepts rupee coins for a quick blessing. She collects the money with her trunk, passes it to her attendent, and then swings her trunk back around to rub you on the head. Simply amazing. Her magical blessing in this magical land far far away in the heart of India made me wonder if normal 'modern' life still exists. For now, however, I don't mind waiting a bit longer for it to reappear.
Every once and awhile there arises that need for, well, a vacation! Luckily for me, being on India time and all, after five long months of break-free school time, I have a nice long six weeks to sit back relax and finally travel. So far, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting a few places along the Indian West coast in the state of Kerala. Think hot, jungly climate, friendly and often too friendly people, sprinkled with a white sandy beach. Oh yeah, and yummy black coffee too!
Being in Varkala, for the first time in a long while, I felt peace. There are no car horns constantly beeping the Airtel cell-phone tune and people actually say hello. Not the, “Yes, hello Madam, would you like to come into my shop, looking free, buying no problem?!”, but the smiley kind only beach life can conjure up with an actual, “good morning.” The Arabian Sea is beautiful and life seems pretty easy there.
Moving upward along the coast to Kollam only to catch a ferry onto Kerala’s bread and butter: the backwaters. On this amazingly beautiful (sorry, no other way to describe it), I finally got to see the Romantic version of tropical India. And yes, it’s as good as it seems. Slowly skimming along the water that houses fish, ducks, watery plants, and the local community, you can feel the immense power water has over our lives. Seeing people bathe and brush their teeth in water that most people would never even dare to dip their little toe into is something that will always continue to astound me. After getting to Allepey on the ferry, not having had quite enough of the backwaters yet, the tourist route led me to spend a night on a houseboat. Again, all at once utterly peaceful and astoundingly beautiful, I am beginning to see why Kerala has been dubbed “God’s own country”.
After fighting past persistent small stout elderly Indian women to get on another ferry in the scorching city of Ernakulum, I now find myself on the little island of Fort Cochin. Full of Portugese and Dutch influences alike, I can’t help feeling like I’m in a little country town in Europe. This is actually almost disconcerting. Yet, the subtle reminders in the forms of overly friendly shopkeepers, unforgiving rickshaw-walas, and the occasional cow peeing in the middle of an intersection keep me in check. Thus, for now, I think I’ll just enjoy celebrating the Dutch holiday Sinterklaas in a formerly Dutch colony while nibbling on some yummy Western food.
It’s funny though how despite almost racing down the mountain at the sound of the last school bell just seven days ago, as soon as you’ve felt the harsh coastal rays for even just a few hours, you’re almost ready to climb back up those hills even for just a quick breath of cool fresh air. However, having been down elevation-wise for even just a short week, I have noticed the effect seeing the sea has on the spirit. Whether it awakens or extinguishes it I’m not quite sure, but the leisurely West coast feeling definitely sweats itself under your skin. I guess for now I’ll just keep on soaking it all in.
