Anjuna

I have to pay to use the internet here and sitting on a computer here always feels hot so I have procrastinated about posting some photos. There's too much to say about this place; I'll try to condense it (at least for my own standards). First some words, then some photos.

[A quick summary for those who don't want to read the rest: I haven't worn jeans, or even shoes, in probably a week. It's always warm here, at noon it's fucking hot, at night it's quite nice. I'm here mostly to do yoga, 5 days per week every morning. But I'm also here to explore India a bit. It's dirty, lots of things are sketchy, doing basic things frequently takes a lot longer than you'd think, and almost everyone is a hustler. It's supposed to be inexpensive - it's not, it's about the same as back home. But still, last I checked it was freezing in Milwaukee, and here there are a million beaches and palm trees if I travel north, so for the moment I'm ok with this..]

I was picked up at the airport by a taxi and was driven 45 minutes to a hotel in anjuna. Generally, if there is an oncoming car, that is the time that indians decide it's ok to pass. It's one of the few times I've been genuinely sketched out in a car. A few days later Caitlin and I moved into an "apartment". It's basically two small connected rooms, a bathroom, and a "kitchen" - an counter outside with a burner and a hole for a sink. There's no water in the kitchen so we use a jug to bring it from the bathroom.

It was a hard adjustment to feel comfortable here - though it's hardly a problem of culture shock in my opinion. The first night was kind of a nightmare - wild dogs barking all night, neither of us slept more than an hour (the building is unsealed, it's basically like being in a big tent). Then there's the roaches - after they crawled into both beds we decided it was time to fix that problem by blasting the apartment with roach killer. Haven't seen one in a few days, though my tolerance is much better after dealing with a few monsters. And then there's the rats.. Look at the kitchen photo of caitlin and note the roof. That roof is the same roof as the interior. There's a gap between the wall and the roof. This is the "rat highway". They have their tea parties and construction projects usually starting around 3 am, and it's the squeaking that wakes us up. Seriously, it is fucking loud. Apparently they hate flashlights so this is our only remedy for the moment.

Leaving the apartment was also initially quite difficult - you can't really walk here. The roads are skinny, there are no sidewalks or even trails, and so it's impossible to take a nice walk - or a nice bike ride. And there is no town center to hang out in, it's just random from here to forever. The beach of anjuna, the town we are in, is filled with hustlers, so it's quite uncomfortable to walk there too. One guy even shoved tweezers in my ear as I was walking. It was a middle aged man who handed me a laminated card that said "I am [indian name], I am 21 years old and I am the best ear cleaner in the world". Then he started pulling "pebbles" out of my ear. And all this time I had rocks in my ears without knowing..

But we've adjusted. We know what to expect now. Talking from a zen perspective, it was all about failed expectations - the "bohemian" beachside town with beautiful palm tree photos is actually just a sketchy shithole with a few vegetarian restaurants. Ok. Tough to take, but we are moving forward. The main factor that really helped was renting a moped. We resisted for the first week - everyone is zooming around on mopeds to do anything, even to go down the block. It's like american culture on steroids. But, after realizing the kind of town we are in, renting a moped was the way to liberation. The beaches to the north are much, much, much quieter, and almost hustle free. They are also more beautiful.

On sunday we took the moped on an odyssey - and I say odyssey because even Indians here comment on how vintage my rental moped is (see photo below, the definition of style for sure!) At $2/day, you get what you pay for. We took it north around two hours, searching with obscure directions for a dream beach - apparently uninhabited for kilometers. But the moped couldn't handle it, at least not with two people onboard - the tire overheated and we got a flat, literally at our farthest point. But it was a blessing in some way because it was our first positive interaction with indians - after about a minute we had a small crowd of dudes rushing to find us tools. One guy hopped on his moped and went home, came back to produce a grocery bag full of random tools. Another guy sliced open his hand trying to loosen rusty bolts that probably haven't been moved since 1973. And after about a half an hour they changed it - and insisted that I don't give them any money. All that with a shared vocabulary of "yes", "no", "brake", and "thank you". That really lifted my spirits. But after the flat caitlin lost the motivation to continue our searches and insisted we return. But I have plans to go back and reattempt the journey on my own. I'd tell you how far it was, but both the odometer and speedometer are broken - but I think the gas guage works. And, another note, there are almost no road signs here. A bit north the only signs are in Hindi. Finding anything is through trial, error, and luck.

So now each day we have settled into a pattern. I get up super early, do zen, then go to the yoga shala for a 2 hour session, 5 days per week. After yoga we cook breakfast, chill, and then usually read or do some chores - and we have to do everything here by hand, including the laundry, so the day goes by fast. Later in the afternoon we go off to a beach for a walk, and yesterday for my first swim. Around 6 we start on dinner, and by the time we are done doing the dishes, etc (which takes a long ass time without running water) there's a little time left to chill and then go to bed.

The yoga practice has been good, my flexibility and strength are changing by the day. The students are surprisingly unpretentious, and I made friends with a finish (finland) couple but unfortunately they left yesterday. There are people there from all around the world, and I'm probably the least serious of everyone there. People are throwing their legs behind their heads and I'm just trying to balance on one foot. It's pretty awesome to be a beginner at something - no pressure because I have nothing to prove. The main teacher is this old tiny german guy, he's really awesome. The first few days he would yell across the shala (of like 50 people), "No no no, Riiiiiichard, not like that!" But he does it in a really positive way so I get a big kick out of it.

We will stay here for two more weeks, then we are off to some experimental hippy town on the east coast called auroville, google it, there's lots of info on it. For the moment I don't endorse it, it's just an (also overpriced) experiment for us. We've signed up for yoga there and I'm going to try to volunteer on some projects, they are doing all sorts of hippy shit I could potentially like - though it pisses me off that they offer no food or accommodation in exchange. Sounds like bullshit to me.

I could stay here in anjuna, but what sucks is I literally can't ride, not even to the store - there's nothing, just skinny roads and dirt. Except. I found this spot that is an abandoned resort, they laid the foundation but then quit. That means that it is just concrete, some curbs, and stairways that go into the sky but lead nowhere. It's on top of a bluff sort of overlooking the ocean, no one around. In short, THE best flatland or anything spot, photogenic as hell. When I found it I shit myself. However, on my first and only attempt to date it is guarded well by a pack of wild dogs. I cannot describe what kind of letdown that is, especially when there is nothing else to ride here. The dog problem here is huge, and I honestly don't know how safe they are, or how to tell. I really wish I had a giant can of pepper spray so I could push the limits more. Dog attacks are not uncommon, and I'm not sure if I'm that dedicated to street.. but fuck, I think I'll try one more time anyways..

Ok this is getting long. The photos (I still haven't figured out how to put captions on the photos so it's awkward looking.):

Cockroaches

Geckos

Kitties

[not shown - cows, frogs, and a monstrous six foot long snake]

The only sandals I could find in my size. It was between Che and the Chicago Bulls, but the Bulls were unfortunately one size too small. Maybe the biggest disappointment of the trip. Trying to find anything functional is this town is nearly impossible, by the way..

The "kitchen"

The bedroom - note that there is no screen or mosquito netting. It's like we've been outside since we arrived.

Indians dispose of garbage by burning it. I haven't seen one garbage truck in 2 weeks.

I'm not sure ghandi would be proud of having his mug on the largest currency in India. But with that wad it's seriously baller status here..

Me and the moped.

The moped, the spare tire and the backpack saddlebag.

One of many beaches.

Me, my farmer's tan, emo vibes and ocean water that is warm enough to take a nap in.

[Also not shown: the roads and the crazy driving situation.]