Post date: Sep 23, 2016 8:44:35 PM

...Just to find an access to computer, for example, took me over a week of time for various reasons which I am not going to analyze too deeply apart from saying that some things in India are done in their own way and with own logic which is not completely understood by me at the moment most likely because of the lack of knowledge of how India actually functions. Back at home I know that if there is a need then there will be a product/service provided (basics of economics) - here in India though I see some other patterns and because I am new to all this I haven't cracked it yet - for example, there are very few internet cafes in the areas we've been to and the major reason I could not get an access to computer is because they were usually full; same with trains - trains are usually full and one needs to book a ticket weeks beforehand for longer distances if one wants to avoid rather uncomfortable chair wagons - so why not attach several more wagons with popular reservations if there is a huge need for that?

Other thing that stuns is the bureaucracy, at least where the government has its grip in some way. Like the airports, with theirs countless check posts: just to enter an airport one has to show both IDs and the tickets of all passengers who are going to fly; just to go from one terminal to another at a single Bombay airport we had to take two different airport buses and pass through several check points. Or like getting an Indian SIM-card for the cell-phone: one can not just buy it, one has to register, leave a photo of oneself to a dealer, and wait 2 days for confirmation! (This is a case in Goa, other states have different rules.)

Despite that educated Indians speak English basically as good as it can get, traveling in less touristic areas and through countryside unravels a picture of India I did not expect to see, i.e. although English is one of the official languages here we had lots of troubles communicating with local, simpler folks who basically spoke only their regional, local languages. It is of course an adventure, an experience one can remember for the rest of one's life, but caught in a present moment of asking for direction one can get really frustrated. Tough fun, in other words.

And there is of course garbage - it is everywhere. It spoils best corners of India, it smells so that you have to turn the other way, it looks filthy and questions our humankind and our place in nature. Is it hard to create some sort of waste disposal system? I guess in India it is hard. So far I have seen people where disposing of their waste in two ways: bio-waste would go to cows, pigs and dogs, and the rest, including huge amounts of plastic, is just thrown away nearby, usually in dry canals or by the roadsides, and is periodically burn.

After we left Goa we also left tourist area which meant that our further traveling through Indian countryside was inevitably accompanied by curious looks of local villagers, and those more courageous were eager to make pictures of us, or with us. Inok's super blond hair and blue eyes so far have been the center of primary attention, which he has been finding rather disturbing than amusing.

Power cuts is another routine of daily life in India (at least in areas we've been to). That means that up to several times a day you can expect your electricity gone, from several seconds to couple of hours. Usually it does not mean the end of the world, but on a hot day one does not appreciate the fan in your room turned off.

I will write about beaches below, for those who maybe are considering having a vacation by the sea in these parts of India, but first I have several notes on other things. One thing we found great is experiencing India by scooter - that is just coming to a place, renting a scooter (it is cheap, between 300-350 rupees a day) and driving around. Traffic in India is hectic, but in smaller places even a visitor can manage it quickly after observing the traffic for a little while and getting to know the rules - the main rule is that there are hardly any rules that everyone follows, and that there is a communication language between drivers, and it is called a horn.;)

Gokarna is a temple town and we wanted to visit some temples but as it turned out not every temple allows foreigners. At least two main temples in Gokarna have signs "No foreigners" - Shree Mahabateshwar Temple (Shiva) and Shree Mahaganapati Temple (Ganesh), but some folks explained to us that even those can be visited if you talk to the office staff. We went to visit some other temples in the end, Shree Bhadrakali Temple where we received darshan (blessed by the goddess), Shree Rama Temple situated on a hill over Gokarna, and Shree Bharateshwar Temple which is situated even higher but looks kinda abandoned.

After Gokarna we flew to Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu state), and came to Anaikatti, there is an ashram, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, where we are staying for a week now. Here one can take classes in Vedanta, the teaching of knowledge of Self (found in Upanishads, Hindu scriptures). Petra has been studying Vedanta for a while, and it is great to come to a place where one of the most prominent Vedanta scholars, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, taught for many years - he died last year though, we missed him by months.

Beaches... In Goa and Gokarna they vary a lot. We first landed on Agonda beach, which we found quite pleasant - not too many of noisy restaurants/cafes around, but not very secluded either - perfect for families, I would say, except that you won't find playgrounds for children. Then there is Butterfly beach, a small patch of sand between two hills/rocks, and is primarily accessible by sea - might be good for someone who wants to be alone for a while, or for couples without children to get away from everyone but still be by the sea. Palolem beach - for those who want many things happening nearby, quite commercial in its nature, but with great rock formations and a mini lagoon in the north. Patnem beach is kinda mixture of Agonda and Palolem. Talpona beach and Galjibagh beach are not yet exploited, probably because of the protected turtles coming to the latter one to lay eggs; these beaches are rather secluded but are quite long and offer great beach time for those who want to run away from civilization, even though there are both bungalows for rent and several cafes nearby (I recommend The Veggie Turtle Cafe, they have vegan menu, great location and creative bungalows to stay in). Bogmalo beach - close to Goa airport, which is why we chose it when we had to fly from Goa; huge hotel building overlooks the whole beach and it feels like you are somewhere in a typical beach resort where everything made for tourists only, apart from the fact there there were almost no people the day we were there and the vendors complained again about bad year.

Gokarna has also several beaches, for every taste. Gokarna beach is close to the town and offers lots of space for every visitor, but the water there was full of tree bits and such and the bath was not as pleasant as I would want it to be. Om beach is the most famous one but we saw very few who were in the water there, there was some sort of restriction on bathing there - the beach itself though is formed in an interesting shape (the OM sign shape) and offers both bungalow stays and variety of cafes. Kudle beach - this is where we saw many foreigners, most of which can be characterized as "hippies". I would definitely chose to stay longer on this beach, even though it had more visitors than all other beaches nearby. And, of course, there is Half Moon beach, and Paradise beach - two small and secluded sand stripes with rocks and palms creating a feeling of exotic land more than any other place we've been to. These beaches are primarily reached by sea (boat from Om beach) or by hiking trails through the forest. Life there is calm, and baths in the sea are fantastic - definitely worth a visit!

This is Romuald reporting from India. Namaste.

Originally posted on Facebook on Feb.17th, 2016