carved wood and white sands

when planning our safari adventure we realized that, amazing though the wildlife seemed, we'd want to see more of the culture and daily life of east africa. our favorite parts of most trips are wandering the old streets and finding interesting nooks and crannies. our first thought was lamu, a town on the kenyan coast with beautiful waters and architecture influenced by both the middle east and india. it sounded perfect, until we learned about the handful of fatal shootings that had taken place in the last few months. (i pointed out that the victims had always been men, but to no avail.) in light of the violence, the tour company we booked with couldn't let us go there. they offered zanzibar as a potential replacement. i admit i didn't know much about zanzibar but, after doing some research, it seemed like it would be a perfect destination. and since we have to fly to every destination anyway, we figured why not.

and so, after a safari adventure that exceeded all our expectations, we found ourselves on yet another flight headed for the island of zanzibar. this leg of the trip started off a bit rocky when we went to get our visas. we had our paperwork in order, the prescribed photos and the exact amount of cash in (the preferred) american dollars. yet when we go to the window we were told that the price was higher, with no explanation, and were rudely shoved off when we asked to see some listing of the price. (we were told to look at the list on the wall which seemed to include every country except the US.) after some back and forth, a fruitless trip to the ATM, and a very finicky credit card machine, we finally left, visas in hand. our tour company operator (from another company, that gamewatchers - our original tour company, which was lovely - had booked for us), who had been waiting with the driver, seemed impatient and was eager to give us our paperwork and fill our his prescribed forms, which included information he didn't need and some that we ended up making up. bureaucracy!

the morning view from our floor of the hotel

our hotel was in a renovated palatial residence, much like moroccan riads, with rooms radiating out from an open-air courtyard. it was beautifully decorated, with dark wood carvings and antique victrolas and telescopes. the hotel staff, though they did have our email confirmation printed, seemed to have neglected to actually reserve a room for us. not to worry though because we were given an enormous suite on the top floor. our huge stateroom included two large bedrooms with a total of three beds, a balcony with an ocean view and maybe the largest shower i've ever seen - all covered in beautiful blue tiles. we were exhausted but happy to finally have a bed and some a/c.

simple structures and banana groves

we quickly realized that we had not anticipated zanzibar weather very well. we had packed for kenya, which we learned is always fairly temperate, and the sometimes-chilly morning jeep rides. but for some reason we failed to realize that zanzibar would be, well, hotter. and extremely humid. which of course makes perfect sense when you think about it. we did still want to dress conservatively, though, since we knew we were in a fairly conservative muslim area. (even though we later spied a few tourists who clearly did not care about dressing modestly..) our first destination, though, was the beach. so we covered up as best we could and popped into the waiting car after breakfast. much to our disappointment, last night's guide waiting in the car as well. we were rather annoyed by his patronizing questions and constant need to want to surprise us (yes, it is hot here. yes, we see the old city..) but i suppose he was nice enough. he did pull over so we could see how cloves grow. they don't call this the spice island for nothing. our views on the drive were peppered with thatched hut roofs, people on bicycles, and field after field of banana trees. i think i was reminded most of southern india and a very long bike ride..

perfect scene

eventually we made it to the beach. much earlier, we had debated which beach we should go to and when (low tide seems like never-ending shores full of seaweed and a glimmer of water the in distance). in the end it didn't much matter, since our guide balked at the early hour we requested and instead took us to a beach on the north side (no tides there) at a later hour. we were initially annoyed with this change in our plans but as it turned out kendwa was just lovely. with some effort we convinced the guide he did not need to stand around on the beach (in pants and dress shoes) with us but should instead come back in a few hours. and it was perfect.

setting out to sea

the water was crystal clear and a beautiful turquoise. the kind of place you thought only existed in google image searches and photoshopped pictures on pinterest. the sands were soft and white and we had gorgeous views of the traditional dhows heading out to sea. we even got a glimpse at the boat unfurling its distinctive sail, as a few fishermen set out just a few meters from us, wading in the warm waters. we lingered as long as we could, enjoying the perfect water, reading in the sun (on some of the many welcome beach chairs) and eating our indian snacks. (yet another advantage of the international influence here) and wandering along the shore. we could have easily stayed all day but there was more to see and our time on the island was limited.

our drive back was much of the same, except we started to see crowds gathering at mosques for friday prayers. bike abound everywhere, although none were ridden by women (typical in conservative countries, i suppose). in fact, even young girls were covered almost head to toe (save the face), something i've rarely seen even in muslim countries. we made it back to the hotel and changed back into slightly more modest apparel and headed out to explore stone town.

view from the fish stand

the old, winding streets were very inviting but we were interested in food first. fairly soon we came to an unassuming little shack with a few plastic chairs outside (so unassuming i didn't even take a photo) where we had what would be our best meal on the island, and perhaps on the whole trip. we had fresh fish, perfectly cooked and simply flavored. complemented nicely by freshly squeezed fruit juice. and the view, turquoise waters along the edge of town, was hard to beat. we continued on, wandering the old streets and admiring the beautifully carved doors and ancient stone walls.

gorgeous carved doors

we tried to follow our map, which we had marked with historic buildings and notable sights. we often found it hard to figure out where we were though, and it was much easier to wander and explore the interesting streets. we saw all kinds of doors - oversimplified guides will say rounded archways are so-called arabic doors and straight lintels indicate the indian style. while i'm always wary of such cut and dry explanations, there was certainly a variety of influences at play in the carved doors. many have carved calligraphic inscriptions in arabic while quite a few bear resemblance to indian doors, with the brass studs and square coffers. with all these elements it was a bit like wandering the streets of morocco, israel and gujarat all in one.

old carvings

in our wanderings we found some souvenirs, the best of which were certainly the carved wooden items. we stumbled across a little antique shop, with brass coffeepots and carved wooden boxes. i was drawn to a wooden carving that i found out had originally been a window shutter. after a little haggling, it was mine (still got it). we made some stops here and there, taking time to write a postcard or to watch the sun set. after the sun went down and it was officially dark enough we ventured over to forodhani gardens which, every day at dusk, becomes the setting for the night market. all manners of sea creatures are displayed on sticks - including things that look suspiciously like tentacles and giant claws. everyone seems to offer more or less the same fare (and it all looks identical under the floodlights anyway) so we made a lap and then settled on some safe-looking white fish, washed down with fresh-pressed sugar cane juice (shades of india). one wonders how all these essentially identical vendors can move these massive quantities of seafood in just a few hours. where does the rest go? the ones who likely profit most from the night market are the ubiquitous stray cats who wait for a fallen morsel and aren't shy about soliciting you for an extra nibble of fish.

after our little amuse bouche it was on to a real dinner, accompanied by fruity cocktails. the menu highlighted both fresh seafood and spice-infused curries, which seemed to encapsulate zanzibari cuisine. good food but it just couldn't compete with that perfect fish from the shack.

gingerbread galore

the next day we were up early to see the rest of stone town - or as much as we could before leaving, anyway. it's small enough but there are a lot of interesting buildings tucked away so this mostly meant seeing facades of buildings and forgoing visits inside. (seems like we may not be missing much, in some cases. though i can't truly say.) our favorite facade was the gingerbread-studded 'old dispensary', which we happened to catch as it was in shadow. still, we stopped for quite a while to admire the victorian details painted in a seafoam green.

whitewashed stone and flowering shrubs

the rest of our wanderings were to find certain buildings, like the central mosque (harder than it sounded as the streets wind all around and its exterior was almost completely nondescript) and the even-more-hidden hindu temple. after getting directions from several people and passing through two doorways that seemed to be private residences, we found ourselves surrounded by shoes in a small courtyard before a tiny little shiv shakti temple. it was rather small but it still had the bright colors and scalloped archways that made it look distinctly indian.

save for a little last-minute shopping, we spent the rest of our afternoon having an indian lunch overlooking the sea. (my top priority is always authentic indian food anywhere i think i can find it.. whether it's new york, london or zanzibar.) we had time for little else before our very-early driver appeared to shuttle us off to the airport. it was clear - since we were a full THREE HOURS early for a flight in the tiny airport - that the company was eager to be rid of us and ensure they would not have to deal with us missing our flight. paperwork, you know. our ridiculous arrival time meant lots of time sitting in an un-air conditioned room before check-in began and then moving to a larger, more crowded room with some weakly-circulating air. thus began our 28 hours of travel (and 36 hours with no shower), almost all of them sticky and cramped.

despite this somewhat graceless ending to our trip i found myself thinking how cool it is that zanzibar might just be the most remote place i've ever been. i mean, for now anyway.

bangles, books, and beaches

the next trip, and one of the last, actually, was a quick trip south before ending up in goa for the roommate's birthday (something that's been in the works since, literally, the moment we got back from goa the first time).

a beautiful site.. and char minar behind

first stop hyderabad to visit a good friend. while i had a lovely time catching up, seeing movies (kahaani! fantastic) and even doing some work, i neglected to do much that was terribly touristy or exciting. i blame this partially on my friend's laziness, but i deserve some of the blame too. i did eat plenty of biryani (although we didn't make it to the famous 'paradise') and i did manage to make it to char minar one day where i spent an inordinate amount of time strolling through bangle shops. and buying a few (dozen) too. i regret not seeing more of hyderabad, i've heard such good things about the palaces and museum. ah well, there's always next time!

bangalore's ngma, worth a visit

bangalore was.. well more of the same, really. not that there's all that much to see in bangalore. i had big plans to check out pottery village and wander through the lalbagh gardens, but well, it just didn't happen. i will say, though, that bangalore was lovely. the weather was perpetually beautiful (as promised) and the shopping was fantastic. between the two recommended bookstores (blossom and bookworm) i spent several hours roaming through stacks and came out with more books than i should have. also, at bookworm they gave me coffee which i thought was a nice touch. the shopping on 100 foot road (where my friend lives) was pretty great too - sales and all kinds of gorgeous anokhi-style clothes and housewares at (a little) under anokhi prices. i also visited the NGMA which has a shady, pleasant campus (although no one knows where it is! bah. but that's a rant for another day) and several promising children's programs, which is exciting to me. they, along with the AF and geothe institut also have pretty regular film screenings and events and there's a decent music scene (more than just metal). these things combined make bangalore a town i think i would enjoy living in. once they actually get the metro finished it will be downright pleasant.

sunny flowers, sandy beaches

and then, on to goa! another night bus (we're getting quite used to these) and we were there. from margao it was another not-unpleasant city bus ride all the way down to palolem. the beach was evidently all but empty as recently as 9 or 10 years ago. now it's developed but without being overly crowded - beach shacks, restaurant/bars, pretty much what you'd expect. after a day our other friends arrived and we were in full-on relaxation mode. the basic pattern was breakfast, sun, jump in sea, read on beach, lunch, sea, read, happy hour, etc. etc. you get the idea. we interspersed our beach time with other activities - shopping, yoga (for some), wandering and taking pictures down along the coast, and even kayaking one day. ambitious, given that the birthday celebrations were the night before. we went all the way out to a nearby island - much easier to get to than to get back from, as it turns out.

colors of agonda

we mixed it up a bit by heading to agonda one day, a lovely very quiet beach just a few kilometers north. (we had gone in hopes of finding hookah, but there was none to be had there either.) the beach seems almost deserted - it is low season, after all. we enjoyed some fantastic calamari, had a few g&ts and jumped in the water one more time before heading back to palolem for their 'silent noise' party. let me explain for you old fogeys reading this. the beach has a noise restriction after 10pm (to protect the sea turtle eggs.. or maybe because the locals just want some quiet) so to get around this one bar has a party every saturday where the music is disseminated through headphones that everyone gets at the door. it was a new experience and i think it's safe to say everyone had a great time.

leaving goa was, as always, a struggle. but i suppose there's a limit to how much you can sit on the beach and do nothing.

just kidding. of course there isn't!

stop and goa

[disclaimer: i realize this is a beach post and that it's winter and probably dreary on the east coast, i do. read on if you'd like, but you've been warned.]

well this was perhaps the most impromptu trip i've ever taken. but it's goa. i always just figured a trip to goa would sort of happen. indeed it did. my friend had invited my roommate and me to join her for her half-marathon/long weekend in goa. my roommate complied and, as soon as my plans freed up (friday, fewer than three hours before the bus was set to leave) i found myself booking a ticket. i had had a rough week, i justified to myself. i hurriedly threw a swimsuit, a few shirt and skirts into a bag and ran out to get the bus. so fast, in fact, that i walked right through a cowpie outside my apartment i had carefully avoided all day (yes, still wet). no matter! goa goa! onward.

well, come to find out, i needn't have hurried quite so much. i found myself waiting with a dozen or so other people on the curb next to a busy highway. buses sped by every few minutes and either zoomed by or slowed slightly to watch for potential passengers. i was starting to get nervous until i ran into my roommate, whose bus was supposed to have left an hour before mine. we called the bus conductor and realized my bus would be at least 30 minutes late (go figure). eventually it arrived, i took my pitiful (obviously last available) seat in the middle of the back row (yes, the 5 across row) and attempted to sleep despite being hurtled forward by the lurching bus every 5 minutes. one of the least pleasant nights i've spent anywhere (and, let's remember, i once spent a night in a bus station). my companions didn't fare much better - one slept next to the alternate driver's bed, the other next to a guy who puked all night. and all three of our buses got flat tires. but eventually we made it to goa, and that was all that mattered.

we spent a day in vasco, a nothing sort of a city that boasted little else besides the half marathon the following day. we took advantage of the proximity to go up to old goa and wander around the churches and museum (not a bad museum, i have to say. by indian standards anyhow.) the museums were interesting as i think they always are here, but i was surprised to see that they weren't decorated for christmas at all. after all, isn't christmas the time to go to goa?? although on the way home we did hear some particularly awful christmas music coming from a market, saw one church promenade lit up with lights and witnessed a skit performed under a banner that proclaimed 'mary's boy child.' oh my.

we took it easy, for rachel's sake, but also because we were all exhausted from our respective bus rides. that crazy girl woke up at some ungodly time that began with a 4 to go run 21 kilometers. kristen and i dragged ourselves out of bed around 8 but didn't manage to beat her to the finish line to watch. the race, cleverly, ended on the beach. so we took pictures of her with her medal and took a celebratory dip (wade) in the sea.

golden fried prawns, anyone?

and then, off to colva! the real beach. we arrived, we changed into bathing suits and practically ran to the water. we passed stands with sarongs, wine shops and cashews. but the three of us, all total beach bums, would not be deterred. we made our way through the so-called indian beach (what you probably would imagine - crowded. and full of people in full clothing (saw some belts. belts!) or underwear. (swimsuits, people!) and ended up on the more isolated, so-called russian beach (more on that later). we plopped ourselves down at the first restaurant/shack there, claimed some padded lounge chairs and made our way straight to the ocean.

doesn't get much better

dear. lord. that water was as warm as i have ever felt. like floating in a giant bathtub. we dove into waves, got sand in our ears, floated on our backs and soaked in the sun. in between splashing in the water we read, sat on the sand, and stuffed ourselves with fried seafood. your basic beach behavior. waiters came by at intervals to check on us or just to chat, with typical indian hospitality. around happy hour, whenever we decided that was, we got some cocktails. fresh mint mojitos? piña coladas? (did i mention goa has the cheapest alcohol in india and mumbai has the most expensive?) accompanied by a hookah at sunset. we watched the sun go down until they sky turned gray, the lights came on, and the locals started playing volleyball.

the following day was more or less a repeat of the first. with a few small additions/annoyances. goa isn't perfect, after all (though it is awfully close). the first came at breakfast the second morning. we arrived at 8.15, where we thought we would be one of the first to get our free nosh. well we hadn't counted on the russians. remember the russians i mentioned? well they're everywhere. signs all over are in cyrilic, just as in pushkar they were in hebrew. it seemed every guest at the hotel had descended on the breakfast at once, jostling each other for jam, pushing kristen out of the way when the much-awaited potatoes arrived. someone even stole my toast from the toaster! we tried to steer clear, but this was easier said than done. as a group they had rather boxy frames (and usually haircuts to match). the russians at our beach bar were little better. they communicated in russian, or grunts. the only english i heard was from one very surly russian who snarled, in a stereotypical boris badenov accent 'i will kill you' and went on to order the waiter to bring him his juice in two minutes. what a pain having juices prepared with such fresh fruit!

(i should add here that i have nothing against the russians, nor am i trying to generalize about them as a whole. i'm just trying to describe the general demeanor of the ones we happened to meet.)

but no matter, we had a beach to get to. of course this as well was fraught with some obstacles (albeit ones we generally could avoid). walking through any stretch of crowded beach usually resulted in some sort of surreptitious - or blatant - picture-taking. on rare occasions, people would ask if they could take our pictures. uh, no.

all in all, though, we really couldn't complain. except of course, when it came to leaving. our last half day was spent trying to soak up every last drop of beachy goodness we could. we laid in the sun until it hurt, got smacked around by waves and ordered as much seafood as we could stomach. all the while getting more and more upset at the prospect of having to leave. kristen and i had an out-and-out tantrum when the kind of fish we wanted wasn't available for lunch. (alright, we weren't quite that bad, but we definitely got a little whiny/obnoxious) grudgingly, we made our way off the beach and got the essentials on the way out of town - cashews, cheap wine, sleeping pills for the bus, and frozen yogurt to soften the blow. before we knew it, we were on a sleeper bus driving in the opposite direction from the beach. (why?)

perfect end to a perfect day

and now, here we are, back in bombay and resenting every minute of it. haha, i don't know what it was about goa that made us such piggy little beach bums. maybe it's the crowds and chaos we deal with day-to-day in mumbai. maybe it's that i haven't been in a real sea in so long. or maybe goa is just amazing.

yup, that must be it.
is it too soon to book tickets back?

water, water everywhere

a canal too small even for our little canoe

alleppey is thought to be one of the better (or at least better-known) spots to explore the backwaters of kerala. though i only had essentially half a day there i thought i'd make the most of it by taking a boat ride. since these people are in the business of boats - they have them in spades. any shape, size or price range you could imagine. there's even an 8-hour commuter ferry that goes all the way to kovalam (about 8 hours away) for just a few hundred rupees. then of course there are the extravagant honeymoon houseboats that come with all amenities, including on-board staff. i opted for the lower end of the spectrum (surprise surprise) and since i was by myself a canoe ride seemed like the best option anyway. it was small but quite cozy, and had a small covering which was appreciated especially as the first hour of my trip was rather drizzly.

colors of the backwaters

we spent the early part of the three hours on a larger part of the river but as the skies began to clear and time went on we moved in to the smaller canals and could see life on the river up close. as we floated by we could see coconut trees, pretty little pastel houses, roosters crowing and people out to wash their clothes on the rocks. it was a lovely little ride, peppered with sights like lilypads, boats carved and colorful and even a few kingfishers (what a pretty bird). the ride was relaxing - just what i needed after a few hectic days, and i even got to row, which i really enjoyed. my guide/personal rower asked no less than four time "are you happy?" i must have answered unconvincingly. but after a few hours on the water in alleppey, yes, i was quite content.

that day it was on to varkala. alright, full disclosure: this was not one of my finer travel ventures. but i'll tell you the whole story anyway, whoever's actually reading this, that is. i intended to take a train to varkala despite being told it was 'always late'. come to find out, i should have inquired as to how late it would be. i got to the train station and was told it would be 4.30 instead of 3.30. this quickly turned into 5.30. at that point i figured i'd be getting into varkala too late (it gets dark early down south!) and figured i'd just take the bus since it would leave right away.

so after losing 20 rs. for refunding my ticket, i took a local bus back to the bus stand (where i had just been, i might add). from there i had to take not one bus, but three, ending me up in varkala long past when the train would have deposited me. lessons learned: when people say 'that train is always late,' ask them how late. and when people say 'the train will be better for you,' they're probably right.

rocks and cliffs of varkala

so i arrived into varkala feeling rather exhausted and jaded but luckily found my hotel easily enough. i was delighted to find a tidy little room that had clean sheets, towels, and toilet paper. amazing! i was even more delighted the next morning to discover that i had chosen a beautiful little spot to stay. i chose the city because it was on the coast and situated in a little cove between two cliffs. the cliff - just a few meters' walk from my hotel - was picturesque and the view was just breathtaking. exactly what i needed after the long day of travel before.

shiny wet rocks and sea weeds

of course i wasn't the first one to discover this little bastion and it was immediately clear that this was a popular tourist haunt. as if the tibetan good shops and ubiquitous ali baba pants (calling all hippies) weren't enough - there were continental restaurants boasting waffles (i resisted) and blasting bob marley. i meandered through the shops without buying toooo much but did have two meals with a view of the sea. there's something about eating overlooking the sea that's always sort of magical. and for the first time i felt like i was on vacation, rather than of just traveling.

crashing waves cover the entire shore

i did get a closer look at the water, too. i walked down one of the several sets of steps that lead down to the shore. the tide must have been coming in because the strip of shoreline was rather narrow. throughout the sands were red, craggy rocks overgrown with slimy algae, along with shiny shells and scaly fish. they say the riptide in kerala is intense and claims several people each year. just watching those waves crashing violently against the rocks, i'm inclined to believe them. so although it was a beautiful sunny day (the first after a week of rain, i was told) though i did manage to get my skirt thoroughly soaked while taking a picture. so i suppose you old say i was in the arabian sea.

i guess you can't go to kerala without experiencing the waters firsthand.