Holi Moley! Holi Cow! Holi Smoke!

This past Sunday was the day of Holi, a Hinu festival celebrating spring with bright colours. Wikipedia states Holi is:

1. A Hindu festival, held in the spring, in which people throw coloured powders at each other during noisy street celebrations.

We were invited to a colleagues Holi party, we were given the proper welcome which included a smear of colours to our faces. We'll let the photos do the talking. Ben still has multicoloured hair and we both have stained finger nails.

 Even our cat Gabby played Holi

So did Vandana's dog, April

 And of course, we did too!

Every colour imaginable

Ben, Vedika, Ajay and Vandana - looking rather Avatar-like

Dancing with the villages

The men were out full force!

2011-jam-packed

Family renion 


On our last tedious, sleep deprived leg back up to Mussoorie, we decided to stop at Dehradun to purchase a few necessities like motorcycle helmets and groceries. We had been in the helmet store about ten minutes and tried on every design and colour when out of no where two white 'foreigners' enter the store. Funnily enough, they were not foreigners at all, but Ben's parents, Chris and John. We couldn't believe our eyes! They had sneakily intercepted our travel arrangements, thanks to the local taxi companies lack of privacy policy, and had managed to surprise us upon our return home. Although we knew we would be seeing them that very week, it was still amazing to see them in person without even the smallest email to organise a meeting time or place, this interception is truly an Indian phenomena. We had a lovely lunch in Dehradun  with Ben's parents, Aunty Heather and older brother Josh. It was very nice to see some familiar faces after almost 6 weeks of traveling basically alone.

They very next day we started back at work, straight into it. The anticlimatic change to our weekly schedule was padded with evening visits to Rokeby, the near by hotel and restaurant dinners. Although it was still very cold, we managed to make the most of the hotel's facilities and enjoyed an evening spa at sunset. 

Staff Retreat

Ben organised activities for a staff retreat which was held at the Hanifl centre. It was a fantastic morning filled with team building exercises that brought people from different departments together and helped bring about some positive energy into the new semester. John, Chris and Josh were able to sideline the action and got some great photos of the day. Unfortunately for Ben, this day signified the first of many days of sickness, and he was bedridden for about a week, fortunately Josh was also unwell, so both brothers managed to keep each other entertained at home while I worked. Ben was even feeling a little better one morning and took Josh out to look at some near by snowy mountains.

 Ben in the midst of a group "sit"

Emerald being carried down a human chain

Road Trip

One of the highlights from the family visiting was a long drive out to the Yamana river and to Herbetpur hospital, one of the work places of Ben's grandfather (Ray) when he was working as a surgeon in India. John, Heather and Chris were able to fill us in on the small details and how they remembered the slightest details of various buildings and the people who occupied them. We also met some of the impertinent people that worked alongside Ray which was very surreal. Having read part of Ray's biography it brought to light some of the memories that are captured.

John happy to be in India

A brief break on the bridge

Heather at Kempty falls - shocked at the transformation

A photo from Ben and Josh's hike

Snow

After the family departed, Ben and I were left with a very busy few weeks of work, and to make matters worse we were freezing morning to night. We were lucky enough to have snow fall a few times, which for me was a first, actually seeing snow falling was quite special. It was quite amazing watching the impact of frozen water on the student's happiness and behaviour, snow fights and screaming graced every morning, lunch break, tea break and after school times. 

 Our house after the snow

Quarter break

 As quarter break officially falls this week and we have to work, we decided to take ours a week early to enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation. We headed out on Thursday morning, cruising the winding roads on the bike, stopping occassionaly to stretch our legs, or take a few photos. We headed to Tehri direction and ended up half way between Kanatal and Dhanolti. We stayed at a rather unique guesthouse, named Krishna's geust house - note the spelling. It was located above a tea shop and adjacent to three tea shops (dabas). We were blessed with the company of the village's youth who kept us entertained with smiles ear to ear. I was treated with a very nice lunch at the local 5* resort, Kanatal - which was quite stunning, it was a big contrast to the tea stall we were staying at. We indulged in creamy dahl and spicy mixed veg, it was a real treat. We even had a tour of the resort, but decided it was a little out of our price range (9,000 rs per night vs 250 rs at Krishna's).

Stretching the legs on the way 

 Adorable village kids

 Delicious food at Kanatal

Looking out from Suhkundar Devi temple

Saree shopping in Chamba, a cute town on the way to Tehri damn - first Saree purchase, note the helmet

Up and Coming

This week I am leaving for a recruitment trip to Vietnam and Bangkok. Ben is also busy and will be taking a group of senior students out on a 4 day hike, along with some fellow staff wanting to improve their fitness for bunderpunch expedition in June.

Winter Vacation!!!

Emerald and I spent an amazing six weeks travelling down the west coast of india right down to the southern most tip of Sri Lanka. This adventure had some super high highs, some amazing experiences, some uncomfortable experiences, a couple of lows and created some unforgettable memories. I will break this up section by section covering each of the places we visited with some photos and a short write up on each place. Hope you enjoy and that it encourages you to visit this wild and wonderful country :)

I think before I start writing about places I should write about trains! I will write about trains as we spent a good four to five days all up lying on trains, standing on trains, attempting to sleep on trains, going bathroom onto the train tracks and meeting some incredibly odd people.

Our first train ride went really smooth and both Emerald and I managed to clock up some good hours of sleep before arriving in Delhi. However come the second train we realised how lucky we were to have a quiet and nice train. On the way to Mumbai we were stuck up on our bunks all night listening to some of the worse snoring we have ever experienced, terrible hoiking and a horrible scent in the air... Think about a mix of every curry, pickles and some shocking BO. And of course personal space does not exist in this country so you have every man and his dog jumping on your beds to sit down if they feel the need :) Sleeping did not really happen this night due to all the vomit on the floor beneath our bed.... Ouch! Quite an experience but no way near as funny and strange as what happened to me on the third train. I was fast asleep as my blanket started hanging off the edge of my bed and i was rudely awoken when an old man beneath me threw the blanket up and made a horrible grunting sound. Of course I was like sweet as just another grumpy old man and made sure my blanket did not drape down again... The second time my blanket started to hang off the bed it was a completely new story! I feel a whack on my chest and on my legs that wakes me up abruptly. Three wacks later I am well aware that I have really upset the old grump below me. His english was non existent so he chose to use a bit of physical violence instead. I quickly pulled my blanket up and turned the other way as he shook his finger at me and snarled beneath his dirty fogged up glasses. Absolutely hilarious and I am more than sure that karma will get him back at some point :)

STOP ONE- DELHI


Our first stopover was for only one day. We chose to spend the day catching up with a friend called Max. We had a super exciting rickshaw ride to get to his place and were very happy to get out of the chaos and into a gorgeous, simple houe :) We were warmly welcomed and enjoyed sitting on the roof watching squirrels run around the trees while being serenaded by religious singing coming from the impressive Hindu temple across the street. We spent the rest of the day wandering oddly westernized shopping malls, exploring abandoned wedding grounds that seat up over 5,000 people and getting hassled by beggers. A fun day indeed!

STOP TWO- MUMBAI


The second place that we stopped off was Mumbai. What a crazy place... The contrast in this city between the rich and the poor spreads out further than anywhere else I have been in the world. One minute I was dining in the five star restaurant where meals cost more than what the average person in mumbai would earn in months, to the next where I had two homeless children attached to both legs like clingons with me having to literally drag them on there stomachs until i managed to get somewhere that they felt too uncomfortable and would let go.

It really makes you think about equality and makes you feel uncomfortable living with more than you need. Focussing on family, friends and living a simple life seems fine to me...The smiles received from homeless children is more valuable than anything money can buy. Knowing that there are people out there willing to smile at you who have nothing really gives me a sense of hope in mankind.

We spent the duration of our stay with Eliza and Ebraham Shahiwala (Taha's parents for those who know them). This was a fantastic experience as we stayed in a Muslim community and enjoyed a simple stay which was just perfect. We stayed in a very 'homely' home, ate the best biryani in the world, slept on the floor and listened to the wonderful worship songs coming from the mosque next door. We also enjoyed hanging out with friends from Mumbai. Prasad and Richa were our personal tour guides for the city. We enjoyed dining at fine restaurants (including leopolds which is famous from Shantaram and the slaughters that happened there in 2008), exploring the Mumbai gate and Taj hotel, dobhi ghat and chowpati beach. A fantastic experience!

STOP THREE- GOA


We just so happened to spend two weeks lazing around, eating great food, rampaging the forests/beaches to psychedelic trance and of course spending time reconnecting with the beautiful ocean.... I will break this section down into sub sections which cover each of the areas we stayed :)

Agonda

Agonda was definitely our favorite beach we stayed at during our time in Goa. It was quiet, not overcrowded and simply beautiful aesthetically. I was overwhelmed by the presence of the ocean due to not having seen it or been in it for six months. It almost bought tears to my eyes feeling waves crash over my body once again. Bliss.  We saw dolphins every day, spent hours sunbathing and swimming,  indulged in some good books in our beach shack and even did some bouldering on the wonderful boulders sitting at the southern end of the beach.

Vilem/Palolem

We spent almost a week in a lovely village called Vilem. We stayed with our friend Xavier and his family in his cute house. Xaviers friend Amy and our friend Mandeep also stayed here making this a highly enjoyable time :) The area surround Vilem was simply beautiful. The smell of fish and seabreeze wafting through the air. The flora and fauna was so lush and diverse. We spent our days sitting on the roof drinking beer, going for lovely walks along the estuary, taking trips into Margon and or course chilling out on the nearby beach. The local beach had no one on it and doesn't even have a name. These beaches still exist in Goa and we felt very privileged to be able to chill and enjoy one. We also spent Christmas in this village which was a wonderful experience as Christianity is the main religion in Goa. We went to a lovely local church and enjoyed listening to a service in the native tongue and being the only white peeps in the church. We also spent a day visiting Palolem which is the most touristy of the southern Goan beaches. We enjoyed doing what you do in Goa here... Eating, swimming, shopping and drinking kingfisher. Wonderful :)

Arambol

Arambol is known to be the last standing hippy hangout where nothing much has changed since the sixties. We were pleasantly surprised to see that this is true. Long hair, chilled vibes, drum circles, trance music, old motorbikes, leather clothing and peaceful smiles were everywhere. We loved Arambol even though the beach was probably the least pretty of the ones we had visited so far. We ate so much good food, bought some interesting clothing and of course wiggled our nights away to the stomping grinding sound of goan trance. BoOm.

Anjuna/Vagator

Four days of mayhem were spent in Anjuna/Vagator. This is the area where goa/psy trance began... Every night there was the sound of rolling basslines coming from the forests, beach and bars. Basically you just follow which beat sounds best and you will end up in some underground party that will rock until day break unless the cops turn up and dont receive the bribe they want. We enjoyed staying at a lovely place called bean me up which served some of the best vegetarian food ever. We indulged in salads and beautiful sandwiches to fuel our partying antics each night. We got to spend some nice time with our friends Amanda, Guy and Mandeep chilling and strolling the beach. Its always amusing catching up with friends on the other side of the world! We spent new years night at Bamboo Forest dancing till daybreak to a nice array of Dj's from all over the world. Sadly all my photos magically disappeared from this night so I wont be sharing them... Wild! We also enjoyed strolling up to the old dutch fort at the end of Vagator which provided some spectacular views.

Colva

We had a short two day stop at Colva which for me was spent with a high fever and a terrible stomach. Thanks to my good friend Flagyl this only lasted three days. The hightlight of Colva was being able to spend some time with Jess and Ed and hear all about their wonderful adventures of Nepal and this wonderful land.  We spent our time playing pool and of course catching up on whats happening back in the motherland of NZ!

STOP FOUR- HAMPI

Hampi! Shivas playground, the birthplace of lord Hanuman and the climbing capital of India. What a place. We spent a week in Hampi climbing boulders, exploring temples and cruising through some of the coolest terrain in the world on the back of a scooter. Photos cannot do justice to this place as its beauty goes far beyond what pictures or words can capture. The bouldering was the best I have ever experienced and the stone temples surpassed the others I have seen in India. Both Emerald and I felt like we were living in the Flintstones. What a treat it would be to travel back to when over a million people occupied this historic city.

Each morning started with a hearty breakfast of muesli and sweet mango lassi followed by a nice stroll through the rice paddies with a bouldering mat on the shoulders. You could climb for the first couple of hours of the day before the heat got too unbearable, of course being shown up by the other incredible climbers of the region... Monkeys to be specific! We enjoyed cruising out to the local water reservoir where you could jump off the boulders into the cool depths below. We would then return to lovely wood fired pizza and carram board before either heading off to the temples across the river to see the sun down or keep scrambling up an array of boulder problems if I had any skin left on my fingers. Hampi is a dreamland! PS- I totally saw a cobra in the wild :)

Sri Lanka


Sri Lanka was a clean, fun and digestible version of India. It shared many of the good points about India but at the same time lacked alot of the bad points. And we were happy to see that Anchor products were readily available, and indulged in some yummy butter! The island did not seem overcrowded (apart from the bus trips), was very laid back and provided the opportunity for alot of wonderful activities with ease of access. Of course my number one priority was to finally paddle out into the ocean and surf Gods number two creation (number one being my amazing wife) WAVES! We enjoyed some lovely local cuisine, visited some beautiful buddhist temples, chilled on some amazing beaches and also did a bit of work! I will break this up into sub sections again and give a little write up on each place :)

Hikkaduwa

Hikkaduwa is the surf/diving capital of Sri Lanka. Of course this meant that the waves were crowded! However I enjoyed surfing the main reef and got some excellent waves. It was a pleasure to feel the air rush up the face of the wave and whilst gliding over a crystal clear reef again. We stayed at a nice place away from the hustle and bussle of Hikkaduwas main town. Both Emerald and I were recovering from a tummy bug we had picked up on our stopover in Bangalore so it was nice to be able to have a place to chill. We visited the tsunami museum which was absolutely harrowing. There was also a huge 50m tall buddha placed at one of the main spots where the tsunami hit to bring peace and blessings to the area. There are still many people missing whos bodies are yet to be found from this devastating disaster.

Galle

Galle is a town on the south coast which is famous for its large Dutch fort. Inside the walls of the fort is like a mini Netherlands which is completely sheltered from the craziness of the streets. It was lovely to feel like we were living luxuriously after 5 weeks of mayhem backpacking through India. The architecture, food and museums within the fort were amazing. We really enjoyed a local roti shop which we stopped at for breakfast each day. There was a cafe called Peddlars Inn which provided the best tea we have ever tasted.

The South Coast

Surf's up! The south coast is littered with reefs and beach breaks which pick up all of the south west swell. We were lucky enough to be here for the best swell they had in months. I enjoyed surfing 'rams right', 'lazy lefts', 'frog rock' and 'plantations' which were all in easy walking/rickshaw distance from the guesthouse that we were staying at. We stayed in a budget place called Rams which has been hosting and looking after surfers since the 70's providing good food, a bed to sleep in and an epic hollow right hander right infront of the guesthouse. Many barrels were had here :D

While staying here we ventured down the Matara and beyond. We visited a famous buddhist temple which had amazing statues and the largest sitting buddha in Sri Lanka.  We also visited Unawatuna to buy a traditional Sri Lankan mask and to enjoy strolling the markets (and eating roti of course!). Some highlights definitely included the Sri Lankan cuisine, chasing a 1m long monitor lizard, relaxing in the sun and of course waking up to see that it is four ft and offshore for the fifth day in a row! The south coast was so dreamy and relaxing. Definitely a place we would like to return to!

Thanks for reading friends!!!