It turns out that I misunderstood our plan for the next several days. Cochin was indeed hot, but we weren't there for more than an hour before embarking on a 6 day travel package. We have a personal driver for the duration, and the pace is much more rapid as we go to a new town almost each day. Admittedly I'm quite content to have a break from dealing with logistics especially after some nonsense we had to deal with in Colva.
Cochin is remarkably less dense in terms of population. The roads are calmer and it feels less polluted. After getting out of the stifling heat of Goa I feel like I take my first deep breathe in days.
After just a few hours of totally undeserved air conditioning, our driver Jagidish brings us to our overnight houseboat leg. From here we cruise along the beautiful backwaters of Alleppey. This is also a notibly popular tourist destination as there are more houseboats moored here than I can count. We see even more out on the water and I try to imagine how crowded it must be during peak tourist season. Fortunately the horns aren't used often on these slow moving beasts.
I spend most of my time on the upper deck of the boat, watching the scenery around me. The waterways are lined with modest houses and palm trees, but just beyond you can see miles of rice fields which seem to be top notch feeding ground for egrets and herons. Many people are washing their clothes in the water along the banks, producing a wet smacking sound as they whip them clean on the stone sidewalls. A few anglers cast their lines out as we move along.
The waterways seem endless. We eventually make our way out to an immense bay which I assume means we've reached the ocean. Hawks and swifts fly overhead, hunting, only to be accosted by dozens of crows when they finally make their mark. The wind has picked up, making the water choppy, but the breeze is a welcome sensation. I watch the birds and the people until we dock for the evening.
We enjoy a nice meal prepared by our crew and then attempt to smoke the opium we acquired in Goa. It is a bit of a fiasco and we end up throwing out the drug after hours of attempts. The tobacco we used to kindle the opium ends up being all we feel in the end.
Thousands of flying insects had congregated around the tiny light on the upper deck, so we spend the rest of our evening with it off. As we make our way back to bed we are greeted by a rather large and terrifying spider that made it's way toward us in the dark. Both spider and humans seemed pretty grateful that we didn't encounter each other in total darkness. I'll keep my headlamp handy from now on.
This leg of the trip wasn't necessarily eventful, but it offered a nice moment to decompress and reflect. My thoughts wandered all over the place. Back home, last week in Mumbai, how much ground we've covered in such a short time, to what I imagine the future will be like in Thailand and beyond. On one hand I love the freedom of travel, but moving rapidly to so many different places leaves me feeling exhausted. Facebook is a danger as well, triggering the "missing out" feelings and sending me into nostalgic daydreams. I start to miss my friends and routines even more, and not having the option to satisfy those desires makes the longing more intense. Barely three weeks have passed, but I take my homesickness as a sign that I was doing pretty well for myself back in California.
It's a wonderful thing to be thrown into new territory, but I'm slowly realizing and accepting the cost of travel on my mind and body. The rewards are many and there are still plenty to reap, but I wonder if this will be it for me. It's too early to tell, but I suspect that several months of travel will scratch the itch. The idea of settling in one place for a while seems to suit me better. Though my attitude may improve when things slow down again. Each place has a different vibe and I can't predict what will happen next. I suppose the difficulty is that we never stay in one place long enough to cross the threshold and see its lasting potential. The nature of travel is just that. You only have it for a short time, but I usually want more before moving on. This might just be how things work for a while, and I am trying to temper my expectations.
Cochin is remarkably less dense in terms of population. The roads are calmer and it feels less polluted. After getting out of the stifling heat of Goa I feel like I take my first deep breathe in days.
After just a few hours of totally undeserved air conditioning, our driver Jagidish brings us to our overnight houseboat leg. From here we cruise along the beautiful backwaters of Alleppey. This is also a notibly popular tourist destination as there are more houseboats moored here than I can count. We see even more out on the water and I try to imagine how crowded it must be during peak tourist season. Fortunately the horns aren't used often on these slow moving beasts.
I spend most of my time on the upper deck of the boat, watching the scenery around me. The waterways are lined with modest houses and palm trees, but just beyond you can see miles of rice fields which seem to be top notch feeding ground for egrets and herons. Many people are washing their clothes in the water along the banks, producing a wet smacking sound as they whip them clean on the stone sidewalls. A few anglers cast their lines out as we move along.
The waterways seem endless. We eventually make our way out to an immense bay which I assume means we've reached the ocean. Hawks and swifts fly overhead, hunting, only to be accosted by dozens of crows when they finally make their mark. The wind has picked up, making the water choppy, but the breeze is a welcome sensation. I watch the birds and the people until we dock for the evening.
We enjoy a nice meal prepared by our crew and then attempt to smoke the opium we acquired in Goa. It is a bit of a fiasco and we end up throwing out the drug after hours of attempts. The tobacco we used to kindle the opium ends up being all we feel in the end.
Thousands of flying insects had congregated around the tiny light on the upper deck, so we spend the rest of our evening with it off. As we make our way back to bed we are greeted by a rather large and terrifying spider that made it's way toward us in the dark. Both spider and humans seemed pretty grateful that we didn't encounter each other in total darkness. I'll keep my headlamp handy from now on.
This leg of the trip wasn't necessarily eventful, but it offered a nice moment to decompress and reflect. My thoughts wandered all over the place. Back home, last week in Mumbai, how much ground we've covered in such a short time, to what I imagine the future will be like in Thailand and beyond. On one hand I love the freedom of travel, but moving rapidly to so many different places leaves me feeling exhausted. Facebook is a danger as well, triggering the "missing out" feelings and sending me into nostalgic daydreams. I start to miss my friends and routines even more, and not having the option to satisfy those desires makes the longing more intense. Barely three weeks have passed, but I take my homesickness as a sign that I was doing pretty well for myself back in California.
It's a wonderful thing to be thrown into new territory, but I'm slowly realizing and accepting the cost of travel on my mind and body. The rewards are many and there are still plenty to reap, but I wonder if this will be it for me. It's too early to tell, but I suspect that several months of travel will scratch the itch. The idea of settling in one place for a while seems to suit me better. Though my attitude may improve when things slow down again. Each place has a different vibe and I can't predict what will happen next. I suppose the difficulty is that we never stay in one place long enough to cross the threshold and see its lasting potential. The nature of travel is just that. You only have it for a short time, but I usually want more before moving on. This might just be how things work for a while, and I am trying to temper my expectations.
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteYou may know be from such places as Whiskey Slough, Ethiopian dining establishments, and most notably the Drew Street Crew. It seems like part of what you're experiencing is an "in-your-face" lesson on trade offs and the syndrome of life in which there is only a finite amount of time which gets smaller every second. Back in CA the routine comforts shielded you from the potential of other activities, lifestyles, and places. Now that you are at thrust into constant change in all things ranging from your environment to your moods it is more apparent that with each adventure comes the loss of another, whether that be jet setting across the far east or resting for days and weeks on end in one locale.
I don't want you to look at this as a morbid tone in which you lack the ability to pursue happiness because you'll always be "missing out" on something, but to pay attention to what you want and how to achieve it. If living off this premise that one has to make choices, you could also say that one can do whatever they want, maybe that gives the more positive (and DGAF) tone I'm going for. It seems that by taking this trip you're already pursuing dreams that you had, and I hope that you continue to do this through out the journey. There will always be other opportunities, however I'll allow the cliche'd 15 year old facebook posts come out and say NO REGRETS!!!, LiVeLIFEtotheFuLLEsT!!! xoxo
Brocerely,
Dankasaurus Rex
Another syndrome IN life is the Shot In the Face Syndrome, don't let this one befall you.
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