hitting the wall

i woke up this morning and realized i have hit the travel wall. this means...after i go to bhuj and then come back to ahmedabad, i am going to the BEACH for the rest of my trip.

i was looking through the guide book and the train schedule and trying to figure out how the hell i was going to do all this stuff in the 3 weeks i have left. and finally i realized, it just isn't worth all the travel, when i am on HOLIDAY and it should be RELAXING (somewhat).

so...as most of you know, i always need to talk such decisions over. i knew there was an english speaking tourist down the hall from me, so i went and knocked on his door and told him that i needed to talk over my travel plans and would he listen and give me advice. he did. he was a young 20 something from ireland who has been traveling all over the world fo 11.5 months now. i told him my dilemma....travel far, many trains, lots of stress....or do i just say what the fuck and go to the beach. he said beach, and then i knew i was thinking correctly. it's like, if he had said to go travel non-stop, i still would have known i needed to go to the beach. (ya ya, poor me, i know...)

so! no backwater boat adventures for me! instead it will be a hut no the beach with sand floors, a cuving ocean view with palm trees and delightful fresh fish and lemon soda water. i already booked the tickets, there is no turning back.

i feel this weird responsibility to do as much as i can, to see as much of india as possible, but the fact is that this is a huge country. if i went to kerala like i had planned, i would have something like a 75 hour train ride back to delhi. this is like THREE DAYS on the train. wouldn't that time be better spent relaxing? i think so! i feel good about my sojourn to nainital, and i am excited to go to bhuj tonight. but i am also very relieved to know the rest of my time is planned.

buying train tickets can be a real pain. i have learned you have to book ahead...or else you get the waiting list! i am on the waiting list for tonight, but the guy at the DFM VIP section (whatever that stands for!!!) said i am now confirmed, but i have to come back tonight at 8pm and wait in line AGAIN to get a new ticket. THEN when i return from bhuj, i have to come back and wait in another line to get my ticket to goa confirmed. damn, this line waiting sucks! and when i say it sucks, i friggin mean it!

i had a very good time at the flea market yesterday. i was the ONLY white person there and they were thrilled to see me. for one, i was THERE, for two, i have MONEY!! i bought a cotton sari for rs30 and i also bought a used salwaar kameez that is very comfortable, just like pajamas. i pad rs50 for it, and apparently the woman was VERY happy with that price, meaning i should have paid half what i paid. but what the hell....either $1.25 or $.50....not that much different to me! i did see some other things i liked, but the people priced themselves out! they think i have no idea, and then they ask WAAY too much, like more than in the US, and therefore, i know i can never get them down to what is appropriate. therefore, they don't get anything!

i am in the state of gujarat now. the language here is gujarati, and the writing is totally different than hindi and not as many people speak english. bargaining with the women at the flea market was a real challenge! but money talk is universal, now isn't it? the good thing is that the rickshaws here use their meters, so it is easy to tell how much you have to pay and there is no bargaining for that at least.

bhuj should be interesting...i'll let you know. for the rest of the day i am going to go to gandhi's ashram and i am going to SEWA like i said yesterday. then back to the hotel to wash up, then back once again to the frigging train station. awesome.

hope all is well in nc!
love
jo