End of trip: I arrived in Delhi last night. Have to work on getting a flight home this week (long story) .

My week in the state of Goa was fantastic. What a place. The closest thing to hedonism there is I think. It is 100km of beach and all along there are small villages which the local beaches are named after. So there is Baga Beach and Calungute, Arambol, Vagator, Anjuna, Colva, Palalem etc. I got up every morning and walked to the beach to have a swim. My hotel was on a quiet road the ran along a small river. There were some small shops selling typical beach stuff and some very good cafes and restaurants. So a bit quiet compared to the hussle / bussle of the beach and the local town - Baga. Each evening the thing to do is go to the beach, grab a chair, order a drink and watch the sun go down. Everyone here rides a scooter or motorcycle to get around. They are very cheap to rent and I drove all over the place on one.

Got to go to a full moon party Dec. 15 which is one of the things Goa is famous for. I think the venue had past its real prime and the true partiers are in places no one can find but it was still fun. Stayed up till 5:30 a.m. Haven't done that in the past 20 years. The place was built into a cliff and had many levels. Lots of techno music and the locals set up small stalls within the complex and sell an array of things - food mostly but also paraphanelia that helps with the partying. To sit and watch the full moon over the Arabian Sea, talk to people from all over the world, drink Indian chai (which is tea with a lot of milk and spices) is truly like a dream.

Had a blast at the local weekly flea market in Anjuna Beach on Wednesday. It is very famous, very big and incredible. Ended up in a beach bar with many strange people and some not so strange, just a very weird mix and there was live music. This group called Kundalini Airport played this sort of techno/jazz/fusion stuff with sitar, drums and an Australian diggerdoo (sp?) and a singer and it was hypnotic and amazing. Watched the sun set, kids play, people smoke pot, drink beer, listen to this stuff in a beach shack and it was like being in another world.

So now I am in Delhi and it is cold, grey and smoky. I'm staying in an area called Karol Bagh and it's really quite a nice place. I went to a local market today and it was great because all the locals shop there, so vendors leave you alone, there are no beggars, and you can just blend in.

Well this is the end of my trip. Hope you have enjoyed reading all about it. I've had a great two months and plan to return to India as soon as I can and take a motorcycle to Kashmir, Jammu, Darjeeling and Sikkim (all in northern India). Have to start saving my pennies for the next trek.

India South and Sri Lanka: Since my last posting I've traveled from the south west coast of India, to central south (Bangalore, Mysore regions) and then on to the south east coast of India and Chennai which is India's 4th largest city and has about 6 million inhabitants. The train trip from Bangalore to Chennai was 7 hours but really memorable because I got to stand at an open door between train cars for much of the trip, which got me out of the stuffy and dingy interior and really enabled me to watch the world go by. The sunset was great that evening.

Chennai is on the Bay of Bengal in the state of Tamil Nadu and I dipped my feet in the water. The surf was so rough, no one could go in. The city has 13 kms of fabulous beach front and everyone in Chennai ends up there on hot days. The city is busy and polluted like all the rest. The British East India Company established one of its earliest seats of power in Chennai (formerly known as Madras). There is a fort and churches, plus the usual host of Hindu temples. I traveled to a wonderful site about 60 km south along the coast called Mahabalipuram, which has great century old temples right on or near the beach. During the drive south I also saw where the Dec. 26/05 tsunami came ashore and washed away homes. Eight thousand Indians either were killed or lost. Now there is temporary housing for people but the push is on to get them permanent ones. That is taking longer then expected. Beach front property is cheap here and there's lots available. hmmm.... would I like to have a little hut on the Bay of Bengal? Maybe not.

Leaving India we flew to Colombo, Sri Lanka around December 1st. What a very different county! Such a reprieve from the chaotic activity of India. More like Indonesia I would think. It has 19 million people and is very laid back, relaxed, green, tropical, rice paddies, elephants, gentle, shy people, tea plantations, more wretched dogs then India, 80% Buddhist so lots of temples. We were able to do more hiking and that was good because I needed the exercise. So a couple of treks to holy sites / temples were done . You can't be in this part of the world and ignore the temples. I swam in the Indian Ocean just north of Colombo so now I've been in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. Sounds so exotic. The lushness of the country side is delightful and there is something very charming about the entire place. Traveling into the hill county, the tea plantations are stunning colours of green and you can see the tea pickers busy at work and then stop at a plantation for tea and Christmas cake! I've seen more elephants than I can count and monkeys galore. At night I must keep the windows shut or they will invade the room and take things. I actually have grown to not like them at all. They are nasty animals.

The internet service was dismal in Sri Lanka hence no blog during my time there, but I would recommend it as a place to see if you are this part of the world. Not so sure you should make a trip just to see it (many people do like the Australians and British) but it's a great way to wrap up a trip to India. So now I am recounting my travels from Baga Beach in Goa, India. Only took me 21 hours to get here from the interior of Sri Lanka yesterday. 7 hours by car, then a plane trip to Mumbai from Colombo at midnight, waited for 6 a.m. plane to Goa from Mumbai and then an hours car ride from Goa airport to hotel. Whew - crashed for a few hours after that one. Now I'm in Goa for one week to chill out and watch sunsets. Ta, ta for now.

Goa & Kerela: Since Pushkar I have traveled many kilometres and seem so many things - Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples, palaces of Maharajas that once ruled, massive forts perched on top of hills that reflect the strength of its warrior builders. And I spend hours in a bus looking at the country side and its people. It is such a magical place.

Udiapur is a city in the western state of Rajasthan. It is so romantic with "misty ochre-shadowed hills and pale, intricate buildings which encircle a small lake. At the lake's centre is the mythical Lake Palace - by day a wedding cake dreamed up by feverish imagination, by night a spot lit mothership". It is definitely a city worth visiting.

I visited Ajanta and Ellora caves near Aurangabad. These caves are literally hammered monuments out of rock in remote areas of the state. They were done 1000 to 1500 years ago by Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monks. What wonders they are.

Leaving Rajasthan we flew to Mumbai and then hopped down to the state of Goa which is party central. It's on the west coast of India and has over 100 km of beautiful beaches. The sand feels like corn starch under my feet and the Arabian Sea is like a warm bath. We practiced yoga in the sand at sunrise, went for long walks and sat in thatched beach huts drinking beer, eating fresh fish for just cents and watch the most incredible sunsets. Truly bliss.

Further south is the state of Kerela. I've really entered the tropics where heat and humidity can beat you down quickly. This is winter and the average temp. is 28 degrees Celsius. Summer or monsoon time would be unimaginable - even having survived Toronto's heat this past summer does not prepare you. The Kerela people are the best looking in India I think, which wonderful smiles and a gentle manner. Their government is more socialist than other states and so infastructure and social services are much better and the people really benefit. They have 100% literacy and are very well educated. I stayed overnight on a rice barge converted into a houseboat. We cruised the many canals, just south of the city of Kochi. A very romantic moment. I also got a great motorcycle ride in Kochi which was so much fun. The driving everywhere in India is chaotic and madness. There are no rules. Motorcycles or scooters are more often the family car and you see mother, father and 2 on 3 kids all perched on a small bike, no helmets, weaving in and out of traffic. I only had to share the bike with one person, so consider myself lucky.

Pushkar Camel Fair: It seems like I have been here for ever. It's been hard to get to Internet places. However, let me tell you about Pushkar. It is a small town in the state of Rajasthan which is in the north west of India. Very arid and desert like. The Camel Fair happens once a year in November, the six days leading up to the full moon. This is a massive congregation of camels, cattle, livestock traders, pilgrims, tourists, film makers, the weird and strange. We stayed in a tent just 1 Km outside the town as there is no room in the inn. Truly the place swells from 20,000 to 250,000. All the tribes in the area come here to buy and sell camels, plus other animals. They camp in the desert. There is a midway with rides and street hawkers. The traffic is madness with camel carts, motor scooters, cars, buses with people crammed in so tight you can't get a piece of straw between them and then there are about 50 on top of the bus. It reminds me of a cross between the CNE and the Royal Winter Fair. It is hot during the day. 35 degrees celcius. But, a dry heat (ha!). At night it is very cold. Staying in a tent is challenging for some, but having done enough camping in my life it's okay by me. Besides, I have a flush toilet in it (although it disposes of its contents in an open hole dug in the sand at the back of my tent) and a coolie brings hot water in a bucket at 6:00 a.m. I jump out of bed and plunge my hands in the water to warm up.

The town of Pushkar surrounds a "lake". Something I would call a big pond. Because it is a very holy site, the pilgrims come to bath in it in the morning and I got up very early to walk into town and visit the ghats (steps down to water) and watch. No photography is allowed. Also, Pushkar is completely vegetarian and no alcohol. In spite of this the town knows how to party and the last night it did so all night long and into the moring. I could hear the roar of the people and traffic from my bed in the tent which is 1 Km away. The walk about town gives way to the weird as every stange and deformed person from anywhere shows up to display themself on the street and draw a crowd. Cows with legs growing out of their necks, men with whiskers they have grown 6 feet long, magicians, holy men who will bless you (for a price), deformed people who beg along the side of the narrow streets and so many pilgrims making their way to the many shrines. It is like something out of a Fellini film.

As of today I am in a city called Udaipur which is further west and it seems to be quite nice. Tomorrow we'll go out to explore it.

Rishikesh: This is a small town, by India standards, nestled in a valley of the Himalaya foothills. It is built up on both sides of the Ganges river - with one side being more commerical and the other more "spiritual". A plethora of ashrams focusing on yoga and Hindu teachings reside here. It's a good place to come to ease into India, although everything from the moment I stepped off the plane in Delhi is an assault on the senses.

So far, there has been a train derailment in the south of India and Delhi has experienced a three bombings by people they believe are against the peace they are trying to achieve in Kashmir. (I missed the bombing by 2 days and one of them went off near the train station, where I caught the train to Haridwar and Rishikesh.) No one here seems too perturbed by all of this. Today is October 31st and it's the eve of Diwali which is the Hindu festival of light. It is very noisy tonight with firecrackers going off everywhere. The town has many cows and dogs wandering everywhere and it takes some time to learn how to dodge the cow pies in the street. I learned fast after stepping in one my first morning here. There are beggars everywhere and some quite disfigured. Roving bands of monkeys roam the ashram at times. While I was crossing the Ganges on a footbridge there was an entire herd (do monkeys travel in herds?) crossing over and they were as interested in the pedestrian traffic as we were in them.

The Ashram is called "Parnarth Riketan" and it is quite nice. A cross between a resort and monastery. It contains an orphanage and so there are many young boys, dressed in orange, who are "satus" (holy men) in training. When I go to yoga classes I pass by their classroom which is the front yard of their sleeping quarters. Every evening there are prayers and chanting at the river's edge which is really a sight to behold. The Ganges is dirty, even here, and fast moving with rapids along the way. Overall, Rishikesh is an easy going place. More relaxed I am told them many places in India, with an acceptance of Westerners, our dress and manner that does not cause too many stares. My room in the ashram is very spartan but extravagant I think for India. Beggars and cattle sleep outside my window (I am on the second floor). I love to hear the horking and spitting of street people in the morning. Such a joy to listen to as you wake up (not!). Rishikesh is strictly vegetarian and I've not minded it really.

Yesterday, I had an Ayurvedic (Indian herbal medicine) massage. It was rather strange as we were escorted to the roof top and told to strip naked. Emma a woman I met from London, UK was rather taken aback and said she hadn't planned to get to know me this well!! We were told we lie down on some mats in the hot sun and then I had a most amazing massage by a woman who not only used her hands but both feet. It finished with warm oil being poured on my head and a scalp massage. (Note to Massimo: I know you told my not to have this done by the side of the road but I thought since I was naked on the top of a roof, it would be okay) It was great and only cost 300 rupees which is roughly $9.00 CDN. I'm going back for more.

That's it for now. Happy Hallowe'en to all.

Just trying to post a photo. This is one of my cats.

This site will be a journal of my travels throughout India and Sri Lanka. It begins October 26, 2005 with a flight to New Delhi - only 14 hours. The next day I will take a train to Haridwar and then bus to Rishikesh. Once again a full day of travelling. I will be spending a week at an ashram doing some yoga and in general just getting myself adjusted to being on the other side of the world. There is so much "busy"ness in getting ready for a long journey and I did not want to land and have to GO! So the week will allow me to relax, reflect, perhaps try my hand at some meditation, keep physically fit but not over extended and just chill and get the right attitude for the next two months. Stay tuned as I plan to post stories of my travels throughout the country as often as I am able.