Traveling Around India: Update Part Three

I am back in Mysore to write this third and final update regarding my independent travels around India. It was a long (16 hour) trip back to Mysore, but I was coming from the beach in Goa... so I will not complain. Looking back, I really did have such a wonderful experience. Even though there were a few issues, stresses, and road bumps along the way, there was also a lot of beauty and I made some incredible memories. To me, it is crazy enough to think I am through the first week of November, let alone 3 months into being abroad!  I will try to recap the third week of my travels... though I will warn you, it had a lot to do with me being lazy.

Welcome to Anjuna Beach, Goa
...I know

Very few college students (especially college students from freezing-cold Syracuse, NY) can say they enjoyed a few days hanging out on a beach in November.  Also, when that beach is alongside the Arabian Sea... magical. My travel path begins with a flight from Jaipur, Rajasthan to Vasco, Goa. Of course, my flight was delayed 2 1/2 hours.. but once it was up in the air, the flight was smooth sailing and quick.  When I landed I knew my time in daylight would be limited. I noticed 3 other ladies (all traveling by themselves) trying to figure out how to share a taxi. I learned all four of us were going to different places, but all four of us were heading to beaches in Northern Goa. Instead of trying to navigate the state myself, I asked to join them. The ride was a bit cramped, but it was significantly cheaper than trying to figure things out on my own AND I shared a ride with women from Germany, Israel, and Sweden (with ages ranging from 24-65!)

Joseph met me in an alley just short of the beach in Anjuna, Goa. He and 7 of the others were just about the eat at a place called Moon Star (also, 90% of the group ate together that night!) It was very nice to see everyone's familiar face, and to exchange travel stories.  Also, the food was delicious. (safe to assume I ate my weight in food at this restaurant too..)

My time in Goa was very relaxing. Goa is a western state (a very, very, small western state) with a lot of Portuguese influence. The Portuguese colonized the area and brought many different ways of thinking, landscape designs, and foods - they were also there until the late 1960's, well after the rest of India's independence in 1947.  Over looking the Arabian Sea, the entire geography of the state is beautiful. Not to mention warm, sunny, humid, touristy, and fun.  I spent a great deal of time hanging by the beach (with a cocktail in the evening time was also pretty cool), swimming in the warmest ocean I have ever been in, eating (give me a break... they had delicious pizzas, scrambled eggs and ice cream), and ...to be honest... sleeping. It felt so good to sleep in/take mid-day naps, and just lounge around. It was also wonderful to be sharing a room with people again - and always reuniting with everyone for meals. Also, I will admit, it is so much more relaxing/low pressure/fun to be able to order a drink with dinner.

Sometimes I forgot I was in India...

 ...and then I saw cows on the beach and remembered, "oh, right, I am"

 The group of us getting lunch at the Moon Star Restaurant

 There was such a noticeable fusion of Indian/Beach/Portuguese Culture in Goa

 Everywhere...

On Friday, a small group of us ventured a few kilometers away to the township of Old Goa.  Old Goa is known for its high concentration of Christian churches and cathedrals. The area was beautiful and definitely stood apart from the other parts of India that I saw.  We walked around the small town and popped into the various churches to look at the intricate and ornate designs, both inside and out.. Although it was an incredibly hot day, the trip was well worth it - and we got to figure out the local bus system a little better before making our way back the Panaji (the capital) to catch our final buses back to Mysore.

 The inside of this one, Church of Saint Cajetao (pictures inside below) was by far the most beautiful

Everything was so well kept... and to think services are no longer held there

As someone who is not very religious, but fascinated by religiosity, I found the trip incredibly inspiring. It was also interesting to me to be in such a Christian part of India - yet feel the more traditional Indian fusion integrated into the Cathedrals and landscape.

Goa, I think, was a wonderfully low-key and relaxing end to my individual journey around the country. Although I am incredibly tired, have a lot of laundry to do (and by laundry, I mean a lot of de-funking my clothes to do) and just a short time in Mysore before I head off to Saragur for my internship (eep.. tomorrow!) there are still many places I wish I had time to explore. There is simply too much to see in India. Despite all of the confusion and craziness in navigating my way around, I know I grew as a person. I grew as a traveler, as a woman, and someone who can now DEFINITELY do things on her own; I grew as someone who no longer cares about smelling good or looking good. I grew more comfortable in using squatting toilets and/or ANYTHING available. I grew more fearless and confident in my decision-making abilities. I also saw some beautiful places and met some incredibly friendly and interesting people.  There were many things along the way that made me frustrated, but there were many things along the way that had me stop and think about who I am as a person, what I want from life, and simply: to just enjoy being in one confined moment in time.  There is so much in life we can rush into, plan for, and dream of. For once in my life, I loved just being a student, a visitor, a traveler, a passenger, a volunteer, a farmer, a friend, an observer, a tourist, a beach bum, and above all: Sarah. Corney as that may seem, the past 3 1/2 weeks opened my eyes to more things about myself than I ever could have asked for.  In addition, I had a pretty sweet vacation in the middle of a college semester and got to traverse India.