Train Thief

Bombay burned me out. A lot of walking and talking trying to get my camera fixed that turned out to just be a joke. The city itself is amazing. So much history packed into such a small area. I saw all the smashed up windows in the Tah Hotel where the terrorists attacked last month. I Did some shopping and then was off.

Train Hell
I did what I usually do when I get on trains. Through my bag on the top bunk, secure it, wash my face, pull out my hankerchief to cover the dirty bed, and go to sleep. But this time I forgot to do something very important. I forgot to tie up my shoes.
I woke up groggy in the morning and wanted to go for a pee. You do not walk anywhere in Indian trains without your shoes because there are no garbages on the train and people throw garbage on the floor. You can imagine what the toilet looks like. My search was slow. I couldnt really see properly. A man who was sitting below saw my struggling and got down on his hands and knees to try and help me. It was clear that my big brown boots were not there. We did find a pair of black shoes though. They were peeling, had huge hoels in the bottom, the toe was missing and one of the heels had fallen off.
"New shoes for you..." The man said with a wobble and a half smile.
I put them on, limped to the bathroom, did my thing and went back to sleep. I didint tie up my new shoes when I went to sleep the second time and, thankfully, they were still there.
Id heard of theives of the trains but I never expected it to happen to me - who does?
Being optomistic, at least they fit properly.
The train ride only got worse. It was supposed to be a 27 hour ride and it turned into 40 hours because of the fog delay. I had to battle a 40 year old chubby Hindu woman to get a seat by the window(She won.) And worst of all the Bomaby beef I had just before I left wasnt sitting to well in my stomach and I had to make frequent trips to the drentched with who-knows-what bathroom every hour!
Finally at 3:00 am we pulled up to the Delhi station

New Years

New years was a very intereting night. There was a massive party on the rocks - not on the beach so essentially allowed - that went on till 2 in the morning. It was everything I could imagine. Sea, music, lights, fireworks, champange, dancing.....
Im sure you all had your own fun on New Years.
I missed my friends and wanted to be with them. Thankfully we were able to pull 10 people together and celebrate as a group of 'new' friends.
So to all my friends and family, Happy New Year!

Stupid police

I spent the rest of my Christmas in southern Goa at a beach called Pallolem. It was all that you could ask for besides, besides the idiotic rules the brain dead police men came up with.
TO KEEP TERRORISTS FROM KILLING TOURISTS WE WILL

1) THROW ALL THE BEACH CHAIRS AND TABLES OFF THE SAND

2) STOP ALL MUSIC AFTER 12:00

3) MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE SHACK OWNERS LOSE MONEY

They managed to stop the terrorists alright, they even built a little sandbag bunker in case they did attack. In the meantime people went broke, tourists left unsatisfied, and the police got a bad name.
Terrorists, you win again.

Searching but not finding

In my effort to find the parties I spent a few very lonely nights on the beach. Its strange how holidays alone can sometimes make you feel terrible. A couple of nights before Christmas I walked alone down a deserted beach. It was just me, the waves, and the occasional couple laughing and flirting at a restaurant playing romantic Ricky Martin music. Feelings of my past year in Shanghai with my girlfriend, my friends, even my past trip with my family pulled at my heart. I don't want to sound like wuss, but on nights like that its really hard being alone. There are always hard days. Damn you Ricky Martin!

The Rave

On the motorcycle two thoughts kept colliding viciously in my head.
Don't get on the back of a motorcycle on a dangerou road at night with a man you don't know VS Commmon! You only have one chance!
I'm not sure which was the devil and which was the angel.

We drove for more than 2 hours across dark jungle roads. We crossed bridges, beaches, resorts and villages. Finally the final stretch brought us 3km up a small dirt road. I could hear the beating, the thunder of the rave in the forest. The noise echoed in the dark grey sky. After some bumps, cragy turns, and bushes in the face we arrived in a huge parking lot filled with motorcycles, cars, and taxis.
Welcome to the West End
I was excited. We got our tickets, pulled up our pants, fixed our hair, and I got ready to enter my first rave.
The thing Ill remember the most is the people. I've never seen such an interesting mix of fashion vs Halloween party vs hippy vs lunatic
I saw a Russian dressed as a pig, a French dressed as a wizard, a Nepali dressed as a caveman, a woman dressed in - Im not sure what it was but it looked amazing, like a track suit that glows in the dark.
People smiled, drank, smoked, smoked, and smoked, there was almost a constant cloud that hovered around the neon blue, green, yellow, and red strings.
As the sun rose the people continued to drive in to the place. The crowd increased and the music got louder. Sunglasses hid the alien eyes slightly pulsating behind the huge lenses and people danced. They danced without fear. They danced like no one was looking because no one was looking. Everyone was dancing. Everyone was smiling; at each other, at the music, at their feeling, at this kind of kinship you share with people who are loosing themselves in the same place and music that you are.
As the sun began to sizzle my skin I decided to call it a day.
I looked around, there must have been 1000 people there.
Whichever side pursuaded me to go, the angel or the devil, I thanked them.