vacation in paradise

Doing things in India often exhausts me, and I generally try to nap or at least lie in bed for some time in the late afternoon. Vacation in India is no different.

After a week on the road I've built some confidence, lost some desire and many things in between. I've only now come to realize that I've been in India for a long time and maybe I really do miss some things back home. So this vacation might actually end up being more of a "I want to be somewhere else" rather than "yeah! I'm here". This is in part(s) due to the fact that I'm traveling almost exclusively to beachside areas, which although nice can be understimulating and over-touristy, in party because I am alone, in part because I am so cheap and when alone with no one to point out the sillyness can't help but take cheapness as a challenge, and in part because none of these places I am staying at have TV. Although they have all been nice accomodations until I reached this hostel in Goa where nothing is as it was advertised.

I've learned that flying in India is nice and relatively cheap. The trains are relatively slow and uncomfortable but extraordinarily cheap. Busses are unbearably slow, especially with all the stop and go, and unbelievably cheap. And people everywhere will simply tell you what you want to hear and in the process try and rip you off. So phrasing a question where the desired answer is obvious is really quite pointless. I guess it's all part of the fun. I also rented and drove a scooter all around town and the countryside, which was definitely a defining highlight so far. Otherwise I've experienced a mild culture shock just being around white people after four months of rarely a spotting.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years for now.