Drugs, Beaches, And Sunsets

It's been a long time since I updated and honestly, I don't remember much. I left Allepey on a train headed north and met some wonderful people. A doctor from England that had worked in South Africa for awhile and had some amazing stories. I also shared the trip with a really cute couple from Spain and France. I love hippies. I slept a little on the train and when I got off I was so weary. It took another 2 hours before I arrived at the sleepy beaches of Gokarna.

Om Beach is the name of the main beach where I would make my hub for the next few days. It's called Om Beach because it resembles the symbol for "Om", which is everything. The mood when I showed up was a little cold. There were westerners there but they were all seemingly into what they were doing and nothing/nobody else. I got settled in my room, which was covered with fire ants, and went for dinner. There I sat, alone, wondering if I had come to the wrong place. I also knew I had been in transit for a long time and maybe I should just sleep it off.

The next morning I woke up determined to not let the day suck. I would go on a hike and meet as many people as I could. The day started out with talking to Bethany who was visiting my Mom in New England. She is out there for my Nanas 80th birthday and to say I'm happy about all this wouldn't do it justice. It's such a wonderful thing that she got to see my family seeing as they are such an important part of my life. I've since found out that it all went great and a good time was had by all. Oh by the way, Happy Birthday Nana. 80 years is an amazing landmark and I'm so proud to have you for a Grandmother. BIG HUG!!!

I left for my hike and I almost immediately started missing the old roommates. This would have been something we did for a weekend trip except it's in India and more secluded. It was a little dangerous at parts but the scenery was ridiculous. Lush palms and jagged rocky coast. I talked to a guy from Turkey on the way to Half Moon Beach and he also mentioned that the vibe at the guesthouse where we were at was wield. I was happy it wasn't just me. I continued on and found myself a cove to swim in at Half Moon Beach and then continued on to Paradise.

When I got there I was awestruck with how desolate it was and I found a cute older couple and chatted with them for a bit before heading back. When I was passing by Half Moon again I ran into an English couple named Kirsty and Charlie. I only talked to them for a moment but I would end up hanging out with them more later. Then on the path I met yet another English couple much more of the hippie ilk. We sat down and started talking...then I got high. I was going to finish all my walking...then I got high. So I found a big palm tree, and I know why. Yeaaaaaaaah, because I got high, because I got high, because I got high. Da-da-da-da-da-da. Watching the sunset from the lone palm tree that was on this little outcropping was one of the most memorable moments of my entire trip. I went back to the guesthouse and had a wonderful dinner and met a bunch of guys talking about America. I assured them that I wouldn't bomb them if I sat down and they all agreed. Shortly after I decided to retire and I was loving my life again.

Just to put this out there, from the moment I stopped with the English couple and smoked from a chillum;

Chillum:
-noun 1. a hookah or other water pipe adapted for smoking marijuana, that can be passed in ritual fashion among a group of participants: used esp. by Indians.

I was lifted the rest of my time here. Some may say it's a bad decision and they might be right but it felt like the right thing to do and I'm still here. I decided to go back to Paradise Beach for the evening and spend the night there. When I got there I met up with the English couple, a crazy holy kid from Germany, an actually crazy guy from Argentina, a kid from Bombay who spoke perfect English, a couple quiet Isrealis (they are all pretty much quiet) and the staff for this guesthouse. It wasn't really a guesthouse so much as a Shack with a lot of beach area. I had a wonderfully chill time there and slept under the stars in a hammock. The next day I went back to Om Beach and got another night at the guesthouse Namaste. I spent a lot of time with Kirsty and Charlie and we agreed to meet in the morning so I could go to town which was a long walk and something I had no idea about.

We met in the morning and with my bag on my back (which, I gotta tell you, is paying huge dividends here in India Jay) and my mind somewhere up in the clouds, I left this place for Goa. Everyone has told me Goa sucks now but I wanted to form my own opinion about it. I said goodbye to Charlie and Kirsty and thanked them for being cool people ion a strange place. I stayed the night in town at a terrible little shanty called Gokarna International. If you're planning on being in Gokarna, don't stay here. One cool thing though was that the TV, which didn't really come in, was showing the World Series. The Cardinals won huh? Someone in Seattle give J.P. a big hug for me and tell him that I would send him to St. Louis if I were there. Go Birds.

The next day was a travel day and I headed for Palolem Beach up north in Goa. I arrived and noticed that there were two growths on my forearm. I don't know if something bit me or what but they are discerning. Oh well. I ended up hooking up with this guy named Samuel from Isreal and he is so cool. He reminds me of Craig a little bit but with Zach's laugh and...he's Isreali. All these guys finish their time in the army and then go on trips, more often than not, in Goa. This is the first guy though that I've really talked to and he's so cool. Last night we talked to this guy and he gave me a piece of pure MDNA. I didn't even hesitate and told the guy that I didn't want it. There, finally some willpower when it comes to the drugs! Samuel on the other hand was down and thus I began my long night of designated human. It was fine (although I wouldn't want to be Sams jaw right now) and I had a good nights sleep.

The beach here is great. It's so much more touristy here than where I've been. There are so many tourists here and it's just a bit of a trip! It's expensive, well, expensive for India (I'm staying on the beach with Samuel for 5 dollars US). I just found out that the Patriots ripped a hole into Minnasota. The huge bumps on my forearm are fading a little. I'm going to watch the sun go down on an island off the coast tonight. I'll be in Nepal one week from today. I've got a woman at home who loves me and she has our son in her belly. I love my life.

Namsate,

Nathan