 Goa in monsoon times |
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Dear all,
I hope you all are doing great and are enjoying the last summer days (well, it should be summer for most of you). It’s two o’clock in the morning and I’m all alone in the apartment which, in this city and with these living conditions, is an amazing feeling. I just got back from a day of shopping followed by watching the latest Bollywood success. It’s all in Hindi of course but following the dialogue is not really necessary to get the picture… The funniest part was actually not the movie but the moment before when everyone in the audience had to stand up while they were playing the national anthem.
This Tuesday was a public holiday (Independence Day) so we took the opportunity and went to Goa over the weekend. We are still in monsoon season which makes the sea unsafe to swim in, but just to be by the beach was amazing! For the first time since April I was actually able to go for a fast walk by myself (traffic, people, dirt, beggars etc makes that impossible in Mumbai). Goa is extremely cheap, especially during off season, so the weekend was mostly spent enjoying good food and alcohol and just relaxing. Since Goa was a Portuguese colony the architecture looks completely different from Bombay and I sometimes forgot I was in India. It’s such a special mix of Indian culture and Portuguese colonial heritage and some places looked more like I would imagine Cuba. The most memorable part of the trip was the bus ride back though. What should have been 12 hours in a sleeper bus turned into an 18 hour long ride in the most dirty bumpy bus you could imagine. Discovering that the sleeper tickets meant being squeezed into these small glass cupboards above the seats which were really dirty and full of ants, my friend Laura sat down on one of the seats, refusing to move with the comment “It’s India honey, everyone is fucking around with us so we might as well fuck around with them!” Well, she’s actually right, that kind of attitude and coupled with a good portion of humor and PATIENCE I think is what I need to have the coming months. If you can manage that, then Mumbai is a great place to be.
Ok, that’s all for me now. Thinking of you all. Let me know what’s happening in your lives!
Kisses,
Maria
4 Comments - Add Public Comment or Send Private Message
August 20th 2006 - julie: hej søde
Hej søde Maria, hvor er det godt at høre fra dig, Det lyder virkelig som om, du får oplevet meget. Jeg bliver helt misundelig. Jeg skulle have siddet i Thailand nu, men jeg kunne desværre ikke komme afsted på grund af min sygdom (jeg kan ikke huske, om jeg skrev til dig, at jeg har fået konstateret en kronisk tarmsygdom æv). Så jeg er stucked in Denmark, men det har egentlig også været ok, det har været dejligt at se en masse venner og veninder. Tekke og hans kæreste Martijn var i København i tirsdags, hvor vi allesammen var sammen (mig, Anne og Rikek), det var super hyggeligt at se dem igen. De kommer tilbage til DK på fredag og overnatter, inden de rejser hjem igen. Så det bliver dejligt at se dem. Håber du har det rigtig godt, det er dejligt at høre så meget fra dig og høre, at du har det godt. Pas rigtig godt på dig selv søde. Stort knus Julie
August 21st 2006 - Lisa: goa
Ciao Bella!
I just read your news. well, you seem more peaceful!it's a good feeling for those who read you.
I came back from italy last week... well... i've to tell you some crazy little things once more... eheh... as far as italy is concerned, I have to admit that it's one of the best place to be in the world. "la dolce vota" is not a myth... you eat and drink so well, landscapes so different,nice people. it's a bit like in france except the fact that in italy, traditions and regional particularisms are stronger. and this makes a big difference. italy is spicer and more authentic... mmmmmmh i would love to live there... ehehe!!! ;-)
otherwise, i'm still happy to know about you
keep in touch Chica
BACIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Lisa
August 29th 2006 - Jeff Martinez: Hay Mariasweetish!!!
I am happy to know that everything is fine with you over there. Since I discovered this blog, I have developped like an obsession to follow your great adventures in mumbai. You don't probably hear of me much but trust me I think of you sometimes to often. Take care mademoiselle Nordstrom and talk to you soon. Please don't give up what you are doing if that is really, what will bring forth your sense of self- accomplishment .
August 30th 2006 - Pranav: randomly surfed over
Hi, am from bombay and randomly surfed over...was great reading your blog. The key to succeeding in India is to let go and not try to fight against the flow too much. Though you do seem to have gotten a bit of a raw deal:-)
about the cinema halls - yeah you'll find the national anthems playing only in Mumbai - I found that funny too when i shifted from Delhi...the result of an erstwhile right-wing nationalist party ruling the state...of course no subsequent govt has had the guts to remove the rule. Though I find it pretty good, you know - we hardly sing the national anthem here...so busy is everyone in their own lives!
Mumbai will be awesome in a few days..in terms of the weather...hope you'll enjoy it! Looks like you've done all the things to be done around Mumbai - Khopoli, Matheran etc...go, girl! Have fun and be safe:)
And yeah...Goa is nice and relaxed in the monsoon times - though its unblvbly party like in Nov-Dec!
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