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Published: February 4th 2010
One of the first feelings upon landing in India is the feeling of having definitely traveled somewhere. Thinking back to my first trips to Europe I remember how, upon landing, I was struck by how everything felt familiar yet somehow a little different. But here in India that old moniker "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore" certainly applies. For the last couple days I have been throroughly enjoying letting my senses get completely overwhelmed by my new surroundings. Even though I've only been here two days I can already say with certainty that India is the most amazing place I've ever travelled.
My flight landed in Thriuvanathapuram, Kerala State in the middle of the night after having been upgraded to Business Class on Qatar Air. From the airport I took a cab to the beach town of Varkala and ended up getting in at 5am. Of course everything was closed for the night, so I started wandering the town in hopes that one of the many guesthouses would open soon. I ended up stumbling upon a group of people having a late night party in a Guesthouse garden who immediately invited me to take a room and join in on the fun. I plan on staying here a week because the atmosphere is very laid back and there are many other travellers around to get tips from. I hope to post some pics within the next few days of my surroundings, but here is a quick synopsis.
The sensory overload the first few days in India is extreme, but for me its been extremely positive. First there is the smell - machine oil, burning plastics, incense, curry, spices, the smell of tropical foliage, vehicle exhaust, more incense all lingering in the thick tropical air. Then there are the sounds - car horns, Indian music blaring, birds screeching, goats bleating, roosters crowing, the breeze in the coconut trees, sounds of waves crashing on the beach. The colors are bright and vibrant - green coconut palms, azure blue water, bright tropical flowers all accentuated by fierce sunlight. And then there are the people - everyone I met has been incredibly friendly and social. Very few people wear Western style dress. Here in Kerala most men wear the Lungi, which looks suspiciously similar to a miniskirt, while women wear a local variant of the Sari or Salawar Kameez. This wil change as I travel across the country and I'll be interested to see how other parts of the country compare to Kerala State.
I could go on, but instead I think I'll wait and post some pictures within the next several days. I plan on staying in Varkala for about a week and plan on going fishing, swimming in the ocean, and will probably take some yoga classes - Varkala is one of India's major yoga centers. Will post some pics in the near future.
Stay tuned...
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Cãtherine
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holaaa
hey!! glad to hear you like india thusfar! and NO WAY they bumped you to business class. how did you manage that one??