The many beautiful people of Arambol

Here's a guest post from Mal (you may recognize her from my adventures in Singapore).

Arambol. Land of long sandy beaches, of great Italian pizza and cheap beer, the legendary paradise beach from the days of the hippie trail. The scene is alive and well, and full of fabulous Burning Man types, hot yoga bodies, and flower children. But there are a few other groups that you may not have expected. Here's a short introduction to the creatures you will find, roaming the beaches and sand bars of Goa.

7. Indian holiday-goers.

People normally talk about all of the expats and foreigners in Goa, but in reality tourism from within India is growing too. Many were on beach vacations, and many dudes were seen swimming in underwear. I guess swimwear isn't a trend there yet for single men? They seemed to be very amused by the hippie ladies and many fantastic photos were taken with groups of young Indian guys and a dreadlocked, leather bikini girl. Score! But really glad to see it's not just an enclave of foreigners.

6. Old Hippies.

These guys are the real deal. Some of them came to Goa for the first time in the 60's, back when there were no formal places to eat and the only place to stay was a tent on the beach. It was a legendary end destination for the hippie trail overland from Europe, through Turkey, Afghanistan, and Iran to India.  Some of them have stayed since then, but many come only for the Winters and return home when their six month visas are up. It appeared that many were bringing their adult daughters back to Arambol as a coming of age trip. I wish could have lived in a time when it was politically possible to make that amazing journey, or at least wish my parents were that cool!

5. Israeli backpackers with dreadlocks.

After completing compulsory military service, Israeli youth are set free and paid a few thousand dollars. So what to do? Travel around India and hang out in Goa for a few months? Why not! Arambol is full of young Israelis, trying to have a good time after a few years of strict military life. The restaurants even cater specifically to them and normally have an Israeli section on their menus. That said, I did have some delicious hummus and falafel. 

4. Drum circle enthusiasts.

Every evening at sunset there is a drum circle down the beach. At least ten to fifteen people get together and play music, while people dance, and vendors sell jewelry. There was also a cookie girl, and her chocolate chip was pretty awesome. Everyone dances together - from families with children, to hula hoop girls, to poi swingers and 60 year old women flapping their arms. Pretty dang glorious. And on my last day, I couldn't stand it any longer, so I bought a drum! A little late, but oh well, Munich summers will never be the same.

3. Russians in speedos.

Another surprise group is Russians. And not just fancy tourist Russians from Moscow, but young and middle aged budget tourists. Apparently there are many cheap flights from smaller towns all over Russia, flying direct to Goa and giving some people their first taste of the beach. (And escaping Winter!) I'd never really met young Russians backpacking before so it was very cool to meet some in Arambol. They can be identified by pale complexions, gold accessories, and large bald men in speedos.

2. Hula hoop professionals.

San Franciscans will know the hula hoop types. You know, those girls who can dance around with hoops gliding all over their body and you want to try too, but it just falls down and you look awkward? They are also in Arambol, often spotted near the daily sunset drum circle. Seems that it works wonders for abs too. And even children are into it. We saw an ad posted for hula hoop lessons with…a ten year old.  They can also be seen practicing in the sand before sunset, wearing iPods, exposing their midriffs,  and getting their picture taken with many large groups of Indian male tourists. Nice! (Example here) 

1. Kashmiri salesmen/ masters of the party schedule.

So where did we look to find out about parties? Online, posters, flyers? Nope. Since the police aren't very fond of parties in the area, they usually seem to be quite subtle in their marketing techniques. Which is why, when we wanted to know where the party was, we just stopped on the main road and asked the Kashmiri dudes who hung out on their motorcycles and ran shops. Two for one, if you need to know where a party is AND purchase a leather pouch.

We had an awesome time in Arambol, and although we had thought about taking the train to Kerala and seeing more of South India, it just happened that we stayed in the same place for 12 nights. The more Pooj, the better!  I must note that the one group I sadly did not identify in Arambol is Ravers. Ok ok, I know the 90s are over and all, but I thought at least a few would remain, glowsticking away in a remote corner of the world. I guess the Goan cops have done an excellent job of turning down the bass and the rave. Oh well, someday I will bring rave back and it will be epic. Just wait!

Until then, adieu and thanks Goa for helping me get over my fear of riding on motorcycles!

Mal

p.s. Thanks, Mal!  Like Mal says, Arambol is full of um, interesting people...! Some of my favorites are: Samurai Suzuki the Bob-Marley-singing/guitaring musician from Japan, Space Baba the staff-fire-dancing-hippie from Ecuador & Tony, the 7-year-old-DJ from England.  You gotta see it to believe it. 

3 things I miss about the Chenz

3.  Filter Coffee.  (I.hate.Nescafé.)

2.  Besant Nagar.  (It was like IFMR college)

1.  IDLY!  (Obvi.)

***

Hello from Goa!

I've been living in this bamboo hut+ (complete with a bathroom, electricity and wifi!) and will probably stay through February (or until I get bored, super famous or run out of money).

I'll be blogging regularly (again!).  My long (and romba pathetic) absence can be attributed to laziness, summer wedding(s) and being, well, jobless (it's funny how the more time you have, the less you actually have!)

As 2011 comes quickly to a close (ahh! can you believe it?)  I look back on this year of transition. Although I did not spend nearly enough time with family and friends back in the US, my year in India has been wonderful and full of amazing new and dear friends, newly developed hobbies like cooking (does mint chutney count?) and DJing (say hello to Arambol's only Bollywood & Bhangra DJ, DJ Rani!), and many many many adventures (and just as many misadventures) in navigating Chennai's dating scene, planning the future (including maintaining a positive bank balance), throwing crazy theme parties, experimenting in randomness (5 am yoga, composting, GMATing, OCI mishaps, avoiding Indo police & life sans Facebook) and of course, exploring my inner hippy.

Here's to wishing on a star (wahhh wahhh) for an even more exciting 2012!

Must-knows before visiting/living/talking about Chennai...

My cousin, Bunty, recently came to visit from Delhi and I realized then how important it was to prep someone coming to Chennai for the first time.  Every city has its nuances and cultural mores, completely agreed.  But, for some reason (and possibly for the same reason why many times I am forced to justify why I still live here and if actually do like it), Chennai has its quirks that it just need to be explained.

So, for future visitors (including mama and papa bhatia who are descending upon Chennai next week), here are some things to keep in mind...some of the weirdest things about Chennai are what make it such an interesting/crazy/romba weird place to be.

5.  Lungis are the new pants. 
Once you learn how to correctly tie a lungi (it's not quite as easy as it looks), they are really comfortable, really cheap and come in a variety of really cool colors (making them ideal for theme parties across the globe, FYI).

4.  Add 'aa' to any word to um, be understood. 

Seriously.  Straightaa, Rightaa and Leftaa are part of my daily vocabulary.  Try it – you'll never get lost again – that is, unless you're looking for street signs.

3.  Address Rajini as Rajini Sir.  
Rajinikanth, the iconic symbol of Kollywood cinema for the past thirty years, is worshipped across theatre halls across the South.  Never dare utter a negative word... or for that matter, even something slightly neutral if you plan to make Chennai home.  Oh, and don't forget to bring the milk for the ritual 'Pujas' that are performed for him during and soon after the release of a new blockbuster hit.

(By the way, check out a music video, Kilmanjaro, from his latest hit, Robo.  Trust me, this is not to be missed.  A friend of mine describes it as an anthropologist's nightmare... but for sake of identity protection, I will not quote him directly.)

2.  It's all about rice.
Rice is a staple of the Tamil diet.  Whether breakfast, lunch or dinner (or, even dessert, like payasam), rice is on every menu, always.  Many dishes are made from ground rice batter like the ever-popular idli, dosai, idiyappam, utthapam, and appam varieties, while other dishes are undeniably just rice-looking, like pongal.  It's all about the rice.  White rice.  Brown rice (ok, let's be honest, not so much).  Red Rice.  Sambar and rice.  Tamarind rice.  Lemon rice.  Mint rice.  Curd rice.  In attempt to not sound like Bubba Gump... I'll stop there.  (Fortunately, Shruti's wonderful food blog offers suggestions and tips to find and enjoy 'non-rice' eats).

1.  Romba is the only Tamil word you'll ever need to know.
Learning Tamil is romba hard so it's better to learn one word romba well so you can be romba informed when you need to romba impress someone or are trying to romba fit in.  Romba thorough list?  I'd say so.

*Addendum:  I'd suggest you'd read about the Chennai auto-wallahs here.

Most (over)played songs in Chennai clubs...

Please note I use the term 'clubs' very loosely.  We all know that Chennai isn't quite known for it's party scene (just wait till DJ Rani starts playing!) but to be fair, there are a few places that I frequent to just dance.  The DJs are pretty good and while we don't dance through the night, by 1:30 am my knees and feet hate me (Ughhh, I'm getting old).  

Generally I am a Bollywood and Top 40/Hip Hop snob (who knew there could be such a thing?) so my dancing is limited to Wednesday and Saturday nights (at Pasha and Dublin, respectively).  While the scene is pretty updated on the new songs Stateside, there are some staples of every dance night in Chennai, and perhaps some would say of any dance party anywhere in the world (see #5 & #2).

5.  Thriller.  RIP MJ.  But never fret, your legacy lives on, especially in India.

4.  Sheila Ki Jawani.  This song is not such a surprise considering it's romba catchy and from a recent Bollywood flick.  What's actually more surprising is the average number of times this song is played in a given night.  Last Wednesday's count: 3.

3.  Rise Up.  Doesn't this song sound like it's from the 80's?  I like it a lot.

2.  Time of My Life.  Yes, it is from the 80's.  Aside from hearing it almost every time I go out (sometimes even in restaurants), I also was lucky enough to hear a group of early-20-somethings singing it on a train in Sri Lanka.  I'm not sure they were even born when it was released... but I must admit they weren't so bad.

1.  Any Tamil Song.*  Actually, let me rephrase that... 'Any song that has even the slightest Tamil beat.'  I'm not sure why it is, but clubs don't play Tamil music, even in Tamil Nadu.  So, if you're lucky, you get to hear one Tamil song a night and sometimes, it sounds like it's Tamil and then 6 months later you'll discover it actually is a Bollywood song borrowing some Tamil beats.  Oh, India.

*This is a link to my favoritest Tamil song.ever.

Addendum:  How could I forget to mention You Spin Me Round (which is also from the 80's but a regular these days)!

Why I am already planning my 3rd Sri Lankan vacation...

Yes, yes, this was my second trip to the island nation of Sri Lanka in less than one year.  While the first time I made the mistake of spending only three days exploring the southwestern coast of the island, I quickly made another mistake this trip by spending my five day vacation along the same coastline, without exploring any of the other sites.

What can I say?

The short 1.5 hour flight from Chennai to Colombo is the perfect escape allowing just enough time to enjoy all of the wonderful beachy things like delicious grilled jumbo prawns, clear blue-green water, and crazy dance parties.  The amazing breakfast buffet at the Galle Face Hotel and the locally brewed ever-so-popular beverage, Arrack, are not too bad either.

The five reasons below are why I am already planning my 3rd Sri Lankan vacay... maybe for 8 days... Who's in?


5.  The Milky Way (no, not the candy bar).
I'm not 100% convinced that it was the Milky Way we saw in the night sky, but regardless, it was one of the most gorgeous starry skies I've seen in a long time.

Coupled with the sound of crashing waves, the starry sky at Unawatuna beach was a not-so-subtle reminder of the beauty, serenity and power of nature.

The tequilla shots probably played a role, as well.


4.  The People (yes, still).
From the tuk tuk drivers to the newly published young poet we met on the train back to Colombo and from the Czech scuba divers to the guest house owners, everyone we met was super friendly, helpful and romba interesting.

Also, SL is the one place where being from India is actually an advantage – as soon as we said 'India' every Sri Lankan beamed and exclaimed, 'We're neighbors!' and then promptly offered us pillows for our beach chairs and a discount on the room tariff (amounting to precisely half of what the Brits next door paid).

Holla slash sorry.


3.  The DJ (I'm not sure he felt the same about me).
The super nice (and gullible) DJ welcomed me onto stage with open arms when he heard I was Chennai's #1 DJ (blame/applaud Namrata for that one).

The club could definitely not handle me on Friday night.

After awkwardly figuring out how to use the mix CD's with the mixers and turntables, I played some of my fav hip hop songs (ok, fine, with the help of my DJ friend).

I'm pretty much an international DJ though... right?!


2.  The Double Rainbow (yes, it was just like the youtube vid). 
On our last evening in Lanka, Namrata calls me to the window to show me what she thinks is an amazing single rainbow.  At closer glance (and freakout session) we realized it was a double rainbow.

A DOUBLE RAINBOW.

What does this mean?


1.  The Turtle (no, not of the awkward kind).
After the ocean ate my purse (and everything inside it, including my camera) we all began the search for my lost memories.  (Btw, apparently you're not supposed to keep your purse on the sand during high tide.  Who knew?)

Unfortunately, we were unable to find them... my memories (or the camera).
Fortunately, we found something even more amazing... a huuuuge sea turtle (like 3 feet in diameter) walking out of the ocean in search for a safe place to lay her eggs.

Unfortunately, she did not find an adequate place and returned to the ocean some 10 minutes later.
Fortunately, I did not make a youtube vid (see #2) because my reaction was eerily similar sounding.

Maybe it was an awkward turtle?

Why Chennai monsoons are an acceptable nuisance....sometimes.

Situated on the eastern coast 700 km from the southern tip of India, Chennai's tropical climate is very different from many of the other parts of the country, or I would even dare to say, many other parts of the world.  The city lies on the "thermal equator" which, according to Wikipedia, 'is a belt encircling the Earth, defined by the set of locations having the highest mean annual temperature at each longitude around the globe.'

   Source: http://www.panasianbiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/chennai.jpg

So basically Chennai is hot and humid all year round (ick) except during the monsoons (yay)... which for Chennai-ites happen twice a year – one from June to August and the second from October-December.  While the monsoon offer a much- needed respite from the heat, it often comes with its own unique challenges... buuut, I would still argue that sometimes the nuisance offers an acceptable alternative... it just depends on how willing you are to get your feet wet. Literally.

6.  Rainy sunday birthdays = Perfect excuse for a 12-hour bash?
No one wants to go outside when it's raining continuously so why not just stay indoors and extend what was planned to be a 4-hour brunch into my.longest.birthday.party.ever. (in a good way).  We avoided the rain AND danced till December 6th.  Thanks to all who made my birthday romba fun :)

5.  48 hours of continuous rain = Dominos home delivery?
Wait, is this the second time I've referred to Dominos delivery and that too in consecutive posts?  Awkward.  No, but seriously, it rained for 48-hours straight putting any U.S. rainstorm to shame (except for lack of thunder and lightening).  While never a fan of Dominos in the States, there's something about the pizza here... maybe it's the wheat thin crust option or maybe it's because they deliver in 20 minutes.  Ah-mazing.

4.  Pothole Nagar = A neighborhood obstacle course?
Just west of Besant Nagar is an area I now refer to as 'Pothole Nagar.'  As the name indicates, it's literally a street full of potholes, which become even worse during the monsoons, filling with dirty rain water and turning the road into an obstacle course for pedestrians, 2-wheelers and cars alike.  In addition to being gross and slightly dangerous, I shake my head in pity for its residents every time I pass it.  I guess a neighborhood obstacle course makes my commute a daily adventure and is a good practical test of my scooter skills.  I guess?

3.  Water highs = Temperature lows?
When this north-east monsoon hits, Chennai receives most of its seasonal rainfall which means cooler than normal weather (ya-hoo!).  For the first time since I've lived in Chennai, I actually opened my winter clothes box because of the weather outside and not just blaring AC in office (and to my delight found a sweatshirt that didn't reek of mothballs).  I went to sleep wearing 3 layers + a blanket + fans only to protect me from the mosquitoes... because it was... 70°F!  Romba romba cold.  Most of us figured this was the coldest temperature ever recorded in Chennai but were surprised to find the coldest was actually a whopping 60.4°F

2.  No place to hang laundry = Don't have to do laundry?
This one is pretty self-explanatory... but along those same lines... if you don't have clean underwear left = wear your swimsuit to work day.  While it does make it feel like a beach party could begin at any moment, it also is just, um, slightly uncomfortable.

1.  Water logging = Rain day!
Water logging is a result of poorly designed sewer systems to drain rain water.  In a place like Chennai, where monsoons are part of life, it seems pretty weird that they haven't solved the problem yet.  So, as a result, after crazy rains, the streets look like rivers and lakes with water up to 1.5 feet deep.  No joke.  It's like a dengue breeding ground not to mention impossible for pedestrians and motorists to travel.  While it usually motivates me to take a taxi, stay in or just suck it up and pray rat urine disease is not a real thing, it also was just cause for an official work 'rain day' last week (aka we didn't have to go to work!).  Aside from being the best post birthday present ever, it made me feel like a kid again and allowed me to re-live the joy of snow days.  Why be sad there's no snow when you have rain?  Rain, rain don't go away... I'm hoping for another rain day :)

Why life with Suresh is neatly-pressed, extra-friendly, convenient and sans (too many) scooter problems...

Most of my favorite memories over the last 2+ years are directly related to the dynamic, diverse people I have met.  India's greatness has nothing to do with its infamously corrupt politicians, prolific water-borne diseases or wide-spread child labour practices (nor with the initiatives that are attempting to fight these problems, either).  The people of India are actually what make India Incredible.   

People say that in India, neighbors and families are much more co-dependent, relationships are stronger and that our lives are all inextricably linked with those around us.  Well, it's true.  I haven't quite figured out why this is... One explanation could be that there are limited resources so people are forced to share, work together and depend on one another for basic, everyday functions.  Another could be that, well, if 1 billion people didn't get along, India would be a scary place.

My favorite mutually beneficial relationship in Chennai is with Suresh, my iron-wallah-cum-day-watchman-cum-water-motor-switcher-oner-cum-scooter-mechanic.  Hands down he is one of my favorite people in Chennai.  My flatmates and I let him set-up his ironing station outside our front gate providing a place for him to store clothes during the day, take breaks while drinking chai, and stay dry from the Chennai monsoons, while Suresh makes sure my life is neatly-pressed, extra-friendly, convenient, and ensures that I get to work on, um, time without mechanical scooter issues (I suppose I can't really blame him for running out of gas on the way to work a few days back).

A closer look at why this 4-in-1 guy is romba cool...

4.  Iron-Wallah.  Suresh charges me 3 Rs. per item to iron my clothes and delivers them back to my door.  He also helps me practice my counting in Tamil and even irons Saris...!  While his presence is not always consistent, his turnaround time for emergency ironing of clothes is timely and much appreciated.  There is also a mutual understanding between him and another iron wallah (whose name I do not know) for the spot in front of our house: when Suresh is not there, the other man takes the spot and for all intents and purposes, replaces Suresh.  What can I say, we're popular.

3.  Watchman.  Suresh is our pseudo watchman.  As he normally begins his day bright 'n early around 8 am and does not close up shop till about 8 pm, Suresh is there to greet me when I leave for work, when I come home, and even when the pizza deliveryman comes at noon on Saturday to bring me brunch :)  He opens the gate for me to help me park my scooter and greets me with a friendly "Vanakam!" day in and day out.  He also helps direct any young or foreign-looking person on our street to my house, saying, "Yes, yes, college girls house."  But, let's ignore that one.

2.  Water Motor Switcher Oner.  Suresh is our official water motor switcher oner.  As with many houses in India, the water motor needs to be "turned on" to allow the water motor underneath the house to fill up the water tank that sits on the rooftop.  This tank is what we use for our daily water needs (of course, except for drinking).  To refill the tank, we need to flip a switch on the ground floor.  As the water tends to run out an inopportune times (say during the middle of a shower), sometimes it just is annoying to have to run downstairs and turn it on.  So, we just call down to Suresh... "Anna! Thani!" (meaning: Sir, water!) and he (happily) switches the motor on and off for us.  I know, we're pretty lazy.

1.  Scooter Mechanic.  Suresh is also a 2-wheeler mechanic.  Although this still baffles me, (one would think a mechanic would make more than an iron-wallah) it really rids my life of most scooter problems.  I discovered this one day when I was having trouble starting my scooter after heavy rains; Suresh helped me and then told me that he could fix my scooter if I ever had any problems.  A few weeks ago before heading to Delhi, I was running late and didn't have time to drop off my scooter to a mechanic shop so I decided to give him my keys, a small advance and entrusted him to fix a few minor issues I had with my scooter.  To my surprise (and delight), I came home to a scooter that looked brand new.  I swear it looked like it had the make-over of its life with a new front panel, working lights and of course, a nice scrub down.  You can't beat free delivery for mechanic services, can you? You really can't!

Suresh is a gem.  Now if only he could cook...



Addendum:  I just found out that the "other" iron-wallah is actually Suresh's maternal Uncle and that the woman who accompanies him daily is his mother (not wife).  Also, apparently Suresh's brother, Kartik, is the broker that helped my flatmates find our house.  Maybe the whole family deserves a post?