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What if you're a shopaholic-fashionista-shoe-crazy girl your whole life and suddenly you're forced to live out of a backpack, one that's slightly bigger than a school bag, for 5 months?
What do you bring? How do you even begin to start packing?
What if you're a shopaholic-fashionista-shoe-crazy girl your whole life and suddenly you're forced to live out of a backpack, one that's slightly bigger than a school bag, for 5 months?
What do you bring? How do you even begin to start packing?
This is part 6 of Lois' Misadventures in India series. If you haven't heard of Loia' meltdown while on the road, click here.
No bed, shower or decent rest for 3 days straight!
By now, you've probably heard about my meltdown from Jodhpur to Mumbai and all the way to Goa. It almost made me give up my Sole Sister badge and just book the next plane ticket back to the Philippines! I totally lost my groove out there. You've seen the photos. It wasn't pretty!
What's a Sole Sister to do after such a grueling leg on the trip? What's the best way to get over a travel meltdown? How in the world did I get my groove back?
Hit the Beach of course!
When you think about India, you don't usually associate it with beaches. Streets lined with cow dung maybe, but beaches? I was very surprised when I came to India to find out they actually had pretty beaches. Maybe not the white-sand-turquoise-water beaches of your Philippines fantasies. But at this point, all I needed was some sun and sand . If you threw in some nice beach huts and a blood red sunset, that just sweetened the deal.
Destination: Swaying palms, white sands and sparkling waters of Palolem Beach in Goa. There's no better cure than the soothing serenity of a day on the beach. Don't you agree?
Here's how I got my groove back and had me feeling like my sunshiny self again:
Eating delicious Goan food cooked by the grandma who owned our guesthouse. Homecooked meals are one of Goa's best-kept secrets. We tried the Goa fish curry, papad, potatoes, dal made from chickpeas, tomato salad and Indian pickle.
Eating delicious Goan food cooked by the grandma who owned our guesthouse. Homecooked meals are one of Goa's best-kept secrets. We tried the Goa fish curry, papad, potatoes, dal made from chickpeas, tomato salad and Indian pickle.
Finding a place to stay with an amazing beachfront view. And the best part? (Besides the grandma who made us homecooked meals) It only cost us 200 INR (around 4USD) /night! What a good deal!
Ending the day with a spectacular sunset.
Have I mentioned the SUNSET?
A good book always helps. Especially because I was reading Holy Cow by Sarah Macdonald. A very hilarious and irreverent account of an Australian woman's search for spiritualism in spiritually bounteous India. I could totally relate to her outsider's perspective about the culture and ways of life in India. It's often puzzling, sometimes shocking and always incomprehensible.
Remember Elle Woods' famous line from Legally Blonde? Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. That seems to be true especially while on the beach. You can do yoga, swimming, kayaking, poi, cricket, softball and paddleball. Lounging on the beach and working on your tan while watching people exercise works too.
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| Photo Credit: Andrew Kalat |
Finally getting back online and being able to write some posts for the blog. It felt great to get connected again. Remember this banner?
On our next stop in Varkala, find out who I run into and how we tried an Ayurvedic massage in Varkala, India.
What's your strategy for getting your groove back after a travel meltdown? Share your tips with us by leaving a comment below.
Still finding the beach wherever we go,
Sole Sister Lois
"Eeek! I can't wait to get on that bike tomorrow!", I said to Lois on the night before our bike trip.
We were in the middle highlands of Vietnam, where the air is fresh, the traffic is less crazy than in Saigon, the temperature is just the perfect amount of chill and where the ca phe is absolutely amazing, much to our pleasure. With a big beautiful lake right smack in the middle of it, Dalat was made for motor, mountain, tandem or any type of bike.
We were in the middle highlands of Vietnam, where the air is fresh, the traffic is less crazy than in Saigon, the temperature is just the perfect amount of chill and where the ca phe is absolutely amazing, much to our pleasure. With a big beautiful lake right smack in the middle of it, Dalat was made for motor, mountain, tandem or any type of bike.
Traveling for about 2 weeks now in this country, I have made my conclusion.
The Vietnamese love to play with their food. They roll, fold, mix, tear up leaves and add a few of this and a little bit of that (this being chili and that being ginger) until the food is to their liking.
I was salivating all the way to India.
For years I'd been dreaming of coming to India armed with a hungry stomach. I've been wanting to taste their curries, lassis, chai and samosas. I've longed to try those fragrant saffron flavored dishes and savory dal. I've imagined tasting butter nan that melts in your mouth.
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| Photo Credit: anshu_si |
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When a person really desires something,
all the Universe conspires to help that person realize his dream.
- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
This is part 5 of Lois' Misadventures in India series. If you haven't taken a ride on a camel's back in the Thar desert, click here.
We arrived early in the morning Jodhpur via train from Jaisalmer and had to scramble for a place to stay. There were 2 things working against us:
We arrived early in the morning Jodhpur via train from Jaisalmer and had to scramble for a place to stay. There were 2 things working against us:
1. We arrived at the city center which made accommodations expensive and
2. It was just 6AM when we got there which meant most of the rooms were still occupied.
We settled for a 300IRS (around 7USD) hotel room at the Shiva Hotel which was probably the worst room we stayed in India.
I did not take a photo because we were so exhausted. But let me describe the place:
It was horrible.
Change is always good.
The Sole Sisters have always embraced the changes in their lives. From thriving careers to unemployment, from 5 inch platforms to hiking boots, from weekend trips to a 6 month backpacking adventure, they have welcomed the changes and even eagerly anticipated them.
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| Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet |
I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately;
I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life;
To put to root all that was not life and not when I had come
to die, discover that I had not lived.
I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life;
To put to root all that was not life and not when I had come
to die, discover that I had not lived.
– Henry David Thoreau
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| Image from About.com |
Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda wearing flowing dresses while walking in the sand dunes.
Charlotte stumbling in high heeled sandals in the desert.
The girls looking all glammed up and fabulous while riding a camel.
Lies, all lies.
Lies, all lies.
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| Photo Credit: westpark |
How do you prepare for a trip of a lifetime?
