Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Meet Rahul, our waiter at Waves, which is where we stayed in Palolem and where we ate many many meals. Rahul became one of our friends and is someone we will always think of when we think of India. He even took a day off from waiting tables to come to another beach with us and learn the art of the frisbee.
The Padouin Learner:

The Jedi Master:
With our very last day we decided to pack in as much adventure as possible. Right next to Palolem beach is Monkey Island that is isolated twice a day by high tide. Apparently there are differing theories on how the island was named. Theory #1 is that the name comes from the simple fact that the island is inhabited by monkeys. Theory #2 is that Goan couples go onto the island to monkey around in the shade of the palms. We only have evidence to support theory #1. Sorry, no pics of the actual monkeys, you'll have to believe us. It was probably a hilarious scene to watch us cautiously tip-toeing up the slope of the underbrush, whispering to each other any bit of paranoia of being attacked by a rabbid monkey or an Indian python that crossed our minds. Not to worry though; Ty looked after us with the age old weapon of Big Stick.
On Safari:


After refreshing ourselves back at Waves, we explored the water with a tandem sea kayak! We only got rolled once, and it was on our way back to shore. We'd been watching tourists attempt to ride the waves into shore and biting it for days. We figured that our extensive observations and body boarding experience would pay dividends. It didn't, and I'm sure that some guy eating a chicken biryani at the restaurant laughed at us when the nose of the kayak dug sharply into the sand while the back end was catapulted up by the wave, sending us headfirst into the water. Kelsey got whacked on the head by Ty's paddle but luckily the goose egg didn't last long.

In the mornings here the fishermen pull in nets of fish from the beach area.
Today's treasures:
The women sort the fish into baskets:
The men put the nets back in the boat for tomorrow while the birds swoop in for breakfast scraps:
An hour later you'll find fresh fish for sale on the side of the road.
And so, happy and healthy, we are leaving India. We truly loved our experience in India. It was hard and wonderful and real. We saw good and bad and came out of the country a little more wisened and experienced than we entered and what more could you ask for?
We are officially back in Bangkok after 3 flights and 1 night camped in an airport. It was a long haul but we've already recovered (with Pad Thai and iced mochas, and of course a great sleep)and are ready for Thailand.
Namaste!
T & K

A Day In The Life

We thought, since we have been bumming at the same beach for 10 days that we would share with you what a typical day looks like:
Morning, noon and night we eat tasty food at "our" restaurant called Waves. Somethings are fantastic, such as a banana and peanut butter pancake and the grilled cheese and tomato sandwich and to drink a strawberry lassi or hot lemon and ginger. Unfortunately, we have struck out a couple of times too, but we remain loyal! Tyrn is holding up a Pomfret, which was a hit.
We start and end our days to the sound of the waves. As well as the sound of the boatmen and their motors and calls. We haven't taken them up on a ride yet, but we may still be worn down before we leave.
Our favourite beach activity has been riding the waves. We are in a great spot for it. The waves aren't big enough for full out surfing, so you don't have to worry, but they are plenty big enough for body boarding. In fact some are wide eyed, scary rides with a twist! Very fun.

We rented boards for the day and for the hour and do the best we can with our bodies when we are without. (see story below)
Sometimes we do just go swimming as well, here is Ty coming back from an evening dip.

Sadly we have to announce the loss of a much beloved pair of shades to the sea. Tyrn was so excited to catch a few body surfing waves that he didn't take off his special MEC specs. After riding a couple waves in true Tyrn fashion (see below), the sea couldn't resist pulling them off his face. We spent most of the day looking to see if the ocean would bequeath them back onto the beach. But alas, no such luck.

Once over the shock of his unshaded eyes, Tyrn is now the proud new owner of a $3 pair of Rey Bens (not a typo) from the local market.
He is still looking good, I might add!
Onto the day in the life:

After swimming/surfing/water sports we like to read or sun on these comfy beach chairs in front of our house/restaurant.
In the evening, when the day is calm and not cooking HOT, we like to play frisbee. It is amazing how a small green disc can bring all cultures and ages together. We have played with the waiters from Waves, fellow Canadians, kids, random adults, the Tandoori cook and even dogs.
This kid was a really good thrower, in fact better than the Indian men we were playing with. Unfoturnately, his friends wanted to play too and soon we were over run with 4-6 year olds all screaming "come on baby" or "please, please, please" as they manically dove and did somersaults around our legs.
I especially like the fishermen in the background of this one.

To end our day we relax to the sound of some cheesy restaurant CD and look out at the ocean or fellow tourists. Ahhh, another day in Palolem!
K
To properly end this post, I have to mention that my husband has had a bout of flu. Thankfully, it only lasted a day and he is feeling much better and back in true beach spirit.

Photopost of India

Ok, so we're going to try to catch you up on some images of India. We know that many of you are enduring temperatures of -30C, and so we knew you couldn't be properly jealous unless you saw our February for yourself. This is our first winter without snow and we're proud to show it!

Our last view of Kolkata from the train platform.

Sunset on Indian Railways.

Morning chai. 40 hours into our 45 hour journey.

Colva

We were kidnapped by a timeshare salesman. The promotion was sponsored by Kingfisher Beer.

Ready for sunset! We actually have a hilarious story about events soon after this photo was taken...

Monday Night Market in Colva, Goa, India. Classic Spices shot.

Our scooter, and K munching on some cheese naan.

Breakfast at the Fishland Restaurant. Always an enjoyable 2 hour experience.

Colva Beach

It's no Honda Shadow, but it'll do. We loved it, actually.

It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it

Palolem

"Dolphin trip? Maybe tomorrow? Cheap Price! No? Fishing? Picnic? Taxi? No? Ok, tomorrow, you promise."

Recent development on Palolem Beach. One of the scenes from Bourne Supremacy was filmed here.

Paradise

Our beach hut

He must be a tourist cow because he's still white.

From our white sand to your white snow, warm wishes from warm beaches.

K & T

The Tough Get Goan

Ok, we've decided to smatter together a post for you, even if we can't upload any photos. We've tried every computer in this town, and none of them will allow us to share our pictures with you, so we'll use some from the internet instead. We have some great ones that we're dying to share with you, but instead we'll borrow a few from the net that look like things we've seen here.
After a minor crisis in Kolkata we decided to head south. We couldn't cancel our tickets to Darjeeling, so we had to eat the cost, and instead, hit the rail south-west to Goa. Yeee Hawww!
We can't tell you what a relief it's been to be here. It's so QUIET here! Colva is still a semi-traditional fishing community, but is also very touristy now. (This is actually something we're thankful for, after Kolkata). The picture above is of some traditional fishing boats here. A 2 minute walk down the beach, and we see them alongside jetskis and parasailers. Yet, even in this tiny town of Colva, we've had some hilarious things happen.
Many of our readers have been here, and so will understand this post on a different level. For those of you who haven't been to Goa before, please, remove all restrictions to your imagination... Cows, pigs, and ravens run wild here. The cows are sometimes decorated in colourful garb, but usually are found chilling around town, on the beach, or strolling down the road. The pigs wander the bushes beside the roads, and the ravens.. Oh, the ravens.

This is pretty much what the beach looks like here. We have much better pictures, but, alas. The water is quite warm, the sun is HAHT, and the beach chairs are straight out of utopia! Now, on to life in Goa:
We tend to do laundry about once a month. It's amazing how your standards change when living out of a backpack for months and months. This time we took our dirty clothes to a little laundry shack on the side of the road to be washed. Being as cheap as we are, we asked for the clothes not to be ironed or machine dried. Unfortunately, as Goans are eager to please, they couldn't bring themselves to deliver wrinkly clothes. Kelsey had a pair of fancy quick-dry, lightweight, NASA material pants from MEC, that will now be known as the pair of fancy quick-dry, lightweight, NASA material SHORTS. As fancy as they were, the pants were no match for their iron. As we speak, they are being tailored by another Goan pleaser. We'll keep you posted on the pants situation.
Why are we advertising on our blog? Because, Ty loves soymilk and cereal for breakfast, and in our current accomodation, we have access to a fridge. So, we paid 140 rupees (a heap of cash) for a litre of soymilk and put it in the communal fridge at home. The next day, Kelsey was in the kitchen with a 12 year old boy who lives at the Guesthouse. (PS, Navin's Inn is highly recommended, if you're coming to Colva.) Kelsey looked over to see this kid drinking our precious soy milk, STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CARTON! He tried to hide behind the fridge door, but it was not enough to escape Kelsey's teacher-eyes. Ty went out and gave him his best finger-wag and teacher look. The kid walked away with his tail between his legs and so we are hoping our food is now safe from 12 year old appetites.

We enjoy walking, honestly, but there is only so many times you can say "No thanks" to the same street vendors before you start to dread the walk past their shops. The obvious solution is of course to zip by them on a scooter. Just kidding, this is just a perk to having one of these. We've been doubling up on an older, sticker-covered scooter to boot up and down the coast, checking out the next towns to see where we'll camp next. Our current plan is to head south to Palolem beach tomorrow, but as you know, plans can change quickly in India.

We will continue our quest to find a computer that likes our camera, but it doesn't look hopeful. At least not while near the beach, which we plan to be for another couple weeks. Let us know what you think of our patchwork!

T & K