India Part 1

Where does one even begin to talk about the most transformative part of the travels? 3 months, 18 cities, and a hell of a lot of stories. I would like to say this now, I think everyone should go to India at least once in their life. Erase whatever you have in your mind about what you think India is like. Go into it with an open mind, no expectations, just love and openness for what could happen. 

For example in the first week of being in India my friends and I left the door unlocked to our homestay. Our mistake, we were waiting for a friend to come back from a party. Well someone came back from a party and it wasn’t our friend. A very intoxicated local had ended up on the floor of our homestay… for 7 hours as we all slept peacefully. He didn’t harm us, he didn’t take anything, and he was obviously very confused, and very apologetic. He gave us a scare that’s for sure but also our survival instincts were not functioning at this time, for any of us. 

With that being said, Indian people are very friendly and welcoming. They treat their guests as gods. I was lucky enough to experience this with many people and families across the country. Homemade meals, trying on traditional clothing, providing houses and transportation. I felt looked after by the people and the gods there. However, Indian culture is very different than most of ours. Depending on where you are reading from, but where I am from the culture is very different. 

Personal space and staring are the first things you’ll notice when you are there. They aren’t trying to be rude or be in your space on purpose, it is just how the culture is. It’s not considered rude to stare. So they do it, a lot, all the time, and everywhere. Another thing you’ll notice is the temples and sacred places everywhere. It is so beautiful how they worship their gods. They also love to share the stories of their gods. They’ll tell you who they are a devotee to and why. People will have different answers, and each one is fascinating. Before coming to India I hadn’t learned much of the Hindu gods, only a little when I was in Bali. This time in India I was fully submerged into the culture. I loved it. Seeing each temple for different gods. All of the sacrifices they would give. The mantras and prayers they would sing. Wow, it truly takes my breath away. 

I started my journey in Arambol, Goa. This to me was a perfect way to start India. It wasn’t too full power nitty gritty India right off the plane. It is a tourist spot right on the beach. Arambol is amazing, there are lots of cafes and music events to go to. The vibe is amazing here during this time of year (Jan, Feb, Mar). This is also where the story of the man sleeping on the floor happened. I met up with my friends and continued to travel with them. Our next stop was Hampi. 

Hampi, also known as Hippie Hampi, is a fascinating place to see. After taking an overnight bus we found ourselves a homestay for a couple of nights. Hampi had this amazing Hanuman temple- the god of strength, courage, devotion, and self-discipline. The temple was at the top of a massive mountain and you have to climb 600 steps but once you do it, it is worth the climb 1000x. Hanuman is half monkey half human form. Hampi is filled with monkeys, which you’ll find almost all over India. Hampi is worth seeing and exploring! The rocks somehow stacking on top of each other without falling is a sight to see. After a few days here we took a bus back to Palolem.

Not much happened here in Palolem as me and Sam both became pretty sick. We think it might have been covid but we aren’t sure. We all took this time to relax and rest before the Hilltop Festival in Vagator.

A short 3-hour car ride later, we arrived at Julie Jolly in Vagator, Goa. The reason we were there was for the Hilltop Festival and it DID NOT disappoint. We had a killer time there and an amazing hotel right up the street from the entrance. 4 days, music music music. I met lifelong friends there and had the most electric dance of my life with my best friends and new best strangers. Over the 4 days, we developed this crew of absolute strangers. It was so beautiful to experience and a memory that will last forever. I will be back to this festival 100%. 

After partying for 4 days we went to Gokarna for a well-deserved relaxation. Unfortunately, when we got there, I got Dehli Belly. It’s like Bali belly but India-styled, mostly caused by drinking the water. Luckily my amazing people went and got medicine for me, and the worst only lasted a day. We stayed at an amazing guesthouse right on the beach. Uncle and Didi who took care of us were amazing. If I ever go back I will go right back to their sweet little place. Gokarna is also known for Om Beach. It’s about a 20-minute motorcycle ride from the main beach Gokarna. Such a stunning view, the drive there is too beautiful to describe. We all wish we had spent more time in Gokarna but we were on the move and had many places to see. 

We were 4, then 3, and now it’s just Sam and me on our way to Bangalore. We took an overnight bus where things took a turn for the worst. After getting off the bus, and I mean right after, 1 minute after the bus pulled off, Sam realized she left her fanny pack on the bus. Her passport, all her cards, her money, everything important, was in that fanny pack. You can imagine the chaos that ensued. There was a tuk-tuk driver who drove us around Bangalore trying to figure out where the bus's final destination was. This is a morning to remember, forever. The tuk-tuk driver stops and asks where it’s going to go, then goes that direction to stop and ask someone else, and so on. Driving around, Sam yelled at this driver she would pay him anything to help her find the bus. I tried to keep them both calm and optimistic. At last, we found where the bus was going to end up, but it wasn’t going to be there for another 15 minutes. Well, they said 15 minutes but India time so it took an hour.  During this hour of driving around, we stopped and got chai and smoked a joint. At one point we were driving along when all of a sudden the bags shifted. At first glance, we didn’t think anything fell and told the driver to keep going. He slams on his brakes and jumps out of the tuk-tuk. He comes back with Sam’s entire backpack, ya know the big one that has all of her stuff in it. He looks at us like we are seriously crazy, then keeps driving. Bless that man.

After all of that, we get to our hostel with her fanny pack but at what cost? A hilarious story now, but at the time we were not laughing. Bangalore was just meant to be a stopover before heading to Coimbatore to go to the Isha Foundation. We took the smallest plane I’ve ever been on to Coimbatore. 

For this please take my advice. Isha Foundation is worth seeing for sure. However, the Isha Foundation is an hour outside of Coimbatore so please plan where you can stay near the foundation. The first couple nights in Coimbatore were very weird, we were the only foreigners and it wasn’t the most welcoming vibes. It was in the middle of nowhere India. If you go just find a driver who will drive you to Isha Foundation or somewhere nearby. We found a hotel about 20 minutes from the foundation. Which isn’t bad but would be better if you stayed at the foundation. Except, it books up months in advance which is why we didn’t stay at Isha. Our friends Bree and Baba met back up with us so it went back to the 4 of us traveling. 

We went to Kodak Canal up in the mountains for our next destination. We took a driver from Coimbatore to Kodak. Scary drive but we were happy we were in a car rather than a bus. Unfortunately, Kodak Canal was colder than any of us planned for. We froze every single night which made it a little less enjoyable. The town was so beautiful though, we just needed to be better prepared for the cold. 

We knew our nest destination as it was where we were going to celebrate Bree’s birthday. So we headed to Pondicheri which ended up being such a shit hole, excuse my French. The homestay we stayed at was infested with mosquitoes, the vibe was so weird and the beaches were just not nice. Listen, I was not expecting it to be a Hawaiian beach but really it wasn’t good. So after less than 12 hours of being at this homestay, we left and moved 20 minutes to Aroville. This place had a very interesting Utopia concept which was so cool to see. Auroville is worth seeing if you’re over that way. Not a whole lot to see but the community and the Matrimandir is 100% worth it. 

Bree Sam and I then headed to Chennai to stay with a friend of theirs. Giva, this angel woman took us in, fed us, showed us around Chennai, and treated us with such love and warmth. I am very thankful I got to spend the little time I got with her. 

Well, there have been a lot of stories and places. We are over halfway through the places. I’d like to leave you here for this part 1 of India. This was all the cities I did in South India before heading up north. I hope you’ve laughed and enjoyed these places and stories. 

There will be a part 2 of India, then other India-related blog posts about tips and tricks and what I would recommend for you. 

Keep discovering, 

Darby