Riding the rails

For my dad (and bro steven)

Kwality - Quality.

Anjuna, Goa = Yoga Shala

Adam, these are for you!

Goa, aka the State of California

I was in Southern India when the terrorists attacked Mumbai. It was hard to get a handle as to what was going on. I had limited access to the Internet. The English language news on television was showing 'live coverage' and didn't say anything except feed one's anxieties. Then it went into finger pointing mode as to which agencies fault it was that this happened.



Here I am waking up at 6AM to go birding at the Periyar Nature Preserve.

I'm looking for Kingfishers and Mumbai is under siege. It just seemed completely absurd to be birding while this is going on. I'm having fantasies of getting off the boat and finding an Internet to see the Op-Ed page of the Times.



Due to the language barrier it was difficult to get a pulse on how people were feeling and thinking. There was this eerie feeling of inherent doom and unease. Similar to after 9/11 and 1993 Kuwait bombings.



I left Periyar and travel on to Allepey in the backwaters of Kerala. I'm staying at a home stay and I'm finally able to ask these questions. Once again I'm feeling absurd. It's a moonlit night, we're sitting in the backwaters of Kerala and drinking toddy (fermented palm sap wine). I feel so removed from Mumbai.



A little perspective:

Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India at 91% as well as the highest rate of life expectancy. The state is Syrian-Christian, has a communist government and is wealthy.
It's like you've left India for the country of Kerala.



The people I was with felt that the country is in shock but terrorism is a daily occurrence. Especially in Mumbai which had a rash of terrorist activity in the 1990's with Hindus and Muslims. The home stay already had a slew of cancellations due to the October Delhi bombings and were fearful of the same happening in December at the height of their tourist season.



Curious as to how the world is viewing this. I have no gauge on this.



I have been extremely careful about being in high tourist destinations. This was clearly aimed at tourists.

As I learned from 9/11, life goes on.

Or as Vonnegut wrote, so it goes.





Now that that's been acknowledged, onward...



I'm in Goa and I'm doing yoga.

It's glorious to be back on my mat.

My body is aching the good ache. I'm slowly getting my strength back and my hamstrings and hips are slowly loosening up.



Goa.

I've left India and it's California.

I'm eating muesli and curd, organic vegetables, smoothies, and soy milk.

People walk around in bathing suits and are covered in tattoos.



I miss India.