INDIA PART 5 - Goodbye

Sorry guys for the long wait!
In Kuala lumpur my laptop decided to shut down and i was without all my data for some weeks.
Thanks to my new technician here in Bali its up and running again! YAY

So i was supposed to travel from Goa to Kerala on the 21st of december.
Note to self and everyone - You can NOT plan anything in India.

For some (higher) reason i simply forgot about my train. I think that that was a good thing due to too much relaxation n stuff ;)

So i got to spend Christmas with my friends Paul and Rebecca!
We dressed up all fancy and went out for dinner - so this means i dressed them and they looked all fancy ;)

Rebecca and me infront of our local "supermarket" called "Infant Jesus".
Infant Jesus is opend 24 hours (that means it closes at 9pm and opens about at 9am).
They sell beauty products, cigarettes and booze - such a blessing !

Anygay - i was not able to get a train until the 26th.
The Trainride was 18 (!!!!) hours.

Another note to Everyone who "warned" me about trains in india.

The Trains are totally okay!

there are 3 classes.

Non-AC:
No Airconditioning but bigger windows and you get a simple bed to lie down on

3-AC:
Basically means in one compartment there are three beds on each side. You get a blanket and a pillow (yes they are washed regulary) the only thing that could suck about this compartment is when ur the lucky one getting the middle bed ;) because you can only lie down.

2-AC:
Best class. Beds, sheets, pillows, Airconditioner. all good.

But even in my 3 AC bed my butt hurt after 18 hours of traveling ;)

Palolem Beach - south of Goa

me and my friend Mary from canada (shes not the cow duh!)

Colomb beach. My favourite.

There is one thing that i will never ever lay of - my love for dogs. I do not care how old, how ugly or how many fleas they have.

(by the way, dog fleas hardly EVER go on humans)

f.l.t.r.:
Lisa from Sweden, Maria from Finnland, Me (whitestboyalive) and Johanna (from Sweden)

Buying raw organic Honey at the beach - which i forgot back at the hostel - TYPICAL ME!

So before i left for my new home Bali on the 29th i was able to spend some days in the far south of India. KERALA.
Kerala was probably one of my highlights of the entire india trip. I loved the more tropical climate of the south and i really enjoyed going through the backwaters and - as usual - eating everything i didn't know ;) i am SUCH a foodie!

Amanda a Advertising genius from Canada and me

coolest finnish chick on the PLANET ! my new found friend for life!
Ladies and Gentleman! the great! the GRAND the STUNNING Ms. TUULI !!!

lunch break from our boat tour (the people next to us did not enjoy the food that much as we did)

So since the 29th of december i am in Bali.
I have no idea how long i will be staying here. currently i am looking for a house but i am sure i will find one soon!

i can already say that this is only the beginning of a great year!
of course i will be posting about the things im doing here as well!

What i would like to say about INDIA:

So many people (a lot of them have not even been to india yet) have warned me about this and that and the other thing, spreading their white western knowledge about the eastern world.
I do not judge you for your opinions (only a bit, well actually i totally do!) but i suggest you come and make your own picture of India!

India is not Europe

India is not the USA or Canada

And that is good!
just don't forget it when you travel here. India can give so much if you let your self drift and get to know the culture.

Goa:
Goa is not India. period.
its nice and beautiful but its not india.

If you want a realy India experiance - travel!
Forget everything people told you about and just DO IT and see what happens.

I do want to say that i am a WHITE MAN. and that i am sure it is something different traveling as a woman. I met great (female) people who traveled all over on their own.
I guess is comes down to: be streetsmart.
Don't do anything you wouldn't do back home, such as go home with strangers or take anything from strangers.

LGBTGGIAAP Info:
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Allies and Pansexual)

- There is no such thing as GAY in India. Its called "MSM" (Men having sex with Men)

- There is no such thing as Lesbianism in India. Period.
 

- You can be transgender but only Male to Female.

I have talked to a lot of locals on my travels and of course as any place on this planet there is a LGBT scene. its just a bit harder to find.
In Mumbai it is pretty easy to find queer parties, i visited one at the Intercontinental Hotel on the beachfront road. It was loud. It was gay and it was fun!

No one got killed or hurt for making out with another man ;)

However i do not recommend walking the streets holding hands, woman and woman and man and women.
Men and Men can because it is also considered "cool" holding hands with your best (male) friend.
Don't ask, i do no know why.

What saddens me is that even in this community there is no room for emancipation of women. And as Men can not be openly gay they ofter - in order to be with their boyfriend/lover/partner - go Transgender because that is the only way they can be.

This is a point where India still has to learn a lot.
BUT - they are on a good way! there are politicians speaking out on these topics and (in mumbai) you can feel a change already!

India is amazing and definitely worth a visit. it will not have been my last visit!

MB