massive chronological travel updates:
the andaman islands - part of our school program involves two separate weeks of "independent travel." the first of these weeks was the last week of october. each person receives a $250 (US) budget for travel arrangements and then $250 (US) in personal spending money for the week - cha ching... this is enough to do just about anything you want, and ben and i decided to take a long trek off the east coast of mainland india to the andaman islands. we took a train into kolkutta and stayed for two nights (a city i really wish that the program was taking us to, we didn't have nearly enough time there), then flew from kolkutta to the main island. from there, we took a 2 or 3 hour ferry ride to a smaller, less crowded island called havelock. on havelock we found a laid back resort and got ourselves a cozy bamboo beach hut for 8 bucks a night. what an incredible place - we rented scooters and snorkling gear for the 5 days stay. each day we found a new spot to explore - my favorite was elephant beach. it was a 20-30 minute hike 
through the jungle to the best snorkling spot one could ask for. the snorkling was just right off the beach, so it didn't involve taking a boat anywhere, just walking straight out into the water. we watched the sun set each night from beach 7, bobbing in the water as the ocean turned purple and pink. our resort was small, only about 10 other people were staying there at the time and we all had a great time together . there was a couple from australia - tom and poppie, an older woman from new zealand - anne, and a guy from california (one of the only americans i've met since coming here) - tyler. the five of us ate fine food, enjoyed cold beers, and sang under the moonlight late into the night. tom and poppie had been traveling around for the last year and a half, and tom had brought his guitar along, so it was my first opportunity to play since leaving the states. i enjoyed it so much that the day i got back together with the group i bought an acoustic, the best purchase i've made yet. for only about 60 bucks i got a beautiful acoustic with a case and extra strings. score. 
bangalore - our group reconveined in the city of bangalore, known for being the technology hotspot of india.
if andaman was the most non-american place i could have visited, bangalore was the opposite. the main street was littered with fancy malls, mcdonalds, trendy bars and clubs, and my personal favorite - a bowling ally/arcade. we spent only 3 days here, but in that time we managed to meet a handful of helpful locals, two of whom got 10 of us on the guestlist at the hottest new club in bangalore - Fugah. i didn't expect my first nightclub experience to occur while i was in india, but i can't imagine a cooler place to start my clubbing career. from bangalore we headed to panokunda, a small town about 4 hours from bangalore. we stayed on a farm in the hills on the property 
of an ngo called Young India Project. Narender Bedi, the head of YIP, works to promote the education and implimentation of worker's rights in rural india. he goes to villages and encourages laborers to form unions to demand their full rights under the NREGA - an employment guarantee act passed in 2006 in India that guarantees every adult up to 100 days of work each year at minimum wage. on our 3rd day at YIP our group of 24 was put into the field, performing a day's work as such laborers would be given, and at the end our work was evaluated and we were told how much of our potential wage we would have earned with our given product. in the end, we only would have made half of the potential at minimum wage, earning about 50 rupees each - 2 dollars for the days work digging ditches in the deadly hot sun. it was discouraging, but not as discouraging as Narender's incredibly egotistical personality. we got the chance to visit a local elementary school in one of the villages and meet some really adorable children. 
a hop skip and a jump away are the BR Hills, a nature reserve area with a large population of forest-dwelling tribal people. we stayed at a school started about 20 years ago that gives the kids of these tribes a free education focusing on the struggles of coexisting with nature in the developing world, and the school had really become a success. we had a lecture from a man who was a member of the first class of children to take part in this school, who is currently in school for his phd in agriculture. we also got a tour of the tribes' coffee farms and got to learn about the local crops/farming techniques. the highlight was our visit to a temple with a view of 3 states, and a sunset comprable to those on havelock. we also attempted to go on a game run/safari early one morning, but due to the fact that animals are generally terrified by large busses, we were unable to witness anything more than a few birds and a deer.
of an ngo called Young India Project. Narender Bedi, the head of YIP, works to promote the education and implimentation of worker's rights in rural india. he goes to villages and encourages laborers to form unions to demand their full rights under the NREGA - an employment guarantee act passed in 2006 in India that guarantees every adult up to 100 days of work each year at minimum wage. on our 3rd day at YIP our group of 24 was put into the field, performing a day's work as such laborers would be given, and at the end our work was evaluated and we were told how much of our potential wage we would have earned with our given product. in the end, we only would have made half of the potential at minimum wage, earning about 50 rupees each - 2 dollars for the days work digging ditches in the deadly hot sun. it was discouraging, but not as discouraging as Narender's incredibly egotistical personality. we got the chance to visit a local elementary school in one of the villages and meet some really adorable children. a hop skip and a jump away are the BR Hills, a nature reserve area with a large population of forest-dwelling tribal people. we stayed at a school started about 20 years ago that gives the kids of these tribes a free education focusing on the struggles of coexisting with nature in the developing world, and the school had really become a success. we had a lecture from a man who was a member of the first class of children to take part in this school, who is currently in school for his phd in agriculture. we also got a tour of the tribes' coffee farms and got to learn about the local crops/farming techniques. the highlight was our visit to a temple with a view of 3 states, and a sunset comprable to those on havelock. we also attempted to go on a game run/safari early one morning, but due to the fact that animals are generally terrified by large busses, we were unable to witness anything more than a few birds and a deer.
our safari-ing was a little more successful in our next destination, nagrahole. LOOK! a real elephant! we were also lucky enough to see a few 
bison, which, if you haven't seen before is a pretty daunting sight. these things look nothing like buffalo like i thought they would - instead, they are massive, prehistoric looking mosters that reminded me of the never ending story flying-dog thing. we also ran across an adorable family of wild boar. as ugly as adult boar are, their children appear incredibly cuddly. we stayed in a place called the Jungle Inn, in a few furnished tent cottages that were very cozy. they were also a great place for me to gain even more mosquito bite souveniers to remember india by.
bison, which, if you haven't seen before is a pretty daunting sight. these things look nothing like buffalo like i thought they would - instead, they are massive, prehistoric looking mosters that reminded me of the never ending story flying-dog thing. we also ran across an adorable family of wild boar. as ugly as adult boar are, their children appear incredibly cuddly. we stayed in a place called the Jungle Inn, in a few furnished tent cottages that were very cozy. they were also a great place for me to gain even more mosquito bite souveniers to remember india by.and suddenly, my second week of independent fun-time has arrived! on the 24th, 10 of us took a van from bangalore to hampi, a "holy city" of 16th century ruins. the landscape was amazing - the hills were
essentially giant piles of boulders, some were performing unbelievable balancing acts that can only be explained as the work of crafty aliens. we explored the abandoned city, saw sunrise at 6 AM from the highest point in town, ate amazing food, and laughed at main bazaar. the town itself reminded me exactly of pushkar - a holy city that had gained a hippie tourist following int he 60s and was now a hotspot for 20 somethings looking to do nothing but smoke weed and chillll out maaaan. lots of tie dye and funny pants, and pleanty to sarcastically mock. we stayed 2 days and it was just enough time to see all of the sites outside of the city and not be too bothered by those inside.
on the 26th, the group split. greg miller (pictured at right) and i took a train to murgao, goa and took a 3 hour taxi ride to the coast of
karnataka to a beach town called gokarna. we arrived thanksgiving night ( "feast" consisted only of a wimpy veg burger and some pretty good fries), and had our first full day yesterday. it is another nice break from the fast paced, chaotic life of exploring india. some differences from havelock - you can't see your feet when you're in the water, there are cows on the beach (which is actually a really funny thing to see), 
there are a TON of french people, and the resort we are staying at has glass windows instead of palm fronds. (on your left is Raj, a really weird guy who has a real knack for only speaking in rhymes. he thought his hair was orange, and looked amazing in greg's glasses.) overall, our mutual adoration for relaxation, sarcasm, cold indian beer and night swimming should make for a pretty enjoyable week. after this is over, we all return to delhi for 4 days of discussion (what we've learned, what we've hated, how we've "changed"....) and then it's home sweet home.
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