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Diary This is Jan's diary. If you want to receive this diary by mail, write your mail on the contact form.
‹ Previous (28/12/2008) MONTH Next (2009-02-26)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› India Agonda (see on map) 20/02/2009:
Indeed, the beach of Agonda is excellent for camping with the autocaravan, one of the best places in the world to camp. In the south of the small village of Agonda, not excessively corrupted by tourism, there is a big wasteland under some palm trees and in front of a deserted beach. When we arrived there were camping cars of other Europeans of different nationalities, a dozen of autocaravans and everything, then the beach of Agonda itself has been converted in the point of meeting of the overland travellers in India. It was very good to meet with some of them to exchange ideas and to listen to other projects. Some were decided to embark the cars towards Malaesya or Singapure paying 1000 or 2000 euros, and afterwards Australia (to continue with America or Europe, for foreign vehicles cannot be sold in Australia); others simply planned on travelling some years more between India and Nepal (6 months in every country); and very few thought to do as us, to let the car in Nepal to travel a season through Southeast Asia without vehicle. When we arrive to the beach of Agonda, we had intention of staying a week, or maximum two, to relax in this idyllic place. Anyway, some travellers had already warned us that the beach of Agonda was tricky, for you always say that you will leave shortly and never go. And indeed, had only passed half a week and already started to plan to rest a longer time, about six weeks (the maximum, not to have too many problems with the car in India), before continuing with the journey. I suggested it to Alexandra, doing some good holidays in our journey and naturally she accepted. From the beginning of the journey in Europe and afterwards Africa and Middle East, I have liked to talk a lot with the people and to exchange ideas, on the problems of the world and their region, but also on religions and philosophies. Throughout these three years of journey my beliefs have kept evolving, ending up maturing in convictions. it’s been time that i thought to write a book about my ideas and convictions once the journey finished, when i had much more information compiled. However, some weeks before reaching Agonda, I started to feel that the hour of starting to write came, in the form of a novel (in Catalan) and not of essay. When we reached Agonda, i already had some written pages, which i had intention of multiplying in number throughout the following weeks. And indeed,i have been dedicating an average of 8 or 10 hours writing, leaving written at the end of these six weeks a hundred pages or the equivalent to 80% of all the work. From now, the following months I will follow with the writing in spare times, with the intention of trying to publish the novel as we returns to Europe (if there is luck with the publishing companies). Anyway, apart from the 8 to 10 hours of writing there have also been in excess many hours to enjoy this paradise where we were. Every morning we woke up with the noise of the waves of the sea. A couple of hours later a man who sold cakes and biscuits for breakfast arrived. I used to have breakfast in the autocaravan, reading in the computer, while Alexandra made it in the hammock that we had bought and had hanged between two palm trees. Quite a lot of days we swim in the sea, playing with the waves with a mattress of plastic or next i was swimming up to a rock. Many days we went out up to a restaurant close to the beach where they served tali (a very typical and economic India dish), or we met friends who there were coming to Agonda. Every afternoon there was a precious sunset, which we used to contemplate seated in the hammock. Some night we met to dine or to take some beers with other travellers. And at night we fell asleep under the light of the moon and the wind of sea, which blew at any time, enjoying the fresco. There was only an inconvenience in this paradise, the Indians that arrived in the weekend with buses, full of beer and with the music at full volume, that they broke the calmness that we had enjoyed during the week. Gokak (see on map) 22/02/2009:
Our following destination after the six weeks of rest in Goa is Hampi, but on the way we have proposed to visit other points of interest. In any case, before anything we stopped in Panaji, the capital of Goa, where they had sent me some new documents for the car. Afterwards we started to thread the mountains that separate the state of Goa from Karnataka, while I tried to cheer up the trebly disappointed Alexandra. Alexandra was sad because we left the calm beach of Agonda that we had enjoyed for 6 weeks. But much sadder was for the possibility that has risen up of selling the autocaravan in India for a good price, although this option can be remote for the difficulty to make the papers. Finally, Alexandra disliked the following visit that we had, an ONG that operates in a village lost in the dusty plains of the state of Karnataka. Today in the morning I have called AR Patil before entering in the motorway and we have remained to meet later in a specific point, from where he has guided us through small asphalted roads and of earth up to the ONG Birds that his father created in 1980. Patil explained to us that Birds is financed by the different governments of India and by different international ONGs, among them Japan UNESCO and the Foundation Bill and Melinda Gates. Among its activities are the technical education of farmers and elemental to children of the rural areas. An interesting project of classification of medicinal plants, and others of prevention of AIDS, also microfinancing... After visiting an interesting farm of worms of silk, Patil commented me that they would want to receive foreign volunteers to help them in the tasks of education (elemental, technique, computer science...). (It gave me the sensation that the volunteers will be very well treated, therefore I encourage you to get in touch to Patil if you are interested to be volunteer in India: ar.patil2[arroba]gmail.com). Between visit and visit, Patil explained me that the green revolution of 1956, which introduced hybrid, obliged to using many fertilisers that have converted the earth too alkaline and contaminated, by that, the Indian government is promoting the organic farming, although not enough. He also explained that in 1970 the government promulgated a law according to which gave the land to the one who worked it, finishing the big existing large estates. For this reason, in the region there are not too many differences between castes in question to the land, even that the Brahmanes (the highest caste), usually have much larger lands and good thanks to tricks and deceits. In fact, Patil did not show much friendliness with the Brahmanes, of which he commented that they were the creators of the system of castes, weakening the society and allowing the expansion of the Islam through India. In any case, he also explained that the differences between the castes keep being extinguished in India, the schools are mixed, everybody is friend of everybody... Only the weddings among members of the same caste, a tradition impossible to be extinguished for the moment,is kept. Hampi (see on map) 26/02/2009:
From Gokak, the path towards Hampi passed off across different rural roads that made the journey very interesting, in spite of the heat. We are at the end of February and in Europe yet the cold winter has not finished, but here, in the centre of India it is one of the hottest months, because later it arrives the monsoon and cools down everything. For this motif it was interesting to visit the fresh caves of Badami, some temples excavated in the rocks, with pretty reliefs, excavated among the fourth and eighth centuries. In spite of everything, Alexandra stayed in the car, because she said that she was tired of India and did not want to visit more monuments. In the afternoon we went towards another touristic attraction: the temples of Pattadakal. I was decided to visit them, in spite of the 4euros that cost the entry, but Alexandra remembered me that i had not visited many attractions during the journey due to this price and that our budget was adjusted. It has been a simple comment that it has discouraged me, together with the heat and the poor description of the temples in the guide. So, after taking a cool drink, we have gone again in the car and we have started to drive towards Hampi, a much more interesting place. Hampi is some small village that have the incredible ruins of Vijayanagar, the former capital of one of the biggest Hindu empires of the history, dominating all the south of India since the quarter century up to the sixteenth. During the same period, the Muslim sultanate of Bahmani dominated all the north of India, facing continuously the empire of Vijayanagar. The battles were bloody and full of atrocities for both parts. In 1336, the emperor captured a Muslim city and absolutely killed all the inhabitants. In answer, the sultan promised that he would not rest until he killed 100.000 Hindus. But its forecasts were surpassed, getting to kill half a million of unfaithful in the following campaigns. Fortunately for the empire of Vijayanagar, the sultanate of Bahmani disintegrated in 1482, and the expansion and wealth of the empire grew considerably. But later, the empire also suffered different rebellions that divided it up, at the same time as the sultanates of the north created an alliance. In 1565 the Muslim coalition attacked the Hindu army in the battle of Talikota, with a complete victory for the Muslims who next devastated the capital of Hampi, populated by 500.000 people. We have reached Hampi the day before yesterday at noon. We parked on the other side of the river, in the shadow of a tree in the parking place of a hotel. Little later, we cross the river with a small boat and started to walk in the small village, installed among some ruins, that survives mainly thanks to the tourism. But the heat of the midday was too intense and had to take ourselves refuge in a bar, to be able to visit afterwards a big temple and the bazaars that formerly took up some doorways, built with blocks of solid stone placed horizontally on other columns of rock. Yesterday, while Alexandra stayed in the hotel resting, I did more effort and rented a bicycle to go over the ruin dispersion, among which they send different impressive temples and a real enclosure with some interesting buildings standing. Today in the morning, when we were about to restart the road towards the north, Alexandra has opened the freezer of the autocaravan and has done a shout of terror and has kept screaming as a hysterical. Her face was white and had the hair up (this was her impression). I have opened the freezer, I have looked briefly and terrified I have closed again the door. In Goa, a group of ants had managed to go up to the autocaravan and made one or several nests. Warned by the invasion, in Goa we had emptied all the autocaravan, sprayed it with toxic spray and cleaned it with water at pressure outside and below. In spite of everything, a group of ants managed to survive and made a new nest in some unknown corner. These first battles against the ants already have made me remember the killings described between the sultanate of Bahmani and the empire of Vijayanagar, but, the carnage has today been more abominable. As we went out of Goa and returned to the heat, the habitat of the ants probably changed and they have decided tonight to move their city towards the freezer, which we occasionally only turn on. When I have looked at the freezer after the attack of hysteria of Alexandra, this was full of small ants that worked to get installed in this new fresher habitat. We do probably not have right to killing these insects (like this give an opinion the pacific Jainistas), but the religion and traditions of the ants are different to ours and inconvenience us. So, Alexandra has taken a spray of cleaning crystals and completely sprayed the freezer killing to thousands of ants that did not have escape. We have done a great killing, devastating a big city, in spite of everything I do not think that we have finished with their civilisation and in the future we will have to face the control of the autocaravan again. ‹ Previous (28/12/2008) MONTH Next (2009-02-26)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› |
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