First comes Monsoon, then comes Landslide

Oh the perils of India and how they rain down upon us unforgiving! We sit here in the most tranquil pleasant slice of heaven known to man and it is hard to believe that we spent more than 36 consecutive hours on trains and another 4 trying to figure out what was going on, as no one wanted to tell the travellers (that was only Al and I) what had happened. So, let us paint you a picture. Our last remaining hours in Goa, our Mecca, were spent scootering around to the GAWT, in which we finally met the woman who started it and got the full low down on this magnificent place. Her name is Janie and she used to be a casting director in Central London and spent time flitting between London and what used to be Bombay...life of partying, hobnobbing,, drinks and debauchery when she visited Goa and connected to the animals in the area. She claims she was never really an "animal" person, but I think she is touched...we both do. She eventually moved to Goa 7 years ago and had a pet dog herself who broke its leg and she could not find anyone to heal her dog, so she eventually had to set the bone and wrap it herself...with the help of a friend. The total lack of animal care disturbed her so much that she started an animal sanctuary herself, with great strife in trying to rent a facility (which she still cannot get running water or electricity), finding locals she could trust and just getting enough money to run the thing! She thought she we run it for 6 months after some hard fund raising, but it grew in supporters and became the sanctuary that it is today. She completely changed her life with no veterinary knowledge/skills and little money. Her mother can still not believe what she is doing now...and neither can Janie. She told us some horror stories along with some little gems. The way these animals are treated is horrifying to say the least. She told us of one dog that has been shot by an air rifle on numerous occasions, by the same young man and this time in the eye and his cornea has been split, she told of coming to work some mornings only to discover plastic bags filled with female puppies that had been suffocated, she told of one poor dog that was doused with kerosene which ate his little eyes and ears off and one that was covered in boiling water for barking due to a tumor that was causing him untold pain and agony. However, with these nightmares come lovely and remarkable stories of animals that have been rescued. There are so many to talk about, but I really want to talk about just 1...her name is Queeny (she got this name, as her back legs have been injured, also a possible spinal injury so she drags her legs behind her...drag queen = Queeny - she is not a cross dresser, just to clarify). She is the tiniest of things and she is exceptionally vocal. She needs constant attention and if you are stroking her and you stop for even a moment, she will nip you with her razor-like incisors. Alex discovered this when she was petting her and momentarily focussed her attention on the puppies...Queeny bit her and then dragged her body with her front paws to chase Alex down the corridor. I had to step in to save Alex, as a 6 foot 1 inch hardcore sporty was no match for our Queeny! Wendy you might be able to equivocate this to the incident with Hannibal or Dilan's dog from across the street at 404. We also spoke to Janie about the staff and how hard it was for her to find people that she trusts! The one young man that stands out is called Rameesh and he is a sweet animal-loving boy with special needs due to a coconut falling from a tree and hitting him in the head at age 2...this only happens 30 times a year and is unbelievable. He is very proud of his job and takes great care of the animals and loves them dearly. He cleans the animal areas and ensures that they are fed and also took us around and introduced us to all the animals at the sanctuary. We will be returning there in a few weeks to do some hardcore volunteering before we go back up north. Then, we went to get a snack called pakoras, which we know how to make after our cooking lesson and a tasty mango drink and headed out to the Nature Reserve for a hike through the rain forest on the smallest most ill-signed path ever to this amazing tree house hidden in the depths of the rain forest that rests 100+ feet above the forest floor. The ladder up to the tree house was made of bamboo and wobbled as we climbed...Alex went first and gave me a lot of positive reinforcement, as we met 2 other travellors who refused to climb it in the first place. However, once you get up there, the views are spectacular and it offers a bit of respite from the monsoon rain blasts occurring randomly. Then, we went back to eat diner with Robert, a lovely man, (the father part of the daddy/daughter duo we spoke about in previous blog entries) and listened to his life tale, which was amazing to say the least. He has lived an extraordinary life! We then headed up to the train station with a lovely taxi driver named Jay (who did not rip us off and was timely) for what would become the most horrific experience in India thus far. Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog tomorrow! A trailer to entice you...2 youngish travellors head to train station for a routine train ride from Goa to Trivandrum for a yoga retreat when disaster strikes in the form of perverts, landslides, starvation, alcoholic gamblers and bed bugs. Will these two ever get to the yoga retreat mecca or die trying...tune in tomorrow for part 2...if you dare!