Proximity to water makes the soul a little gentler

I have spent the entirety of my life near great bodies of water.  Whether Dyes Inlet, Elliot Bay, the Narrows, Commencement Bay, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Bellingham Bay, or the Pacific Ocean itself--I've always been able to hop on my bike and head to the salty shores of the Northwest.  

Now, Delhi is a landlocked city in a landlocked state surrounded by more landlocked states and I've spent the past three months separated from water and all that comes along with it.  Now, there does exist a river in Delhi--the holy river Yumma--but sadly, it has been reduced to nothing more than concrete wall-bounded mud-garbage muck and doesn't count.  I also spent a few days in a hotel room over-looking the river Ganges but was knocked out with Dengue fever at the time and couldn't enjoy the river breeze--so that doesn't really count either.  

Too long without the familiar, balancing company of water!  

Thankfully, mother India is not a landlocked nation--and I inadvertently headed towards water for the final part of my field research.  I say inadvertently because, although I now realize how much I missed the presence of sea air, I had gotten so used to the dusty, orange-skied Delhi that I forgot how much I missed the life-giving qualities of H2O.  So when I chose my research destination in rural Karnataka, I had no dreams or aspirations of a great reunion with water.  

But! The moment I stepped off the plane in Bangalore, I sensed the proximity of the sea!  Yip! Yip! Yip! Yip!  It might sound crazy, but my lungs could feel the NON-humidity induced moisture in the air; my skin tingled with the sharpness of O2 familiar with H2O; and my eyes gave thanks for the beauty of a clear blue sky.  I had forgotten how much more strikingly blue the sky is near a great body of water--and how that blue makes the greens of the trees so much more brilliant.  And after a ten hour bus ride to my destination on the coast--Ggggg! did it ever get better.  

Jog Falls--highest waterfall in India

After spending a week here, I've realized that the state of Karnataka is very, very similar to the Pacific Northwest.  To the south is Kerala--a huge tourist destination known for its beautiful beaches and backwaters.  Karnataka is just as beautiful, if a bit rougher around the edges, but without the insane tourist effect.  Also, it has ferries!  

I had to shake myself back to reality a couple of times when I got to this place--it looks and feels so much like the ferry crossing at Pt. Defiance to Vashon Island.  If only this little guy's name was the "Rhododendron"--then I could have practically been home!  

Anyway, nothing like a ferry ride to lift the spirits of a lone traveler.  

It's definitely going to be hard to return to the brown and dusty city of Delhi after re-exposure to the coastal lifestyle.  I will admit, however, that the city of Delhi has come to occupy a special place in my heart (more to come on this later)--so do not despair!  I'll be fine adjusting back to the orange-tinged sunsets, the earthen and dusty smell of the air, and the general romantic loveliness of a city on the brink of a large desert.  

For now, though, hurray for water!  I can't wait to fly into SeaTac and see the beautiful water labyrinth that is Puget Sound spread out for miles below me.

[Dedicated to Rachel Lani and Anna Jane, two solid and unwavering Puget Sound souls.]