I've Gone Goan, gotten sick, and brought in the new year in New Delhi

Its been over a week since I have posted, and what week its been. Packed with unexpected adventure and craziness as only India can serve up...
So, as I had planned back in October, I returned to Goa to hang out with Sid for Christmas and New Years. I arrived a few days back after some time in Gokarna.
I met with my friend Amy, we did a day in Bangalore and then down to Kanyakumari. Kanyakumari was a totally different Indian experience. There were many tourists and pilgrims and a few foriegners but this city is buzzing. The streets are packed and everything is alive. This is really different from Gokarna. This is a vibrant but relatively sleepy town. There are lots of foreign tourists, most of whom are trying out the spiritually inclined aspects of Indian lifestyle. There are a slew of middle aged european men who have taken to the baba lifestyle like its going out of style. This means lots of long dreaded hair, big beards, red skirts and hashish smoking. But it is a beautiful site. Right on the coast in Karnataka there are three unbelievable beaches. The town is lively - there are lots of beads and clothes to buy, dosas to eat and so on. It was a short but very sweet visit. I ran into Peter (one of the sweedish boys from Hampi) and met lots of new and very lovely people.
But here in Goa, things are quite different. Hanging out with Sid is just generally hilarious. I have never met anyone like this guy. He is rarely up during the day. He drinks like a fish but never seems drunk. But we have been having a blast. Also, his parents are in from out of town and between the two of them I have access to a wealth of information on traveling in India, especially the north (where I am headed next).
Sid's friend, Edson called up on my first day in Goa and asked if I could help him out. He works with a website that lists clubs and parties in India. They are doing the PR and promotions for a huge music festival in Goa called SunBurn. He asked for help with promotions. So, it was my job for 5 days to hang out in a yellow jeep and hand out flyers and Kindfishers. I got payed too - not badly either. I made about 250$cdn which goes a long way in India. However, I blew 3000rupees going scuba diving on my last day, which proved to be disasterous. We went to a very chilly pool to learn our scuba skills (how to adjust a mask, use the air tank, etc). From the freezing pool we went to the warm sea. Once we went to descend for our dive, I had a lot of difficulty eqaulizing (that is when you pop your ears to adjust to the underwater pressure). My left ear would pop, but my right wouldn't resulting in a pain and pressure on my right side like a knife in the face - absolutely awful. I had to come up wihtout seeing anything. I tried ocne more, and I could do it the second time but the visibility wasn't great. Anyways, by the time we got home I had chills and a fever, my stomach was in knots. I literally slept for 19 hours adn woke the next day in time for a 32 hour train to delhi. I slept the whole way to delhi. The train ride was really cold, and I struggled to keep warm even in jeans, a sweater, scarves a fleece and a blanket. India is cold - who knew? So, i arrived in New Delhi to my friend Moodrika (who I met with Darius when I met Sid in Goa). She took me home. We spent new years in her living room drinking tea and watching a bollywood new years spectacle show! It was perfect. I got a great nights sleep, finally, and now I feel much better on January 1. I spent the morning drinking coffee, reading the paper, relaxing and soaking in the incredible Indian hospitality.
With only 2 weeks to go on this afventure, I have a lot to pack in. I am off to Varanasi to see Julian Baker (my old neighbor in Montreal)! He's been living in Nepal, we haven't seen one another for about 2 years and we are going to meet for a 'coffee in Varanasi'. How hilarious.
Its weird to start thinking about the upcoming month as it now includes home, parents, Markian, olympics, snow and generally a completely different lifestyle to what I have been experiencing here. Its a little trippy. It isn't as difficult to imagine as it was trying to imagine India before I came, but as usual the future is still full of unknowns. Exciting unknowns.
Traveling on my own, sans Darius, has proved to be really different. For one, I have barely spent time in guesthouses. Between sleeping on buses and trains I have become quite adept at finding people to stay with. Indian hospitality is truly amazing and I am quite comfortable enjoying it; I also feel inspired to take a chapter from the book of 'Indian hosting and hospitality' as these people really know how to make an out of towner feel welcome and comfortable.
Well, until next time...