fogs
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Post by fogs on Jun 6, 2007 15:30:46 GMT
Hello all. Made it as far down the south/west coast of India as Palolem. arrived at Bombay on a roasting afternoon, it has been roastibg ever since. Weve had a few short rainy periods, however the monsoon has held off for a week (longer the better). The scenery is spectactlar with some amazing beaches to explore. We left Bombay after two days, the pollution and noise of hooters is quite overwhelming. I think they honk there horns for fun...... Next prot of call wad Anjuna where arrived after an 11 hour night train journey along the coast. Anjuna was pretty much deserted although the bars and markets and shops were mainly open. The delights of Anjuna are many and all at a good price. The accomadation was excellent we had room overlooking the crashing Arabian ocean, which gets very powerful this time of year with undercurrents that could skin a porpouis. We had three great days at Anjuna before moving onto Palolem. Thing are a fair bit cheaper in Palolem than Anjuna which was inturn cheaper than Bombay. seems the further south we travel the cost of living gets cheaper, We expect to depart Palolem within a couple of day make a B-line for Gokarna in Karnatika, the next state below Goa where i am expecting to be wowed by the inland scenery and cukture. Gokarna is the first area where we will begin serioue searching for a plot. Have done a bit of research while here on the practicality of making an earthship in India and the possibility of foreign owmership in India. All feedback so far is posive although it seems that beurocrasy is mighty slow in India.
I have had water stuck in my ear for two days it is very annoying and has stoped me from going into the sea. Jamie has had a little dose of the two-bob-bits, that seems to be clearing up.
will update you all again soon on our progress. next time i'll try to add some pic's.
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ef1
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Post by ef1 on Jun 7, 2007 12:10:46 GMT
sounds amazing, dont eat too much curry or you will be having the freeruns
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forbzie
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Post by forbzie on Jun 7, 2007 16:26:53 GMT
nice to hear from you john , keep us posted on your adventures
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Post by drproctor on Jun 11, 2007 11:29:10 GMT
Oh so you made it out of Bombay alive huh? I'm assuming that's because you didn't get inside a car right?
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fogs
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Post by fogs on Jun 16, 2007 12:17:13 GMT
Update 2 18/6/07 Gokarna Karnataka Whicked time! Synchronicities are running amock. The next step is being ladout in front of us with alarming regularity We are meeting the right people in the right places at the right time. We've been offered a plot of land (100m x100m) at the top of Palolem Hill, a stunning location with panoramic views of the surrounding hills & coastline. We have tavelled south from Palolem to Gokarna, a beautiful budhist village, just inside the northern boarder of Karnatika to get some R&R and get our nuts together in preperation for a meeting & presentation of our concept & design with the owner of the land, the oresentation will consist of, Projected stage managmeent assesment, a brief of overall project concept along with printed diagrams and drawings. The person that has offered us this wonderful opportunity to fulfill the drean of constructing an Earthship is a local Indian married to an English woman. With a touch of Jon & Jim charm he wont be able to resist the chance to involve us in his Palolem eco village development. We have been having a wondeful time relaxing at Palolem beach, the perfect location for washing the stresses of westernism out of our systems before the serious work starts. Our room 50m from the beach sourrounded by coconut grove for 100 R;s (1.20 pounds) p/n. We have met some great people and we alreaedy have a long list ofnew friends that want to visit the earthship. If there is a god he is truly smiling on us. Update 3 should be posted within the next 7-10 days. Keep it easy all, till next time. Jon out.
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kingo
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Post by kingo on Jun 16, 2007 13:02:49 GMT
Nice one, sounds well good.
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farscaped
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Post by farscaped on Jun 18, 2007 15:48:49 GMT
Hay there John. Its Gareth here, long time no see!! Sounds like your having a wonderful time out there. hope things go to plan, and i'll see you when you get back.
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fogs
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Post by fogs on Jun 27, 2007 10:07:41 GMT
Update 3 & 4 Thurs 22/6 Gokarna Karnatika India
You wouldnt believe it! Paze 1 - location & comfirmation complete. As of tomorrow phaze 2 begins in ernest This is whhat we dreamt of during those chatting & planning while we waited for things to fall into place before starting the project.
We have been given permission an Earthship on a large tract of land on the edge of a nice residential area.
magic is afoot!
So get this people ..... within 3 weeks we have been offered two peices of land by two different parties, we must be doing something right. We have decided to start work on th Gokarna site. Making Gokarna our base for the next 3 months at least. What a pleasure it is to live in such a magical place.
Tomorrow we will survey the site and decide the best location for the earthship and access from the road.
The monsoon intensifies with humidity everything remains damp. Recently there has been parity between the amount of dry & rainy periods. Although this does not dampen our spirits at all for the task at hand. We are both having foot problems. All footwear is perinantly damp and rubs the soft skinfrom soft wet feet. Whwn the rains come the street5s can be running with water within minutes. The local water table remains high at all times during the rainy season. It's only now that the importance of being here during rainy season becomes apparent. At this stage of the monsoon the rainfall is only moderate, the extreme rain begins in July and fades off through Aug & Sept.
Fortune has once again led us to a fantastic room in a lovely gardened guest house a short distance from the buils site Gokarna offers locally available materials at good prices. We have all we need at our doorsrep with permission to proceed with the build from the land owner.
'Book your ticket baby' all will be ready by early 2008.
Well that's the end of this enthralling update. You can expect the next update in 7-10 days. Jon, out.
Ps we now have three interested parties wanting Earthship construction.
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Update 4 27/06 Gokarna Karnatika India
Here is our permanent address in Gokarna Satyarama Sadana Chinnakera Gokarn - 581328 tq, Kumta Tel [08388]357462. you can send us love letters & goodies.
MASSIVE day yesterday! Part realisation of the dream. The first spade was dug into the hillside where the Earthship will sit. All id going very well. Although organizing around the rain spells in becoming increasingly difficult. On the downside (it aint all a fairytale) I have a cold from getting caught out in the rain without protection (mac or umbrella) too often. Jamie is having a difficult time with cuts on his leg and foot, the constant humidity doesnt allow cuts to heal as quickly as in Europe.
We are still mezmerised by this magical village. We are learning more about the ways of Gokarna everyday, familliarizing ourselves with the area and the locals. It is very cheap here, we can find all we need in Gokarna or the bigger local towns. Currently we are focused on completing the grundwork, which entails moving an estimated 250-300T of earth in 4-5 days, manually. Th groundwork in intself is a formidable challenge. Our plan is to construct an entrance/driveway from the road behind the Earthship sloping down around the side to the front of the Earthship. across a rodside flood channel that seperates the road from the plot. Also we will landscape an earth bank running along the length of boundary with the road to minimize sound & visual impact and to prevent any potential damage from vehicles coming off the road and onto the site.
Jamie is transforminfg into Mr T (A Team). It's good to see him in flop-flops a pink lungi & bandana, with a collection of long & jangly local handicrafts
We are settling in very well, loving every minute of the experiance. It is difficult to prepare for the hardship of monsoon. Feet are often wet & sore from moisture & friction abrassing the skin. Never-the-less, it is amazing to experiance the power of Mother nature as the rains wash away the harshness of westernism, we truly begin to settle into our new lifestyle. Today we will meet the local tyre merchant to arrange the management of tyres to the build site. Seems there will be no problem with getting tyres. Iam itching to get going on the build, encouraging & enthusing in all directions at every opportunity to keep the project on course. We aim to have completed excavation and foundation tyre wall before the worst of the rain in july. Then to fit the roof and front aspect before the end of September, when the rains stop. From then on Full speed ahead with internal fittingsand project completion before high season begins, and sweltering heat of 45'C bakes th Earthship.
Hope all is well with everyonePlease forward this to anyone that is intersted in what we are doing or send an email and i'll add it to the update list.
Unill next time, jon, out.
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zetan
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Post by zetan on Jun 27, 2007 10:58:03 GMT
WOW!!! I only just noticed this thread! WOW Awesome! I'm definately coming to see them when they are ready!
"250-300T of earth in 4-5 days, manually" <--- HOLY CRAP
I can see you are having an amazing time out there and that you have a real connection with your surroundings. I know things will go very well with you at the front!
Nice one Fogs, I'll try to send you some stuff.
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fogs
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Post by fogs on Jul 4, 2007 5:01:19 GMT
Update 5 29/06/07 Gokarna Karnatika India
What a shocker!!!
We have decided it is best to rturn to London to allow Jamie a decent recovery period. The prospect of any immediate reversal in the condition of his injuries is extremely unlikely in the intense moisture & humidity. The streets flooded4-5 times today. Within minutes you can beabsolutely drenched, wading ankle deep through brown flood water. Constant moisture in the air keeps clothes and material damp to touch, shoes remain constantly wet with rain or sweat. While the beautiful rain hammers down all around. Dry spells are an opportunity to get things done and the village becomes abuzz again, The people of Gokarna are amzingthe continue to motivate themselves in very difficult conditions. Always with a smile, a nod of the head and a friendly 'namaste', many in extreme poverty, their obvious contentment is infectious {excuse the punn}. I now have total realisation that western materiaslism isnt all it's cracked up to be. Jamie has given it his alland continued through great difficulty. His injuries combined with the weather conditions dictate the sensible choice is to take a break through the worst of monsoon (July-Aug). All siad and done we have had an amazing four weeks in India The awesome power of Mother Nature has been a delight to experiance. The jungle hums with vibrancy. The ferocious rains are the sound of a billion droplets crashing onto leaves and flood water creating a dreamy cacophony of all en-composing white noise that is so loud you can barely hear it (*contradiction*).....
On the business side of things..... We have everything organoised to return and begin excavation immediately. To be honest thinking it is a good idea to begin groundwork during the worst monsoon conditions is slightly over enthusiastic on my part. The sensible thing to do is to return to London to re-evaluate and ready ourselves for phase 2 (groundwork & foundation wall) in more suitable conditions. Mission accomplished, phase 1 complete. We have reached break point. Experiancing monsoon firdt hand has been invaluable. As i have said before NOTHING could have prepared us for monsoon without actually being here. An Earthshp in this part of the planet has to be 100% monsoon design oriented. We have learnt so much during this trip. Generally it has been a massive eye opener for myself this wonderful planet of ours ceases to amaze me with her majesty and awesome power. Every experience she shows me deepens my love & consideration for her. Once again i find myself overwhelmed with love & compassion for Earth.
What a trip!
You'll be waiting a while for Update 6, never-the-less it will be on its way in due course. Keep it tight people. For the time being! jon, out..
PS, we are now back in London. Jamie has an email address - jimtherogue@hotmail.com send him love letters & goodies.
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ef1
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Post by ef1 on Jul 4, 2007 13:33:30 GMT
we have been having monsoon weather here too
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farscaped
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Post by farscaped on Jul 9, 2007 18:41:45 GMT
don't bother coming back it's just as bad here!!!!!!!
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fogs
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Post by fogs on Dec 15, 2008 11:58:48 GMT
I have booked a flight for my return to India for jan24 hoping that i'll be able to catch up with you all before i go. Im expecting this trip to be for 1 year although i will most likely return to London for a short period next summer, or i'll catch up with you all when FS has a group trip to Lisse to pay homage to our heroes.
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fogs
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Post by fogs on Jan 31, 2009 6:33:53 GMT
OPERATION OPULENT EXTRAVAGANCE
Update 1, 28/01/09 Our mission began, 24/01/09, when the man with many names came to town, now affectionately known to me as Top Cat (TC). With many a tale of adventure and dare-do. I watched and listened attentively as TC, shivering in the cold of my London flat, cast his persona upon me. TC seems a man of vast experience with a broad smorgasbord of abilllities gained from his many dealings in life. Outspoken, organized, motivated and efficient with an awareness that comes only with a preparedness to look behind the curtain. He has had a positive influence on my hopes of completing the project from the outset.
It was an evening tinted with excited apprehension as we familiarized ourselves with each other and talked of the days to come. Departure day arrived with a clear morning sky. There were a few finishing jobs around the house that i had deliberately left to see how TC would react to the situation, serving as primary ground base for me to work with to facilitate my desire to complete the task that lay ahead of us. With nothing else to do but wait for a reasonable time to leave for the airport we got everything finished with ample time to shuffle, sit and observe the flow of travelers making their way through the hustle and bustle of Heathrow's terminal 3. On the first day of our acquaintance we managed to wangle a catch phrase/in joke, 'Munch On!', Which i took as a good sign in our efforts to build a fruitful working relationship. Although the catch phrase wore thin after a few days, to me, it bode well toward the development of our relationship. I knew the journey from Bombay to Gokarna would be arduous and straining with a lack of sleep and our unfamiliarity, along with the general stresses of arriving in a new country. TC has a strong dislike of cities and requested that we exit Bombay ASAP. My willingness to place a mirror (metaphor) in front of the many wheelers, dealers and punters of Bombay’s streets was frustrating TC. After a few hours he asked me to stop, due to my behavior putting extra tension on an already stressful environment. Immediately i stopped driven by my desire to complete the transition from England vibe to Indian vibe as smoothly as possible. When we changed money at the airport (mirror) and paid for a prepay taxi (mirror) through the polluted, contradictive streets of Bombay to Victoria central station. Mirrors everywhere. I admire TC's willingness to express his feelings on any given situation and his forthright, outspoken nature all adding to my positivity toward our chances of completing the project, with these being the characteristics that initially drew my attention to him.
I first met TC on a Sunday morning trip to earthship Brighton's twice monthly open day. My boss at the time had a free Sunday and agreed to take a trip to Brighton to see what all the fuss was about and gain a better understanding of the earthship concept. We arrived at Stanmer Park with an hour to spare. While on the tour i couldn’t help but noticed a dark haired man, amongst a group of 3 or 4. He took every opportunity to encourage the tour guide to go into further detail in relation to practical issues in relation to practicality and functionality of earthship concept and design behind the pretty picture of earthship eco living. I made a mental note to approach the man once the tour had ended. Come the end of the tour I approached the group of men positioning myself to ask the outspoken man about his interest in earthships and complement him on digging deeper into the concept. When the first appropriate moment arose i took the opportunity to ask the man. He told me he had recently finished project managing a conventional build in Spain and that he hoped to purchase land and build his own dwelling. After finishing his brief summary he returned the question to me. In reply i said " i have a piece of land in India" cutting me short in mid sentence he proclaimed "you're Jon?!". Not being famous or infamous this was a shock, a man i had never met before knew my name. He continued " I’ve been trying to contact you all week. We talked for a short while about earthship concept and general eco development. As the conversation continued my mind was racing in regard to the possibility of this obviously bright man (i have a passion for brightness in people) joining me in a venture to build in India.
Bombay's Victoria station can be difficult at he best of times and TC's want to head straight for Gokarna tinted the situation with an element of urgency which I did my utmost to elevate. We were told, at the ticket office, and by a myriad of Indian punters, the next train for Mardgoa, Goa (the nearest we could get to Gokarna without spending more than 24 hours in Bombay) was scheduled for departure at 23:15 that same evening. We would have to return to the ticket office at 20:00 hours to check on availability for 2nd class sleeper tickets. I could see the prospect of waiting for 7 hours then possibly not getting a ticket for the train draining TC's resolve. Our only other option was to take the 10-hour??? overnight sleeper bus to Panjim (capital of Goa). The images in the glossy brochure looked quite comfortable and accommodating, along with the opportunity of departure in 2 hours it was an offer we couldn’t refuse under the circumstances. This was our escape route from the cauldron of Bombay. We ate at a near bye restaurant where TC got his first taste of the cuisine to come. We left the restaurant with ample time to board the coach for departure. To our combined dismay and discomfort we found the sleeper compartment distinctly cramped. all our cunning plans to hijack empty sleeping compartments were scupperd by vigilant staff and eventually an ever increasing number of passengers as the driver seemed to be cruising the streets of the city for the next two hours in search of short, skinny people willing to pay for transportation to Goa. This made a mockery of the scheduled 10-hour journey time, or perhaps we were taken for foolish Gorra from the outset. After taking half a sleeping tablet each to enhance the remote possibility of actually getting some sleep on the non-AC coach. It really didn’t help matters that neither I or TC were confident enough in the security of the baggage hold to risk leaving our packs. We took our rucksacks on board reducing the available sleeping space by 1/6. OUCH! We enjoyed a midnight snack of Gobi manchurian and Palak paneer, at a reasonably tidy roadside restaurant, as the bus made one of many stops en route, usually for a handful of disfigured, uncomfortably contorted passengers to shuffle from the bus into the roadside forna to relieve inflated bladders and such like.
Panjim our destination was reached 15 hours after departure from Bombay. Goa is always a good staging point on a trip to India, it's colonial Portuguese history has left it with a distinctly familiar European look and feel. We both began to relax a little in the hospitality and guidance of Johan the great Swede that i have become firm friends with since my last sojourn in India. From Panjim we took a frantic direct shuttle bus to Mardgoa station. The train journey from Mardgoa, scheduled to take 2-hours, was surprisingly only 15 minutes late. As the train drew into the station the brave amongst the passengers moved closer to the edge of the crowded platform. with TC shuffling amongst them for prime position to board the train and grab one of the wooden slated bench seats for the 2 hour journey to Gokarna road station. A sense of imminent foreboding was rising amongst the passengers on the platform as we jostled, nudged and deceptively smiled at each other. We were positioned toward the rear end of the busy platform. The diesel engine of the train sped rattling past our position as the pace of the passing carriages began to slow on the long train. Crazy people began their personal missions to board the carriages to claim a wooden slated bench seat aboard the train. A mini riot ensued as those who had pushed their way to the edge of the platform plunged their bodies against the side of the train. As the still rapidly moving carriages rattled past, in a vain attempt to grab a hold of any protruding metal door handle or window bar. Young and old, men and women were amongst the foray. Those who were lucky/skillful enough to get a strong purchase on any protrusion from the train proceeded to run, jump and drag. Arms, legs and backsides flailing asunder as they balled along the platform edge knocking over all those who hadn’t managed to clamber aboard the train as they sped along the platform clinging to the side of the slowing train. Fortunately we, and Ben, a young German, had seen what was coming and took a few precautionary backward steps away from the ensuing melee. The train drew to a halt as the heaving masses fought to get onto the train. Once inside we could see it would be standing room only for the duration of the journey. The swell and sway, of the overcrowded carriage began to push and pull us in all directions. Eventually i lost sight of TC as i slipped into the connecting area between two carriages found a secure place for my pack and used it to sit on. It took a good 20 minutes for the carriage to regain a relative calm. Until one man, head and shoulder above the other passengers over dramatically, Bollywood style, began literally screaming and shouting at the passengers around him from his vantage point, standing on the wooden slated bench seats. His enthusiasm for the task seemed to double, as he realized he was under no threat of violence and the centre of attention of a captive audience. The journey to Gokarna road station was scheduled to take 2-hours which would have been correct if not for the 2 hours we spent waiting for the diesel engine to cool down at Kalwar station.
Gokarn town came upon us in darkness. We left the shuttle bus from the station and made our way to Mr. Pai's place. Unfortunately there were no rooms available so we spent the next hour or so looking for a place to stay We first set foot on the site (Kalinga) 2 days after departing London. TC immediately set to work surveying. Previously, while in London, planning/waiting for my return to Gokarn, I had received a phone call from Vinod, the landowner, informing me that the monsoon had washed away all the work that i had done the previous season. Excavating 400 tonnes of earth to expand the footprint of the south facing hillside site by40 percent and engineering a sloping/sweeping roadway down onto the site, from the road that runs out of Gokarn up the hill behind the northern boundary. I was gutted and quite depressed with the news and had a struggle to re-motivate myself to return and continue with the project. It was a pleasant surprise to find the monsoon damage to be limited to maximum 10% of the groundwork. To be honest i had expected this when i left the site and Gokarna at the end of last season. TC was busily formulating designs and plans to regenerate the overgrown site utilizing the flow patterns that mother nature had left on the site for us to following, The monsoon rains had flowed across the land contours that i had created on the site when engineering its footprint the previous season, however it is nye on impossible for a western mind to understand the sheer volume of rain that falls during the heaviest periods of monsoon. Gullies and troughs are irrelevant in the peak of a 10 day monsoon period. the land is knee deep in water everywhere. The passing of the next few days has been difficult at times as we learn how to work together as a team and settle into life in Gokarn for the next 6 months. And to top it all off i have found a growth on my left testicle, which is a little disconcerting right now. But i won’t let it get me down. Any way I will push on for now under a bit of a cloud wondering why i am doing this.
Jonathan.
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kingo
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Post by kingo on Feb 1, 2009 21:38:02 GMT
That trip sounds packed, busy and unresting. Sorry to hear about the monsoon destorying your work. The bollywood man sounds mental (might he be related to "steve the tramp of southbank?) You have always had big balls Jon, as in ideas for jumps and well Ideas. I'm sure you trip has left your body uneasy and needs to settle down. Please write more. It sounds amazing, well an experinence David
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