- ODO: 7275 – 7424km
- Location: Camping South of Kundapura, India
- Weather: 18-33 Clear and Hot
Goa was decidedly Christian with its white and blue churches and busses of school kids in starched shirts and long trousers and skirts queuing up for mass on a Sunday. I can’t image what that feels like in 35-degree heat. Kerala is decidedly more Hindu.
At sunrise, Gorkana beach was packed with groups of topless men wearing orange shawls. Their foreheads marked with paint. I thought they may be dipping into the sea but while I was there all they did was hang out by the shore. At a certain point, all of these guys pack into their FORCE jeeps and hit the road. The vehicles are decorated with huge orange flags, temporary paint and some even with a full LED shrine on the roof. They’re also overloaded with bags and bottles hanging on the outside and with people on every seat and packed into the boot. A seductive female face painted on the spare tyre. I’m not sure yet if this has religious significance.
They are the new kings in erratic driving here in India. The trucks and tankers are wild but these jeeps – often in a convoy of two or three – don’t have the concept of giving way. They overtake a train of trucks with visible oncoming traffic. Perhaps they know there’s a god of road traffic accidents looking over their shoulder.
Seriously though, I’m really interested in finding out who they are and where they are all going. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll stop and find out.
