And there I went off the map…

And after a 2-hour train delay before the sun could come up we went off the Indian map to find ourselves in Karwar. It looked like I was the only non-Indian which gave me even more intense stares than I ever experienced before.

By the way you grow by those shameless looks. I think it has stages, at the very beginning it’s just simply weird, then it becomes amusing, later it’s disturbing, then it’s embarrassing, after a month or so you try not to care and then you actually don’t care.

So we were back in Karnataka state in a town with a population of only around 100 000 and no tourists in sight. That was relieving. We went deep in where the locals stay to meet a friend. We were served the freshest tender coconut directly cut off the tree in the garden. There was this typical small-town lifestyle in the air. Neighbours were chit-chatting, people were working on the surrounding fields and only a passing train gave some sort of city-noise breaking the endless silence. What a beautiful life I thought.

Life on the fields – Karwar, India

Truck on train on rail – Karwar, India

Neighbourhood temple – Karwar, India

Organic, here you go – Karwar, India

It was a Sunday and our local friend took us to the lavish city market. Every Sunday the center of the town becomes one big market with all sorts of products lying on the roads from veggies to fruits to dry fish to chicken to broom to dishes. Since the entire center is involved the marketplace is never too crowded and never too loud. It’s authentic, well-kept and organized.

All for that Sunday lunch – Karwar market, India

Vendor’s smile – Karwar market, India

Fish supply dried – Karwar market, India

We were lunching in the traditional Amrut restaurant. The place was fully packed. Business started 40 years ago and it’s flourishing more than ever before. We just kept on ordering. Veggie curries, dhal, fish curry, fish fry and all sorts of salads, rotis and naan. Needless to say, we overate. Exhaustingly. Someone please carry me!

Undisturbed – Karwar beach, India

Beach candy – Karwar beach, India

To walk it off we headed to breathtaking Karwar beach where apart from us and a few locals were not many. Probably the hottest interval of the day still kept sane people in AC rooms of restaurants. After a few camera clicks we jumped into the (AC) car to find our way back to the map.