Gone Fishin'

I don't know if you'll believe this when I tell you, but today I went fishing. It wasn't just any kind of fishing, though...

First of all, it was fishing in India. Let's say it together: "Char went fishing in India!!!"

But more important than where I went fishing is how I went fishing. There was no pole, no hook, no bait; but there was a gigantic net - a Chinese fishing net.

The Chinese fishing nets are actually quite famous in this region of India, and they attract many tourists. You can buy beautiful (as well as worthless) souvenirs at the stalls set up along the beach. You can purchse a couple of fresh, raw fish, take them across the way, and have them cooked any way you like. Or, if you're really feeling adventurous, you can try to catch some fish yourself. That's what I did.

There are wooden platforms lined up along the beach. Attached to each platform is a gigantic net, which is let up and down with a pully system that takes four men (or three men and one American girl) to work. When I stepped onto the platform, the net had already been lowered into the water, so my job was to help pull it up. I was given a thick rope and told to pull hard. It was easy at first, but by the time the net was up, my arms felt like jelly.

And imagine my disappointment when I realized that, after all that work, there were no fish caught in the net! Well, at least we got a good picture!