Goa, a differnt type of India

After Leo and I had decided we had seen enough of Kochi we got ourselves a night train to Goa.  We could have booked a fancy 1^st class AC car, but instead we picked third class.  It was workable; a little worn around the edges, but the beds had pillows, sheets and blankets.  We also got served breakfast, which was a cold omelet with toast.  This part was a bit irritating because the server woke me up and just plopped them on the bed.  At the end of the train ride he wanted a tip, and I refused.  The Indian family, we were sharing the compartment with, chuckled at that.   

The train ride was about 14 hours and we shared our 6 bunk compartment with a nice Indian family.  They had three children and two of the bunks.  We switched around where we were sleeping so Leo and I had the top bunks and they had the bottom ones.  I think this worked out best for them, so the kids could play on the floor and just generally have more space.  We were also joined by some gentlemen around 2 or 3 in the morning. We didn't talk much to them, but they seemed rather nice.  I always enjoy sleeper train rides.  I was worried that this one, because there were so many people and only a worn privacy curtain separating us from the hall, would be noisy and I wouldn't be able to sleep.  But it was fine.  I did have some trouble getting up and down to the top bunk without flashing people.  A lesson well learned, don't wear a skirt on a long train ride.

When we got to Goa there was a price and place list next to the rickshaw stand.  I liked this.  Although the prices were higher than they should have been, at least you don't get ripped off completely.  So Leo and I picked the cheapest beach to get to, Colva, and headed away.  We did some research on the beaches before we left Kochi and Colva seemed to be a relaxed beautiful beach.  This beach was mostly frequented by Indian tourist and it showed when we got to our guest house.  The rickshaw driver dropped us off at a nicer cheap guest house.  It seemed ok, but in the end the service was bad.  No hot water, electricity went out all the time and no internet.  The hotel staff seemed at a bit of loss of what to do with us.  When I ordered food or even tea it took 30 minutes.  

Colva beach was beautiful and endless.  We must have walked 3 or 4 kilometers the first day we were there.  We were just exploring.  There were restaurants strewn all along the beach.   Also there were resorts, para-sailing, jet skiing and just nice little places to chill out and read a book.  I really wanted to stay in a  hut on the beach, but that didn’t seem to be an option here. We would have to head up the the north Goa beaches for that.

 We found tons of Russian everywhere.  Almost every sign was in Russian and English and several didn’t even have English.  The foreign tourists reflected that, old Russian couples were scattered all over the beach.  We didn’t see many people our age.

 That night we found a nice place to eat and we could see fireworks in the distance.  We thought that maybe the next day we should try for whatever beach that was, it seemed like it had more going on.  Walking back was interesting.  The beach just went on and on and on.  The stars were beautiful and clear.  It was a nice walk back, and we got a little lost as well.

The next day we checked out and it was my bright idea to walk along the beach (again) to see if we could find any accommodations.  It was hot and we had all of our bags with us.  We walked past were we had been the night before and found a resort that wouldn’t let us come through the beach entrance and not much else.  In the end we had to walk back inland to find a bus, a taxi or anything.  Even walking back to the main road took a while.  Eventually we found a town and a taxi driver picked us up.  I was ready to sit and be driven anywhere. 

 He took us to Bogmalo beach.  This was my favorite beach of Goa.  It was situated right next to the airport in a cove.  It was a short beach but very beautiful and relaxing.  We found a guest house with wifi and hot shower not too far from the beach.  

This was more of a local's beach as well.  People who worked at the airport often frequented it, so I was asked if I was a flight attendant or pilot  by the locals sometimes.  This beach had much more of a local feel than the beach in Colva.  On Saturdays the school kids would come down to play soccer on the beach and a few times loads of kids came down just to get the yearbook picture taken.  I was fascinated by the boys who played cricket every night.  I have no idea how the game is played, but it was fun to watch them.  

I know I didn’t do much there.  Colva beach had kite surfing and other activities for tourists but this sleepy little beach had a few restaurants and some shops.  I did end up getting a massage there, but besides that I just chilled on the beach, ate good food, read books and talked to the venders about their families and about life in Goa.  One thing I really liked about this place was that all the stray dogs just chilled out.  It was like they were part of the community.  People fed them and they liked humans, so they weren’t skidish, but also didn’t follow you around.  I found it refreshing, most poor countries I have been to treat strays like a pest.  These little guys were well cared for.

We did manage to find our way into the main city of Goa, Vasco da Gama, while we were in Bogmalo.  Leo needed money and a local lady told me that there were no ATMs near Bogmalo.  We headed into town and passed several ATMs on the way.  I wanted to get more money on my SIM card and wander around anyway.  I found a dude to fix the zipper on my backpack for something like 60 cents.  And there was market too, that we explored.  Leo had some trouble with the banks, but in the end he figured it out.  That would really suck, getting stranded in India with no money.  

After Leo and I had been in Bogmalo for a couple of days we picked up Evey from the airport.  At first she thought she could make it over on her own, but it only took us 15 minutes to get there so why not pick her up?  It was so great to see her, even after waiting an hour for the plane.  She looked the same as ever and we hugged and then talked up a storm.  

We spent one more night in Bogmalo and then headed off to Anjuna, a much more touristy beach.  The driver that took us there warned us not to buy anything from the venders at Anjuna.  He said they were not from Goa.  I guess this is pretty normal in India, people move from all over to cater to the tourists.  I don’t quite understand how this hurts the locals, but our driver seemed adamant.

We got dropped off and walked around looking for accommodations.  Everyone had a spare room hidden in their shops and offered it to us.  These were inexpensive, but many times a bit dirty and not what we were looking for.  In the end we found a super cheap guest house.  Three people 800 rupees ($13).  Yes please!  Leo rented a motor bike, so he took off and Evey and I were left to explore.  Within 30 minutes of us arriving we were offered weed.  This part of India is defiantly a different place.  We went looking for the beach and found one that was disgusting.  Rocks, mud and tons of garbage in the water.  I did not want to put my feet in that, let alone swim in it.  So we walked the other way and found the nice beach.  Evey and I plopped down at a restaurant looking over the beach and just chilled.  

That is one thing I won’t forget about India; Goa had amazing food.   Even in Bogmalo the curries were spectacular, the fish was perfect, the naan with crispy garlic and dripping butter.  I had so much fun eating.  Or I guess my taste buds did.   

The next day we rented out a couple of scooters and rode around together.  I told Evey I would drive there and she would drive back.  She had a scooter in Indonesia now for about a month or two and had countless accidents.  So I was a bit wary of her driving skills.  She did just fine though. 

We found another beach nearby and stopped for a swim and some beers.  While we were hanging out in the sun we noticed an interesting cow.  Cow are all over India, on the beaches, in the streets, just hanging out.  This cow was special.  She was really good at looking for food.  I guess too many tourists, or just people in general, had fed her.  While we were drinking our beers we watched the cow go from table to table looking for food and harassing people.  Eventually the owner shewed her away, but the cow just continued to bothering people on the beach instead.  It was the most hilarious thing I had yet to see.

After the beach we went to an old fort, Fort Chapora, that Leo had found the day before.  It was in shambles, but I guess India really has no use for these forts anymore.  It was fun scrambling around the ruins and seeing everything around the fort.  It would be a good place to watch the sunset.

We stayed in Anjuna  for a few days and then decided we should move on.  While we were there we mostly drank on the beach and ate good food.  I know Leo and Evey did some shopping as well, but I had everything I needed and my bag needed to stay small.

One curious thing we did do, was see a ceremony on the beach. 

We had found this awesome two tiered hut place that had good food and cheap beer.  While we amusing ourselves with the sunset some Indian men came out of the resort next to us.  They were chanting, playing instruments and had something on fire.  It was some kind of ritual.  I was so glad I got to see it.  I tried to get a video, but they were too far away, so the video didn’t turn out.  The rest of the night was relaxed, we went back and packed to go back to Bogmalo in the morning.  Closer to the airport is always better.

Our Last night and day in Bogmalo was interesting.  We went back to the same hotel and had to get two rooms.  Something about the legality of having three people in the same room.  We all knew it had more to do with money, but whatever.  In the morning, we packed up and sat on the beach all day.  Evey and I had a bottle of wine and decided to drink it on the beach.  Actually she drank it on the beach, I really didn’t need to.  It was hot.  We played cards and swam.  So when we got on the plane that day, she was a bit tipsy.  Leo and I tried to get her to eat, but she said she would be fine.  And she was after sleeping on the flight to Delhi.  She knows better than us.