Leaving Vaghator May 31, 2010
Posted by admin in : India , add a commentAfter a last day at Boomshanka, soaking up the relaxing vibes and trying to memorise the beautiful sunset, the next morning we embarked on getting out of Goa. Our aim is to go north which normally should be a simple task of catching a train from Margao. However, due to it being Indian holiday time plus the extreme heat of the south, it seems that the whole population of the south is also trying to travel north! We have already been told by a travel agent in Vagator that all trains going to cooler climates are booked up. It would have been tempting just to sit it out and hang out in Goa for longer, but with the season coming to an end all business are shutting up in preparation for the Monsoon. With this information in mind, we decide to go to the main Goan train station (Margoa) and see if we can get a tourist quota ticket as a last resort.
Getting to Margoa from Vagator entails two very sticky hot and squished public busses (changing at Mapusa and Panjim). This journey takes about an hour in total, but only costing Rs. 30 (50p) compared to Rs 900 (11 pounds) if we had opted for the taxi instead. So although not the most comfortable of journeys, the cost made it bearable.
Once in Margoa, we are confronted with more of the same news. There are no trains (even to Mumbai) until the 22nd June! We are not prepared to wait a month so we manage to book ourselves a sleeper bus to Pune that evening. Pune is just outside Mumbai and although it is not that far north, it is a start! Also, back in the Uk I made a contact in Pune over the internet who has offered us work helping him build a meditation centre and help on his farm so we decide that Pune is the best option for the time being.
The sleeper bus is like nothing I had been on before. It has double bunk beds on either side of the aisle with A/C. It looks comfortable and seeing as it is an 11hour night couch I was happy to get my head down asap. The only problem is there were no toilets so I was consciously not drinking too much water with the fear that my grape bladder will haunt me! We do have a stop enroute and surprisingly the service station toilets aren’t too gory.
Our route from Goa to Pune was through the Konkan Hills; so very very bendy roads plus a manic bus driver, I was left feeling like I was on a small ship and felt I had to compensate my sleeping position everytime we went around a bend. Despite this, I must have managed to sleep as the next thing I knew Al and I were literally turfed out onto the streets of Pune at 6am. I was rolling my sleeping bag up on the side of the road feeling rather dehydrated and groggy. Within seconds we were surrounded by autorickshaws asking us were we wanted to go. The truth is we had no idea…
Relaxing in a Goan Paradise May 29, 2010
Posted by admin in : India , add a commentI could get used to this… Relaxing and hanging out with the Boom Shankar guys, who are all ace. The great thing about this time of year is that there are hardly any tourists. The beach is empty, the service quick and personable. Ok that is more than one thing, but this makes me think this is not the worst time to go as the guide books suggest, but in fact the best time. Little Vaghator beach is only small and so with loads opf tourists it would be too hectic and not enough room in the sea. This quite time was exactly what the doctor order also, so we couldn’t be happier. My Hindi is also making progress as a result, with the help of the staff and we have just learnt how to play a game called Karrum, which is a traditional Indian board game of skill. I’m not explaining- look it up, but I want a table for sure!
Boom Shankar’s place is on the beach and not in the guide books (another reason to be skeptical about being reliant on them) and was one of the originals, as is the owner- a complete legend. They have a special license to have sunbeds on the beach without charging, lend you their body boards and Rahul sorted me out with a SIM card without having to register with my passport or pay for it- sweet. This is why we don’t feel bad for not deviating from this place or our now firm daily schedule… but something must get on the agenda soon, as despite self-reassurances we do feel bad eating Westernised food and not moving or exploring. But hey!…after all this is our holiday time of the adventure too! Regarding the food issue too you cannot argue with their “sizzlers”- white cabbage dishes, one containing fries, one with a thick veggie gray and veggie dumplings, one with steamed veg and one with steamed rice- arriving on your table on a sizzling skillet. It smells, looks and tastes amazing. As one of the most expensive things on the menu (a whopping Rs100 or 1 pound 30) it is definately worth it.
Evenings are spent glazing over the sunsets, which are very special, more surfing (enough for me to have my 180s down) with the sun going down in the distance and a few beers if our 11 pound a day budget stretches to it. Smoking at the back of the bar only coupled with discussions with the locals about etiquette, toilet habits, where to go (apparently everyone has to go to Manali) is also the order of the day and is great preparation for the rest of India. We have been known to head to the Mango tree, which is a bar/ restaurant open late. You can sit on bar stools on the road side, people come and go, stop by to say hello to people and you get a clear sense of the expat community who are all hippies now in their 60’s/ 70’s and ended up staying in Goa. I can see why. Apart from a real idiot Canadian guy who is insistent on being overly loud and abnoxious everyone is very chilled out and friendly.
Everyone it seems rents mopeds in India, where you need a licence, but if the police catch you without one a few quid will make that go away. It makes sense, although Laura and 2 wheeled vehicles don’t work too well and I am cautious of gritty roads and other opverly sensible things. Irrational perhaps, but having driven a motobike for a year think it is valid, especially seeing the traffic behaviour, random cows walking around and other such dangers. We decide to go for it anyway, as otherwise we will not leave Vagator and that would be a bit of a shame given that we have been reccommended so many different places and heard good things about Arunbol. The clencher is a Banyan tree in a patch of jungle near the beach in Arunbol near a “sweet water” lake, fed from the hills.
So we embark on our Rs150 (negatiated from 200 due to low season- another fine perk) moped journey at around 9am and I quickly get a taste for biking again. It really is, errr like riding a bike!? It really is the best way to see a place as well, cruising along in the sun, past temples and open arid land. Biking here is the same as Ho Chi Min in that you just need to beep your horn and go for it, and be as aware of everything at all times including anything unexpected, which is normal. An example? Try a monkey jumping at head height across your path 2 meters in front of you when you are doing 40mph, trying to escape from a grass fire!
After winding through the lanes through small shack based villages we reach Arunbol beach and have a coffee before asking directions towards the lake. Arunbol beach is fairly tourist driven, but now it is mostly Indian tourists drinking their beers at 10am and not westerners. Walking along a head in the rock face and past amazing apartments jutting out over the beach with the best views known to man we reach the now completely empty and secluded lake, full of fish 1-3 inches long that surprise you when they start nibbling…
We have a few special occasions during our trip and after debates and assessment came up with the idea that for each special ocassion we have a “cool activity credit” of sorts. Ultimately we may not be in the best place for celebrating, but by saving these credits can justifying the blowing of budget on something we really want to do, a hotel upgrade etc etc. The first occasion is our anniversary on the 13th May. We looked into plush hotels but for the pricce do not feel they are good value for money. Instead we decide to hangout in Anjuna for the day, extend the bike hire for a day and see what happens.
We have been told of a place called Lilliputs but have yet to check it out. Heading that direction we pass the mango tree and meet the recommender himself- greg. He joins us with another friend and set off for a day of beach action. The beach is narrow and not as good as Vaghator, but there is chilled music here and fairly busy, which is a novelty. At 11am I decide to get some cocktails in (about three times as expensive as a meal- Rs 150). The upstairs area has a fab view and so we relax and decide to blow a week or two’s worth of beer budget… free pool and meeting loads of new people made it a really good day, a touristy one, but that actually made a change and it was good to meet new faces. As expected i.e the unexpected Curlies (Psytrance party) is on tonight and it is next door… how convenient. So we spend the evening dancing to some well mixed (for the first time here) tunes. The beach is a sight as sellers set up camp with everything you could want additives in watermelon, omlettes, fruit, cigerettes and water. We order and chat to the barman and I congratulate him on a good place (he owns it) and so he ‘turbo’s up our drink at no extra. Going to the toilet however I am absolutely amazed to see the biggest rat I have ever seen casually walking around the cooking pots. I turn to one of the cooks as ask what he is going to do about it. He shrugs and carries on. Ok I’ll do something about it…. so I pick the little bastard up by its tail with a gurgling squeal. It’s tail is literally 1/2cm fat. “I have to show Laura this”. So I proceed to walk the rat through the dance floor, past the bar and to the edge of the bar where Laura is sat with everyone to screams, shouts, claps, cheers and everything in between. The rat is curling up to bite me but can’t reach. I am not sure if Laura is impressed so ask people what they think i should do with it ( I am not sure stamping on it or letting it go would pan out). Yes throw it in the sea…. ok. Plop. Better not have that omlette sandwich now then. Back to dancing until the party ends at 1am- the latest yet and drive/ wobble home very slowly. Note: stupid? yes, necessary? yes, careful? yes. I’ve never drunk driven before as it is the one thing I really don’t agree with and certainly was much more careful that the others in our cavelcade.
Our time here couldn’t go slowly enough, but soon we realise that we must start to look into trains to get us out of here. Unfortunately that seemed to be more of a mission than we bargained for.
Oh let’s all Go to Goa! May 13, 2010
Posted by admin in : India , 1 comment so farThe sleeper train was a great investment, despite gate crashers in the form of an Indian family with no ticket trying to use our bed space and literally planting their kids on our beds (we put a stop to that). I was expecting heat from hell and a bad sleep, but no, managed a good 5 hours and Laura slept even longer. I only stirred to the smells and dulcet tones of the food sellers walking around with curries, chai and some kind of sandwich until the sun began to rise and I finally saw what I considered ‘real India’. What was most relieving for me was that I actually felt cold some of the night with the 4 fans above us in a cramped carriage, plus the windows being stuck open, but relished the feeling.
The countryscape is fantastic and idyllic as expected, but being on a train to me makes it all the more interesting. The train speeds along so you are exposed to snippets of villages and towns: a summary of all the places we travelled through to Goa. By 10:30am things were really hotting up and you could feel the tropics approaching almost. When we arrived another foreigner joined us and was going to Anjuna as we were, so with 3 of us and 3 massive bags we somehow managed to fit everything in one 3 wheeled rickshaw for the 45 minute journey- how I am not sure.
Heading to the beach to find a beach hut accomodation recommended in Lonely Planet (I admit this with the aim of staying away from mainstream suggestions like this, but consider it useful the first time you arrive somewhere), but begin practicing my basic Hindi only to find an appartment that we can rent for just Rs 250 for the room per night. The place has it’s own bathroom, fridge, sink/ kitchenette, balcony etc and was Rs1500 per night in the peak season…. sweet good rooms a bargain basement prices!
Making our way to the beach we find little Vaghator beach and it is a really beautiful small beach that is quite due to being low season. The one bar/ restaurant on this small section, called Boom Shanka with comfy chairs pointing out to sea, free use of their sunloungers, body boards and a really down to earth family who run the place made us feel in paradise. Thinking of the things that I need in life and this really ticks all the boxes. A bar on the cliff top plays Psytrance music across the sea as the sun goes down, so with a body board in hand, a wooziness of intoxication and some good waves there is no better way to watch the burning sunset.
The same night we make this discovery I overhear a conversation about Anjuna and had to interrupt to see what was going on. “It is the last parties of the season this week at Curlies and Shiva Valley” said Andy a really sound Welsh guy who has been coming to this same place since ‘93, “Tonight is Shiva and Thursday’s is at Curlies. We can share a taxi if you guys are coming”. So a little tired and expecting an earlyish night we instead head to a bar called the Mango tree for a few beers. This place is built around a massive mango tree which regularly drops them onto the tin roof with a clang. Anyone can take the falling mangoes and as one almost killed Laura we nab it for trying. Talk about tasting the sun. Again, it was expected that fruit and veg tastes better in a country where it has been grown to a ripe stage on the plant as opposed to being given crap artificial light, packaged in the cold and ripened on a dark cargo ship to our supermarkets. I am looking forward to a lot more of this…So after a few Kingfishers we set off the Anjuna, but unfortunately it is looking fairly empty with around 100 people kicking about. Even more unfortunately the Police turned up at 10pm and the music stops. Aparrently a “Backshish” (bribe/ incentive) clearly didn’t work this time to override the new ‘noise pollution’ law which prevents loud music between 10pm and 6am.ither way we had now met a Finnish guy, Frenchman who I was enjoying chatting in French to, an Austrian and Welsh dude and were all hanging out in the top of a bamboo hut overlooking the seas, parrafin in the air drinking Gin and Tonic. It didn’t matter there wasn’t 1000 people in the sea dancing to loud Psytrance and causing mayhem. This was relaxed. This is what we needed.
The next few days we developed our routine of waking up, packing bag, heading to the beach, eating breakfast, swimming in the sea, surfing, smoke, beer, veg sizzler (rice, fries, veggies stew, steamed veg- yum). This is our holiday period and so despite feeling slightly guilty do not deviate from this pattern for 5 days. This is with the exception of going back to Anjuna for the last party, which stayed open till 12am and the music was good, so we had a good dance and despite the tourists flaking out the guys from the bar turned up and joined us.
Walking back to the room at 3am it again strikes me that we are in Goa… we watch monkeys jumping between the trees and the cows walking nonchalantly down the road… seemingly not owned by anyone, but the most chilled out cows I have ever seen. The guard dogs owned by every household bark out of sink to fill the air where ever you are on our stretch of road. As one stops another starts. It is like they all work together and pick up where the other left off to pin point road users where ever they are. This for Laura really isn’t fun.Now we have been here a week and things are really hotting up. It is not so much the heat, but the humidity. 35- 38C with 70% humidity and rising. Aparrently this continues until the monsoon hits… it is becoming unbearable. Now I have had to make a bottle shower that I spray myself with about every hour of my nights sleep to evaporate under the ceiling fan. It really doesn’t help that the room is hotter than outside. I am dripping with sweat non-stop and trying to drink as much water as possible, but it is quite difficult. 3 litres per day doesn’t seem to be enough.
We have already sacked of anti-malarials for Goa as we literally have not seen any mozzies, due to being the dry season. I have only worn 2 pairs of clothes and plan to keep it that way. This makes me feel that we are starting to understand and get used to the processes/ context of this new world and can make real judgement calls on what we need. I’m thinking of shedding a lot of the stuff I have at this point. We are also debating whether going to Pune is a good idea…. it is hot here but is cooler due to the sea and has a breeze, without this I am not sure how we would survive and so now we consider our next steps….
