October 4 - Rajasthan Tour, India

A Rajasthan tour is not exactly forging into unmapped territory. But I think so many people do it because it is so great.

We started our Rajasthan tour in Delhi, flying up from Kochi. We had had a recommendation via a friend of a friend, someone to contact about a driver, car and arranged accommodation. The uptick of arranging all this was a friendly face to meet us at the airport in Delhi and the ease of knowing our schedule was set for the next 7 days. Of course, the downside was…we had lost a little “control” over what was happening. Now the Gosneys (Janet included) are not necessarily people comfortable with giving up control. So as you can imagine, we had ventured into new territory.

Taj Mahal, Agra
First stop, Agra and the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a monument for his second wife who died giving birth to their 14th child (yes, it is true!). Apparently Shah Jahan was not very good at showing his love and devotion to his wife while she was alive. I imagine it is difficult to spread your love and devotion to so many wives – sorry for the obvious sarcasm. Once she had died however, he immersed himself into his grief and building the Taj Mahal after seeing a vision of it in a dream. Completion took 22 years, about 20,000 workers and approximately Rs 3,000,000 or about US $70,000,000 in today’s terms. It is really hard to describe how beautiful it is; white marble set against an unbelievable blue sky and symmetrical in every way. The scale, balance and brilliance of the Taj are breathtaking. We had decided to skip staying overnight in Agra and push through to get some mileage under our belts. So we hit the monument in the absolute heat of the day and it was PACKED. We loved it but we were also just trying to survive the heat and crowds. We would have loved to be there at sunrise or sunset.

Jaipur

Our first overnight was Jaipur where we visited the Amber Fort & City Palace. We also honed our bargaining skills as the shopping was great! I have mentioned our desire to seek out some easy, western style food and Jaipur was the spot. We read our trusty Lonely Planet to find a great lunch café we would have never found on our own. Mission accomplished, our bellies were full having found sandwiches. Something we had not had in a long time. The Amber Fort was a blast. Hundreds of years old, we took a couple of hours to scour the various nooks and crannies, rooms, courtyards and temple. The girls were enthralled; busy taking photos, finding small staircases and tunnels all the while imagining the fort as it had been in its prime. The City Palace was equally interesting with an amazing audio tour and good luck as we came across a Hindu ceremony blessing the guards’ horses. Rajasthan was definitely heating up…we were puddles of sweat most of the day.

Our driver’s name was Kamaal. A nice enough guy who was quick to crack a smile and/or a joke. Whoever sat in the front seat was in charge of translating anything Kamaal said to the rest of us in the back of the car. We got better and better at deciphering his English every day. Sadly our vehicle was pretty uncomfortable for the 5 of us, the back seat for the 5th was sideways and far beyond the reach of the AC. It was a sweatbox. imagine Judy climbing into the very back of this steamy vehicle, on top of the luggage to face hours of driving. Some of you will know how hard it is to wrestle Judy away from taking the brunt of a situation but we got better at making sure she spent minimal time back there as the days wore on. The trip as it was originally planned involved an almost impossible amount of driving, especially apparent after experiencing the first day or two. So, after meeting a couple of nice girls who could not say enough great things about Udaipur, we decided to take back some of the control, change our route to end in Udaipur making it a one way trip. We booked a flight back up to Delhi. Kamaal would do the final 12 plus hours on his own.

Pushkar.
We spent only one night in Pushkar with the main objective to ride camels. Ron was not very excited – his memory of spending 3 days on a camel in India 25 years ago still brings a wince to his face and protective gesture across his rear end. I would have to say, Sadie & Anna’s most favourite experiences on our trip seem to involve animals. Big or small, domestic or wild, flea bitten or beautiful; they notice every animal and we have the photos to prove it. I can hear your collective groan now as you anticipate the slide show. We lucked out in Pushkar finding some good eats at funky local spots called The Mango Café & Little Italy. The town was teaming with a whole new flavor of tourists, the classic backpacker crowd searching for hash and the cheapest rooms possible. Pushkar kind of bills itself as a “dry” town with dedicated Hindus setting the tone. However, it was still possible to find a beer served in discrete cups at the table, no bottles.

Our camel ride was so much fun, although I think Ron and Judy next time will stick to their guns and decline participation. We each got a camel and a driver to sit behind us. In the 11th hour we decided to take a “cart” in case anyone did not want to ride. The route was a little disappointing as it took forever to get out of town and our route took us right beside the garbage dump. But the novelty outweighed the lack of comfort for sure as we weaved our way through the outskirts of Pushkar and ended up on a hill in the desert to watch the sunset. We traveled back in the dark with an amazing display of fireworks overhead celebrating…yet another festival. I drove my camel all the way home which I’m pretty sure didn’t involve much skill but it was fun anyway.

Now Pushkar is one of the 3 top holy destinations in India. The lake there, a sacred place to worship the Hindu God Brahma, is empty right now because they are scooping out excess silt & sand. However there are 52 Ghats surrounding the edge, some of which still have water. As a tourist you can look over the Ghats and see the bathers there with their Brahmans dipping, splashing, praying and sometimes tossing in loved ones ashes. My advice to anyone visiting would be to stay on the lookout and decline any invite to go right down to the Ghat and have a Brahman bless your family. We didn’t know any better and upon invite headed down to check it out. The Brahman offering this to tourists, although they may be Brahman, are really just trying to get your money. Sure, we knew we would have the experience and pay a little money (nothing in India is free)…but what they did was separate Ron, Judy and me from each other. They led us each in some prayer type rituals which we all found very interesting…until our “Brahman” began to ask us for money in amounts based on the members in our family we had just blessed. They asked for $20-$100 per family member. We scrambled out of there mad and frustrated having thrown them a little money (after digging our heals in and refusing more). We’ve never met such aggressive people asking for money. We had hired a guide recommended by Kamaal but a good guide would never put you in this situation. We felt then, more than ever, we had to constantly keep our guard up to decipher the real thing from the latest tourist scam. That being said, we loved Pushkar and felt it was giving us yet another glimpse into Rajasthan and the colourful rural life.

Ranakpur

100 agonizing kms out of our way, Ranakpur turned out to be a great stop. It is the home of the Chaumukha Mandir Temple…and there really isn’t much else around there except beautiful green forest and hills, somewhat of a rarity in the dusty desert landscape of Rajasthan we’d seen so far. The Chamukha Mandir Temple is India’s largest and most important Jain Temple. I need to read more about Jain worship, it is intriguing. Devout followers wear masks over their nose and mouth. The temple is nothing short of astounding; built in 1439, it is made of beautiful white marble, 1444 carved pillars (each one is different) creating 29 halls radiating from the centre. The clincher is, you must be appropriately dressed to visit. Judy and I thought we had done the right thing but apparently wrapping a sarong around you to cover legs is not appropriate, we had to rent large tent dresses. It was hot and definitely a “Glamour Don’t” but we survived and the photos will provide some good humour down the road. The girls were equally as enthralled inspiring and impromptu photo shoot of each other against the gorgeous marble backdrop. Sadie especially has become really interested in taking photos and she is doing a fabulous job. Her specialty seems to be taking photos of people. She has captured some of our best images.

Udaipur
Back to backpacking. We were tired of the sterile locations the tour company had been choosing for us to stay. They were usually too far out of the way (billed to us as quiet locations) and void of anyone we could talk to. Meeting other travelers is the best way to glean information about where to go and what to do, not to mention the added benefit of social contact. So we took over and booked a fabulous place in Udaipur. I should mention again what a trooper Judy is. The backpacker guest houses are usually heavy on character, most are very clean…but the charm is never very apparent on first glance. Backpackers’ lodges are not a choice for everyone, and some are a bit too much for me, but we have learned what to look for when shopping to book and we are using tripadvisor.com to back up our choices with reviews. Our home for 3 days was Hotel Kumbha Palace, situated in the thick of things just below the city palace.

Our 3 days in Udaipur were a welcome break from moving every night. We hired a guide to show us the City Palace Museum (we sought out one with excellent English which helped a great deal), took a boat ride around Pichola Lake with a stop at Jagniwas Island and past The Palace Hotel, famous as the filming location for James Bond “Octopussy”. The sun sets were phenomenal over the lake. I met a really nice guy the first night we got there and we ended up bumping into him at least a couple times every day we were there. He was friendly and full of information. The town was vibrant, especially at night; the bazaar canopied with reflective streamers and hanging glass chandeliers. The streets were incredibly narrow with gutsy rickshaw and motorcycle drivers barreling through at top speed. I can’t believe how street savvy the girls have become negotiating their way through this harrowing traffic. As a group of 5, there is no way for all of us to find a path together. Marching around in single file, every one of us has had to learn how to find and often create a route. Our highlights were; Roxy, the Great Dane belonging to the owners of our guest house and the Dharohar Dancing show we took in on the last night there. The show was a collection of colourful (colour being one of our most vivid memories of Rajasthan) traditional Rajasthan dances. The grand finale was a woman dancing with no less than 9 pots balanced on her head.

September 26 - Munar, India

Ron finally dealt with his mullet. Munar seemed to be an excellent choice for a hair cut and shave. And it looks great. Some of you may already know, I rarely tell Ron what to wear. BUT, I have been known to beg for him to spend more than $8 and get a good hair cut. This cut and shave cost him about CAN$1 with the added benefit of providing the family with some entertainment.

Munar was a great little town with a fabulous local market, a great barber shop, all surrounded by thousands upon thousands of acres of tea plantations. We were actually disappointed we hadn’t taken one day less in Kumily and one more day in Munar. Our homestay was not anything to mention and too far out of town.

The drive from Kumily to Munar was an eye popping experience. The road was tiny and very windy. Each curve offered a new view into the hills with seemingly miles upon miles of tea. We came across a number of incredible views down the steep luscious green valleys. Dotted amongst the rows of tea plants were brightly dressed men and women picking, bundling, spraying (never really did find out exactly what they were spraying?) and socializing. We learned a tea plant will last one hundred years and yield leaves ripe for picking often. The amount of labour needed to run a plantation was unimaginable. The plant roots are strong and prevent erosion on the steep, very moist hillsides they are planted on. We didn’t have time to head out on a trek which is what we probably would have done given more time. Instead we headed into town to visit the Tea Museum and demonstration Tea Factory, yes really we did and Ron came too. We would never have guessed it in advance, but the stop was well worthwhile. I will never look at a tea bag the same again now that I know how it came to be.

The next morning offered time to quickly wander through the town again and for Ron to find his hair cut. I’m pretty sure we were going against the norm being an audience of four woman crowding into the tiny shop (filled with men only) to watch. Men and women seem to do everything separate from each other here in India but I will touch more on that later. I plan to depart from my reporting mode and try to write some of my random thoughts and observations from spending time in India. There are so many.

Food. There was a lot of talk about the food in Southern India. We found the food to be good although I’m not sure we really bumped into either the host or the restaurant offering the best of the best. The food in Kerala and Goa is definitely different from northern India as there is a great deal of Portuguese influence. It was amazing to have black pepper, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom flavouring our meals so close to where it has been grown. They even offer a little beef down there. But, the girls were starting to struggle a bit, having a rough time embracing every dish set before them. I have to give them huge credit. Remember, I was the child who ate bologna and French’s Mustard sandwiches (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for the first 10 years of my life. My love for food and willingness to try most things came much later in my life. So, Sadie & Anna are doing pretty well but their choices are still limited. It was time to find something to fill them up.

We left Kerala ready for the next chapter but really glad we had made the trip down, despite the threat of rain. The reward was unseasonably dry weather.

September 24 - Kumily, India

As we headed towards Kumily into the mountains regions of Kerala, we realized why people had been to insistent we make our way down to this gorgeous region. It is nothing like the images I had ever conjured up in my mind when imagining travel here. The forest is lush. The roads are small, windy and quiet (although there still seems to be ample use of horns). The drive up to Kumily from Alleppey is about 4 hours but not nearly as many kilometers as you may think you can cover in that time. Did I mention the windy roads? Contrary to what I would have guessed, nobody got car sick (even during our rotating shifts into the very back) and we made it in one piece. The strategy for driving these small roads in Indian mountain territory is like this; drive as fast as you can, pass on blind hills & corners and sound your horn as loud as you can in case there is any oncoming traffic and/or if you want the guy in front of you to move over. The talent for this method lurks somewhere between talent and luck but we tried not to think too hard about it and enjoy our scenery.

Our trusty driver’s name was Sandosh, it took us about 3 days to get his name right every time. His English was terrible. He answered most of our questions with a head bobble, nod and “yes” regardless of what we asked. But, before long and with a lot of patience (on both sides) we eventually figured out how to communicate. He was a good guy and a good driver although I would recommend to anyone looking for a driver to find one that you can better communicate with. I think we missed out on a few things because he didn’t know how to download the information to us. Oh, and he looked like our friend Ken Walton’s Indian twin brother, seriously. It freaked me out every time I looked at him. It cost us about CAN$30/day to hire Sandosh and drive max 80km per day. We arranged accommodation at homestays separately. For five people, it was a great way to go and I have to say, I would not have wanted to negotiate those roads on a bus or behind the wheel myself! Yikes.

Kumily was fabulous. It is a hub of spice farms and trekking adventures. There is also a National Park there with lots of elephants and tigers although animal sightings within the park are rare. We stayed at a place called Pepper County. A lovely couple, Dolly & Cyriac, built a new home 3 years ago to celebrate their son’s marriage, and make room for the newlyweds to live with them. The son and his wife have since moved to England so mom and dad have turned their home into a homestay. It was clean and quiet which was perfect for our 3 night stay. Once again however we found meals a bit uncomfortable. Seems rather than pulling up a chair to join you, the custom is to serve the meal and hover while standing at the side of your chairs.

Kumily is kind of a sleepy little town, or perhaps seemed even more so then being low season. One of my fondest memories is finding the government liquor store. A small counter behind bars and with a little cage window, it only opens briefly every day and draws a line-up of all men. It was hilarious seeing Ron, token white guy lining up to buy our 2 bottles of beer. You receive your goods wrapped in newspaper and if you have one, hide it quickly under your lunghi (long coloured wrap) as you walk away. Ron has yet to embrace the local garb (although he did buy a striped purple number in Goa he CLAIMS was just a way to give a nice local woman some business) so he had to leave with his head held high and bottles in full view.

We toured a spice farm and hiked from our guest house up to a small peak. The hike took us through villages nestled into the hillside. Walking through is a much better way of seeing the way of life; the guy driving his cart up with the catch of the day in the back for sale, laundry (of course), a tiny school, more laundry, men chopping huge lengths of hard wood and lots of crops like pepper, cardamom and fruit. The viewpoint, adorned by a huge white cross, was home to a grazing cow and shepherdess and offered an amazing view of the valley.

We’ve learned lots about spice farms but I won’t bore you with the tutorial. We do know that pepper is the “King” of spices and Cardamom the “Queen”. The gardens are beautiful and so lush. It’s hard to stay in a valley town without the desire to climb up a peak or two. The weather in Kumily was fabulous with cool evenings (we at least got to pull out one or two warmer garments we’ve been lugging around since Cape Town) and warm days. We completely lucked out with no rain. We drove into the park with the plan to go on the boat ride around the damned lake. We were easily swayed by the long line-ups to change plans and go on “The Cloud Walk” starting at a different entrance. The deal is, trekking so soon after the monsoon season means you will find leaches on the trails. We had read this and been avoiding the concept. We were lured by the walk though, described as a 3 hour hike offering amazing views and the chance to see elephants. The guide handed us gaiter socks to wear inside our shoes, and up to our knees confirming we would find leaches. Not only was it a fashion faux pas, but we had not told the girls about the possibility of leaches thinking we would avoid them all together. With a big gulp, we headed off.

The climb up was about an hour and we didn’t see one leach. We could see for miles and miles in all directions once we got to the top and climbed a rickety observation tower. The first part of the walk was through dense jungle full of the most amazing trees, plants and flowers. Our guide stooped constantly to pick leaves and tell us of their various natural healing powers. The alpine was wading through waist high grasses. We descended back down on a different trail where we DID find the leaches. They were tiny but as soon as you stopped, even for a second (and I still think they grabbed on to us at full speed), they were crawling up our shoes and gaiters. Yuck. The latter part of our hike involved stops every 100 m or so to do a leach check and like the monkeys in the trees, pluck them off each other. We were proud of the girls, they took this in stride with only a few shrieks (my shrieks were all in my head) it was pretty gross.

We didn’t see one elephant but we saw tracks and marks in the forest they had left behind. Actually, this was ok if not better. The guide was full of information. Besides, we were not sure what exactly it would feel like meeting an elephant on the trail. Seeing them from a vehicle in Africa seemed a little safer!

September 22 - Alleppey, India

We woke in Kochi to a monsoon, literally. It wasn’t sideways driving rain (one of my favourite descriptions), the rain was too heaving for that. It was pouring straight down in absolute sheets into huge puddles struggling to drain into the sand. Good for cool photos, not so good for heading out on the water in a houseboat. As luck would have it, the rain subsided after out drive from Kochi down to Alleppey just before we checked in.

Now, if I was to do it all over again, I would follow our original instinct (and recommendation from our guide book) to shop around for a houseboat right at the dock. Its best not to book until you have secured a price you are happy with and actually seen the boat. Two things worked against us for this; travelling with a family makes it much harder to hump around while shopping for the best value AND it was raining harder than I’ve ever seen it rain. So we gained the security of advance booking but lost the option to pick a boat we would be totally happy with. Our boat was good enough though and the experience of cruising the backwaters was wonderful. We had an upper deck which was the best place to hang out, two bedrooms with private bathrooms and a bow dining area. We had a driver, cook and one more crew member. The boats are all made of wood and look like a design unchanged by time and influenced by Britain and China. The roof is a curve of tightly wound grasses and the furniture inside is quite stately. We were fed with local fare of fish (like the whole fish, see my overview later about the kids and food) and a variety of dhal and curry dishes with rice.

The real attraction to house boating from Alleppey is seeing life along the banks of the backwaters. Like most waterway and seaside life in India, houses are minimal and most activity takes place in or beside the water. Houses were perched on narrow strips of land between the backwater and endless rice patties, accessible only by water. Men, women and children were using the waterway for everything; bathing, dishes, swimming and laundry, laundry and more laundry. The echoing sound of fabric beating against rocks was constant. All of what we saw was interesting, most pleasant and some disgusting. The downside of overusing a waterway is pollution. Let’s just say none of us, even for a second in the heat of the day considered taking a dip, even after seeing the locals doing it. And most likely, seeing a bloated dead animal floating by didn’t help. Judy was the most adventuresome exploring the shoreline by foot when we tied up. Even here we found enterprise. One young girl bid us a friendly hello as we walked along the shore before quickly folding back the shutters on the wee concrete house to reveal a make-shift store selling candy, pop and homemade trinkets.

The houseboat trip was a “don’t miss” for sure, but one night was plenty. We were glad to disembark and greet our driver booked to drive us inland to check out the mountains.

September 21 - Kochi, India

Landing in Kochi was shocking. Kochi (formerly known as Cochin) Airport is wide open with black and white spotless tile, large pillars and apparent organization. It was orderly and quiet. We walked through with open eyes and mouths agape. Out front, there was a parade of gleaming white Ambassador (left over from the more colonial days) taxis, crowds of women in beautiful saris and men in white shirts and dhotis (long white ankle-length cloth worn by males, tied around the waist and sometimes hitched up through the legs). Much like the elusive Scottish Kilt, we were left to wonder (ok, maybe it was just me wondering), what do the men wear under the dhoti? Perhaps we’ll never know because the men we asked wouldn’t really even talk about the garment with us. Perhaps it was inappropriate or perhaps we have yet to find someone to understand our innate and constant questions.

One of the favourite options for accommodation while in Kerala is a homestay. People open their homes to offer rooms and breakfast. Sounded like a fabulous chance to get the inside scoop and hopefully taste some awesome home cooking. We checked into a place called Aranyaka. Kochi is an absolute maze of land and waterways just off the ocean called “The Backwaters”. Our drive from the airport was about an hour leaving us totally confused after the umpteenth bridge and neighbourhood. These cab rides are a funny thing. They offer an introductory glimpse (all be it fast) of the places we land but it is hard not to formulate a quick judgment. It’s not until a day or so and a chance to walk around, we really get a better idea of where we are. The final couple of blocks before pulling in to Aranyaka were grim but there was a pot of gold at the end. Our cottage out the back of their home was right on the water. It was huge and beautifully decorated with India meets old Britain. But the best part was the bathroom; the important stuff was under cover but the 2 showers were open air with pebble and flagstone floor. Whoo Hoo! Our hosts were gracious although they didn’t hunker in and really talk to us. They hovered while we ate which made us a little uncomfortable (a feeling we would become more and more familiar with) rather than eating with us. But the stay was fabulous, comfortable and airy.

We had few objectives for our time in Kochi except booking a houseboat and checking out Fort Cochin. Kochi is famous for its backwaters, spice markets, old fort, Chinese fishing nets, Jew Town, churches, and proximity to Alappuzha or Alleppey where most of the houseboats cast off. It is in the Fort we got taken for a ride. Immediately after getting out of our cab, the familiar circle of touts crowded around offering rickshaws, jewelry, fish…you name it. I have noticed a polite decline rarely does the trick around here. If you are lucky, the tout will eventually get the hint you really are not going to buy, they will then ask you your name, offer their own and close by asking for a promise to remember them and come back. I’ve become quite comfortable nodding an insincere yes, yes, of course! One booth had the added attraction of two wee kittens for us to hold. Anna, being our most excellent shopper and bargainer, did the obligatory deed of buying a trinket. A couple of rickshaw drivers stuck to us like glue while we paraded around the old fort taking care of business, eating and shopping. Every time we stepped back on to the street, they greeted us with wide smiles and a repeat description of their offer for a “complete” fort tour in their rickshaw for only 50 Rupee

s. Seemed like a pretty good deal and since they persisted for more than 2 hours following us around, we climbed aboard so we could head out and see the spice market, temple and other local attractions. 50 Rupees, such a deal! Except all we were really buying was a crazy drive (which was actually pretty fun) with stops at shops and cafes where the drivers would get a cut of whatever we buy. We literally raced by any noteworthy actual sites. And the high pressure sales technique at these stops was exhausting. We politely explained we were not shopping, but it fell on deaf ears and soon we were in a bit of a confrontation in the middle of the street. Duh, this had happened to us in Mumbai and I guess is a well used driver strategy throughout India. We convinced them to take us back to where we started, their jovial attitudes evaporated behind the rickshaws with the exhaust.

We have learned the best place to start hunting for information is away from the touts and at the local government tourist office. Here we found a helpful woman who within an hour had helped us book a houseboat and a driver to take us through Kerala for the following six days. A bit of a leap, but at this point we were feeling the pinch of trying to lug ourselves and the kids around with no plan while we tried to research the next step. It felt good to have the next week settled.

One thing we did see en route with our rickshaw “guides” was an elephant. It was one of the saddest things we’ve seen. The drivers spoke to someone through an old fence and eventually (when a price was settled, of course) we were led into the walled yard. There we found a huge elephant with two of his beautiful legs chained so tightly, he had mobility only with his head and trunk. His perch was a cement pad barely larger than the footprint of his four legs. We cringed and asked to leave immediately declining a “ride”. We are still mad at ourselves for actually handing over the 200 Rupees before leaving. At times you can get overwhelmed with wondering how we can make a difference in such a vast pool of different customs and reality…not to mention the desire to avoid a scene about money. We did however, vow not to ride any elephants while in Asia, something offered everywhere. We are now more than ever, looking forward to our week in Thailand at the elephant reserve where they restore and protect elephants just like this one abused in the tourist industry. Now, many of these animals are under the guise of being part of religious ceremony or “holy”. In the land of more than 30,000,000 gods and zillions of temples, it would be nice if they could spare the animals but perhaps I’m sounding judgmental, oops.

September 18th - Goa, India

Beach. Ahhh, the beach. No matter where you are in the world, there is something so restful and replenishing about hanging out at the beach. This is why we headed down to Goa and where we met up with Judy. Our arrival, as usual, was somewhat unsettling but we hung in there and the upside soon made itself available.

To get to Goa we finally got the chance to experience Victoria Station in Mumbai. Picture the last scene in Slumdog Millionaire but instead of a crowd of clean looking Indians with great voices singing the theme song by the Pussycat Dolls, there are thousands of weary Indian travelers and commuters. The building is gorgeous, old and huge. Our train was scheduled to leave at 7am so we left with plenty of time so we would be able to find our track amongst the 25 or so other tracks running. We soon found out our train was delayed by 4 hours. Thankfully we stuck out like sore thumbs and therefore received the information from generous people passing by. To ask anyone “official” is futile, either you can’t find anyone or those you do find and ask, give you the typical head bobble and nod to say yes (regardless of whether or not they actually know the answer) and vacantly wave their arm in whatever direction they choose.

Luckily we were able to haggle a taxi ride back to our hotel and use our room again before it was cleaned. Our train finally left at about noon. We rode first class which meant we had air conditioning, reserved seats for all of us and a sleeper bed for each of us too. The drag with first class is, the windows are small and tinted which make it hard to see the beautiful scenery going by. To see the view, we made trips to the sections between the cars and hung out the doors to take in the view. From what I understand, having a reserved seat and somewhere to lie down is much better than the bun fight in 2nd class unreserved. Although Ron travelled in 2nd class 25 years ago and said “Geeze, it wasn’t a problem.” We settled in with our sleeper car mate, a lovely professor from Mumbai heading down the coast for a conference. Actually, she was lovely AFTER she made darn sure she had the seat she wanted in our little cluster. The trip was accompanied by the usual sounds of crowded travel, spitting, barfing, snoring and noisy fans. Any rest we did get was constantly interrupted by guys roaming the trains chanting Chai, or Chicken lollipop in loud voices. At first we were irritated, and then we eventually found the humor. After that, we cracked up every time one of them went by - perhaps you had to be there, we were very punchy. The scenery was beautiful but sadly the sun went down at about 6pm and we didn’t arrive into Margao until 2am, a 14 hour trip!

Needless to say, we had to wake a cab driver up to drive us and he had no clue where our accommodation was. By the time we got to Camilson’s (thanks to Ron’s savvy travel guide navigation and Sadie’s awesome “just in time” sign spotting) at Benaulim Beach, we were exhausted and not feeling particularly upbeat. Nothing looks good at 3am, in the dark when you are tired. Fortunately a new day and sunshine (a rarity in Goa at this time of year) turned everything around. Goa is beautiful. The beach is very light sand with a small surf (not quite enough for good body surfing) and shallow water. There are a few restaurants and accommodations right on the beach but most of the life is nestled back in the thick palm forest lining the beach. There are small winding roads interconnecting each beach with its own small village. The ocean is so warm, and especially at this time of year, it is incredibly hot and humid. We were lucky, two days without rain. Because September is just before the busy season, everyone is busy cleaning up after the monsoons. We definitely didn’t see Goa at its prettiest but even during the 3 days we were there, we could see the unveiling of a great place. Lots of places were still shut down but enough were open for us to have a few great meals, coffee (Janet) and beer.

We tried to find a train to get us down to Kerala but the first class sleepers were all booked up (high fives from Sadie & Anna, they weren’t quite ready yet for another 14 hr. plus journey on the train). After careful consideration of whether or not we wanted to head further down south and talking to an airline booking agent, we decided to go for it. We were able to get flights for about CAN$85.
We have been using The Rough Guide to South India. Using guide books, on line travel advisories (tripadvisor.com) and travelers’ blogs is definitely the way to go. Although we do find the Rough Guide is a little bit out of date, especially the prices. It’s a good “rough guide” though. Alternatively, we have found it difficult to find on the spot local advice. There is the language barrier of course, and the ever present feeling that being a tourist in the dark (figuratively speaking of course) definitely gives the other guy the upper hand, leaving us as prime bait for higher prices. We have a cell phone with us and have bought SIM cards in most countries we have gone. Air time in India is CHEAP! Ron bought about CAN$12 air time when we were in Mumbai. We have used the cell phone tons and we still have more than half of the air time left, 10 days later (including 2 calls to Canada). Fortunately the cost of living here is much more reasonable than in Africa. Good, clean accommodation can be as low as $45 for the five of us. And food is much more reasonable too. We can have a big meal at a nice place for about $5 a person. Enough of the practicalities. We left Goa feeling lucky to have avoided rain in September and hoping we would have the same luck in Kerala.