Palolem, Goa

We have been in Palolem for two days now and are really enjoying the continued chill out. The beach here is in a beautiful cove with gorgeous fine sand and lots of huts and bars along the front. However it is not as quiet as we first thought. However we have heard that in Agonda, at the North of Palolem, there is a beautiful, untouched beach and there we plan to head to next. There is also Patnem to the south for people heading that way. As for being here, a big highlight is the 'Buy One, Get One Free' cocktails which are going down a bit too easily.

This morning we tried out first Indian breakfast: parantha with curd and pickle. Needless to say, it was absolutely delicious and great to have something a little different. In fact the food is all really great here, even if we are struggling to beat the fantastic curry and naan we sampled in Mumbai. The local Goan food is lovely and we thoroughly enjoyed the Goan Lentil stew - Yum Scrum!

We are currently still trying to figure out our next step beyond Goa. After looking at flights to Kolkata, we've found them to be very expensive, and the trains there are all booked up for the next few months. It is likely that we may now make shorter journeys to slowly work our way north. The Lonely Planet Guide couldn't be more valuable!

Anjuna, Goa

This is our fourth day in Anjuna. Known as the Hippie area of Goa, Anjuna's laid back vibe and obvious tourist trade is a world away from Mumbai.

The journey here was long; thirteen hours to be exact. We traveled on a sleeper bus overnight from Mumbai. Despite it's branding there is about as much sleep on a sleeper bus as there is space to swing a cat - picture if you will trying to doze off on the Corkscrew Roller coaster at Blackpool and you're half way there.

Regardles, the destination was worth the ride. Although a little more commercial than we had hoped, Anjuna has been a welcome break. We have spent our days mooching around the lanes, chilling in various cafes (including at the time of writing) and enjoying meals out in the evening.

We spent an afternoon lazing on the beach, however the constant flow of beggars and sellers proved tiresome and we have not returned. Perhaps our favourite part of Anjuna beach are the omelet sellers which emerge in the evening to provide post-ravers (which we are not) with a much needed snack.

Local Bus from Anjuna to Palolem

For our first three nights we stayed in the family run Vanilla Guesthouse. The place was lovely with a great vibe and welcoming hosts. We met a group of Danish ladies who were a pleasure to be around, one of which resides in Anjuna for six months a year. Unfortunately we had to leave the guest house early (we had planned on staying for five nights) due to a rather noise rat who was nesting in our roof. Luckily, our hosts found us somewhere else to stay and we are at the other side of town for our last two nights.

Our next stop is Palolem, also in Goa, which we are hoping is a little less commercial than Anjuna. We travel there tomorrow. As for today, we plan to book some flights to Kolkata, after which a bit more mooching followed by an evening out - happy Goan days!

Mumbai Continued

Our second morning in Mumbai, it has to be said, was not the greatest as Emma had been quite poorly in the night - We think this was down to dehydration. Another lesson learnt.

What didn't help was that we had to leave our Hotel which was fully booked from this point on. Luckily the Manager organized another lot of accommodation for us and we had checked into the Hotel Crystal by 10:00AM. Here, Emma rested up and drank Water by the gallon, later followed by Hot Chocolate (also by the gallon) when she was feeling much better.

Meanwhile, Shane ventured out into Mumbai in pursuit of train tickets to Goa, the next destination on our Indian adventure. Unfortunately, he found that train tickets in India go on sale three months before departure and therefore often sell out quite quickly. However, all was not lost. Standing next to the Ticket Boothe was Bali, an Indian man who turned out to be a very helpful, if not somewhat aggressive, Tourist Advisory.

Bali took Shane to his shop where he arranged alternative transport to Goa in the form of a Sleeper Coach. However, by the time Shane left Bali he had also arranged a personal tour of Mumbai for the following day. As Bali quite rightly pointed out, we could afford his tour if we moved to another Hotel, something he would kindly help us to do before the tour began. Hmmmm.

Emma Has a Word with Ghandi

The following morning, and on his word, Bali arrived to take us to our new accommodation. In short, this turned out to be neither as special nor as cheap as promised, and Bali turned out to be less a helpful character and more of a dodgy dealer.

Following check in, our tour began with Bali announcing that he was not going to be taking us around Mumbai after all, but his Brother would be doing so in his place. The first stop on our tour was a pick up point where we met our new guide 'Not Bali'.

The rather frustrating start aside, a private tour of Mumbai is actually great way to see the City. Amongst other things, 'Not Bali' took us to The House of Ghandi, to a Jain Temple, to The Hanging Gardens of Mumbai and to the largest Slum area in Asia. Here the poverty was blatant. The river which runs parallel to the Slum is saturated with rubbish and feces. The air is thick with it. Yet children play alongside the river, seemingly unaware of their surroundings.

Four Residents, Six Hundred Workers.

Another example of the extremities of wealth in Mumbai, another stop on our tour, comes in the form of a Mansion which happens to be the most expensive home in the world. It also happens to overlook the Slums. Here, four people live and reportedly six hundred people work. Such opposites in such close proximity to one another, we struggled to get our heads around.

The next day, and what was to be our last day in Mumbai we took a trip to The Gateway of India. Here, a large archway built by the British during their rule over India, overlooks the main port where goods come in and out of Mumbai. It is also the departure point for day trips to the near by Elephanta Island which houses wonderful cave carvings depicting a range of Hindu Gods. We purchased tickets at the port and set off shortly after.

On arrival we were surprised to see that the Island is home to a large group of Monkeys. These cheeky little chaps cause no harm but are quite vocal and most amusing. The cave carvings did not disappoint and we particularly liked the depiction of Shiva in his various forms. Should you ever visit Elephanta Island, we would recommend purchasing a guide book as we did. Exploring the carvings without any literature would be less enjoyable assuming you have no prior in-depth knowledge of Hindu Gods.

Outside the Main Temple on Elephanta Island

Aside from the Monkeys and the Gods, it appeared that we ourselves were quite popular at the caves. As mentioned in our previous Blog, staring is something one must get used to in India. However on this day, it was taken to a whole new extreme. We must have appeared very different to the other tourists as we were constantly being asked to have our photographs taken with various people. On a couple of occasions people had paid the on-site photographers to take official pictures with us. We found this funny to the point of ridiculousness as we barley got a moment to ourselves. Often these people would sneak over to us or pretend to be taking a photograph of a near by monument. This continued throughout the day and we are undoubtedly now featured in several photo albums belonging to various Indian families.

Mumbai

Our first Blog from India refers to our fist few days here which were spent in Mumbai.

The journey to India from England was long and tiring, it stretched across two days but was comfortable enough. This was Shane's longest flight to date and he was pretty excited by the amenities provided by Gulf Air. A gazillion hours, three flights and not much sleep later and we are in Mumbai Airport. On sound advice we booked a prepaid taxi to take us to Hotel Royal Castle where we would stay for the next two nights.

The moment we left the cool calm of the arrivals lounge the heat and chaos of Mumbai hit us. We were immediately  ushered to a large gathering of taxi drivers, a service we mistook for a kind gesture until the eager Indian demanded "One Dollar" - This was to be our first lesson and our feet had barley touched ground!

It took a while to find our taxi driver, the process being rather like a game of Bingo - The number nine (our allocated cab) being continually shouted until one man finally popped up. So the crowd parted and the dusty old fella with his battered old banger strode forward to give us the taxi ride of our lives. How best to describe the roads in Mumbai? INSANE. The experience is comparable to the start of a Grand Prix where drivers go hell for leather trying to battle their way in front. The difference being that these guys have swapped a race car for a tin can, and rather than winning a medal after each race, they get the simple pleasure of another death defying journey to look forward to!

Needless to say, by the time we reached our hotel, we were a little shell shocked. I really dont think one can prepare themselves for a first look at Mumbai. Its chaos, noise, dirt and sheer quantity of people is at first intimidating.

The next day, and what I am classing as our first day in the City, we took a walk to Chowpatty Beach. Although the area provides a little space from the constant heaving of the streets, it is by no means picturesque. Dirt and litter cover entire areas of sand and the water is by no means inviting. Saying this, we did however later discover that the beach acts as a social hangout in the evening when families and groups of friends sit and talk, run and play and sip Chai Tea provided by mobile vendors.

Along the beach we saw a group of children on a school trip, a group of which ran by us in order to get a better look - staring being an oddity it seems we will have to get used to. These children were a stark example of the extremities in Mumbai. Their clean clothes and well groomed appearance being a world away from the children begging in grubby corners all over the City.

Begging, like staring, is also something to get used to. It is difficult to ignore, especially when children are involved (it is not uncommon to see young children cradling new born babies whilst approaching cars in pursuit of change). But if you start giving in a country where poverty is so rife, where do you stop?

After the beach we ended up in a small bar where a few beers chilled us out. The place was a locals, and although we were clearly not local, we were welcome all the same. Shane popped some money in the Jukebox and we asked the Waiter to put on his favorite songs which went down very well indeed.

We ended the evening with a wander back to the Hotel, picking up some tasty street snacks en route, the initial shock of Mumbai slowly receding and the excitement of our Indian adventure bubbling.

VISA Headaches

When you first decide, that's it, I'm going away it does seem like all you need to do is book the tickets and go. To an extent thats true and of course we think everyone should do it!

However, after finding flights, travel insurance, hotels and buying a ton of mosquito repellent, you must remember your visa. Naively I thought this was going to be easy to do ourselves. After trying our hardest to complete the Indian embassy application and submit it in Manchester we decided to give in and hand it over a private company to handle, and although costing an extra £30 each in processing fees, it has at least relieved the hassle somewhat.

All going through now and hopefully we should have our visas back next week!

Officially Going Now!

We just received our tickets and we travel out to Mumbai, India on 7th February (just over a month away). Lots to do in preparation, including figuring out what we can (or can't) fit in out backpacks!


We're booking a hotel in advance for the first few nights to relieve the pressure when we get there. We nearly booked one through a travel agent.....
THANK GOD WE DITHERED! Have a look and see for yourself. Pay particular attention to the cockroaches crawling out of the mouthpiece in the room's phone: Click Here!



This photo of Hotel Check Inn Annex is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Happy New Year

2012 is here!!!! Happy New Year to all our friends and family. We had a fantastic New Year's Eve  at a dance hall in Stockport. Great times with great people!

And........... a decision has finally been made. India will be the first location on our travels. We best get booking!

Only 5 weeks to go!

Emma and Shane