Gone on Goa

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This is a bit of heaven, a paradise, and a place where one can breathe easy, drink a decent cup of coffee, enjoy south indian food, walk and shop, sit by the water, take a bus to the beach and rent a motorbike to scoot around and see the sites.

Have done all of the above except the motorbike rental and will be going on the bus tomorrow.

To get here was a bit arduous. The plane left Kolkata five minutes early and that should have served as an omen. The arrival in Mumbai was on time. After boarding a van to change terminals and pretending not to understand 'bakshish'(tip) from the guy who was told to take us to the van it was discovered that the 15:30 flight had been rescheduled for 20:00.

So the wait bagan. First lunch in the airport restaurant. Sat at the table with the sous chef from the Kuwait Sheraton. Gave me his card for the time I would be in Kuwait.... and wait ....why not?

I was surprized he was eating. He explained that he and his friend had been waiting since 06:00 to fly to Delhi. There they would be picked up by their families whom they see only every six months.

After eating the same thing he had and exchanging some more info it was time to find seating somewhere in the place...lots of people were affected by the lack of flights...one family were so badly of that they had to go to a hotel for the night....one girl had been in the airport for 24hrs.

I hoped very hard the situation affecting my flight would be cleared up as promised.....fog in Delhi...plane can't fly.

Newspaper for reading and sitting on, novel in case the newspaper held no interesting articles, trolly to keep my feet elevated and a chair were quickly put into action and the wait began.

An ill fated hour on the internet resulted in the whole hour long lovely email disintigrating into the ether....I did not pay for the time....not at Rs50/hr.

Samosas were on offer. They were heated in a micro which fought for wall space with the computers in the Sky@ber Cafe. Mountain Dew, Ritter, Lindt, Toblerone and Lay's Chips were for sale. One chocolate bar... Rs100 ...it cost me that much to cut my hair today....and it's OK!!

As 20:00 neared there was still no plane. Had the boarding passes. Luckily did not have to sit all day with the big luggages. Also lucky to have the boarding passes because many people were bumped.

But when the plane finally took off ... after 21:00 .... there were empty seats. I sat with two women from England whose parents were born in Calcutta, had portuguese names and visited Goa every winter for six months. The daughter had to bring them starch for shirts and a certain brand tea bag.

In an hour we landed in Goa at Vasco de Gama... he of circum-navigating he earth fame!

In a taxi van we made the Journey to Panjim... 45mins....Rs500 ... a glory ride:
Rolled down the window and breathed real air!

Spoke to the driver and Wendy without shouting my lungs out!

Regarded the well kept shoulders of the country highway!

Failed to a participate in the game of chicken on the road.!

Viewed family dwellings with lights on and families sitting before the TV!

Drove past the taxi driver's house where his meal was waiting and where he would eat with his wife..after he had a beer..this being his last run.

Reached the destination without asking how to get here, making a false turn or sitting contemplation ... considering in which direction to drive! {this has happened}

And what a reward!!!!

Went first to the room but when I mentioned to the Janet, who owns the Afonso here in PAnjim that I wanted my own room ( my holiday from my holiday) she said that after our meal...23:00... I can knock on her window and she will me in to a room and view of my own.

I am staying in the house proper, upstairs past the grandmother in wheelchair, past the family computer, the kitchen and the sitting room. I remove my shoes at the door, take out the key to my room from the drawer and tiptoe up.... there are quite a few people living on this side. HAve yet to figure out who belongs to who but at least three are helpers. Janet is a teacher and works six days a week, even on Saturday.

The first night I was in heaven and in the heat totally disregarded my pyjamas and just enjoyed the whole space under the wafting air of the fan...had to close the window because of mosquitoes.

Morning was another adventure in cleanliness....ate on the terrace on marble slab tables that were not sticky, dirty, dusty, or wiped with the a rag the colour of the floor ... please no reminders about the Broadway Hotel in Kolkata.

{I am not inventing this...but.... on the Sunderbans boat I saw the rag that wiped the floor, wipe the plastic lawnchairs for sitting and the tables where the food trays were deposited.}

Breakfast consisted of a pot of real coffee (read strong), toasted Goan bread (read white buns), an omelette (read two eggs mixed with tomato,onion,chilli and fried in a generous amount of oil) and jam (read pectin, food colour, sugar not necessarily in that order)

And how I enjoyed it!!! The coffee was served in a tiny cup and I just luxuriated inthis presentation!

After breakfast we met a couple from Ottawa. And then the wander in the city began. I was looking for an umbrella...Wendy needs a hat ... for the beach tomorrow.

It took a long time to find an umbrella:
had lunch;
looked for cheep flip flops;
bought cotton pants and shirts;
bought a bejewelled top with pants which will be perfect for power point presentations of all of my photos and trip skript ... not to mention an evening out at the Opera;
had a snack and lime sodas;
visited a wooden boat decked out as a floaring restaurant for breakfast,lunch,senset, and dinner cruises;
checked out the post office;
bought shampoo & toothbrush;
bought a bouquet for Janet because she had had to wait so long yesterday and
took pictures of anchors, churches and traffic.
No hat was found.

Came back to the Guesthouse totally: Frazzled. Hot. Sweaty. Dirty. Tired.

Had a cold shower, changed my clothes, drank water, sat on the terrace, snoozed for 15mins and was ready to get going again.

Took a short cut to the email place.

Will now go upstairs to eat in the dining room of the Hotel Venite...recommended.... stay tuned for the verdict.

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