Blogs from Panaji, Goa, India, Asia
December 25th 2011
MERRY CHRISTMAS Spent a few days in Panji (panjim) the capital of Goa. Its much smaller than either Bombay or Poona and much more get aroundable. So even though its really hot I've been doing most of my site seeing on foot which I thought might keep me fit but I think its just wearing me out. While on one of my wanders I came across a film unit shooting what I asume was one of the many Bollywood blockbusters they churn out. The police had closed off part of the road so they could get the very exciting jeep drives round the corner shot. I hung around for a while in case the director decided what he really need was the classic hot sweaty bewildered tourist trys to cross the road without getting run over ... read more
November 24th 2011
Thursday 24th – Tuesday 29th November After seeing the Taj Mahal, it was time for us to move further south to Goa. After having some breakfast we were faced with re-packing our backpacks for the first time…not an easy job! It took forever for us both to get everything back in the backpacks and we hadn’t even unpacked properly. We ended up with a lot more belongings in our hand luggage & were completely exhausted by the time our taxi picked us up to take us to the airport…I would definitely have to get better at this! The roads in Delhi never got any easier…we knew what to expect by now, but it certainly didn’t make the journey any less tense! Everything is segregated by gender in India…I learnt this after having people shouting and waving ... read more
October 17th 2010
Mumbai to Goa by train is quit an experience! We decided to take the day train so we could see more of India! At 7 o'clock in the morning we started on our 13 hour train ride! Josh hasn't seen so many people pooing in an hour in the train then in his whole life! Hahahahaha! Same for me too. They all sit on the unused railtrack and use it as a toilet! Not good still waking up! Also, we still have to get used to the little scams of India. Josh got himself a nice cheap bottle of whiskey on the train... They asked us if we wanted a beer!! And after like 8 hours in the train we would love to have a cold beverage. But unfortunatly they didn't have beers and they offered ... read more
May 16th 2010
Hi, Am starting this blogs by going back a few years when I visited Goa my janamabhoomi after almost 30 years... The Year was 2005, month was Nov... was sitting at home getting bored had started to rethink my priorities... I was a young member of the Indian National Congress who had joined the Anti Reservation group - Youth for Equality and after a exilariting Strike in which the medical n Engineering guys played a prominent part(we had shut down the AIIMS) and brought the debate against reservation to the forefront, we faced defeat in court... Reservation was enshrined as a policy by our law makers who said that we must fight poison by poison, centuries of caste based discrimination(which was slowly atleast in urban quarters fading away) can be undone by more caste based discrimination(the ... read more
April 4th 2010
We crawl off the bus after two days and two nights solid travel caked in filth and stinking to high heaven. Goa is notoriously expensive but we find a cheap little guest house in the center of Panjim and immediately disrobe and shower! Our Roman Catholic host later admits her reluctance to let us in due to our disheveled appearance but i think she was relieved to see we scrubbed up pretty well. Goa is very different to anywhere we have visited in India so far - it is clean, organised and hassle free. The locals drive new European cars down streets lined with palm trees and Mediterranean architecture. We both love this paradise and walk around carefree. It may not be 'real' India but it feels like a holiday and that is how we ... read more
February 18th 2010
18/2/10: We ended up arriving in Panaji Goa at 8:00am one hour late and I wondered how much faster he would have to drive just to get there on time. Before the driver had even stopped the bus there were taxi and tuk tuk drivers entering the bus asking us if we needed a lift? This is usually a trap and if you are patient the price will come down. We ended up pulling our LP guide and compass out to find out where we were, an older man asked us where we intended to go. We basically ignored him without realising that he was genuine and just wanted to help. It was the first real sign that people are friendlier the farther you go down. It ended up paying off for us as we were ... read more
Day 1 : Base camp, acclimatization and joy ride
Published: January 5th 2010Asia » India » Goa » Panaji
December 17th 2009
Youth Hostel India (website) organizes several affordable and very nicely organised national adventure expeditions. With good experiences on their Himalayan expeditions, I signed up for the 7 day Goa Biking Expedition for Rs.3000 that covers the stay, meals, renting of geared bikes and travel accessories like helmet, gloves and knee caps. Quite a deal ! No wonder the expeditions get booked 2-3 months early. There were 6 batches of bikers starting their expeditions every alternate day starting from 12th December. I was in GB-3 (Goa Biking group 3). The base camp at Panaji is located behind the Sports Authority Ground on the banks of the Mandovi river. There is a swimming tank at stone's throw to relieve you from your biggest enemy at the camp, the heat. Some 15-20 large 10 person tents were pitched for ... read more
December 17th 2009
A 7 day biking expedition in Goa organised by Youth Hostel India. It is open to Foreign nationals as well. Itinerary * Day 1 : Panaji to Assolna (40 km) * Day 2 : Assolna to Netravali (36 km) * Day 3 : Netravali to Dudhsagar (56 km) * Day 4 : Dudhsagar to Dhargem (41 km) * Day 5 : Dhargem to Panaji (62 km) Cost : Rs 3000 (includes stay and simple veg meals for 7 days as well as bike rentals) Photos : Here Highlights * Driving the super 21 geared bikes (costing 20k !)250 km along the beaches, across the streams, through the jungles and on the 'hotmix' tar roads of Goa. * Fantastic camps throughout. The best being the Tanshikar's spice farms at Netravali. * Taking dips in the all the ... read more
December 12th 2009
Itinerary * Day 1 : Mumbai (Bhaucha Dhakka) --- Ferry --- Rewas - Kihim - Alibag - Murud - Rajapuri --- Ferry --- Dighi -Srivardhan - Bagmandla (Jungle Jetty) --- Ferry --- Bankot - Mandangarh - Dapoli * Day 2 : Dapoli - Dabhol --- Ferry --- Dhopave - Anjanvel - Guhaghar - Velneshwar - Hedvi - Bhatgaon - Jakadevi - Ganpatipule. * Day 3 : Ganpatipule - Nevare - Ratnagiri - Pavas - Adivre - Tarbandar --- Boat ---- Jaitapur - Hathivale - Kankavali - Kudal - Sawantwadi * Day 4 - Sawantwadi - Shiroda - Vengurla - Shiroda - Terekhol - Arambol - Vagator - Calangute - Panaji Distance - 821 km Cost : Rs. 3200 Photos : here Ferries Enroute *Bhaucha Dhakka - Rewas : every hour from 6.00 am to 6 ... read more
October 4th 2009
I want to talk about a big part of myself that many of you don’t know a lot about. Her name is Maggie. Haha, the reason you don’t know a lot about Maggz is because she’s a great listener and does not feel comfortable talking about herself. You’ll never hear her boast about anything because she is too humble. For my friends or family who’ve met Maggie for the first time, they would have an amazing talk with her right off the bat. Then they realize that they revealed everything about themselves and didn’t learn anything about her, but somehow, the two of them made a genuine connection. She honestly loves to listen which is a gift because too many people in this world don’t listen in a conversation, they’re just waiting for their turn ... read more
