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Published: October 18th 2006
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Leaving Kochi was interesting to say the least. We were scrambling to find a rickshaw that would take us to the train station for a reasonable price, and we couldn't find a single driver that would take us there without showing us a shop. Finally, one said he would do it without any detours. He was a liar and just wanted to get us in his car. When he tried to suggest that it would be better for everyone involved to stop at one of his shops, Moria had had enough of people try to take advantage of us and screamed "NO!" so loud that I think she put the fear of God into the poor man. He spent the rest of the ride trying his best to be helpful and point out sights he thought we may not have seen.
The train ride was another story. I took the lead to get us to our car. Once we arrived, we realized two older women had taken our seats and that there was a large possibility that the Indian railway system had double-booked our seats. This didn't make any of us happy. It wasn't until half an hour later that
the conductor came and told us that we were in the wrong car and that ours is at the opposite end of the train. Lucy and Moria were far from happy with me at this news, and we had to carry our backpacks through every car. Now, I don't mean the nice second class a/c cars, I mean the general class, third class, and kitchen cars. It was so hot and the width of our bags and the aisles were not very conducive for any of us. But we eventually made it and made friends with a lovely group of Sieks who emigrated to America. I must say the Indians we have met have been so welcoming and warm. That was the only drama for the trip, except for Lucy who spent most of the 16-hour train ride on the toilet as dysentery snuck up on her. But we made it to Vagator nonetheless.
Alright, we are chilling in Goa now getting our rest for the next leg of the journey is Southeast Asia. I am going to provide a verbal picture for you as I have once again forgotten my camera. Picture a rundown town- kind of like
Our favorite chef
Here is the lady from Vagator. She cooks a mean thali. something you would see in the abandoned coal mine towns in West Virginia or Tennesse, dilapidated houses spread apart, shack shops, stray dogs, trash on the side of the road that burns at night, and laundry hanging to dry everywhere you look. That is the town of Vagator. The beach oasis that exists here is only along the sea. There are a few hut restaurants that provide you with beach chairs and umbrellas. The beach is nice enough with cattle grazing, rabid dogs playing and a swimming area to paddle around the Arabian Sea. The water is warm and the sun is strong .
I would like to talk about street food since we aren't doing anything more than lying on a beach relaxing at the moment. This has been a great find for us here. People have warned us away from it but because of our frugality it is a great option for cheap and tasty meals.
Our best street food was in the beautiful city of Udaipur where for 40 cents Moria and I got to see a man make us a chickpea and tomato stew with bread and butter. We then got to consume this overlooking the beautiful monsoon-filled lakes.
Our best samosas also came from the street. Before the troubles started in Mammalapuram, we were able to enjoy the best samosas of the trip and Tamil Nadu. We must give a shout out to Thomas for this because he took us to the stand. There was one man working the stand and another working the fryer and I tell you probably 20 young Indian men crowded around this three-foot stand for some of his samosas. I can't express how good they were. They had the sweet spiciness that you love about Indian food and the sauces placed on top of them only gave your palate a few more layers of flavor to work through. If you are ever in Tamil Nadu, you must stop at this stand in Mamma. The town is small enough you won't miss it.
Now in Vagator, we have a new favorite vendor. I think it is the most happening place with the locals, as it is always crowded with them and the local mutts trying to pick up the scraps. We had lunch there yesterday, a fish thali for me and a veg thali for Moria. This meal cost us about 50 cents and filled us for the entire day with fish and veg curry, rice, poppadoms, and chipatis. It really was a steal. Now I must make a confession at this point: I drank nescafe and liked it. This man is a genius when it comes to spicing up his nescafe. He makes warm milk with a bit of sugar, cloves, and a few other mystery spices and makes a really strong cup. It is a guilty pleasure at its finest. We had breakfast there this morning. It wasn't low carb or low fat but it was enjoyable. Moria and I are now trying to eat all the Indian food we can before we leave and now it has taken over our breakfasts. This morning was a delicious combination of chilies, potatoes, and parsley battered and deep fried with a smoky, cinammony daal that had a homecooked feel. It was food heaven.
Now the final shout out of the street food section must go to a gentleman in Thiravanathapurum (try saying that three times fast) who made the BEST parantha in the world. You have to remember that we have been without any media entertainment and with that no cooking shows. The beauty of this man was that we got to see his entire process. Everyone at the restaurant thought Moria and I were in love with him because we could not take our eyes away from the smacking, sauteeing, fluffing and storing the parantha. They were light and airy and tasted divine. Afterwards we got to see the entire process of the chipati-making begin. Best live entertainment on this trip yet!
We are now all dolled up and headed to what is supposed to be a club in Anjuna. Hopefully the next blog will be filled with more interesting details of Indian party behaviour, if not we will make it up.
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Viv
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If you are connoisseur of tasty food....
If you want to really want to enjoy variety and tasty food[Samosas .Kachori etc],visit Central Indian state -M.P, city -Indore. Food variety in Indore http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indore#Food M.P. State Tourism web site: http://www.mptourism.com/ Visit Khajuraho,Mandu ,Kanha National Park[see tigers].The largest number of tigers in any state are in M.P.Tourism infrastructure is no very well developed but you would sure enjoy visit places and enjoying real tasty food and snacks.Guaranteed.