Goa

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Day 15 Hampi to Goa

Early start 4am to get buses to train station - arrive 5.30am for day train which is supposed to arrive 6.30am, although this is 'India time' which means it can arrive in the next 24 hours or not at all. This is painful - who though up this shit!!!! Plus the 'two way zoo' has become single way and we have a number of young men blatantly staring at us - I am about to start throwing punches!!

We also have the unique experience of people joining our little group randomly, just listening and watching us, but generally they stand so close it is uncomfortable. So on the train platform (and I'm going to blame boredom as the train was an hour late) I started doing it back  - and almost wet myself I was laughing so hard (Holly said she wasn't so lucky and actually DID have little wee!). It might be one of those, "you had to be there" situations but f*ck it was funny!!!

Arrive at Calangute, Goa around 6pm and we have a quick look around before heading off to dinner at a beachside restaurant for some Xacutti - a local delicacy of coconut curry which can be mixed with most seafoods or meat. I had the calamari option, which luckily was deemed to be the best - team that with MULTIPLE Kingfisher beers, an amazing view, good company and fireworks on the beach - brilliant!

Some of us decided to head off to explore the Sat night markets afterwards (they are open to 3am!) which was an interesting adventure. I think I have become the bartering queen - people were giving me discounts before I even opened my mouth - generally I seem to be able to get the best prices - maybe I just scare people! 😉 After an hour or two we had had enough of all the people and primarily Russian tourists (very funny - all the men tend to be fat, ugly misogynists whilst the women are overdone, bling-wearing, almost naked in public show offs!) so it was back to a bar near the hotel for some nightcap rums. Especially when you are paying about $1 for 100ml bottles or $10 a litre for the local favorite - Old Monk - dangerous stuff! It became a war of attrition, with only 3 of us left in the end, but was a great night out!!!

Day 16 - Goa

After the first real sleep in on this whole trip (that is, not having to get up before sunrise!) most of us met for breakfast at 9.30am, with the exception of Jade and Patrick (they were having an extra lie in) and Holly, who seems to have been struck down by a case of gastro and just couldn't get up. (We checked in on her throughout the day, including fruit to get her to eat, but she basically slept away Goa, poor thing!!!)

Unfortunately we had another tough time as a group - our fearless leader, Charls, had to leave early due to his uncle having a heart attack, so our troupe had reduced again by one (plus with Holly being bed-bound) but we still had a great time. 

The rest of us spent the day either shopping, relaxing, eating and going to the beach (or a combination of all of the above!) and had a great time. Calangute is very touristy and seems to 
mainly have either British or Russian tourists - both half naked with their guts/asses hanging out (we even had a Russian girl sit next to us at restaurant in Varkala wearing a g-string bikini - all class!). Despite all this we still had a good time. 

We ended up going to a very touristy place for dinner called Brittos, but we had the prime table on the beach so we were happy. Plus they had shop inside, so our remaining German, Janine, was happy as she could eat AND shop!

Alcohol here is less than everywhere else and the irony is the strongest beer is cheaper than the low alcohol, so most of us went Kingfisher strong - wow!!! Unfortunately Tomas mixed this with the local toddy made from cashew. Let's jut say he fell asleep on the beach and then got a tuk-tuk home - somehow!!! Luckily he speaks Hindi and actually prefers this when he's drunk, so I guess he is lucky!!!


Day 17 - Goa - Calangute to Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa

After our 16 days together our happy family said our goodbyes and started going our separate ways - Janine home to Germany, Kevin back to he UK, Holly on to Dubai, Tadas up to northern Goa for a yoga retreat, Tomas to Kashmir (hood luck - stay safe!). I end up sharing a taxi with Jade & Patrick and drop them off at Panaji on the way to my resort. It was SUCH a great tour and a great group - it was quite sad at the end and we have all made promises to keep in touch but we will see. Holly has promised to come visit in Sydney which will be great - some of our group were concerned we would be able to separate!!! (I said she was sick just because she wasn't coping with us splitting up!) 

And so now I am at my next hotel, the Park Hyatt Goa Resort  & Spa - did I mention that already??? It was SO different arriving there - two security checks just to get into the front!! It is also SO beautiful - set on 46 hectares nesting onto an incredible white sand beach. What can I say, but I deserved to laze by pool on a beautiful white sun lounge after enjoying a late breakfast and a walk on the pristine beach - it doesn't get much better than this!!! There is also security guards on the beach to stop the 'rif-raf' from getting in and to order a drink or food you just raise s little flag and they call in you order. 

The room is just incredible - so beautiful I had to do the tourist thing and take photos. The bed is supposed to be king but it could fit about 5 people - it is easily 10ft wide!!! All This luxury after all the 'basic' accommodation I have had in the last 16 days  (i.e. most with no air con, some with no hot water) makes me feel like a bit of a fraud - but it is FANTASTIC!!! 
I organised a massage - a deep tissue ayuervedic massage which is just heavenly and set in such beautiful surroundings it can blow your mind. I am seriously considering living here forever and marrying my masseuse, Priya, and living a carefree life!!! The second she started massaging my back cracked - think I really needed it after lugging around a heavy backpack!

I also had the pleasure of a lovely phone call from home.... some people are always in my thoughts, no matter how distracting! 😉

I have to suffer these conditions for a couple of days before my flight to Delhi and the second tour with Peta, Jess and Veronica. Looking forward to it!!!

Ps I am a little concerned as a lot of people here think I am Russian - I even had a man ask me something before I went in for my massage - was it the g-string bikini I was wearing? KIDDING! 😉

Also this is he first time I have seen Indian TV - so far there has been a thousand whitening cream ads but the weirdest thing was a mobile phone ad, where a man is going through a convenience store checkout - the female teller sees his amazing phone and says she has no change for him - so she gives him condoms back instead!!! Never seen anything quite like it....

Day 18 - Goa

All those who wander are not lost

I had an incredible sleep in my bed for 5 (in order to reach my phone on the bedside table I actually had to crawl!) and slept in - what luxury! 

I enjoyed probably the laziest day of my trip today and headed down to the beach - first i organized for a mattress on the beach under one of their white umbrellas (no lounge chair for me - slumming it!) and enjoyed the perfect weather and warm ocean water whilst reading Indian Vogue and Madison and a good book. The surf was nothing to speak of but it was fantastic to have a swim - seems like I've had a lot of opportunities to do this so far - north India will be a different kettle of fish completely!!! Unless I feel like a swim in the Ganges... 😉

After all this it was time to actually update my blog (sorry!) before enjoying another fine meal at my favorite place in the world, PHG (as I am now calling it) before an early night, as I have to leave around 6.30am for my flight. Goodnight!!! xx

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