Blogs from Benaulim, Goa, India, Asia - page 4

Apologies for the conspicuous absence of blog over the last couple of weeks- but there's actually relatively little to report! The day after we arrived in Arambol I chose to ignore the guidebook advice about raw fruit and veg, and had a big fruit salad: which was lovely until about 45 minutes later... I don't need to go into details, but needless to say it was not pleasant and four days before I was up and about. Fortunately a lovely chap named Paul we met in Anjuna has been along with us for a couple of weeks now, so Jodie wasn't bored to tears waiting for me to be better. Sadly though, just as I had recovered, she was struck down for a couple of days. A right of passage though I suppose, and better next ... read more

The fact that Goa was different from just about any other state in India was obvious from the moment you crossed the border. Gone were the ubiquitous shrines and temples devoted to a bewildering pantheon of Indian deities. In their place were whitewashed Christian churches that reared enigmatically above the palm trees. Crucifixes swung from the rear view mirrors of buses and taxis while their sunstrips proclaimed that "Jesus is our Saviour" or invoked the auspices of a favourite saint. The people were different too. Goans were a gentle race whose proud heritage was reflected in their names; D'souza, Fernandes, Rodrigues and Emmanuel - a legacy of more than 350 years of Portuguese rule. The Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gama was one of the first Europeans to survey the Goan coastline in 1489 when the state's ... read more

Thirty-two days after our arrival in Hampi, we said our goodbyes and crept out of town in the early hours of a December morning. It was 5:30am and we had a train to catch that left Hospet at 6:30. Creeping out into the pre-dawn darkness, we made a secret rendezvous with a share-taxi driver from our friend Piru's village and prepared to leave town. We were trying to be surreptitious but our departure did not go unnoticed and there was one final encounter with the 'Rickshaw Mafia' before we finally got away. The bus to Hospet cost 10 Rupees but outside normal operating hours (the buses didn't start running until 6:30 in the morning), you were at the mercy of the Rickshaw Mafia who would often charge outrageously inflated prices. There was one other option and ... read more

(Catherine) We arrived in Goa 'white chicken', as the hawkers affectionately named us, and will be leaving tomorrow as slightly golden chicken. We've had a really lovely week sunbathing, eating and drinking. The food is amazing and so cheap - you can live like kings for less than 5 pounds a day! We've met some really interesting characters here, but my favourite has to be Shibar who we ran in to at a beach front restaurant one evening. He was selling postcards and asked us where we were from. When we said we used to live in Hammersmith he replied "Oh, yes, W6". He then proceeded to recite postcodes form loads of different areas. We tested him with a few tricky ones and he got them all right! We later found out it isn't just London ... read more

Dear all, It has been sometime since l last wrote so l thought that l should! I am still in Goa and my day consists of getting up, going to the beach and then lunch and then having an afternoon sleep, then on to dinner! You would think that would be heaven however it loses it appeal when you know that everyday is the same. Goa it self is a beauiful place and everyone seems to have a smile for each other, it helps if your spending lots of money in their shop! No really, the people are great and very welcoming. The down side is that they are ruining the landscape by throwing their rubbish anywhere. I am off to Culcutta on Tuesday next week, there were two options the first was a twenty two ... read more