Blogs from Panaji, Goa, India, Asia - page 8

Saying goodbye to Fi was a bit of a struggle. Not helped by Mumbai traffic and our unbelieveably slow hotel staff. By the time breakfast arrived we were on track to be late as it was, and it turns out that the day after the Test was the day that Mumbai opted for gridlock. By the time we got to the airport, I had about 45 minutes before my flight left - made worse by the fact that we were at the International airport, instead of Santa Cruz, the place I had to be. So it was a pretty rushed farewell, really. And the taxi between airports was India in a nutshell. Nice driver, great English, stiffed me on the fare because he could tell I was desperate, and did all he could do to get ... read more

Hello Sam.... sorry could not figure out your email...... I copied the following from a spa advertisment. Ayurveda massage:This massage is part of the ayuveda medicine (from India), it focuses on stimulating the lymphactic system (this system helps to maintain the balance of the liquids in the blood, conserving protein and eliminating bacterias). This is a 30 min. Massage on the rest of your body. The ayurveda massage transfers energy to the body and helps eliminate unwanted toxins. Duration: 50-70 min depending on the person. When I was in Goa I went to Porvorim with the local bus, direction Mapusa. I got off the bus at a place called Ayush, House #851, Maisons Rethel, phone-2412138, opposite the State Bank of India and for Rs400 had the massage of my life. . If you want a great ... read more

This was a good place to get sick in....I am imagining what it would have been like to have to be sick in Kolkatta with the noise, the grime and the decrepidneess(sic) ............................................................... Have spent the last two days in my hotel room coughing and blowing and generally feeling too tired to be a tourist! Thank goodness Wendy has been able to amuse herself .......it became so uncomfortable that I had to visit a local doctor at 7:30 PM on a Sunday night!!. And he prescibed antibiotics, eyedrops (because my eye swelled up and was oozing), something for my unending headache and more benadryl ............ After two sets of pills I am already feeling better.....food is still a problem.....I think I have had one too many indian delicacies................... am looking forward to a gourmet meal in ... read more

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 ... read more

OUT OF MUMBAI INTO GOA WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16 Coming at you from Panaji, Goa, having left Mumbai at midnight on our first train trip of the journey. Turns out the best way to master boarding at Mumbai’s grand Victoria Station is to say yes to the enquiry: “ Coolie? ”, as your taxi arrives, which our driver knew and so answered in the affirmative for us. Anyway, our man, I’ll call him our porter, shepherded us to the assembly room for 1st class AC passengers, returned once the train was ready for boarding, deciphered the reservation chart which was incomprehensible to us, took us onto the train and installed us in our double, double decker compartment, with nary a question from the officials supervising boarding. Our companions were, first, an Indian gentleman, dressed and sleeping in ... read more