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Published: March 15th 2017
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So, the plane touched down into Goa and we were looking forward to 6 days of rest and relaxation and flopping on the beach to sun ourselves, gorging on seafood and having a slight culture detox... but we were met with teaming rain and sweltering heat. Comfortable!
Goa is stunning. Once the rain cleared and the sun came out, it truly is a tropical paradise with crystal blue seas, palm trees and white sands. Thanks to is history though, Goa is kind of like a tropical Portugal with curry- a lot of the 'indian' tradition and culture has been lost here- the temples have been replaced with Portuguese style churches and the general architecture is different. Dont get me wrong, it is still incredible but it isn't India India- that said, what is India India? I certainly cant answer that! Ever day we ventured down to the beach which was deserted- we had chosen the south of Goa as is is less touristy and less party, and this is was! We had the beach to ourselves each day! Huge butterflies and tropical birds dart around as you stroll through the countryside, and all you can hear is the singing of
birds and chirping of crickets. Walking back from the beach at night, all that can be seen aside from the moon and a sea of stars are fireflies darting across in front of you. It is wonderful!
We took a taxi to the local city- Margao, and I can safely say that was a waste of an afternoon, it wasn't the most pleasant of cities to visit. However, I did get to get a new charger for my camera and some mozzie cream which is always a plus point. We were hassled relentlessly and the city was grubby and smelly and didnt have anything to offer to make up for this unpleasantness. Still you live you learn. It cant all be a hit! The following day we rented a motorbike and travelled up the coast visiting all the beaches as we went. This was incredible, such beautiful places to see! What is interesting is that petrol stations are scarce, but local people will sell a coke bottle of petrol to bikers/scooter drivers from their homes, so along the way we did stop a few times to top up with petrol. An interesting way of doing it! But I must
say the beaches are exquisite! really very beautiful and deserted, just what we needed!
The second last day in Goa marked my husbands 37th birthday, so to celebrate, we went to ride and bath elephants. Again, I would like to state this is something I wish I hadn't done, I was naive and ignorant and did not realise how unethical this was! It was amazing but if I cold turn the clocks back I would. Bathing an elephant was quite wonderful though. We got into the river and have her a good scrub down and it return she treated us to a shower. A fabulous experience but not a necessary one. From here, we thought as we were in Goa which is regarded as the party capital of India, we took a 2 hours taxi up to Calangute beach. For fear of going into detail, let is just conclude that it didn't end pretty at all!!!
After a couple of relaxing days enjoying the beautiful beaches of Goa, we took off for our final stop- Mumbai. I actually did not know at all what to expect from Mumbai. Based on what the media have at times portrayed, a
mosquito infested slum would have been adequate, but based on the city's interesting and varied history, there was bound to have been more to it then that, Arriving at the gateway of India on the seafront, we were suitable impressed at how clean and maintained the city was and, aside from the gateway itself, how British the architecture seemed. Mumbai is a very unusual city in that is is very much at times like strolling through London- but with intense heat! The Bombay high court, Municipal building, and Chhatrapati Shivaja railway station would look perfectly at home next to Big Ben, and the cricket grounds which are readily stumbled upon would not look out of place next to a village green in Surrey. this city is beautiful.
Mumbai encapsulates India as a county within a single city- the ultimate paradox. It further captures the worlds major cities within one city- Juxtaposing with this British architecture, you will meet glorious gleaming skyscrapers, not dissimilar to New York or Dubai- this is as far from India as you can get- tuk tuks are replaced with prestige and high end sports cars, chic restaurants overlooking the city replace small street vendors serving
Michelin star awarded food and in the place of traditional saris and kurtas are designer labels. Money clearly is no object in this part of Mumbai. Then there are the slums. The slums of Mumbai are agonizing to see. Acre after acre of blue tarpaulin make home for over 60 million people in this city, and the poverty is like something never seen. Their lives are so so far from ours in every way. What I found so hard yet comforting was in the middle of the squalor and filth was a little girl dancing like she was a princess- in this extreme destitute world of hers she was the princess and she knows, and will never know, anything different.
That sad not
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