A pretty short entry this time around, not because it was a
dull or unenjoyable, there just isn’t much to write about when you spend your
days lounging on the beach. And that’s what we did for a large portion of our
stay in Goa. We knew these would be our final moments of relative peace and
quiet as, from here on in, we’re heading into the belly of the beast and the
real hustle and bustle of northern India. So for now, we were glad of the
tranquil white beaches, and were quite happy to keep things thoroughly easy
Goan…
Goa is a province rather than a town or city, so I guess I’m
being rather vague with the title of this entry. To be more specific, we were
based in the south of Goa, in the vicinity of Palolem Beach, but it felt like we had been transported to a different country entirely. It was
completely alien to everything we knew of India; from the atmosphere, the buildings, the
people – and not only in terms of attitude, they didn’t even look Indian! This
could’ve been any beach side town in Thailand or the Philippines, well, not
just any beach side town, a really good one!
We had just over two days here, so we rented a scooter for
the duration of our stay. It seems that it’s the best way to travel here, and
being honest, I’ve really come to love driving them! I’d never rent one in a
big city, as the traffic would just be too manic, but in quiet places like
this, it’s not just a means of transport, it’s a delight in itself – having an
open road in front of you, the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, and all
the usual clichés. Every day we were in town, I’d look forward to the sun going
down, just so I could drive back again!
On our first morning, we scooted over to the nearby Palolem
Beach and just planted ourselves there for the day really.
I wish I could say more, but that’s about the long and short
of it! I did get The Life of Pi at a book exchange in our hostel, so I started
reading that, and a fitting place to read it too.
On day two, we ventured further afield and went for a bit of
a drive through the countryside to Cabo de Rama – an old Portuguese Fort on top
of a cliff. As I detailed already, the best part of the day was probably
getting there, as it really was a lovely drive through, just like the rest of
Goa, a very un-Indian looking landscape. I probably should have taken some
photos…
Cabo de Rama itself was quite cool as well, and we spent a
bit of time walking around the walls and down to the water’s edge.
On our way back, we stopped off at Agonda Beach, a bit
quieter than Palolem and probably a bit nicer to boot. It also shattered any
illusions we may have had about being in Thailand or the Philippines, we were
certainly, very much still in India!
Surf board at his side, just waiting for that perfect wave. Cow-abunga dude!
Cows are a real part of everyday life here, which is to be
expected in small towns, maybe a surprise walking around big cities, but I
never expected to see them in a place like this with sand beneath their hooves!
And not just the odd one or two either, there were actual herds of them!
What are they even doing here?! Wouldn't they be happier
roaming around in a nice green valley?
Well, he's trying at least...
We returned to Palolem for sunset, capping our short but
very enjoyable stay in Goa. The next morning, we got a car to the airport for
our first internal Indian flight. I said before how cheap transport was here;
buses, trains and even flying is quite reasonable, so it was worth taking to
the skies here and there to cover some of the longer journeys. Our first was
a double whammy as we flew, first to Mumbai where we got a bit of traditional
Indian lunch…
…and then continued on to our next destination, Aurangabad.
We would be returning to Mumbai again shortly, so no need to worry about
missing out there. For now, it was a case of two caves in two days, as we visited the artistic marvels of Ajanta and Ellora.
Amazing! love to read this blog.
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