Goa

After a early rise (5.30am), haggling with a sleepy taxi-man, a fast spin across town to CST, a 12 hour (ish nothing ever runs to schedule, we're learning) train ride south and a taxi, we arrive in Goa, in Panaji (or Panjim, everything seems to have two names) at Casa Paradiso, Lonely Planets “Our Pick” accommodation – it was basic but adequate. It was late and we just wanted somewhere for the night. We were hungry, so after a short walk we found a local Indian restaurant and were immediately ushered into a chilly air con room past the hustle and bustle of the front room, strange I was thinking to myself. We sat and looked through the menu, which almost immediately I noticed was a different colour and had “A/C Menu” on it... I mentioned this to Andrew and we decided to sit out in the hustle and bustle and eat the same food at about 25% cheaper. The A/C room was too cold..

Quiet Morning in Panaji Streets

It was almost like a weight had been lifted off my head the next morning when I woke – we wandered the streets of Panjim and although there were still hundreds of people, it didn't have the same manic feeling as Mumbai did. You could breathe. There isn't a whole lot to see and do in Panaji, it is an old Portuguese town and the remnants of colonial buildings are still very evident if a little run down. So the following morning we decided to head north to Candolim, one of the northern Goan beaches where we decided to stay a little out of the village in Dona Florina's Guest house. This was a stone's throw from the beach, and the beach was beautiful. An endless sandy beach. I'd like to say a “a white sand beach” but it was more of an orangery hue with a gigantic ship wreck almost shading the beach. Our favourite spot on the beach was a shack called “Pete's Shack” which served wonderful food morning noon and night.

The view from just outside our room in Dona Florina

Petrol Station in Candolim

The beach in Candolim

The view of the ship wreck looming over the beach

After a few days there, we headed south to a place called Palolem, supposedly a quiet hidden gem. Unfortunately, this gem has been discovered but its still a wonderful beach, just far too many people. However, we're chilling out and enjoying the hassle free (well... if you consider come into my shop, take a look, looking for free, can I ask you a question, will you come to my shop, please just take a look, mine is different from her's, please take a look…. As hassle free – of course looking isn't for free and if you take a look you really are expected to buy... she says now the proud of two necklaces!! ok make that four necklaces, two bracelets and a pair of earrings!! ) I still feel bad that I didn't buy more, not because I want / need any more jewelery, but you do feel bad for them, its a hard life that many Indians have been born into. Talking with a couple of them it couldn't be more different from our Western society. From the smallest of things – like we see traditional beauty in darker tanned skin, whereas they look to the Western world and see pale skin as beauty and prosperity. Like at home in pharmacies you can buy self tanning, here all the creams are whitening, but they some do not stop there and use chemical such as bleach to attempt to whiten their skin to make it look milky as Westerns. This is not only true of Indian but a lot of the South East Asian countries too. Many of the girls will never see their parents and families again after marriage. For example, one seller when she travels back home to her husband and family, must keep her face covered at all times and may only show her face to her husband and children. None of his extended family or friends will ever see her face. She is almost liberated working in Goa because nobody knows her here so she does not need to keep her face covered. Families are traditionally large (not unlike Ireland of old) and the eldest children may never have formal education and are expected, from a early age, to move hundreds of miles from home to help earn a living for the family back home. The two jewelery seller sisters we met, 18 and 15 had been selling jewelery on the beach since the elder was 10. She'd no schooling but was sending money home so that here younger brothers and sisters might have the opportunity. Her family lived near Hampi and for 6 months of the year she lives some 600 miles west in Goa on the beaches, for the other 6 months - 3 are spent making jewelery the other 3 are spent in the paddy fields.

A quiet moment on the beach in Palolem

Beach Sellers

On Friday we head for Hampi..... roll on the bouldering !!