Mumbai to Goa to Hampi

Saturday 25^th May 2013

We were woken up on the bus by our adoptive family who wanted to say goodbye to us when they got off. They told us to get off at the last stop as we wanted to head to Coloba. We were dozing in our seats when suddenly the driver was hustling us off the bus we kept asking him if it was the last stop and he assured us it was no sooner were our bags unloaded when the bus drove off with a load of passengers still on it when we spoke to the local taxi drivers we were ages away from Colaba frustrated but with no other option we jumped in a taxi we checked out a few hotels but they were super expensive the driver was getting irritated so we took our bags and set off at a walk to try and find something we checked out a few more places but they were complete dives and expensive for it. In the end we met a guide who agreed that he would show us three or four guesthouses and we could choose one we liked. We had to take something a little above our price ranges but it was clean and the staff were nice. We showered and got ourselves sorted then headed for some lunch we found an Indian restaurant and left feeling satisfied we walked along the se front past thee gate way to India and headed to the train station. it took us a while to find the reservation counter but when we did it was so nice the counter was in a huge air-conditioned room and the tourist counter had special bright yellow benches for tourists only we only had to wait a few minutes for the guy in front of us and then it was our turn within moments we had the train tickets to Goa in our hot little hands. It made such a change from the usual pushing and fighting that happens on most trips to the station. We were leaving the station when we met the funniest little Indian women her name was sandy and she had lived in England until she was three when her mum “Kicked the bucket” (her words) and her father brought her back to India she had such a hatred for the man and actually said she would rather have been brought up in an English children’s home then with her family in India. She helped us find the cinema and then disappeared back into the station. Since we were in Mumbai we wanted to watch a Bollywood film we ended up watching a comedy called “Go Goa Gone” its Indian cinemas firs take on a zombie movie and it was hilarious. Although it was in Hindi so a lot of the jokes went over our head but there were bits in English it was a bizarre experience with all the families dressed up to go to the pictures, before the film started the national anthem played and everyone flew out of their seats to sing along it happened so suddenly it was hard not to get the giggles and then half way through the movie there was an intermission where everyone trooped off to get more snacks. After the film we came blinking back into the sunshine we then headed back to the hotel stopping at Leopold’s café for a drink it’s the café that was the hangout in Shantaram so was filled with tourists and Indians alike visiting after reading the book. Although nice it was rather expensive so we then picked up some street food for dinner. Mumbai has delightful little veggie burger things called wallopows which are sold for a mere 10 r/s each. Feeling satisfied and weary after sleeping on a bus we headed back to the hotel and collapsed.

Sunday 26^th May 2013

After breakfast this morning we headed to the water along the way we had to stop for Ayla to have second breakfast. Finally all feeling full we went to the Gate way to India there were loads of Indian tourists there and suddenly we were like celebrities everyone wanted to take a picture of or with us and one guy even asked us for our autographs the whole experience was hilarious but after a while it got too much and we left without really appreciating what we had come to look at. We stopped for a cheeky samosa and then continued on our merry way towards Marine Drive everyone we asked for directions told us it was too far to walk but we embraced the challenge and the heat and persevered. We got to Marine Drive and climbed up onto the sea wall to take a glimpse of the ocean the city looked stunning in the sunlight and the water despite its reputation looked pretty clean. There was a woman with a dancing monkey which she made salute us and was trying to get us to pay her to make him dance but we were so unimpressed he was clearly unhappy and it just made me sad that someone could treat an animal that way and think it was ok. We began the long walk along Marine Drive to Chowpatty beach the sun was blazing down and it was super humid turning us all into sweat factories, long the way we came across a strange little fat bald man looking at an album of homemade porn, the pictures were topless FHM style white girls with the heads of Indian women pasted on he followed us for a while telling us that he was going to be a Bollywood star and trying to show us more pictures until Ayla threatened to call the police.  We got to the beach and stopped off for some lunch and a cold drink it was a staggered affair as we all ordered at different times tripling the amount of time spent in the air con. Feeling refreshed we headed to the beach and walked along its length although there are strict health warnings telling people not to swim there the water was rammed. Once again we became like celebrities and the walk to far longer than intended as we were mobbed by our fans. At the other end of the beach we headed up the hill on a tree lined street to the hanging gardens they were beautiful with views of the city and lush grass and gardens to wander through we found a grassy patch under a big tree and set about cooing off but it wasn’t long before the first family approached us for a picture and pretty soon there was a line of people waiting to pose with us holding their babies. We got up and walked around the rest of the gardens before deciding to head back on route we stopped at a grimy public toilet where the man tried to charge us double the price in the end we made such a fuss that he let us through. We walked to the bottom of the hill where Alex picked up a taxi back to the hotel and Ayla and I walked. The route took far longer than it felt so by the time we got back we just had a quick shower and then headed out for food. After eating we headed off with the intention of having a drink but found a cake shop instead the cakes looked so amazing we all had two pieces I started with a red velvet cupcake and then had a banoffie pie we came out of the shop and debated the drink situation but decided the budget had been stretched far enough so we headed back to the hotel to digest.

Monday 27^th May 2013

This morning we packed up and had breakfast and left our bags at the hotel during the morning we looked around the markets and then Ayla and I left Alex shopping to go and see an art exhibition, there was one painter there who was absolutely phenomenal and Ayla almost brought one of his works. We left the exhibition and walked back in the blistering heat to meet Alex for lunch as neither of us actually had a watch we had no idea what the time was and arrived at the cake shop about 20mins early which gave us plenty of time to eat a sun dried tomato and olive loaf of bread before she arrived. We all had an all-day breakfast for lunch followed by some more cake on this occasion I had a piece of mango cheesecake which was by far the best cheesecake I have ever eaten in my life and a millionaires brownie which had caramel running all through it. Feeling quite full of cake we headed to the meeting place for our slum tour we used a company on recommendation and they proved to be great. We met our guide Nil and then started out by driving through the red light district, prostitution is illegal yet we went down a road lined with brothels with prostitutes selling their wares standing outside and at the end of the street was a large police station. Our guide told us some of the girls do work by choice but they are few and far between with most of the workers being tricked into coming to the city by a promise of a better life and a good job. We then drove to the Dobi Ghats which is a huge outdoor laundry most of the city’s hotels and guest houses send their guests laundry here to be cleaned, it’s a huge affair with rows and rows of concrete tubs, water barrels and washing lines as far as the eye can see. After that we went to the Dravavi slum, it’s the biggest slum in Asia population wise with approx. one million people living and working in an area of only 2km squared.  We started in the commercial district and Nil showed us a few of the many industries that work in the slum such as recycling plastic into pellets to be turned into almost anything from garden furniture to telephones to plastic cups etc. we also saw bakery which make sweet buttery biscuits and a poppadum factory the produce of both which get sold all over the city we saw a few more industries before heading into the residential district. Nil showed us inside a house which is the standard size for the slum we were all really surprised by how good the houses were we were expecting structures made out of tarpaulins etc. so the tour really changed out preconceptions of what a slum is like. At the end of the tour we finished in the offices of Reality tours where we paid and filled out feedback forms they sold some merchandise there so I brought some postcards. We got back into the car and we drove back to Coloba the girls went and had some diner while I took a walk to pick up some street food and then we met up for yet more cake I had a lemon tart and a chocolate caramel shortcake. We then killed time before our night train to Goa we headed to the station about 9pm and got on we were sharing the berth with three other girls’ two English girls Sarah and Jade and an American girl Heidi we sat up chatting until just after midnight when we put the beds down and went for a kip.

Tuesday 28^th May 2013

We arrived into Goa a few hours late but the sun was shining and there was a definite beachy feel in the air. We had decided to head to Anjuna beach so we jumped in a taxi and started on our merry way the closer we got to the beach the greyer the skies seemed to become and when we got there it seemed as if the whole town had packed up and left we had expected quiet as it’s the off season but this was a whole new level in the end we checked into a guesthouse as it was pouring with rain and the taxi driver was demanding more money to take us to look at anywhere else we were annoyed as we were the only guests yet the staff still refused to lower the price. We dumped our bags and got showered and then headed out in the rain for some food we only walked across the road but my sports direct shower proof jacket by no means handled the monsoon rains and I was soaked through. We ate a rather unappealing meal and stayed put until the rain eased off somewhat after which time we walked to the beach along the few market stalls that remained all the touts put on these horrific cockney accents as soon as they learnt we were English which made me absolutely cringe. The beach was described in our guide book as “some peoples idea of heaven on earth” I don’t know who the hell those people where as it was a muddy rocky bog standard looking beach we dipped our hinges and Ayla almost lost a jandal so we decided to check out the rest of the town. Ayla stopped off for a haircut so Alex and I took the opportunity to eat some pancakes in a local café When Ayla was done we kept walking through the town in the hope we could hire some bicycles but we had no such luck as l the hire places had packed up for the season we went back to the hotel and mulled over life for a bit then decided to pull ourselves together and make the most of it after all I had been saying for weeks it would be quiet and there would be rain so why were we surprised? We headed out for some food and found an amazing little café that was to become our local they served delicious food and the atmosphere was cosy and inviting which was good as not long into our meal the rains knocked out the power and we were forced to eat by candlelight and wait out the rain. It was quite late by the time it had eased off enough for us to walk back to our hotel in the pitch black which was a bit scary.

Wednesday 29^th May 2013

We had hoped to wake up to sunshine and clear blue skies but didn’t have any luck the sky was grey as we headed to possibly the worst breakfast in India thus far we ordered Ayla and I wanted banana porridge and Alex wanted poached eggs on toasts. Firstly Ayla's and Alex’s tea and coffee arrived despite asking for no sugar it was too sweet to drink so that went back to the kitchen the Alex got toast but no eggs then the most baffling part out came the banana pancake and banana eggs we had ordered ummm no that was two banana porridges and what is banana eggs when it’s at home? So those went back Ayla at this point asked for our porridge to have no sugar added to it but we were completely knocked back when it came out full of salt instead! Back that went to the kitchen and we cancelled our breakfast order. Alex’s eggs finally arrived they had obviously been poached in the dirtiest pan imaginable and had flecks of brow all over them and a mysterious blob which to me looked like a hair ball you would pull out of a drain. Alex then went back to the room and me and Ayla left in search of a satisfactory meal, we went back to the place we had dinner but they were closed to repair the damage from last night’s rains to their roof. When we started to walk away they opened up just for us and we had a beautiful meal there. On the walk back to meet Alex we passed by the local bus stand and enquired about buses into Panji the capitol of Goa they were fairly frequent and rather cheap so we got Alex and headed to Panji for the afternoon. The weather was actually nicer there with sunshine and some blue in the sky we had lunch in restaurant over flowing with Indian families so we knew it would be good, there wasn’t much choice but we had a massive Thali that left us stuffed for the rest of the day. After eating we walked about the town having a look at a few churches, the market (which in the fish section had crabs which were still alive) and the river we had a slow paced afternoon and just as the weather seemed to be turning we got the bus back to Anjuna. We headed back to our new local for dinner and they played a movie for us on their big flat screen TV.

Thursday 30^th May 2013

I wanted to run out of Anjuna and head for Palolem at first light this morning but the girls wanted one last breakfast at our local before we got on the bus it didn’t open until 9am so by the time we hit the road it was close to 10am we had been told that the trip to Palolem in the south of Goa would take about two to three hours by bus but that was a tad optimistic we were lucky and got on a direct bus from Anjuna to Panji (which cut out the trip to Mapusa to change) then got a bus from Panji to Magao and from there to Palolem it took just over five hours and the last bus ride was crammed full of stinking fish baskets. We got off the bus looking a bit dazed but feeling like maybe we had actually reached the Goa we were in search of. Immediately a bunch of touts descended upon us each wanted us to look at their rooms we really lucked out by following one guy on a bit of a roundabout walk to a really great guest house it was spotlessly clean and reasonably big with cable TV and WIFI and all at a really good price we checked in and put on bikinis and shorts we needed to refuel after all day on the bus so popped across the road. We all opted for a seafood lunch I had mixed seafood tacos which were delicious but the others didn’t really rate their meals. We finished up just in time for the drizzle to start we made our way to the beach and by the time we got there it was pouring down we stripped off and stashed our gears under the lifeguards chair and ran into the sea the swell was huge but the water was so warm we got battered about by the waves or a bit before the rain made it to cold and we headed back in luckily our hotel also had hot water which was a bonus. We got cleaned up and were chilling out when the power went out pretty soon Ayla and Alex were fast asleep whilst I sat and caught up with some writing for a few hours. The power came back on around 8pm waking them up. Ayla was happy to stay sleeping whilst me and Alex headed across the road to another café for some dinner we finished off our meal with huge pieces of mango crumble and ice-cream and a game or 20 of connect four. When we got back up to the room Ayla was watching perhaps the worst movie ever made it was called Shaolin soccer and was a Chinese movie dubbed into English in the most poor quality way.

Friday 31^st May 2013

Today we were blessed with sunshine and clear blue skies we spent the day swimming, sunbathing, eating and repeating. By the time we got off the beach around midday we were already sunburnt we had a fresh seafood lunch and spent an hour in the shade of a beachside restaurant. We headed back to the beach an sun creamed up to spend the rest of the afternoon in the sun. We headed in around 6pm and the girls sunburn was much worse than we thought Aylas went brown after a few days but Alex’s stayed bright red and then peeled off. We freshened up and had yet more seafood for dinner the plan had e to head to the beach bar for some drinks but the sun had taken it out of all of us so we retreated to the room and all promptly fell asleep in from of the TV.

Saturday 1^st June 2013

It was raining when we got up this morning so we lingered over breakfast. Since it wasn’t stopping me and Ayla decided to have a second breakfast. The café was really busy with people sheltering from the rain so when a young Indian couple came in we invited them to share our table. We all got chatting and next thing you know we were heading over to another beach with Harry and Ana in their car. Agonda beach was completely closed for the season so the beach was deserted it was really beautiful. We got some drinks and some snacks and sat on the beach all day having our own little party. Despite having signs (with a skull and crossbones) saying danger no swimming there were lifeguards on the beach so whenever we did go in the water we were their sole focus. The sun came out in patches here and there during the day but it was still really warm through the clouds. Towards the end of the day the sun beaming through the clouds looked phenomenal as we got a bunch of photos. We headed back to Palolem as it was getting dark and headed in to get clean and dry before meeting up again for yet more seafood. Tonight we actually made it to the bar where we also ran into the girls form the train from Mumbai we all had a cocktail together and agreed to meet on the beach the following day. The day almost ended in drama when a disgusting man approached us while we were waiting on the beach for Ayla asking in Hindi if we were interested in a room for sex Harry chased the guy off and sent security after him but he was long gone by the time they reacted.

Sunday 2^nd June 2013

We were supposed to meet Harry and Ana for breakfast this morning but they were super late so we ate without them. When they arrived Alex headed down to the beach and found the other girls while we sat and chatted once everyone had eaten we headed to the beach and spent the rest of the morning swimming, chatting and sunbathing. It started to drizzle a bit and so Alex and the girls headed into the beach bar for some lunch we stuck it out in the rain which didn’t come to anything but moved when some creepy guys kept asking for pictures with Ayla and I they were directing the question at Harry and asking him in Hindi why we were sitting with him but wouldn’t take pictures with them. We walked to the other end of the beach where there is a river flowing into the sea we thought about doing a boat trip but the tide was out so the boats couldn’t go out. We decided to cross the river and check out what was on the other side we waded across and walked along the narrow stretch of beach there is another island that at super low tide you can walk across to but by the time we got there the path was covered over with shallow but rough waves. We headed back across and already the river was much deeper and the current was getting much stronger. We joined the other girls on the beach and spent the afternoon sunbathing and swimming we even had some live entertainment in the form of a group of somewhat overweight men it all started when one of them was laying on his stomach in the surf with his head in his hands kicking his feet about like a mermaid as the waves crashed in on him he started spinning around like a helicopter propeller he then came into the sea while we were swimming and was jumping about whooping in the waves like a small child when he re-joined his friends on the beach they all had a sand fight and then covered in sand had a sprint race in which we were cheering merman on he won in a photo finish after the other guy stacked it completely but did catch up to be beaten inches from the finish line. They then lay in the sand rubbing sand on their bellies it was equally hilarious and disturbing.  In the evening we all met up for a big seafood dinner which went down an absolute treat despite the slightly slow service.

Monday 3^rd June 2013

The plan was to get up early this morning and watch the sunrise at Agonda beach before Harry and Anna had to get back for work but when we arose early it was pouring with rain. Plan B had been to meet for breakfast so that’s what we did. We ate and then said an emotional goodbye to Harry and Anna. After they left we hit the beach and organised to go on a boat trip down the river that afternoon only when 3pm came around it was pouring with rain and we weren’t so keen on being on the river so we sacked that off and headed into a beach café where we gorged ourselves on fish curry. We ended up sitting in the café for a few hours until the sun came back out and then we spent the remainder of the day light topping up our tans. In the evening we had our final meal together before the girls headed to Hampi in the morning. It was a beautiful big seafood meal followed by delicious pancakes and brownies for desert. Towards the end of the meal we were joined by Mark and Rachel an English couple who have been leaving in Korea and Dan a solo traveller also a fellow Brit.

Tuesday 4^th June 2013

Alex left at the crack of dawn this morning to head to Hampi with the other girls we woke up and had an emotional farewell Ayla wore her best outfit a scarf draped strategically and a pair of tiny pants.  We were awake so ended up sitting and talking for  few hours then went back to bed and got up around 8am we saw the hotel guy so had the room cleaned and got fresh sheets and towels we had a long breakfast joined by Dan and then headed to the beach. Ganesh was smiling on us he gave us a brilliant blazing hot day we spent the whole day flipping from our fronts to our backs into the sea and repeat. Late afternoon we headed into our gloriously clean sand free room to get showered and then headed to an Italian restaurant where we went nuts for seafood pizza and pasta. Ayla and Dan shared a bottle of wine and got hilariously sleepy drunk by the time we got back to our room Ayla needed only to look at the bed before she narco-ed out.

Wednesday 5^th June 2013

Today was our last day in Goa we were blessed to have another amazing sunny hot day to really top up our tans before we left. We had an early breakfast and caught up on some emails before hitting the beach. We spent the morning in much the same fashion as yesterday around midday just as the sun was at its hottest point Dan and I decided to walk the few km to the next town to the ATM before long we were sweating up a storm so lingered in the A/C ATM for a while before heading back to the beach. We sat there for a while longer before having a late lunch overlooking the water afterwards Ayla headed back to the hotel but I wanted to get in a final swim before leaving the coast. Just as I came out of the water the sky clouded over so I rushed back to the room narrowly avoiding the downpour that came shortly afterwards. We packed and paid for our room before eating our last meal in our favourite café the owner gave us free dessert which was delicious then we had to sort out a couple of rickshaws for the morning before heading to bed.

Thursday 6^th June 2013

We had to get up at 5am this morning to meet Mark, Rachel and Dan and then get our rickshaws to Chowdy from there we got a train to Margo which is Goas main station the train was so small and so jam-packed full of people but we dumped our bags and sat on the floor it was only a 20min journey so wasn’t too bad. Once we arrived in Margo we got tickets for the train to Hospet there were only general class tickets available so that’s what we brought we had just enough time to cram I a quick bread omelette before running to the train when we tried to get on the general carriage it was already so full that we didn’t have a chance we jumped onto a sleeper carriage and sat in the walkway our tickets got checked and the ticket man let us be but shortly afterwards another ticket man came along and moved us along we paid a bit extra and he got us seats in the sleeper carriage all five of us together which was good. The journey was long but the scenery was stunning so I put in my music tuned out the world and got lost in the beauty outside. When we arrived in Hospet we took the lazy option and got rickshaws they rest of the way to Hampi. Ayla and I were in one and the others took a second rickshaw I asked if I could drive and the man said yes so I drove us to Hampi it was weird being back behind the wheel but I really enjoyed it and when we got there the driver said I had skills (he also said I drove to fast which I think has to be a first) we found a hotel which was dirt cheap dumped our stuff and went and got some food in a rooftop café only problem was it soon started to rain and there was no cover. The food was decidedly average so we moved on and got drinks in another café where we bumped into Alex and the girls they were just having some dinner before getting a bus to Bangalore we caught up on the events of the last few days and they gave us some tips for Hampi then we once again parted ways being quite greedy we got more food and then headed back to the hotel for an early night.