Thanks for all who were inquiring about my state. Nice to know that there are people out there who care about my well-being. I´m well and was already out of harms way when things set off in Mumbai. Still, I stayed at Colaba area, two blocks away from the Taj Mahal Hotel and the gas station blown up beside Nariman house were on my way back to the hotel. And we sat at Leopold's just two weeks before.
Even though I would say that India is a really safe place to travel it is quite striking how present death and mortality can be. Of course being submerged to the Ganges as your final resting place is the most graceful ending to this life the locals can think of but still the image of a child's body washed ashore being devoured by a hound is quite well embedded to my memories. And even though cremation is a custom in my home country it is being done behind closed doors and away from the public eye. Therefore the presence of death and the constant reminder of our impermanency might be quite shocking and open your eyes in a different way. At least it gives perspective and when you are ill in your hotel room, struggling to go downstairs to get some more water it makes you feel quite alone at times. Even without any extra terrorist attacks.
I've had a little fever and some stirrups in my stomach but nothing major. Being woken up by the sound of a loud explosion and fireworks nearby did scare me a bit though during the night. Hard to believe me saying this, but is this really an appropriate time to be setting off fireworks? :)
Now back in Palolem, trying to get better and planning on the Kerala trip.
sunnuntai 30. marraskuuta 2008
tiistai 25. marraskuuta 2008
Taking a train in India
There are few things to take in to consideration:
Selecting the train
I strongly recommend that you get a hold of a copy of a booklet "Trains at a glance". It costs 35 rupees and is a great way to save a lot of money for not having to pay to a travel agent. You have to get the train number and station names from that book and although the information might be available elsewhere, this is by far the most convenient way. Available widely on the newsagents around train stations.
Booking a ticket
For trains leaving on the same day, contact the ticket office at the station. For future bookings there is usually a reservations office somewhere outside the train station.
First, get a piece of paper from the inquiry desk that is needed to make a booking. These are usually quite easy to find as they are required for all bookings. You need to fill the form beforehand with the date, train number, train name, arrival- and departure stations, class you are traveling in and also your home address. 2nd class sleeper is my recommendation for overnight trains as 3rd class might be a bit too rough and 1st class or 2nd class AC usually cost at least the double.
When you have filled out the form, there is most likely a swarm of locals surrounding the ticket booth and only thing separating it from a Slayer concert is the lack of loud music and a mosh-pit. So fight your way through to the ticket booth and pay up. At larger stations there are booths for "foreign tourists and freedom fighters" and there you might stumble upon a western-style queue.
If you are lucky you will get a confirmed seat but odds are that you will be placed on a waiting list for a seat.
Departure
If you have been put on a waiting list, the first thing to do is to check the printouts at the train platform. There you can see if you actually got a place on the train or not. Just look for your name or waiting list number and if there is a seat listed for you, you are all set to go.
If, on the other hand, you haven't got a place on the train you can't really do much about it than go to the ticket or reservations office and ask for a refund. Bribing the conductor was also suggested indirectly because somehow there usually are places that "can be arranged".
On the train
Thirsty? Hungry? No problem. The chai- and samosa-wallahs are constantly on the move and on every station there is a horde of people banging in to the cart selling chips, lassis, chai, chips, cookies, fresh fruit, packed lunches etc. There is also a possibility to order meals from the train staff (they will come asking for dinner/lunch/breafkast orders) but those vary greatly in quality. Price is quite cheap though, around 40Rs for a meal. Expect to pay 4-5Rs for a chai and 15Rs for a bottle of water. The difference isn't that great to the goods sold on the stands and some of the best chais I have had were on the train.
Quotas
There is a normal quota from which the locals and travel agents book their seats. There are also quotas for tourists and for emergencies. Tourist quota can be accessed from the tourist ticket office and tickets from the emergency quota can be bought on the same day, 4 hours before the departure. (My guess is that they print the lists then and if no one wants to pay the 200Rs or so extra you have to pay for the emergency quota, then they will give the remaining seats to the people on the waiting list).
In other words, we will continue the journey south tomorrow after paying for seats in the emergency quota. The rise of the cost on airfare tickets and the economic downturn has increased Indian Rails' ticket sales substantially and therefore the trains seem to be quite full (empiric observation backed by some statistics in local newspapers). The trains might be fully booked weeks beforehand so careful planning beforehand is recommended but most certainly not practiced.
Selecting the train
I strongly recommend that you get a hold of a copy of a booklet "Trains at a glance". It costs 35 rupees and is a great way to save a lot of money for not having to pay to a travel agent. You have to get the train number and station names from that book and although the information might be available elsewhere, this is by far the most convenient way. Available widely on the newsagents around train stations.
Booking a ticket
For trains leaving on the same day, contact the ticket office at the station. For future bookings there is usually a reservations office somewhere outside the train station.
First, get a piece of paper from the inquiry desk that is needed to make a booking. These are usually quite easy to find as they are required for all bookings. You need to fill the form beforehand with the date, train number, train name, arrival- and departure stations, class you are traveling in and also your home address. 2nd class sleeper is my recommendation for overnight trains as 3rd class might be a bit too rough and 1st class or 2nd class AC usually cost at least the double.
When you have filled out the form, there is most likely a swarm of locals surrounding the ticket booth and only thing separating it from a Slayer concert is the lack of loud music and a mosh-pit. So fight your way through to the ticket booth and pay up. At larger stations there are booths for "foreign tourists and freedom fighters" and there you might stumble upon a western-style queue.
If you are lucky you will get a confirmed seat but odds are that you will be placed on a waiting list for a seat.
Departure
If you have been put on a waiting list, the first thing to do is to check the printouts at the train platform. There you can see if you actually got a place on the train or not. Just look for your name or waiting list number and if there is a seat listed for you, you are all set to go.
If, on the other hand, you haven't got a place on the train you can't really do much about it than go to the ticket or reservations office and ask for a refund. Bribing the conductor was also suggested indirectly because somehow there usually are places that "can be arranged".
On the train
Thirsty? Hungry? No problem. The chai- and samosa-wallahs are constantly on the move and on every station there is a horde of people banging in to the cart selling chips, lassis, chai, chips, cookies, fresh fruit, packed lunches etc. There is also a possibility to order meals from the train staff (they will come asking for dinner/lunch/breafkast orders) but those vary greatly in quality. Price is quite cheap though, around 40Rs for a meal. Expect to pay 4-5Rs for a chai and 15Rs for a bottle of water. The difference isn't that great to the goods sold on the stands and some of the best chais I have had were on the train.
Quotas
There is a normal quota from which the locals and travel agents book their seats. There are also quotas for tourists and for emergencies. Tourist quota can be accessed from the tourist ticket office and tickets from the emergency quota can be bought on the same day, 4 hours before the departure. (My guess is that they print the lists then and if no one wants to pay the 200Rs or so extra you have to pay for the emergency quota, then they will give the remaining seats to the people on the waiting list).
In other words, we will continue the journey south tomorrow after paying for seats in the emergency quota. The rise of the cost on airfare tickets and the economic downturn has increased Indian Rails' ticket sales substantially and therefore the trains seem to be quite full (empiric observation backed by some statistics in local newspapers). The trains might be fully booked weeks beforehand so careful planning beforehand is recommended but most certainly not practiced.
maanantai 24. marraskuuta 2008
Taj Mahal
There just aren't words to describe the beauty of it and the pictures don't do it any justice. Unbelievable. Especially taken into consideration that it is pretty much just an useless and exaggerated tomb stone.
But wonders of the world aside there isn't much to see in Agra. Train leaves towards south at around 5pm and will take some 30 hours to get back to Goa. Kerala is still a viable option but first I think I'll spend a few days at the beach after the two nights in a train. Not that there would be any problems sleeping there but the feeling of utter dirtiness is quite incredible even after just one night.
Oh, and in the light of the probably longest train trip of this tour my stomach has finally decided to protest the mostly vegetarian diet. I guess it is true that you can't survive India without having the Delhi Belly at some point.
But wonders of the world aside there isn't much to see in Agra. Train leaves towards south at around 5pm and will take some 30 hours to get back to Goa. Kerala is still a viable option but first I think I'll spend a few days at the beach after the two nights in a train. Not that there would be any problems sleeping there but the feeling of utter dirtiness is quite incredible even after just one night.
Oh, and in the light of the probably longest train trip of this tour my stomach has finally decided to protest the mostly vegetarian diet. I guess it is true that you can't survive India without having the Delhi Belly at some point.
sunnuntai 23. marraskuuta 2008
Some pictures
Boat ride on Ganges
Burning ghat in Varanasi
My luxurious hotel room with ... a blanket.
Sand dunes in the desert
Having fun at the dunes
Sunset in desert. Substituting Lariam
I am taking some anti-malarial medication, just in case. Had 2 pills of my previous Lariam prescription left back home, so starting the course wasn't a problem for me. Getting more of the medicine was, at least in Finland. I would have had to pay around 100e to a private doctor for writing me the prescription and around 40e/8 pills for the medicine. And since I needed more than that I would have had to buy 2 packs, so that would have been around 180e in total. Or over 10000Rs if converted to local currency.
In Margao I went to a pharmacy that was connected to a hospital with only my empty package of Lariam. They didn't have that but instead gave me a pack of Mefloc to examine. The ingredients are the same and you didn't need any prescription. I bought two packs of four and paid a bit over 300Rs for those. That's around 5e for the same ingredients they are selling in Finland for 40e.
I can't notice the difference, no more or less side-effects than with Lariam (only some weird dreams that I kind of enjoy in a twisted way) and I still haven't got malaria so no complaining there. But to anyone googling this I can tell that from my experience, getting a substitute for Lariam in India (or Goa to be exact) was a breeze. Mefloc is basically the same 250 mg of Mefloquine Hydrochloride than Lariam, only produced locally by Aristo Pharmaceuticals.
Still, keep in mind that anti-malarial medication like Lariam or Mefloc should be started a week before arriving to the danger-zone and thusly you shouldn't count on getting the drug in India alone. Malarone can be started a day before but on longer trips will become really expensive and there's also the hassle of having to take it every day compared to the weekly dosage of Mefloquine.
But spending 7,5e instead of 180e still sounds like a wise thing to do and what comes to forged medicine, at least it isn't trying to be a cheap copy of Lariam but the same drug under a different brand name. Roche doesn't have monopoly over India it seems.
In Margao I went to a pharmacy that was connected to a hospital with only my empty package of Lariam. They didn't have that but instead gave me a pack of Mefloc to examine. The ingredients are the same and you didn't need any prescription. I bought two packs of four and paid a bit over 300Rs for those. That's around 5e for the same ingredients they are selling in Finland for 40e.
I can't notice the difference, no more or less side-effects than with Lariam (only some weird dreams that I kind of enjoy in a twisted way) and I still haven't got malaria so no complaining there. But to anyone googling this I can tell that from my experience, getting a substitute for Lariam in India (or Goa to be exact) was a breeze. Mefloc is basically the same 250 mg of Mefloquine Hydrochloride than Lariam, only produced locally by Aristo Pharmaceuticals.
Still, keep in mind that anti-malarial medication like Lariam or Mefloc should be started a week before arriving to the danger-zone and thusly you shouldn't count on getting the drug in India alone. Malarone can be started a day before but on longer trips will become really expensive and there's also the hassle of having to take it every day compared to the weekly dosage of Mefloquine.
But spending 7,5e instead of 180e still sounds like a wise thing to do and what comes to forged medicine, at least it isn't trying to be a cheap copy of Lariam but the same drug under a different brand name. Roche doesn't have monopoly over India it seems.
lauantai 22. marraskuuta 2008
Jaisalmer
We spent three nights in Jaisalmer, with one glorious night under the starry desert sky after a long day of camel-riding and eating great food prepared by our trip leader. Truly unforgettable and magnificent trip. Definitely on my to-do-again list. Just the sky during the night is reason enough for a new trip to India. Guess it's true that everyone falls in love in India, but for me it has just reinforced the feelings already there. I had just forgotten how much I love the stars when they are nowhere to be seen.
The hotel we were in was quite nice with the owner already fishing us out in the bus before arriving. The pamphlet seemed quite nice (although identical to another one we got later apart from the font and pictures) so we opted for the hassle-free option of free hotel delivery and after seeing the rooms (very nice) and heard the price (100Rs) we were sold. Of course the price benefit was negated in the price of the camel safari but since it was so easy and the luggage storage was provided and we had also a place for the night after the safari it was an easy decision to make. The hotel staff were very friendly from the start but turned out to be a bit too friendly in the end.
Everything was nice until the camel safari. Safari itself was incredibly good and I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. The uncomfortable part started when the hotel staff (owner and some relative of his) decided to join us at the desert. They basically invited themselves and as if their intentions weren't have been clear before that, a little "manly discussion" while the girls were away made the whole situation quite repulsive even for me. At least I'm not comfortable talking about women like of pieces of meat in the lines of "you take the one in black shirt and I'll try the other one". Well, decided not to enjoy any more rhum they had brought with them and eventually after some not-so-nice word exchange we were finally able to go to sleep by ourselves. (Note to self: bring more clothes next time).
Coming back to the hotel wasn't as nice as our bags had been scrounged through and there were some food and local snus missing. Thankfully nothing important or valuable but still, the thought of the privacy breach was a lot worse. And coincidentally the hotel was booked full so the girls had to move to another hotel and I got a pretty rudimentary room without any furniture and a blanket for a bed. Well, no mosquitoes and a roof over my head so I was settled. Tired and a bit paranoid, had to sleep with my almost blindingly bright flashlight and military knife beside me but luckily didn't have to use them. But still a quite unpleasant night.
The following day we took a train to Jaipur and after doing the heroic deed of reserving our own train tickets we continued to Varanasi where we are now.
Here I have smelled burning human flesh, stepped in cow shit (well, not the first time on this trip), seen a dog feast on the flesh of a dead childs body and been on a boat ride in the Ganges. So yeah, memorable but not necessarily in the most pleasant way. Tomorrow to Agra and Taj Mahal.
PS. I spent all my christmas gift money, so not a lot of gifts or "something nice" coming to your already materially superfluous lives from me this season. Check back here in stead around christmas eve and see what your gift money got. :)
The hotel we were in was quite nice with the owner already fishing us out in the bus before arriving. The pamphlet seemed quite nice (although identical to another one we got later apart from the font and pictures) so we opted for the hassle-free option of free hotel delivery and after seeing the rooms (very nice) and heard the price (100Rs) we were sold. Of course the price benefit was negated in the price of the camel safari but since it was so easy and the luggage storage was provided and we had also a place for the night after the safari it was an easy decision to make. The hotel staff were very friendly from the start but turned out to be a bit too friendly in the end.
Everything was nice until the camel safari. Safari itself was incredibly good and I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. The uncomfortable part started when the hotel staff (owner and some relative of his) decided to join us at the desert. They basically invited themselves and as if their intentions weren't have been clear before that, a little "manly discussion" while the girls were away made the whole situation quite repulsive even for me. At least I'm not comfortable talking about women like of pieces of meat in the lines of "you take the one in black shirt and I'll try the other one". Well, decided not to enjoy any more rhum they had brought with them and eventually after some not-so-nice word exchange we were finally able to go to sleep by ourselves. (Note to self: bring more clothes next time).
Coming back to the hotel wasn't as nice as our bags had been scrounged through and there were some food and local snus missing. Thankfully nothing important or valuable but still, the thought of the privacy breach was a lot worse. And coincidentally the hotel was booked full so the girls had to move to another hotel and I got a pretty rudimentary room without any furniture and a blanket for a bed. Well, no mosquitoes and a roof over my head so I was settled. Tired and a bit paranoid, had to sleep with my almost blindingly bright flashlight and military knife beside me but luckily didn't have to use them. But still a quite unpleasant night.
The following day we took a train to Jaipur and after doing the heroic deed of reserving our own train tickets we continued to Varanasi where we are now.
Here I have smelled burning human flesh, stepped in cow shit (well, not the first time on this trip), seen a dog feast on the flesh of a dead childs body and been on a boat ride in the Ganges. So yeah, memorable but not necessarily in the most pleasant way. Tomorrow to Agra and Taj Mahal.
PS. I spent all my christmas gift money, so not a lot of gifts or "something nice" coming to your already materially superfluous lives from me this season. Check back here in stead around christmas eve and see what your gift money got. :)
keskiviikko 19. marraskuuta 2008
Still here
Now in Jaipur, the internet was crashed in whole Jaisalmer and I've also been on a camel safari so that's why no updates... Will write more shortly!
lauantai 15. marraskuuta 2008
Note to self:
Never take a night bus in India.
Last night was one of the most sleep-deprived in my life and not at all in a good sense. The roads here just aren't designed to be compatible with sleeper buses and bouncy journey is almost guaranteed, at least in the back of the bus. Next night we will leave the beautiful (and package traveler filled) Udaipur behind and continue to Jaisalmer - on a night bus again. Not the preferred way to travel but unfortunately the only one available.
Maybe the second night will be easier because already I can tell that I'm really tired and fighting to stay awake until the bus leaves.
Last night was one of the most sleep-deprived in my life and not at all in a good sense. The roads here just aren't designed to be compatible with sleeper buses and bouncy journey is almost guaranteed, at least in the back of the bus. Next night we will leave the beautiful (and package traveler filled) Udaipur behind and continue to Jaisalmer - on a night bus again. Not the preferred way to travel but unfortunately the only one available.
Maybe the second night will be easier because already I can tell that I'm really tired and fighting to stay awake until the bus leaves.
torstai 13. marraskuuta 2008
City of chances
After an exhausting wakeup to an alarm clock at 4am a few days ago I managed to wrangle myself up from bed and to the rickshaw that was waiting for me outside. Managed to forget my towel and bathing suit to the balcony because they weren't dry enough for packing. Well, I don't know what my French friend finally did with them but I'm sure they found a nice place in this world. (probably being eaten by a cow somewhere by now).
I was a bit suspicious when the little tuk-tuk curved in front of a tall building and the driver just assured me that this in fact is the train station. 100Rs exchanged hands for a 7 minute nighttime journey and I was ready for my 14 hours/400Rs train ride. Yes, the building turned out to be a train station and to to amazement of us all the train was actually quite on time. A few minutes doesn't count as being late anywhere outside Finland. Shared the cart with a German couple, two swedes, one single German backpacker and about 50 natives. Slept through most of the journey but wound up sharing a cab with the swedes to central Mumbai as the train ride ended at a remote stand from where - according to the taxi drivers who might have had their own agenda - there weren't any trains to the center. Bounced around different hostels, some full, others too expensive until we finally ended up in India Guest House which achieved quite a surprising importance later on.
After the train our minds were set on food, shower and sleeping so the dusty darkness of Mumbai wasn't really appealing to us. And after the initial shock and discomfort the town seemed a lot nicer having slept properly. Our room numbers were exactly the same as the dates of our departure in December, 14 and 21. A funny coincidence.
First thing on our to-do list was arranging train out from this busy and hectic city. Turned out to be quite an impossible mission on a few days notice so we took the bus instead. Leaving tomorrow for Udaipur, should be arriving early Saturday morning.
We bounced around the city and were picked up from the street by a local "talent hunter" (it seems that having a pale skin is considered to be a talent) who asked if we wanted to be in a Bollywood movie. Well, how can you refuse that if you can see the production set, be a part of the movie and get paid while doing it? Or actually we were mostly paid for the lost free time since our main activity was killing time. Was quite fun though and we made a few funny pictures as some western nurses/doctors. I wonder if it will be possible to get a DVD of that because I might just have half seconds of screen time with Kareena Kapoor.
But the true nature of the city being a place of chances and weird odds opened itself truly when I was reading Shantaram in my shabby hotel room. Turned out that Mr. Roberts had slept in the very same hotel upon his initial arrival to Mumbai. The walls, the toilets, the staff... It all matched. It was quite mind-boggling to realize that you had drifted by chance to a hotel room where an Australian fugitive turned professional writer fled after successfully arranging himself out of his homeland with a forged passport. And the mood was exactly the same.
Turned out that a local bar we visited was also later brought up in the book, so a certain surreality that has surrounded me ever since arriving here finally made its presence fully known to me. Such a wonderful and weird country. Ugly and beautiful, awful and wonderful smelling and everything in between. Makes you tired just trying to see everything going around you.
Well, should probably get sleeping because the Friday-Saturday night might not be quite as pleasant even though the overpriced bus is supposed to be fairly well equipped with beds and air conditioning.
And the air conditioners seem to only have one setting in here: full. Mostly resulting in a breezy 18-degree hell-hole where you really need an extra cover to keep yourself warm.
I was a bit suspicious when the little tuk-tuk curved in front of a tall building and the driver just assured me that this in fact is the train station. 100Rs exchanged hands for a 7 minute nighttime journey and I was ready for my 14 hours/400Rs train ride. Yes, the building turned out to be a train station and to to amazement of us all the train was actually quite on time. A few minutes doesn't count as being late anywhere outside Finland. Shared the cart with a German couple, two swedes, one single German backpacker and about 50 natives. Slept through most of the journey but wound up sharing a cab with the swedes to central Mumbai as the train ride ended at a remote stand from where - according to the taxi drivers who might have had their own agenda - there weren't any trains to the center. Bounced around different hostels, some full, others too expensive until we finally ended up in India Guest House which achieved quite a surprising importance later on.
After the train our minds were set on food, shower and sleeping so the dusty darkness of Mumbai wasn't really appealing to us. And after the initial shock and discomfort the town seemed a lot nicer having slept properly. Our room numbers were exactly the same as the dates of our departure in December, 14 and 21. A funny coincidence.
First thing on our to-do list was arranging train out from this busy and hectic city. Turned out to be quite an impossible mission on a few days notice so we took the bus instead. Leaving tomorrow for Udaipur, should be arriving early Saturday morning.
We bounced around the city and were picked up from the street by a local "talent hunter" (it seems that having a pale skin is considered to be a talent) who asked if we wanted to be in a Bollywood movie. Well, how can you refuse that if you can see the production set, be a part of the movie and get paid while doing it? Or actually we were mostly paid for the lost free time since our main activity was killing time. Was quite fun though and we made a few funny pictures as some western nurses/doctors. I wonder if it will be possible to get a DVD of that because I might just have half seconds of screen time with Kareena Kapoor.
But the true nature of the city being a place of chances and weird odds opened itself truly when I was reading Shantaram in my shabby hotel room. Turned out that Mr. Roberts had slept in the very same hotel upon his initial arrival to Mumbai. The walls, the toilets, the staff... It all matched. It was quite mind-boggling to realize that you had drifted by chance to a hotel room where an Australian fugitive turned professional writer fled after successfully arranging himself out of his homeland with a forged passport. And the mood was exactly the same.
Turned out that a local bar we visited was also later brought up in the book, so a certain surreality that has surrounded me ever since arriving here finally made its presence fully known to me. Such a wonderful and weird country. Ugly and beautiful, awful and wonderful smelling and everything in between. Makes you tired just trying to see everything going around you.
Well, should probably get sleeping because the Friday-Saturday night might not be quite as pleasant even though the overpriced bus is supposed to be fairly well equipped with beds and air conditioning.
And the air conditioners seem to only have one setting in here: full. Mostly resulting in a breezy 18-degree hell-hole where you really need an extra cover to keep yourself warm.
maanantai 10. marraskuuta 2008
Map
I've added an interactive map to the right sidebar and from there you can see my travel route. I'll try to keep it updated so you can check from the google satellite pictures what it looks like and where I'm headed currently.
Weather has been consistently great in Goa, around 32 degrees centigrade during the day and around 22 at night.
Weather has been consistently great in Goa, around 32 degrees centigrade during the day and around 22 at night.
sunnuntai 9. marraskuuta 2008
No fair
Well, looks like the camel fair won't be a part of my travel this time. Looking forward to the camel safari though and frankly 50000 camels and 200000 people in a single festival area sounds more like smelly than attractive.
Train to Mumbai on Tuesday morning, leaves at 4.58 am. Sounds like an early wakeup but I'll be traveling in sleeper class. 400Rs for 13 hours train ride with your own bed. Not too shabby.
I've also gotten to know the local bookstore keeper quite well and after fixing his external CD writer with my trusty old Gerber it was true friendship instantly. :) He was quite shocked that similar service in Finland would probably have cost around 50e or 3000Rs. considering that the drive had cost 1000Rs. But had a nice time hanging around his house and his wife made great Chai.
Still considering making all the tea for the rest of my life to just milk and spicing it well...
Train to Mumbai on Tuesday morning, leaves at 4.58 am. Sounds like an early wakeup but I'll be traveling in sleeper class. 400Rs for 13 hours train ride with your own bed. Not too shabby.
I've also gotten to know the local bookstore keeper quite well and after fixing his external CD writer with my trusty old Gerber it was true friendship instantly. :) He was quite shocked that similar service in Finland would probably have cost around 50e or 3000Rs. considering that the drive had cost 1000Rs. But had a nice time hanging around his house and his wife made great Chai.
Still considering making all the tea for the rest of my life to just milk and spicing it well...
perjantai 7. marraskuuta 2008
On/Off-season
The hottest tourist season begins in November, at least around Goa. You can notice the starting by watching the action around beach shacks. Everywhere they are rebuilding and refurbishing shacks and new restaurants are opening almost daily with huge discounts and offers when the clubs are fighting for the just-arrived tourists. For me it is a good sign to get out of the beaches and head north. Yeah, Kerala will be at the end of the trip - depending on the schedules of course. I'm trying to get a train to Jaisalmer via Mumbai to do four-five day camel safari out in the desert. After that maybe to Pushkar to see the camel fair before heading to Agra and Varanasi.
The train tickets are a bit scarce but since the travel agencies can't book from the tourist quota, I guess I'll have to try my luck in Mumbai and see if they have some tickets available there. Otherwise it would have to wait a week and I'm really not eager to stay in the sun for that long. 10 days of settling in is quite enough.
I'm currently sharing my room with the french guy I met on the plane from Helsinki to Mumbai. 150Rs or 2,5e a night certainly doesn't put that much strain on my budget and you could live here with under 5 euros/day easily in a shared room. That is if you eat in restaurant every night, true penny-pinchers would probably manage with even less but that sounds a bit too spartan for my taste. Especially since you can get a good meal for 2 euros on a nice restaurant at the beach or good food in not-so-pleasing environment for around 1e.
And a cup of delicious chai costs 5Rs in a nice booth close to the entrance of the beach. A new addiction definitely.
Palolem beach is quite popular amongst western tourists but the atmosphere is something totally different than in Calangute for example. A really nice place, but Colva for example was a lot quieter beach with very little western tourists and lots of Indian people celebrating diwali. But the beaches of Goa seem to offer something for everyone. If it's raves and parties you are after, head north to Anjuna or Arambol, tourist hell would be in Calangute-Baga, Backpacker ghetto in Palolem and some more quiet beaches somewhere in the between. At least during the start of the season.
The train tickets are a bit scarce but since the travel agencies can't book from the tourist quota, I guess I'll have to try my luck in Mumbai and see if they have some tickets available there. Otherwise it would have to wait a week and I'm really not eager to stay in the sun for that long. 10 days of settling in is quite enough.
I'm currently sharing my room with the french guy I met on the plane from Helsinki to Mumbai. 150Rs or 2,5e a night certainly doesn't put that much strain on my budget and you could live here with under 5 euros/day easily in a shared room. That is if you eat in restaurant every night, true penny-pinchers would probably manage with even less but that sounds a bit too spartan for my taste. Especially since you can get a good meal for 2 euros on a nice restaurant at the beach or good food in not-so-pleasing environment for around 1e.
And a cup of delicious chai costs 5Rs in a nice booth close to the entrance of the beach. A new addiction definitely.
Palolem beach is quite popular amongst western tourists but the atmosphere is something totally different than in Calangute for example. A really nice place, but Colva for example was a lot quieter beach with very little western tourists and lots of Indian people celebrating diwali. But the beaches of Goa seem to offer something for everyone. If it's raves and parties you are after, head north to Anjuna or Arambol, tourist hell would be in Calangute-Baga, Backpacker ghetto in Palolem and some more quiet beaches somewhere in the between. At least during the start of the season.
tiistai 4. marraskuuta 2008
sunnuntai 2. marraskuuta 2008
Lone traveller
Well, I guess you really have to do some work to be actually travelling alone. There are lots of people going solo on a trip and usually you run into them in guesthouses and restaurants. So far I've gotten to know a new person every night being here and solitude shouldn't be something a traveller should fear because there is always company around you if you are in an area of where there has been a Lonely Planet published.
Arrived in Palolem and the beach is astonishingly beautiful but the downside is that other people have heard about it too. Lots of western tourists whereas in Colva there was just a handful of westerners and mostly natives out on a holiday, celebrating Diwali. Still a charming place and the atmosphere isn't as touristic even though the first thing to do was to get rid of seven "hello my friend, looking for room?" -possessors before I had even put my backpack on after climbing out of the bus. Bad first impression but it all settled down after getting rid of my stuff by dumping them in a nearby hostel room. Restaurants seem very tempting as so far the ones I've eaten in haven't lived up to the (high) expectations I've had. But for a main course under 2e I really shouldn't be complaining. Just haven't had any mind-boggling meals yet.
Staying now in a double room (it really is hard to find single ones) but the price is quite reasonable - 300 rupees or a bit under 5 euros per night haggled down from 500. So a months rent would be around 150e... :)
And seriously the best way to haggle was apparently the fact that I really was going to go and see other hostels as well. Still started out in a very strict and Finnish style stating the price I was willing to pay and never adjusting it. Because that's how we roll in the north. After walking out for the third time he agreed to the price. Hot water and all.
Oh well, time to go and check out the nutritional possibilities. Temperature steadily around 30 degrees centigrade, so all is well.
Arrived in Palolem and the beach is astonishingly beautiful but the downside is that other people have heard about it too. Lots of western tourists whereas in Colva there was just a handful of westerners and mostly natives out on a holiday, celebrating Diwali. Still a charming place and the atmosphere isn't as touristic even though the first thing to do was to get rid of seven "hello my friend, looking for room?" -possessors before I had even put my backpack on after climbing out of the bus. Bad first impression but it all settled down after getting rid of my stuff by dumping them in a nearby hostel room. Restaurants seem very tempting as so far the ones I've eaten in haven't lived up to the (high) expectations I've had. But for a main course under 2e I really shouldn't be complaining. Just haven't had any mind-boggling meals yet.
Staying now in a double room (it really is hard to find single ones) but the price is quite reasonable - 300 rupees or a bit under 5 euros per night haggled down from 500. So a months rent would be around 150e... :)
And seriously the best way to haggle was apparently the fact that I really was going to go and see other hostels as well. Still started out in a very strict and Finnish style stating the price I was willing to pay and never adjusting it. Because that's how we roll in the north. After walking out for the third time he agreed to the price. Hot water and all.
Oh well, time to go and check out the nutritional possibilities. Temperature steadily around 30 degrees centigrade, so all is well.
lauantai 1. marraskuuta 2008
Traveller bubble
Traveller bubble is a phenomenon where you're just struck in an nice hotel near the beach, eating some familiar foods, washing it away with a Kingfisher and topping it off with some banana pancake while all your contacts with the locals are limited to cabdriver, waiter and the guesthouse owner. And in your own opinion you are experiencing new cultures and exploring the world when all that differentiates you from the normal package holidayists is the fact that you booked your own flight and live in a cheap-ass guesthouse pretending to be something special and different. A traveller.
The situation above kind of describes me quite well for the moment but I guess in Goa it is a bit hard to do anything else. At least it doesn't come as easily since the whole state seems to be geared up for the western tourists. At first I didn't mind the feeling but somehow I am able to actually feel guilt about settling down for a few days, getting my protective layer of suntan on and adjusting my internal clock from the jetlag. After all, this trip is supposed to be everything but performing things, making plans and using your time effectively. That is easy to achieve in normal day-to-day life, forgetting what day of the week it is isn't.
Of course the fear of just "lying around here for a while" becoming the main theme for the trip is a bit scary but so what... My trip, my money, my time. Aren't I actually supposed to do whatever feels good instead of planning my weekly schedule in advance and not feel pressure to do and experience more so that I would have more things to tell at home. Amazing how the performance-oriented society really bothers one even though the fundamental part of going was to get away from it all. I'll be damned if I won't have other opportunities to do similar trips during my life so why should I stress over seeing loads of things on my first backpacking trip?
Many independent travel guides recommend spending at least a week just shaking the rhythm of everyday rat race from your shoulders. After three days with 50 or so coming I guess I really shouldn't be worried about my performance as a traveller. But still I'm feeling guilty for being idle. Twisted are the ways of my brain.
The situation above kind of describes me quite well for the moment but I guess in Goa it is a bit hard to do anything else. At least it doesn't come as easily since the whole state seems to be geared up for the western tourists. At first I didn't mind the feeling but somehow I am able to actually feel guilt about settling down for a few days, getting my protective layer of suntan on and adjusting my internal clock from the jetlag. After all, this trip is supposed to be everything but performing things, making plans and using your time effectively. That is easy to achieve in normal day-to-day life, forgetting what day of the week it is isn't.
Of course the fear of just "lying around here for a while" becoming the main theme for the trip is a bit scary but so what... My trip, my money, my time. Aren't I actually supposed to do whatever feels good instead of planning my weekly schedule in advance and not feel pressure to do and experience more so that I would have more things to tell at home. Amazing how the performance-oriented society really bothers one even though the fundamental part of going was to get away from it all. I'll be damned if I won't have other opportunities to do similar trips during my life so why should I stress over seeing loads of things on my first backpacking trip?
Many independent travel guides recommend spending at least a week just shaking the rhythm of everyday rat race from your shoulders. After three days with 50 or so coming I guess I really shouldn't be worried about my performance as a traveller. But still I'm feeling guilty for being idle. Twisted are the ways of my brain.
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