India - Goa - (11)

Monsoon season is not yet finished and the rains were very heavy during the night, leaving pools of water on the beautifully manicured lawns of the Holiday Inn/Averina Resort, Goa. It is no wonder that Goa is a malaria risk area, heavy rains, high humidity, rivers and lakes. Fabulous breeding ground for the mosquitoes!

As usual, breakfast is a feast. Besides my English Breakfast tea and omelette every day, I try at least one Indian dish with breakfast. What is so amazing is the huge variety that is on offer - something different every day. The Indians also love their eggs so there is always a queue at this counter. The chefs are so fast and so good at making perfect omelette's right in front of you.

Our tour today is with the Holiday Inn bus to Mangueshi Temple, Old Goa and Colva Beach.

We started off at 14.00 hrs with a very full bus - again, we are the only Westerners aboard. It is great to see so many Indians enjoying their own country which is so vast that it could take up many holidays in different parts.

This ride was an experience in itself - bone-shaking, rattling, creaking and groaning, the bus struggled up the hills in first gear and very seldom reached full speed. Being high up we could see all the small settlements/villages as we passed and, always, hundreds of scooters darting in and out of the traffic. Many drivers without helmets. Today we saw larger houses in very bright colours scattered amongst the more squalid looking ones. Bright yellow, purple, orange, lime green and red are popular colours and stand out in the greenery which is everywhere in Goa. There appears to be new construction of apartment blocks (called Residency) in quite a number of areas so the economy can't be too poor for the construction industry. In some of the areas there are large. modern complexes which stand out, being so Western looking and clean.

At the start of the journey the passengers were very vocal but we could not understand a word of what they were talking about. Gradually, silence descended which was most odd. Looking back, we found that virtually the entire bus load had fallen asleep! Peace and quiet for a spell. Not that we minded the chatter, they were all enjoying themselves and on holiday, after all!

As we chugged along, we took to spotting names or signs along the way as we were still wide awake!!

Tobacco Free School
Infant Jesus Laundry
Papa Joe's Goan Restaurant
Ferrao Ice Factory
Chapel of Glorious Saint Sebastian

In Sirlim:
Royal Lush Family Restaurant, Wee Wonder Kindergarten, Watch Repairer and Repairer of Two Wheelers

Other Villages:
St Francis Xavier Chapel
Dream Skyline Residency
Be Happy Caterers
Angels Primary School
Rosary High School
Mum's Darlings (Child care)
Top Gear Bar and Restaurant - do you think James May, Richard Hammond and  Jeremy Clarkson have visited this pub during their Indian visit?
Walk In Hotel
Are We G-Oan Out - Pub
Janki Wine Store
Eco Friendly Putty that prevents your paint from flaking - they sure do need this in the rain and humidity.
Right Fuel is your Right - seen at a Petrol Station
Just Inn Bar and Restaurant
Adam and Eve - a  place for all occasions - the mind boggles and one has to wonder what goes on here?
Divine Medical Centre
Drive slowly - accident prone zone - ya right!!!

It seems that our bus does not have indicators as the guide needs to stick his arm out of the window to indicate when we are turning left or when asking somebody behind to slow down. Just ahead of us was a lorry and the co-driver has his door wide open - Indian Air-Con? He did eventually close the door when they passed another vehicle. At the back of most trucks there is a sign saying "Horn Please" So they expect one to hoot at them? Seems so.

Cows in the middle of the road are commonplace - how they do not get run over is beyond me. These cows also seem to be lying down much of the time - not grazing and chewing the cud. So they are either too well fed or have no energy to move? Only very load honking horns seem to get them up and off the road.

Goa has many dogs, all look totally ill and underfed, many have their ribs clearly defined. Very sad to see.

After about an hour or so, we reached the Mangueshi Temple. This Hindu temple is over 400 years old and is dedicated to the goddess Shiva. In the car park there were many buses and also a State Bank ATM - a blue bus parked and waiting for people to draw money. The road to the temple is lined with small shops selling clothing, trinkets, snacks etc. It is also very filthy with litter scattered all over. This is despite a sign at the temple asking for Silence and "Maintain Cleanliness"  The ladies outside sell the offerings meant for the gods of flowers in banana leaves at 10 Rupees.

Before entering the temple, shoes must come off and one has to walk barefoot into the temple. In the temple, the half-naked, fat men (no tops) are sitting cross-legged and doing their prayers and blessing the followers by giving them some "water" which they put to their mouths and then they throw it over their heads. No photos are allowed inside the temple.

We were watching this when a chap asked us where we were from and offered to show us something as he was a "priest of the temple" He took us outside to a large, wooden carving but I have no clue what he said it was. He then proceeded to tell us that:
We would expand our business
I would receive promotion - yeah, I can promote myself at long last!!!!!
We would move to a new house in April
Our children would all become very successful in 2014 - I think all 4 between us are already pretty successful.
We would return to India in 8 months time!!!
He professed to "see" things when talking to people as he was a priest.

By now feeling hood-winked, it came as no surprise when he asked for money. I have my doubts that he was even a priest, just some local looking for gullible tourists to con. The men in the temple are all rather large - this guy was dressed in normal clothes and skinny!!!
Oh well, I suppose everybody gets conned at some stage in India - we will be more careful next time.

What did really make me mad was the state of the place - for a temple that is supposed to be very holy, it is surrounded by filth and litter so how can this possibly be of any value to anybody? Surely, it would not take much to employ a few cleaners to pick up the litter strewn around outside by the Indian tourists? The mess just gives off bad vibes. One would also think that anybody visiting would want to make this a holy place and cleanliness is next to godliness? Or does this not apply to Hindu temples? Sad to see.

Our next stop was Old Goa - again hundreds of buses and tourists. This was the Portuguese capital of Goa - today the churches and cathedrals are all that remains. The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi was built in 1521 and looks very imposing. We only had time to visit the Basilica of Born Jesus where the remains of Saint Frances Xavier are preserved. He was a missionary and the Patron Saint of Goa. Born in Spain 7th April 1506 at the Castle of Xavier. He was a brilliant student and excelled at sports.  He later became a priest and after journeying for 13 months, he arrived in Goa in 1542. He undertook many hazardous journeys whilst preaching and died on 3rd December 1552.

Before entering the grounds of the church, one is again accosted by women selling candles. I was offered candles so accepted them and walked off!
The lady came tearing after me telling me that I had to pay her. They are very shrewd, these people. Anyway, I handed the candles back amidst her voluble protests that I needed to pay! The grounds of this church are immaculate and clean - a major difference from the Hindu Temple seen earlier. Restoration of some sort is in progress and this is now a Heritage site.

Back in the bus, we shook, rattled and rolled onwards towards Colva beach.
On the way, we spotted the following:

Drive with Care, life has no Spare
Driving Rash causes Crash
Don't be a Hell Mate, wear a Helmet
There were more of these signs on a large bridge that we drove over but the driver had a good speed going so could not write them all down!

Passing a railway line, we spotted some people walking right on the tracks - one hopes that they have the train times in their heads to get out of the way!

As we started on a minor road towards Colva, the "Speed Breaker"  humps are back in full force. So irritating to slow down every few yards for a Speed Breaker. Our bus is unable to break the speed limit which seems to be 50 km per hour for 2 Wheelers (Scooters), 70 kms per hour for cars and 60 km per hour for Commercial Vehicles. I wish!

However, it seems that there are accidents as we passed the Paediatric Neuro Centre along the way. There are many kids being carried on 2 wheelers, most without helmets. There was a huge Dental College and also a Signal Corp Army base along the way plus My Eye Hospital and Clint Restaurant.

Billboards are all over, they are huge and advertise Milk, Insurance, Housing Products and Jewelry.

As we got closer to Colva Beach, shops were lining the road on both sides. The parking area at the beach was again packed with buses. Unfortunately, it was now rather late and the light was fading so we could only take a very short stroll the the beach which was full of people, staring at the sea. A large Life Guard building = busy beach! This beach is apparently a huge favourite with local Indian travellers and gets even busier during October month when many pilgrims come to visit Colva Church. One of the Indian guys wanted a HOUR here. Bummer for us as the light was gone so a walk on the beach was out of the question and we were not too taken with the many shops around as we are watching our budget!

There are loads of food stalls, ice-cream vendors, plus fancier jewelry shops that offer Credit Card facilities, pubs etc but we abstained from everything.
A beer would have gone down a treat but the bladder would not have been too happy afterwards in the "shake, rattle and roll" bus and I refuse to use local toilets.

There were many scooters available "Motor Bikes On Rent" and the Black and Yellow Colva "Auto Rickshaw Stand"

The cleanest looking restaurant I saw was affiliated to a hotel!

A local chap, also on the bus, started chatting to us. He lives in New Delhi and is employed by an American company in Reno, Nevada. He was telling us that he had recently visited Johannesburg on business and visited the Gandi Museum there. Being paid in USD makes life very pleasant in India I would say! We have to admit that we would never be able to walk/move around so freely in South Africa as we have been able to do in India. The folk are pleasant, honesty seems high on the list of priorities and even the beggars/hawkers have a smile on their faces when you say No.

Get the place cleaned up and it would certainly be a wonderful country. Even with the honking horns and traffic!!

A great day out - who needs rock and roll music when you can enjoy the Holiday Inn "Shake, Rattle and Roll" Bus???

© Judelle Drake

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

www.bradclin.com

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India - Goa (9/10)

After a horrific start to our Goan leg, with soaked laptop and just everything going wrong, we hope that things will improve!

Breakfast was good - omelette, baked beans, herb crusted potatoes, horrid jam, stale croissants (come back Taj President, Mumbai!) and many Indian dishes which we avoided so early in the morning!

After trying in vain to get the laptop working, we decided to take a bus. What fun - you have never seen such a decrepit bus - not even in Mauritius. It went so slowly, we could have walked if not for the heat. We got off when we spotted Watson's Chemist and Mike's Restaurant. This was not very far from the Holiday Inn but we had promised Len and Alison that we would pop in and give their regards. Mike's Restaurant looks lovely - however, we were still to full from the breakfast buffet. Mike is lovely, very welcoming and pleased to get the good wishes all the way from Cape Town. He offered us a free beer and also offered to get our laptop fixed by his IT chap on Monday. This made us feeling a little more light-hearted. We popped into Watsons to buy a map of Goa as I, very stupidly, had not done much research, thinking that we would be based near the city of Goa! Stupid woman, hey? It's a huge province so now we need to try and sort out some sort of tour/s to see this place with all it's history.

After our bus ride back in a much faster bus (IR 16) we ended up back in the hotel. A swim was called for and we could enjoy the stunning pool all to ourselves as there is a conference on so most guests were not around. After this swim, we headed up the beach on a long walk. During the monsoon season, the sea is not safe due to a strong current. Again, this is a major disappointment as I really need to get into the Arabian Sea. The beaches go for miles - one could become a beach bum and just walk and walk......! Very clean but the famous "beach huts" are not yet operational as season starts in the Indian winter - October onwards once the monsoon season is finished. So we are just too early it seems. The fun part was walking behind a bull, 2 females and a calf. They just ambled down the beach, in no hurry at all. We eventually caught up with them as they headed towards a shack just off the beach - one assumes their home!!! Luckily, no cow pats, just one long widdle from the male! Typical, no decorum!

However, having said this, we must say that we have been rather disappointed with the tourist services offered in India - quite frankly, they really are non-existent in  comparison to South Africa hotels and B&B's where we bend over backwards to give as much info as possible and to assist guests. Both Taj President in Mumbai and Holiday Inn, Goa are 5* resorts, yet very little tourist info is available. I don't really understand why this is? Don't they want overseas tourists? Are there enough Indians to keep their hotels busy? Not sure what the rationale behind this lack of info can be. No tours are offered from hotels - a great disappointment as one cannot drive in India as a foreigner. Next years destination HAS to be in a country where we can hire a car and DRIVE!

This is very frustrating for me as we are used to being independent. Once again, if there was a choice of tours on offer, with experienced tour guides, this would not be such a huge issue. Methinks, India must be more forward thinking in this regard.

My bright idea was to place the laptop in the sun on the balcony - James pooh-poohed this idea and told me I was wasting my energy.
Thankfully, I listened to my inner voice or whatever prompted me to do this. After about an hour in the afternoon heat, I asked James to try again. Voila!!!!
It worked and we were able to save the 7 days of photos to an external drive. Nightmare over for now - let's hold thumbs that the laptop is OK.

I am not even going down the road of why it stopped working in the first place - far too embarrassing a story.

Supper is now calling, lets hope it's not all too "hot" and spicy!

The supper buffet was great - some salads with no spice or curry, good Indian dishes to sample, and dessert treats. The ice-cream is good and just calms/cools down the palate after all the Indian food. Service is excellent and very friendly.

Frustration, frustration, frustration!!!! Getting anywhere here is very expensive and there are no tour operators around? Taxi drivers charge IR 50 per hour for waiting whilst one visits anywhere so it really is not the place to be unless you just want a beach holiday. And with the beach still "dangerous" it's just frustration all round. Next year - somewhere where we can hire a car!!!!!!!!!!!

Breakfast was very busy this morning - apparently 600 pax in last night, mainly for some sort of conference. Food good though - no complaints on that score.
I even had something with curry - for breakfast - can you believe it?

The wi-fi at the Holiday Inn, Cavelossim is very expensive and one is charged full rate for an hour even if you only use it for 5 minutes. Not impressed as this is a total rip-off. We do not mind paying for an hour as this would have lasted a few days at 5 minutes per log-on but no, it does not work like that.

Tourists to South Africa are so very spoilt compared to services here in India. However, I suppose one must take the rough with the smooth - we opted for Timeshare in Goa instead of doing a tour so let's make the best of it. But at a cost......

Luckily, there is a tiny little shop just outside of the hotel so at least the beer is cheap!!

Humidity is high this morning so not sure what we are going to do - maybe another bus ride. The air-con in the bus is fresh air from the windows - makes quite a change from living in air-con rooms all the time.

Our guide - with very red eyes!!

After some debate, we decided to book a taxi ride the the Sahakari Spice Farm. This seems to be the nearest one to the hotel and is still quite a drive away.
There are a number of Spice Plantations in Goa, namely Savoi, Pascol, Abyss and the Tropical Spice Plantation. The tropical climate in this area of India plus the dense forests, make it an ideal place for growing spices. On arrival, IR400 per person, one is greeted with a flower garland plus some warm tea with spices. Rather tasty.

Our Indian "English" guide appears to be very food of his beer, whisky and the local drink, Feni as he told us all the spices that would take those hang-overs away or also make sure the wife did not smell any liquor on his breath when he returned home .....after a hard day's work! The Indians do believe that spices are a cure for many ailments. For example, taking curry leaves before you contemplate becoming pregnant can prevent heredity diabetes? True or false?

Nutmeg produces 2 spices, nutmeg and mace. Some black pepper helps constipation...... but don't take too much as you will be stuck for the day! Take Cardamon to assist your memory but if you are over 40, then you need to add another spice to the mix. Sad, but true!

Food is included in the price but it looked very boring so we did not have any.

The tour was interesting and the farm uses organic methods. I love the tiny little bananas that one finds here - apparently, the smaller they are, the sweeter they taste. Tiny, tiny - just 2 mouthfuls, if that!

The vegetation is very lush in Goa so everything is pure green and tranquil looking. However, the buildings are so very decrepit in looks, there is rubbish dumped along the road, dogs are very street-wise as they wander all over and we have not yet seen one being knocked over, cows lie alongside the road, sometimes in the middle of the road, scooters are everywhere, roads are pretty good, except for the odd pothole, and the roads are not as busy as in Mumbai. Thankfully!

I would imagine that it is difficult to keep buildings sparkling when the monsoon season brings so much rain and the humidity is high. However, it would not do my well-being any good to live in such run-down houses or work from shops where rubbish is strewn outside and everything just looks so dirty and unhygienic.

We drew the short straw with the taxi driver, a morose chap with no commentary except to ask if we wanted to visit the Shatadurga Temple. As we had not kept him waiting whilst we had lunch at the Spice Plantation, we thought this was a "freebie" out of the kindness of his heart! This is a Hindu Temple and the complex was constructed in 1738 AD. No photos are allowed inside as one has to take off shoes before entering. A family of 3 was standing listening to the prayers of a half-naked man and afterwards took out their wallets and parted with much cash. He did give them a blessing in the form of a flower. Unfortunately, without a guide, we do not understand what this was all about.

Outside the temple, an elderly man asked us where we were from and told us that the temple has a long history but this has never been translated into English. He recommended that we get a guide in future so as to learn about the history. I wish - that's what we have wanted all along but the hotel is unable to assist in this regard. This despite the fact that they are hosting a Hospitality Conference this week-end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goa is lacking in tourist facilities as the taxi drivers just drive - there is no information given. Unless, of course, we got the short straw with this driver?
The driving was also very erratic, hard braking which even upset James. Thankfully, I take my Sturgaron each day otherwise I would not survive without getting violently ill.

Perhaps we may find a better driver who is more open to telling us about the country he lives in? We live in hope.

Margoa is the closest large town to where we are staying but oh my goodness - really run-down and not very inspiring at all. Whilst we did not get out of the taxi here, I doubt we will return. Apparently, there is a large market but the town is so depressing I would prefer to stay away from it. Perhaps, our clinical cleanliness would not go down well with Indians who may find it cold and depressing as well? There are grander houses tucked away in the forest at various points - these do look much better.

Compared to other poorer countries such as Greece and Spain, Goa is not "cute" We have visited many really poor Greek villages where time has stood still, yet they are clean and well-kept. Different strokes for different folks? It is beautifully green though, very tropical with swaying coconut palms everywhere.

After that crazy taxi ride, some Kingfishers and Lays Chili Limon (spelling is correct!!) chips are going down a treat!! I prefer them to the Lays India's Magic Marsala as they are not quite as tasty.

The area of South Goa where we are staying features most of the luxury resorts in South Goa - namely, Varca, Cavelossim and Mobor.

A stint on our balcony in the balmy evening breeze, listening to the waves, watching the palm trees sway, hearing the cacophony of hundreds of crows, seeing the rain clouds descending to make us wet and cool us down, such is life in the slow lane. Time out from the day and it's turmoil.

A shower and jeans (yes, feeling cold!!) and then off to our dinner.

Dinner at the hotel is a treat - the dishes are very Indian as 99.9% of the guests are Indian. Every night there are loads of dishes to try and there was also Jain food tonight. The Jain sect do not eat onions or garlic so their food has to be prepared without these 2 ingredients. I could well do without garlic but onions? Oh my goodness, no. I love onion in any form. The Jain religion is now a minority religion in India with approx. 4.2 million followers. The Jain's have a high degree of literacy and their libraries are the oldest in the country.

The waiters are first class at Holiday Inn, even more attentive than those at Taj President in Mumbai (although they were very good!)

All round, service is excellent - we have no complaints.
Only the Wi-Fi cost and lack of tourist info has been a disappointment.
However, who says life has to be perfect all the time?

On that note, good night!

© Judelle Drake

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

www.bradclin.com

Please share - if you did not enjoy this post .....Shhh - but please still share!

Thanks!