GOA GOA GONE!!

WOW!! and then WOW!! five more time. You've got to be kidding me. Is this place for real or what!!

It was a late night arrival due to an airline late departure from Mumbai, but hey seems to be a way of life here, so we had no idea what was in store for us due to our arrival in the dark. This resort is fabulous but the beach is absolutely world class and one of the BEST we have ever been to. I look down the beach in both directions and am unable to see the end, either way. No obstructions, just miles and miles of wide, expansive stretches of sand lay before you. Apparently 22 miles of uninterrupted walking, from end to end. The waters are calm, warm and greenish in colour, as there is no coral present. But hey, as a species, humans have killed  off most of the coral anyways. See video below

25 years ago I spoke with a woman in Barbados who spoke in glowing terms of this area and I had always been keen to visit at some point. Why, oh why, did we wait so long? Apparently there are two Goas. The one to the north of here where the tattooed, body piercing, purple hair, druggies hang out, at all night raves and here to the south where the more affluent, geriatric and family types care to leisure away with walks, swimming or bike rides along the beach. I'll gladly hang out with the latter group as I have had the opportunity to see first hand how the first group interacts, when we visited Phi Phi in Thailand a few years back. What a bunch of losers.

There must be an air force base in the vicinity, as periodically we see pairs of F35s do flybys. Jennifer expresses that it may be the Indian air force to which I reply "If it is the Pakistan air force then you can stick your head where the sun don't shine and kiss your vacation goodbye".

The sand is of a heavy talcum like substance and my toes love it. When you walk on the baked sand which has been washed by the surf, it squeaks.Though not white, I would describe the colour as a pale honey brown or is of a Canada A, extra light, maple syrup hew. The beach itself is devoid of litter and extremely few vendors about, and the few that are, leave you alone.

There are innumerable delightful beach shacks scattered about along the shoreline. Beer is cheap and cold and the food is hot and tasty. One large bottle (650 ml) of Kingfisher, the local brew, costs about $1.75 CDN. For lunch yesterday we had three large Kingfisher beers, I had a chicken/noodle/soup thing and Jennifer had a cauliflower/potato/vegetable/curry thing. All in, it was about $13 CDN. We went back for dinner. Two vodka/tonics, two mohitos, one bottle Sauvagnon Blanc and a Sea Bass with chips which was far too much for the two of us. A little over $55 CDN. Pinch me. Too good to be true. What an idyllic setting to boot. I actually didn't have enough cash and we weren't going to order the wine but our waiter Zindel said "no problem, come back, pay tomorrow". which I did :)

I did my first run this morning at about 07:30. This was the first since we have been to India. The sun was up but there was a misty haze covering the inland jungle. Mysterious and exciting as I run the flat expansive beach. Twenty five minutes out and twenty five minutes back, high fiving other runners taking advantage of the cool temperatures before the high of 34C is expected later in the afternoon.. Enough people to keep it interesting, but not overcrowded in the slightest. Lots of Ruskies and Brits but who knows what they are talking about anyway.

I witnessed the hauling in of the catch of a large fishing boat while out on my run and subsequent repacking of the nets to go out tonight. There are many young people employed doing this. Thank Allah, for who knows what mischief these young  people would be getting into if they weren't doing this.

I can't get enough of this place and Jennifer wants to walk to the next village to check it out. I will go without protest but it will be a struggle to pull myself away from this indescribable setting. We have to come back!

This will be my last post for a couple of weeks as we start the long journey home on Monday. However, we are back on the road as of February 28 and my new blog " From Zipping the Canopy to Navigating the Canal " will be posting from Costa Rica  http://trekingcostarica.blogspot.in/  I hope you have enjoyed my last five weeks of posts and will look forward to the next. Namaste.

Regouped Recharged and Ready

It has been close to a month since we have been on the road and it is taking it's toll as we are both tired and I have come down with a cold for the past week and am just beginning to shake it. By my calculation we have checked into and out of about 14 hotels to date and done airport screening for about 10 flights with another 7 to go. We have traveled more miles than I care to calculate, so a beach break is in order.

I sit here on my sunbed with what appears to be the Russian female heavy weight wresting team and start composing my thoughts. Kovalam is a beach destination for tourists and Indians alike. We were wondering a few weeks ago where all the backpackers were and I think we have caught up with them. I can`t get over how rude and piggish some of the tourists are towards the locals, who for the most part are quiet, polite, most unassuming and neither brash or loud.

With a high of 34 Celsius, we have three beaches to choose from. None of them world class by my standards and they are also overcrowded and small in comparison, to anything we have previously experienced. One of them has a mosque on it, with upwards of 30 busloads per day bringing in school children and locals on day trips. No need for a wake up call at this hotel, as every morning at 05:30 the call to prayers go out. Click on this video of afternoon call to prayers, for what is a similar experience in the early am.

Usually it is Jennifer who wants to change rooms, but in this case I was the exception. I swear the loudspeaker blaring AAAAllllliiiiii  MMMMMaaaana......................AAAAlllllliiiiii  MMMMMMMaaaaana.....REPEAT thrice more, was no more than 300 metres from our nicely appointed room. Note to Self: never book a garden view here. After some negotiations and complimentary internet thrown in for good measure, an ocean view was secured and we moved in for the second of six nights.

The local scene is very interesting and picturesque. Small fishing canoes dot the horizon at night, appearing like a city in the distance, only to disappear by morning light. By my calculations, one catch I witnessed,  appeared to be about 50 small fish, selling for about 750 rupees, which would probably work out to about 30 cents per fish. The guy who helped the fisherman bring in the boat, got a fish for his efforts. Mussels appear to be in high supply as well. Bringing in the catch and the local negotiation on price beach side, each morning is a ritual I`m sure has been going on for generations.

The beaches are supposed to be public for all but the hotel security guard keeps whistling away any locals who would dare encroach on the beach in front of our hotel. There were definitely some heated exchanges between some of the locals and I found myself preparing to make a quick exit, in the event matters started to get out of hand. With two standards, it is no wonder there is resentment to westerners on the part of some of the population.

Fresh fish is the order of the day. Lobster can be had but our waiter, cook and owner of the local establishment we are frequenting last night, explains the process. He will go down the hill via the unlit pathway which we used to get here and choose a lobster from underneath a rock, where he keeps a lobster pound in the sea. However we will have to wait 30 minutes. Option B is fresh White Snapper and four giant tiger prawns. Option B it is. Great dinner tonight as well. One of the most memorable settings we have ever experienced and the best Kingfisher meal to date. Wine was good too :) I wish we had more time to experience this area of Kovalam. I think we have missed sometime very special here but was unaware of it`s existence.

Quietly I watch a fisherman disassemble his canoe which appears like a Lego puzzle of four tree trunks, dug out and bound together by nylon cord and rope. Life is good for me. I hope they feel as good about themselves. Namaste.

Cruising the Backwaters of Kerala

 "Madam. You can stay on the bus and watch the country pass by you or you can get off the bus and feel the country pass through you"
Ian Gill - Kerala, Backwater, India, Feb 2016

This was to be an unexpected and memorable experience. About an hour north of Kochin, our driver brings us to Kerlovam Lake Resort. Beautiful. I'll take a room by the infinity pool. Alas, this was not to be as we were scheduled to embark on an overnight boat cruise. Our two bedroom home for the next 20 hours was manned by a captain, cook and cabin boy just for the two of us! Complete with A/C, full bathroom and shower facilities, the only thing missing was Wifi capability, so a DVD and "Passage to India" was to be the evening entertainment.

The boat trip was enchanting. Passing by small villages and rice paddy fields. Up and down narrow canals and passage through a large lake. Local school children returning home by makeshift boats, women doing the laundry by hand at the water's edge and men and women alike, working in the rice fields. The waterways were filled with other riverboats, passenger taxis, dug out fishing boats and small day excursion vessels.

Completely relaxed, I had planned to take time to read and write, but afraid I would miss something I opted to drink wine and snap innumerable pictures.

Our private enclosed dining room for two had unobstructed views all around as it was glassed in. The food was typical Indian and plentiful with four courses plus coffee or tea. Far too much food but we were told it would not go to waste and the crew would see to that.

The evening and subsequent sunset found us hitched to a palm tree by the side of a waterway and a casual walk along rice paddy fields dikes was in order before dinner. Three large bottles of beer and two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc, got the DVD warmed up but we never made it past the first 15 minutes. No wonder.

Up at 7 am, we were witness to fishermen plying their craft from dug out canoes. They would stick poles into the lake bed for guidance, then slip under the water for upwards of a few minutes before resurfacing with a basket of shellfish. Very primitive but necessary to maintain their livelihood.

It was a pleasant float back to the resort for breakfast, prior to our taxi pickup to the train station. Our rewards were numerous with enough memories to share for a lifetime.

Upon arrival back at the resort a snobbish woman from Toronto asked if it was like camping. Hardly further from the truth. Then she asked Jennifer if she actually ate the fish from the lake, to which Jennifer declined to answer, turned her back on her and walked away. I responded to her with my quote from the beginning of this post. Indeed, get off the bus, there is so much to discover. We miss our new found friends. Namaste.

Note to Reader: Alas we know that Al Gore claims to have invented the internet. It is assumed the Indians have enhanced it many times over but I realize now that the ISP here in India have perfected it. I got some great videos of our river boat trip but cannot upload them because the hotel bandwidth is being throttled. Sure I could pay them an extra $20 a night but screw 'em. Complimentary internet means access to email and maybe a FB site or something just as mundane. I can never upload to Blogger unless I purchase a premium package and forget about Youtube. IMPOSSIBLE!!!  Time to come home. These guys are starting to get under my skin.

As another side note here is a copy of an email I sent to our tour director of a  bizarre encounter.

We were met at Cochin airport by our driver, Sabine who drove us to the hotel along with the local rep. About a half hour drive. The following day he did a half day tour in the morning with us and a local guide of the old city. This was followed by a subsequent drive to our Backwater boat trip the following day about an hour drive away. He met us the following morning after the boat trip to take us to the train station about half an hour away. After arrival at the train station it was a bit of a Monty Python skit when he escorted us to the supposed platform after scurrying from ticket counter to ticket counter to find from which platform the train was supposed to leave. About twenty minutes later and further inquiries he had us go upstairs and cross over to another platform. He insisted we were properly positioned for the appropriate carriage upon the train's arrival. Train arrives and he realizes we are not properly positioned and a mad dash to the opposite end of the platform. He helps us get our luggage aboard and breathlessly disembarks. We find our seats and as we were waving goodbye to him, and as the train started to leave the station, I notice him wiping tears from his eyes then the tears really started to flow.

We were both upset to see him crying and wondered what may have come over him. I had tipped him 1500 rupees, well above the recommendation of the tour company (approx. $30CDN) and thought maybe he was upset the tip may not have been enough. We also thought he might have been sorry to see us leave or perhaps he felt guilty of not getting it straight at the station. He previously had told us that he was going to visit his 91 year old grandfather after leaving us and while waiting at the station there were a few phone calls and thought perhaps bad news about his Grandfather.

As said, we were both upset to leave him this way and thought you might have a feel for the situation of might have been going on. Maybe nothing but we thought we would ask anyway. Thanks

I guess we will never know.