Goa (India)

Goa,
what a blissfully quiet place in comparison to Mumbai. Flying into the Airport and looking out the window of our cab (Cristina is still with me in Goa) was like breathing in a breath of fresh air. Literally, going from the insane maze of overcrowded poverty filled streets of Mumbai to the green lush palm filled streets of Goa was an amazing change of pace.
When landing in Goa we headed straight north to Anjuna beach which would have been nice if it was not dumping down buckets and buckets of rain. The roads get windy and narrow and unless you have a knowledgeable taxi driver getting spun around is not a hard thing to do. We didn’t stay in Anjuna beach though since accommodation was pretty minimal and we were forced to pay a bit more than planned in an average location. During Peak season (october 15th to March), Anjuna is the place to be with bars, out door parties, beach to relax on, in off season it can be a wet, desolate place.

Candolim was the next town we stayed in which had a bit more going on that Anjuna, bigger town, cute streets, tons of Portuguese influence (the whole state of Goa was colonized by the Portuguese). I can picture the beach filled with people, bon fires, music, dancing, and festivals all winter long. Palm lined beaches, good surf and a rather lively town, all things that make a good beach vacation. Unfortunately I was blessed with rain and boarded up shops. Not the worse thing in the world, a little R n’ R after a rather interesting stay in Mumbai was good.

Panjim is where I spent the rest of my stay in Goa, a small city of about 90,000 people that has all the stuff one needs. Bars, restaurants, friendly people, and centrally located in the state, making travel a lot easier. Renting a car (with a driver of course, is actually the only way I have gotten around so far in India) here was a great idea. From Panjim we went to an organic Spice Plantation called Sahakari Spice Farm. One of the more enjoyable things I have done, lunch and a tour for 300rs which is about $9usd, the car ride to and from the spice plantation was 1000rs. The Farm was great though, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, coffee, banana, nutmeg, coco, were all grown here. Great experience. I also got a chance to go to a wildlife preserve actually was a zoo, saw a king cobra (in a pen) which is absolutely terrifying even in an enclosure, for me just the drive around Goa on the way to the perserve was worth the trip, palm trees, rural life, cows all over the road, a relaxed life. people here may be poorer financially but wealthy in life style and happiness. Goa was a great place to visit, i can only imagine how crazy it would be in busy season.
Also I have gotten the chance to cook in another woman’s home, Renee who I read about online. 4 two hours cooking sessions which is probably one of the most expensive mistakes I have made so far. The woman is lovely but the course is worth a fraction of what she charges, and paying all upfront was not a great Idea, those are the mistakes we make as travelers… oh well.

RECOMMENDATIONS: when landing in Goa have a place to stay or at very little an address, name or phone number of a place you are planning on visiting. Some of the beach towns only have one or two hotels and prices can go sky high when they know it’s night time and you are in a pinch to get into your room and go to bed. Also the MOST IMPORTANT THING, do come when the weather is nice, tourist season is probably a bit crazy but when you come in off season most everything is boarded up, closed, or in preparation of the busy times (October – April). If you find your self there in off season head to the Capital of Goa, Panjim which is what I did, a small city smack in the middle of the state with easy access to most touristy things.

Mumbai (India)

Flying from JFK direct to Mumbai (bombay) India was an experience in it's self. Leaving the very organized, well understood, non confusing (english speaking) world that i live in and landing directly in one of the stranger places i have been was pretty awesome, to say the least.

Mumbai is exactly what you may expect in a extremely populated Indian City, millions of people, thousands of motorcycles and scooters, and hundreds of different smells, some good, and many bad. The sad reality of the level of poverty is apparent even as you step out of the airport into the HOT sticky humidity. From the Airport to the Hotel a good 45min. ride I saw high rise apartment buildings, slums and ghettos, people sleeping on the street or anywhere they could lay their head, as well as every other kind of accommodation in between.

The experience of Mumbai was good for me though. I managed to Cook in two different people’s homes. One lady named Deepa who runs an Indian tour web sight www.mumbaimagic.com, and the other named Tejal whom is starting the same type of business (vintejsuvsha@yahoo.com). Both were lovely people but Tejal’s class was absolutely wonderful, held in her small home about an hour from Colaba (where I was staying). Her husband was amazing and after cooking, Chicken Tikka, Butter Chicken, and some other Indian delights, sipping on locally made palm, ginger, and rice wine was not a bad thing either. Having organized activities like cooking and meeting people who could give you advice and genuinely enjoy inviting you into their home was something I will always remember. I highly recommend cooking with Tejal if, ever in Mumbai (around 2500rs which is around $60usd).
Besides cooking I was fortunate enough to have a friend with me who decided to partake in cooking, sight seeing, and exploring the city. Cristia was definitely a “light” in a very confusing “dark” place, having someone with you to watch your back and share costs in India is NOT a bad thing, I was fortunate to have such an amazing travel partner to share the experience with me. Touring the city, cooking, and exploring on our own was a good way to soak in the culture. Luckily for the two of us it was the time of the Genish (Hindu god) Festival and the streets were very festive and there was tons of culture to be absorbed.

RECOMENDATIONS: Although i probably wont return to Mumbai it did how ever have some VERY interesting things to see. When arriving in the airport my best advise it to get the pre-paid yellow cab to your hotel, There are multiple pre-pay counters that will charge you MORE than you should be charged, be sure to get the yellow cab. I stayed in Colaba area which is the farthest south you can go in Mumbai. Traditionally it is a tourist area although i saw very few tourists there. The few restaurants i frequented did cater to the tourist crowd. the hotel that i stayed in was called Bentley's Hotel and cost around 1050 Rupees a night which is roughly $26usd. Kind of expensive when you are thinking in terms of back packing and although there were much cheaper options, bed bugs, dingy hotels, with stinky rooms was something i kind of wanted to stay away from. I Landed in Mumbai on the evening of September 4th and departed on the 9th. I would say that 2 full days is ALL you would ever need in Mumbai.

Lastly India is a crazy, LOUD place to visit, be selective in what you eat and where you eat, don’t be surprised to see things that you have never seen before or that you never expected to be possible (grown man sleeping on the median of a highway during mid day traffic… I hope he was sleeping). Expect crazy drivers, crazy roads, more horn honking that you can even begin to imagine, and if you can’t handle some foul smells (along with many pleasant ones) than the immensely huge industrial city for Mumbai is NOT for you

Leavin' for India

Blogging...... Who the Hell Blogs? i'm so embarrassed but here it goes......

Got one day to go before leaving for India and god has it been a strange trip to get here. A previously booked trip, days away from a departure and a skiing accident cripples me for 4 months forcing me to return to good old Westchester, New York. In the long run i have little regrets, things happen for a reason, and i truely believe i was not ment to be heading to India this past April. The last 4 months have been great, catching up with old friends, meeting new friends, and having a good summer home in NY was somthing i was not expecting but it was definitely somthing i enjoyed.
With a backpack filled about 1/2 way and a camera bag that weighs just as much as the clothing and personal belonging i'm bringing i'm excited for what the future may hold. Great food, lots of good pictures, and i'm sure some amazing memories.