Goa Hotels
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mmmmm, great food!!!!!
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Since I had my next flight leg out of Singapore, I returned there for two quick nights from Bangkok. Stayed with some friends who I had met through Couch Surfers which worked out very nicely, and was able to try some local food, laksa, which was a bit spicy but very good. I was also able to finally pick up a package that was originally sent to Silkie back in Janurary... and has been being forwarded to me by friends since, and finally able to get it.
A few people had said that Mumbai only needed a couple of days to explore, and recommended Goa instead- so as soon as I flew into Mumbai I booked a flight to the Goa area. I booked a quick room close to the airport- and on my way out of the airport a guy helped with my bag, which was fine but stood there in the door of the cab rubbing his fingers and thumb together waiting for his tip (which I gave him)... then the cabbie asked for some 'tea money' in addition to the fare (um, okay).. then I gave the guy who carried my bag to my room about a dollar, and he complained that it wasn't very much!!
I'm all for tipping small amounts here and there for actual service but this was very annoying and so in my face that it gave me a very bad impression at the start. The next morning one of two guys grabbed my bag, carried it about 10 feet (from the lobby to the cab) and both he AND his friend stood there asking for a tip!!! I mean come on only 1 guy did any work at all, and even then it was so little I would have done it myself. So needless to say there are a lot of people here trying to scam, offering 'tours', going for tips, and just begging in general- can be very frustrating but also very heartbreaking with the level of poverty.
Goa was a nice area- it is sort of beach vacation central for many Indians and a lot of tourists as well. I took it easy for a day or so (having been traveling every other day for about a week straight) and leisurely explored the area. The beach where I stayed (having been brought there in my clueless state at 7 AM on the word of my cab driver alone) was okay, not a fantastic beach site but relaxing. The beach was full of lounge chairs and beachside bars and restaurants. There were some small markets for locals and tourists, and the dress and style is very colorful, especially the saris of the women. Unfortunately some of the beauty was reduced by the pollution-induced haze that hangs over everywhere and is as bad if not worse than Bangkok.
The streets were also very dusty, with a lot of vehicle traffic and no sidewalks. But all this was tolerable, since from the first meal to my last, the food was SOOOOO good. Every Indian restaurant in the states usually has about 6 different sauces, all of which I am very familiar with- but every menu here had so many different varieties, few of which I recognized and from different regions of India, but almost every dish I tried tasted amazing. Probably the first country where I never had non-local food, and I tried something new and stuffed myself every meal. Good thing I was only here a short time or I would have gained a lot of weight.
I took mostly local transport to Old Goa, the center of the Portugese colonies here in the 1600's, where there are two immense churches in the process of being preserved. It was a nice break from the bustle of the city and some interesting architecture, of a size of the largest of the biggest modern buildings in this area, pretty impressive. The next day I took a tour of a spice plantation, a brief yet interesting view of the cultivation of saffron, vanilla, cinnamon, and others. The free meal at the end unfortunately was disappointing and the least appetizing meal of my entire Indian stay, but I did get to see an elephant being washed in the river. I did some shopping in the markets and relaxed, immensely enjoying every meal, getting hooked on lassi and trying delicious new dishes every time.
Where I stayed:
can't remember
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| 44. | mmmmm, great food!!!!! - Goa, India Feb 26, 2008 (  6 ) |
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