Pit-stop Palolem

Trip Start Nov 01, 2006

179

Trip End Oct 31, 2007

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of India Palolem, Goa, India
Monday, December 18, 2006

We left Hampi yesterday morning on a train bound for Margao, in Goa, from where we planned to travel to Gokarna (in Karnataka), about 1 and a half hours away from Margao on a different train. However, our train was delayed (what a surprise!) so about an hour away from Margao we had a look at our trusty guidebook, without which we'd be quite lost, and came up with a different plan, which was to get a taxi from Margao to Palolem beach, still in Goa, and only 40km from Margao. We had originally planned to go to Palolem anyway, but had instead gone to Benaulim, so we were excited by our new plan of being able to see Palolem after all. We both really like the fact that our plans can change 'just like that' and that at 9am we can think we'll have that evening in one place, and by 4pm we've realised we'll be in a different place. It's a real benefit of this kind of travel, because there's nowhere we have to be, so we can just change our plans on a whim, to suit the situation. It's very exciting

01 Waiting for the train - Canacona Stn, Goa

. Palolem was quite disappointing for us, although it's difficult to know how much of that is because we were comparing it to Benaulim, which will always have a special place in our hearts because it's the first place on the trip where we saw the sea. It was very busy and touristy and every single restaurant called itself 'multi-cuisine' and claimed to specialise in Thai, Chinese (or often Chienes, or Chaines), Mexican (or Maxican), Continental, Israeli and maybe, finally, as an afterthought, Goan and Seafood. It just seemed all wrong to us that restaurants in Goa, on the beach, with access to as much seafood as they like, would put those two things last. And it made us a little bit annoyed with the traveller community because we feel it's only because it has demanded all these different kinds of food that the restaurants try to provide them. It wouldn't be so bad, perhaps, if they could actually produce good 'foreign' food, but they can't. It's nearly all awful.

Anyway, sorry, rant over. I must concede that Palolem beach was a beautiful, sweeping, palm-fringed bay, and very attractive, but just too busy for us to really like it. So we arrived at 7pm yesterday and left at 3pm today. Just long enough to say we've seen it and don't like it.

Getting correct information about leaving was, like getting any travel information in this country, quite difficult

02 Dudhsagar Falls - Karnataka

. The first 'travel agent' (the term is used in the loosest possible sense) we spoke to hadn't heard of the station we wanted to travel to (Udipi) but didn't admit this and spent about five minutes on the Indian rail website, moving the mouse around aimlessly. The second told us the train left at 2.30 and took 4 or 5 hours. The 3rd (because we thought we'd get as many opinions as possible) also told us the train left at 2.30 and took 6 hours. When we asked for the arrival time (to confirm the duration) he said 7pm (only 4.5 hours after departure). When we pointed out the discrepancy and asked for the scheduled time of arrival he said 7.30. When we got the station we discovered the scheduled time of departure was 3pm. The train actually left at 3.30pm and arrived at 7.30. Aaargh!! (R)