My trip is coming to an end. Two more full days left:((( I’m kind of ’strangely’ happy. It was really long trip and it’s time to get back to a more ’scheduled’ lifestyle. Let’s see how long that will hold, until my travel bug bites me again… I’m giving myself two years, at most, before heading out on another globe-trotting adventure;) I have arrived today morning from Goa, after 41 hours!!! I just beat a record for my longest train journey, by more than 5 hours;) As you already know, I couldn’t find tickets back to Delhi on any of the faster trains (Radhjani and Mangala). Only the ‘Goa Express’ train had some seats left. I didn’t really check how long this one suppose to take to get to New Delhi. I expected it to be more or less as fast as the Mangala express.
As I found out on the train, from fellow passengers, it takes four hours longer. Plus, add 3 more hours for being late;) It was about time to head back north. With Christmas holidays all Goa is being overran by visitors, foreigners and Indians alike. I don’t think I will have much to say about Delhi. It’s lot cooler here, especially during nights but not as freezing as in NYC. I will add few more posts after I get back home. Equipment reviews, general recommendations and advice for anyone out there planning similar journey, maybe more links of similar journeys, planned or undertaken… If you have questions feel free to ask (email me at or just post it comments)…
Until then… Btw, everyone: Have a happy and safe holidays…
December 18th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
India |
8 comments
So, what I have been doing in the last few days. Nothing much, really… I left Colva and headed for Panjim, the capital of Goa. I found the city a pleasant surprise, with decent hotels (Orav’s GH), great restaurants (Venite) and cheap and fast Internet places (iway). I stayed here for three days, mostly doing some work @ iway on my future web projects and walking around the town. Definitely lot calmer than beach towns. People aren’t in your face all the time trying to sell you ‘overpriced’ and ‘useless’ stuff…After 3 days, I decided to sample some beaches north of Panaji and took a cab to Candolim. Surreal…) The place was overran with sun-bathing, beer-drinking, belly-nursing retirees talking in strangely accented English, most of the time completely incomprehensible;) (Btw, I’ll leave it up to you to guess which country they were from.) OK, to be fair, not all of them were that bad, but enough to make such impression on me… Plus, everything was lot more expensive for stuff that should have been lot cheaper… The only good surprise was the Fisherman’s Cove restaurant. I discovered it by pure chance. I read about the place some days ago in the local Herald daily. A friendly owner and great Goan seafood.
Btw, the Candolim beach has a ‘pleasant’ (insert ‘ironic smile’) view on a rusting cruiseship that stranded there 6 years ago. It’s called “Princess…” something. Still there, polluting waters!!! The good news: It was reported in a local press that it’ll be finally removed to Gujarat for a disassembly. It should be gone by mid-year of 2007.
So, the next day I quickly headed back to Panaji… Good coffee, iway and quieter streets are lot more to my liking. It all only proves what I have known already: Beaches aren’t my thing. I just get too restless after a few days of laying around on a beach. Three days, tops!!! Would you believe that I didn’t take one single dip in the Arabian Sea??? Expect wetting my feet when walking and taking pictures;) I’m serious…
December 14th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
India |
no comments
It is amazing how fast is India changing… Not so long ago, on my first visit to the country in 2003, I could hardly see anyone using cellphones (or ‘mobiles’ for anyone living outside the U.S.) If I walked around sightseeing many people would aproach me with a friendly ‘Hello’. Most of them wanted to sell me something: a rickshaw ride, sunglasses, tigerbalm, ganja, get me a hotel to make a little commission, etc… (They still do all of that that, btw;) Nowadays, I have realized, more often than not, that lot of the Hellos I hear aren’t directed at myself. Rather, Indians are just anwering their mobiles. Young people, especially, have embraced mobile phones furiously. It has even become a status symbol. It seems every teenager has one;) Before I could see people with mobiles in bigger cities, a few businessmen and well-to-dos, here and there. But now, it’s everywhere. It is really stunning how fast technology is ‘hyper’-spreading here. Almost hard to believe as it took lot longer in the West…
I’m in Panaji, Goa right now. Today morning, I went out for my dose of caffeine to a local Coffee Day Cafe. Really good place for light snacks;) I sat down, ordered my cappuccino and checked today’s The Times of India daily. I came upon an article discussing mobile phones use in India: approx. 150 mil. users right now, expected to grow to over 500 mil. by 2010. When I randomly looked around the place, occupied mostly by foreigners or local teenagers, I quickly realized every youngster was holding a mobile. They were close to twenty guys and girls, most likely students and everyone was holding a mobile phone. Not even using it, just playing with it, SMS-ing, looking at photos, and I’m sure also holding it out for others to see, while still talking to their cafe friends. I guess it isn’t that much different from iPod craze ruling the West… Just my thoughts;)
December 12th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
India |
4 comments
A few pictures from Colva beach in Goa where I’m staying right now. No more cycling, just beach and Net cafe relaxing;) OK, I might rent a bike, maybe a scooter, and ride around surrounding beaches and villages. Sometimes after Sunday, I’ll hit Panjim, Old Goa and some northern beaches near Anjuni… More photos in my flickr account:
Beach cyclists” , originally uploaded by Rich.
Enjoying sunset walk;), originally uploaded by Rich.
Starfish, originally uploaded by Rich.
December 8th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
India |
9 comments
So, yesterday morning I have happily arrived in New Delhi, at 6:10am local time. My train (4005) was late by two hours but I didn’t mind. I picked up my bike from a luggage car and went to Paharganj. It’s amazing though that given all the chaos and masses of humanity in and around train stations in India, they seem to be fairly good at delivering stuff w/o getting lost and damaged. Wow… I walked to a place where I stayed in June, Hotel Star Palace. It is located in Paharganj tourist ‘ghetto’, in a narrow alley off the main street, right next to Star Paradise and Downtown hotels, and a good breakfast place, the Everest Bakery. I first checked Hotel Downtown, as it was heavily recommended by LP’s India guidebook but they coudn’t store my bike and their rooms were extremely ‘tidy’.I already booked a train ticket on the Mangala Express (2618) from Nizamuddin train station to Madgaon, Goa back in Varanasi. Today I went to New Delhi’s International tourist booking offices at the ND’s train station (500 meters from my hotel;) to get a ticket for my return journey. The trains I really wanted to take were all booked out (Mangala and Radhjani) but the fella I was dealing with suggested the Goa Express (2779). The train takes only 1-2 longer than the Mangala Express. I don’t think it matters much when the whole journey is about 33-34 hours long;) I’ll be coming back to Delhi on Dec. 17th with enough days left to get a look at Delhi before flying back home.
Otherwise, I didn’t do any picture-taking or sight-seeing in New Delhi yet. I’m really leaving it for last. Besides, weather has been kind of bland lately. Too hazy, even though that might be great for street photography in Old City narrow streets;)
Talk you in a few days from Goa;)
December 4th, 2006
Posted by
Rich |
India |
6 comments
