We started off just after Mum's birthday dinner at Chandragupta. From the start it was such a rush because it turned out that our overnight sleeper was not stopping at the station we were waiting at. So we hopped onto a train back to VT station and just made it in time.
At the outset the sleeper train seemed to be a failure. There were no lights people crowding in everywhere and once the lights turned on I noticed even more how many people had packed into the train. As as example family in front of us had decided that they would try and fit 12 people into 1 confirmed ticket.
My expectation of the sleeper train was a bit ridiculous as well. I had expected beds, separate compartments etc but I was a bit disappointed. The 'beds' were actually just seats - rectangular bits of wood with a bit of foam covering. The seat back folded up to form another bed barely 50cm above where you were sleeping. All up I counted 13 people sleeping on the 8 beds in our small section. It was the funnest train trip I had ever had. I pulled out my harmonica to play a bit of "nakka takka" train music (have you been practicing Kimberley?) and apart from that the rocking motion of the train made me sleep like a baby the whole way to Goa.
Once in Goa our trip was a strange mix of flat out busy and slow and laid back. We were always on the go, moving from place to place and trying to see all the churches, temples and beaches that Goa is famous for. The problem was that Goa was too slow and too crowded at that time of year and so often we were waiting for our bus, waiting for our boat, waiting in traffic or waiting for the crowd in front of us to move so that we could actually get a glimpse of the historical sites.
The highlight was definitely Mahalasa temple - the temple devoted to our family's deity in Mhardol - and Fort Aguada. Swimming at Colva and Baga beach was pretty fun as well once I could find a spot far away enough from the main crowd.
All in all the trip was not as I expected and while I was in Goa I was often quite disappointed with what we were doing. Something that will stay with me were all the names that will make the trip memorable - probably for all the wrong reasons.
The Goa International Hotel, which is where we stayed was probably the worst hotel ever and apart from having clean sheets and cold running water had nothing to offer.
Paulo - the name of our tour bus, on which the driver was a lunatic and would never stop for speed humps and make our heads almost hit the roof.
The Coral Queen, the worst cruise boat I have ever and will ever go on, with a terrible mix of young families and drunk men who didn't get out of the house enough. Sorry mum and dad but that cruise was a Mistake!
And finally there was Vaibhav - the name of our sleeper coach back home. This was the type of sleeper coach I had imagined before leaving, with nicely cushioned beds that were well spaced apart, air conditioning and blankets just in case you got cold.
On top of arriving 3 hours late it was the worst part of the whole Goa trip. The AC blasted out cold air throughout the night which kept waking me up. The blankets were too thin so didn't really keep you warm. Then there were cockroaches. They were on the roof barely a metre above where I slept, on the window right next to my head and probably in the sheets too.
The only way I managed to get to sleep that night was to keep thinking that the story would definitely make it to my next blog.
Not sure if the grammar or tense was correct or if I stuffed it up again but feedback would be appreciated. Happy new year and future Aniket will write to you in 2010.
