Viva Goa!

So there is something worse than the nine hour bus ride to get to Hampi, the twelve hour bus ride to leave it... but more on that later.

Hampi, much like Las Vegas, mixes together elements that one would not expect to work together but does so quite well. 'The world's largest living World Heritage Site' has hundreds of temples (idle and active), thousands of tourists (and attendant souvenir shops), a few sleepy villages (and attendant wandering livestock), and these rock formations you can stare at for hours, even if you aren't on drugs. You can see the major sites in a day or two but easily stay longer for the pseudo-western food and the calm. After Bengaluru, the peace and quiet of Hampi was almost unnerving. I just don't know how to operate without touts following me - seems ... unnatural. Some people come and never leave their guesthouses (one of the villages north of the river allows alcohol - most of these people stay there).

The lesson I learned from taking the "sleeper bus" that runs overnight from Hospet to Goa is ...don't take the sleeper bus from Hospet to Goa. You may want to consider taking regular public transport and breaking your journey in Hubli - it will cost about the same and you can arrive in both Hubli and you Goan city of choice at reasonable (daylight) hours. And you may be able to feel your feet when you get there. Or take the train. A big part of me wants to demand 20% of my fare back for the simple reason that my "sleeper berth" was only about 80% of my height (for the strangers that stumble upon this, I'm five feet - 1.5m- tall). I expected it to be really bad - and it was worse. Do Not take the night bus to Goa - that is all.

Goa is actually quite lovely. The beach at Benaulim (near Margao) isn't the cleanest I've seen but you do have the huge stretch of white sand fringed with palms (and thatch-roof bars) promised in the "Tour Goa" posters. Most of the hawkers seem to be from Karnataka - they only come to Goa for the high season so they'll be heading home soon and they seem happy about that. There's some pressure to buy but their hearts just aren't in it this late in the game. I think maybe the proper souvenir shop folks stay a bit longer because they're still all over you (at least for the first few days). Unlike Varkala, swimming seems to be safe(ish) here and the water is nice and warm. Can't imagine it's any good for diving or snorkeling but it sure is nice to look at. Due to my laziness, an the fact my train north leaves from Margao, I'll be heading back to Benaulim...

...after a quick tour of north and central Goa whilst based in Panaji. I had a spot of bother finding a clean, affordable place to stay here in Panaji so I opted for clean and will be staying four days instead of six. (I miss my post-beach ice cream cone - it's best to hurry back).
Panaji reminds me of Kochi with all the colorful, colonial-era buildings and lovely (if pricey) dining options. They seem to have done a bit better at maintaining (or restoring) the colonial leftovers which balances out the lack of seafront. You can walk along the river for a good stretch (a promenade was built for the film festival) but it's right next to the very busy main road which detracts significantly from the experience. You're better off wandering the old quarter if you want some peace. Or heading to Old Goa for the day. It's rather popular with Indian package tourists (which is just fun in and of itself) but the grounds are well maintained and it's interesting to see such a variety of architecture in such a small area. The Museum of Christian Art is worth visiting also both for the art and the novelty of not having to pay a foreigner's admission fee. Much of the 'in-country' art shows a definite Indian influence (people with Indian features, Hindu deities or icons), understandable given it was produced by Hindu artists but still a bit surprising. It's also worth buying the booklet at the ticket desk - it has photos and more in-depth histories on some of the artifacts. My photos probably wouldn't have turned out anyway.

Center of a flat world...

Ok - I was wrong about the USB ports in Bengaluru (Bangalore). I'm wrong a lot of the time and I've made my peace with it.

Mysore and the Maharaja's palace made for a good few days. My hotel had roaches and you aren't allowed to photograph the interior of the palace (which is so the best part!) but still - a nice few days. I actually photographed an intersection because it had a proper cross walk (a first on this trip). No one (foot nor vehicle traffic) really minds the little glowing Walk/Don't Walk men, but they exist and that pleased me. The Indian people seemed rather amused - by me, not the intersection - I guess I deserve that this time. Also, I procured another batch of postcards allowing me to contact those loved ones who refuse to enter the computer age (*cough* Grandma *cough* Dad - love you guys!).

The traffic in Bangalore is even worse than typical but there's a Hard Rock Cafe (yes, I took a picture) and a surprising amount of green(ish) space. I came mostly for the rose garden and to catch a ride to Hampi. Somehow I'm stretching that to cover four days (my room has a TV...). Dreading the nine hours to Hampi helps too. Train or bus - that's a lot of sitting. But there on out every journey is less than three hours by bus or 10+ hours on an overnight train. And I'm getting a 2AC berth - the India Railway and Catering can have Rs400 (~$10) for the upgrade.

From Hampi, I head into Goa. I'm not into the drug and dance scene so I'll be sticking to the spice plantations and Old Goa for most of my time. A few of the northern beaches sound enjoyable - 'discovered' enough to have permanent shelter but not enough for package tourists and mega-hotels - however, transport can be a problem. Still, it doesn't seem right to come to Goa and not stay a few days at the beach...

Depending on the 'weather' (read: frequency of attacks on public transport and civilians) in Mumbai (Bombay) that will either be my next stop after Goa or the place where I switch trains. I haven't seen any flaming rickshaws on the news... lately...

As I'll stay in Goa until April (for Easter), I'll only have a month to see north India. Depending on the 'weather' (read: heat and its buddy humidity), north could mean a hop out to Sikkim (permits in hand) from New Delhi (after Agra) to cool off. I fly Delhi to Amman so this would mean backtracking... but it would also mean not melting like the wicked witch of the west. Or I could go up to Kashmir - all the souvenir shop operators insist it's lovely there. And there aren't nearly as many bombings as people think. So much depends on the weather...