Hey Guys,
Apologies for this being late, but all this laying in the sun and being served cocktails on the beach leaves me with very little time.
So, just a quick update.
Had just the one night in Mumbai on arrival. Before getting out of our taxi we had already scored ourselves a personal tour guide to take us to his 'best' hotel at good price. After walking down some dark dodgey alleys we decided it best he take us back to some of his other 'best' hotels at good prices near the action, and found one next to Leopolds bar (the bar from Shantaram) where we settled in before flying out the next day.
Arriving in Goa we found the jungle spread all the way down to the beach with palm trees lining up on the sand, that then gives way to hundreds of beach shacks, all wanting you to come and sit on their sun beds so they can serve you. This I like.
The traffic is crazy, with the main rule being, there are no rules. The sanitary conditions are very basic with fingers expected to be the replacement for toilet paper, luckily I was prepared for this and took extra tissues.
On the second day we spot a commotion on the beach and wander over to take a look with a couple of friends we had made. A fight had broken out and all of a sudden we see a man walking up past as brandishing a gun. In the background 20 -30 more men have rolled up with big sticks and have started belting some other people rather violently. In a minute this other man with the gun comes back and is intent on following this bloke who is determined to hover around where I am - I admit, I was crapping myself! After walking away from the line of any fire, the commotion moves further down the beach where I decide not to follow, but no more was heard from it, so hopefully must have ended in peaceful negotiations??
The locals here though are exceptionally nice, and already I have a number of places I have been invited to stay at if I wander in that direction. And there are countless people wanting photos with you on the beach.
There is always parties of a night time, both on the beach and in the towns. New Years was spent at a club out in the jungle with a pool atop some dancefloors where we danced up a storm with a couple of English girls who made our acquaintance. The setting is very cool, as most bars are outside and are surrounded with greenery of jungles and palms. Either that or it is on the beach.
Unfortunately my luck only carried so far, and after the 4th day I spent a good 48 hours violently spewing everything I had inside me, and after that I'm sure I saw a couple of vital organs come out as well. Not to be out done, my rear end was also on fire, displaying a water feature of its own that had me running at any given time. This happened at a rather inopportune time as coincidentally I had only the day before run into 2 girls I had worked with at Telstra and had planned a couple of big nights before they left. Seems the clutches of Telstra grow far and wide. Thankfully it appears to be mostly over and the thought of food isn't making me run to the porcelain!
So, last day in Goa. Walking into town Hahny and I spot a snake charmer and decide to take some pics. Knowing it looked scammy I thought what the hell, its worth the photos anyway. So firstly Hahny jumps in a couple with some cobras, then I jump in a couple. As the charmer has a python tied around my neck and two cobra's perched on top my head he lowers his voice and says, 'that will be 1000 rupee'. To which I quickly reply no problem. After disentagling myself and reaching for a little bit of cash he decides it will be 2000. There does appear to be a few men who have lined up beside him, but given their collective height/weight and the snakes being wrapped up again, I wasn't going to give in to that one and let him know. So Hahny and I parted with 1000 and kept walking.
As I sit here, I still have a cold sweat, as only one hour ago I had lost my camera in this very store. Running back from breakfast to check, I was told it is no longer here. So, finishing my breakfast in the shittiest of moods I come back to claim my insurance online and ask the man once more to check with his father who owns the store. After a phone call he looks at me solemnly and announces he knows where it is, and grabs it for me - I could've kissed the man - had he not been unsanitary ... and of course male.
So, with our scooter handed back (and a couple of fines against my fake name), we prepare to leave this beautiful haven for Delhi and of course, the mighty Taj Mahal.
With that, I sign off - hope everyone is well.
