We're in Panaji, the capital of Goa. It has been a big change from Mumbai. Goa is a former Portuguese colony and if you half close your eyes it does feel as if you are in a little Portuguese village with the colourful houses, white gabled churches and crucifixes all over the place. When you open your eyes fully though, its definitely India. There are lots of Indians about, the buildings are in various states of disrepair, gutters hang down and as with most things in India its in need of a fresh coat of paint and a rubbish collection.
That aside, we have really enjoyed strolling the quiet streets and exploring some of the neighborhoods. We stayed in a little Portuguese house run by an elderly Indian couple. They weren't quite as friendly as our Lonely Planet made them out to be (it described the place as 'like staying at your Portuguese grandparents', there is 10pm curfew, so perhaps that is what they were implying) but it was a big spacious room with lots of light and we passed a fair bit of the time reading and relaxing.
Unfortunately the heavens opened on Saturday night and it has not really stopped raining since them. We are still hoping to have a beach holiday at some point in Goa so hopefully the weather will improve. At least it cooled the temperature as it was very muggy when we arrived.
Our plan today is to catch the bus to Arambol, a beach in Northern Goa. It is meant to be less touristy and not crowded with party, drug-taking people and has beach shacks so if we can get one of those it could be very relaxing.
To get to Goa we took the night train from Mumbai. This was quite an experience. We were in the sleeper section. It was pretty basic, you had to make your own beds and the train was crowded but I managed to get some sleep. Larna said she could hear me snoring! Right up until about 1am porters moved up and down through the train shouting out "Garam masala" (hot masala tea), "Chai" (tea), "Cheese sandwich" etc. In the morning we watched the countryside drift past. There were a lot of little homesteads and cows grazing in pastures with local villagers looking on.
Larna and I have got stuck into the Stieg Larsson books. I just finished the first one which I thought was brilliant and could hardly put it down. We have all three (bought cheaply in Mumbai which has brilliant book stalls and shops) and I cant' wait for Larna to finish book number two so I can read it.
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