Took the bus from Dharamsala to Delhi. ‘B' Class - Rs70 (including Rs1 booking fee. Nothing much to say about the journey except that our driver was the worst I've ever seen. Even the Indians were worried. When approaching a congested area (maybe a bazaar, with trucks parked, people crossing, oxcarts etc) his technique was to charge up at full throttle and only slow up if a gap hadn't miraculously opened for him. He would slow by standing on the brake, throwing everyone forwards against the seat in front. Twice the kid behind burst into tears because his head had been smashed off the seat frame. The driver specialised in forcing other vehicles off the road - cyclists, scooters, motorbikes, cars, even buses and trucks if he could. By the end of the thirteen hour journey we'd resolved never to take a bus again if we could help it. 4am is a silly time to leave anyway (no buses travel through the night in the Punjab, because of terrorist attacks).
Evening - back to the Hotel Crystal (a better room). Showers, then French onion soup, pizzas and fresh lime soda at Nirula's.
2.40pm. Cathy and I are back indoors again, escaping from the heat. We're in the Volga, sipping lassis. This morning we walked out to the Nepalese Embassy to get our visas - Rs120. Cathy finally sold her bottle of whisky - Rs220. That's £4 profit. We pick up the visas at 5pm, after collecting Cathy's passport photos. The four of us had a bite at the United Coffee House, and then split up. Cathy and I went to the post office - I bought stamps for posting my films home (Rs7 each). Then I finally found an acceptable pair of shorts (for Rs62 - £2.44). We now need to find some sun-tan lotion, which might be difficult, since obviously the Indians don't need it. [We never did find any.]
Our train is the Rajdhani Express (No 152up) from New Delhi to Bombay Central. It's all one class, with seats being numbered and reserved in advance. Cost is Rs325 for the 1388km trip, and this includes meals, a detailed description of which follows.
Within half an hour of the train leaving, a couple of men appeared with little green and silver thermos flasks containing about 1½ cups of hot, sweet tea, and orange plastic cups to drink it from. With the tea there was a small bridie-like pastry filled with chopped egg and vegetables, and also a chocolate toffee chew.
Dinner appeared an hour later. First a thermos of tea again, then a plate of spicy tomato soup. Then a full vegetarian thali appeared - a big helping of rice (the only thing I didn't like) and an enormous, folded chapatti. Around the outside were four different savouries - one was a lump of cheese in a curry sauce, one was curried vegetables, the third was dal and finally there was a vegetarian cutlet sort of thing. There was also a separate dish of yoghurt, and the whole thing was finished off with a tub of Kwality ice-cream.
Breakfast was tea again, then an hour later yet again, with more vegetarian cutlets, buttered bread and bananas. British Rail could learn from these people.
Plain Porridge
Banana Porridge
Fruit Porridge
Pooched Eggs
Rum Jum Omlet
Beef Sandwish
Cheese Macoroni
Spagatie Naprotune
Banana Flitters
Coconut Pencake
Thumps-Up
Thursday 24th September (Day 21)
Lying on the beach at Goa and all the travelling has been worth it. This is very relaxing. Briefly, our travel details were:
Sunday 20th. Arrive at Bombay Central. Electric train to Churchgate Station - no extra charge. Walked to Coluba and booked into the Rex Hotel. Very expensive - Rs115 for a tiny double without a bathroom. Cathy and I walked to the Prince of Wales Museum - Rs2 to get in. Full of art treasures and archaeological remains - not particularly interesting. Exterior much better. We ate in the "Alps" (ropey, but passable) and later on at Shamiana in the Taj Mahal. Chocolate and praline souffle - Rs22 - expensive but good. Lovely surroundings. Met a Greek sailor (an officer) who showed us round the old Taj. Very elegant.
Monday 21st. Morning spent chasing around bus and train stations. Can't book 2nd Class sleeper in advance (but cost is only Rs112 compared with Rs420 for 1st Class). The train leaves Bombay Victoria Terminus at 1615 and arrives in Agra the next day at 1555 (Punjab Mail). We need to book the previous morning. (We'll probably stay at the Sally Ann at Bombay.) Afternoon - 3.30 departure on a ‘B' class bus for the supposedly 16 hour journey to Panjim (Panaji). A pleasant journey initially, through green, fertile countryside, with clean, attractive villages. Two meal stops - at the second Cathy and I tried some new food - puffy deep-fried nothings with a sweet sponge and yoghurt. The rest of the bus journey - ouch! Very little sleep. At least the driver was safe, and didn't use his horn. Cost - Rs74.
Tuesday 22nd. Arrived Panaji 7am - earlier than expected. Ferry to the south side of town (free - the bridge has been washed away). Bus to the bus station - Rs0.50. Bus to Margao - Rs2.75 - past palms, pigs and churches. Taxi from Margao to Benaulim Rs25 for 4.
Wednesday 23rd. Lazy day on the beach. Sunburnt. Swam in the sea - somewhat murky, but warm. Lots of jellyfish, and cuttlefish (dead). No seagulls - crows instead. Not nearly so nice. Around Pedro's the tame animals include dogs pigs, goats and a cat. Around our accommodation (Rs55) the wildlife includes geckos, cockroaches, flies and probably fleas, judging by the new bites I find every morning. On the beach there are tunnelling wasps, and little black and white birds like oystercatchers, but not so pretty.
The fishermen go out to sea in wooden boats with outriggers - very ethnic. They also ethnically spread their catch out to dry upwind of our cottage, in the hot sun. The smell is powerful, and vile.
So, on to today. No sun at the moment - overcast and a strong wind, but still warm. I'm conserving money and energy. High points of the days here - breakfast, lunch and tea. Breakfast - typically porridge, banana pancake and lemon tea (Rs7.50). Lunch - omelette, chips, Limca and coconut cake (Rs15). Tea - Kalimari (squid) in garlic sauce with chips and salad, or stuffed fish, pineapple lassi and coconut fenny (a powerful spirit) - Rs18.50. Total cost of food for one day - £1.90.
PS. 2pm. The sun's out now, and scorching hot.
Saturday 26th September
I think the nights in Goa have more of an atmosphere than the days. Last night we ate at Xavier's, along the beach towards Colva. As we were eating the sky was periodically lit up by bright flashes - sheet lightning - yet there was no storm. We get this every night, although tonight it was less pronounced. One night we saw forked lightning flash between the clouds and the sea, but still there was no storm.
Walking back last night the waves were luminous with phosphorescence as they broke. Typically we'd see bright flashes as rogue waves broke a little distance offshore, then a bright green glow as a nearer wave breaks, with an intense band where the tip of the crest strikes the sea. Closer in the sand is stirred up and the phosphorescence is not obvious.
The stars are impressive too, especially in the Milky Way. Not many of the constellations are familiar, although I saw Orion from Dharamsala.
Tonight we hired bicycles (1 rupee for an hour) and rode through the little lanes, between coconut palms and rice paddies, past little chapels and elaborate villas, to Colva. We cycled back along the beach after sunset. Beautiful.
Tomorrow, unfortunately, we leave here for Panjim. We hope to have the afternoon free for Old Goa, then next day it's the dreaded ‘B' class bus back to Bombay.
Tuesday 29th September
Back in Bombay after a bone-crunching bus ride in the back seats of a supposedly deluxe coach (with a flippin' video as well). We are now in the Cafe Shaheen, which I can recommend, especially the Nauratan Korma - very nice and only Rs7.
Accommodation - four of us crammed into a double at the "Seashore Hotel" for Rs150. Cheap for Bombay, and a good view of the harbour. India's aircraft carrier is out there - ex-Illustrious or somesuch. India's the only country which bases Soviet-made helicopters on a British-built ship.
Had a letter from Seymour via Amex (although I'm not really supposed to).
Later - now crammed into our hotel room like sardines, along with a quantity of insects. A small dragonfly landed on my pillow - very pretty, with an apple-green body, a long, yellow tail and a pale, sky-blue yip to the tail. Cathy forcibly evicted a brown stick insect about 2½" long that was crawling up her skirt.
We've just come from a lovely meal in the Sea Lounge of the Taj Mahal - Cathy and I had mushroom vol-au-vents with white wine, while Mary had a Hawaiian veggieburger with pineapple. Elaine was scrimping and saving - soup and tea. Cathy and I went the whole hog with ice-creams (chocolate truffle and mango respectively) and the sweet lassis were the best yet. Cost - Rs101 for mine.
Outside I gave away my small change to a man with one leg (who expressed surprise at the piddling amount I'd given him - I felt like taking it back) and a boy who couldn't stand up (Cathy thought he was a dog at first). When he saw us again he smiled and said hello.
Wednesday 30th September
On a boat going out to Elephanta Island. Rs30 for de-luxe, including the services of a guide (whom I hope speaks English). The plan is - leave 9am, arrive 10am, 2 hours on the island, return 1pm. We're passing the ships in the bay. We passed the aircraft carrier - Sea Kings and Alouettes on deck, but no Kamils. Saw the DSV British Providence (Hamilton - Ontario?) which I last saw in Leith. Very modern, impeccably painted German container ship - Ea Progress (Hamburg) next to a very ropey Indian cargo ship - Denovar Ganga (Bombay). There appears to be a wide cultural gap between pride in a job on one hand and a completely couldn't care less attitude on the other.
There's also a jack-up rig (for overhaul? or actively drilling?) and apparently still in-use port fortifications (many AA guns) flying the Indian Navy ensign.
On the way back we saw a second aircraft carrier in dock, plus missile-armed destroyers. Two jack-up rigs. British Providence has sailed.