Goodbye Mumbai, Hello Goa
Trip Start
Nov 24, 2009
1
4
16
Trip End
Jan 11, 2010
Goa, Goa, India
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
It was hard for me to say goodbye to Mumbai again, but I think because now I am confident that I will always return to her, the parting is less tearful. We had booked two airconditioned taxis to take us to the airport and were promised that they would arrive at "9am sharp, Sir. Pakar - no problem."
Come 9.20am there was still no sign of either taxi so we tried to call them ... one had their mobile turned off and the other went to message bank. Nice. So at 9.30am one of the lads from the hotel ran onto the street only to summonthe tiniest taxi available for us all to pile into. It was a tiny Suzuki. Thankfully, they skillfully tied up our three massive suitcases and one of the drag on cabin bags onto the roof rack and off we went with the rest of our hand luggage on our laps.
As always we encountered such lovely people in Mumbai. Donny commented several times that all the people we had conversations with impressed him with their warmth and genuine interest. There was nothing too difficult for them to help us with.
The traffic from the airport in Goa to our hotel was definitely less chaotic than what we had become accustomed to in Mumbai. A lot of the scenes that we passed were reminiscent of our childhood in Katong and Changi or even parts of Malaysia.
We are staying at Panjim Inn and it is just what we had envisioned it to be from all the information we had received about it. It is so tastefully decorated and has retained its Goan heritage in spite of all the modern renovations. The flooring is stunning. Polished bits of marble in a mosaic/terrazzo finish throughout the complex which stretches over several houses in the area - connected by quaint little lanes. There is beautiful artwork throughout and the furniture is antique in style. I love it. Our four-poster bed is so high I have difficulty climbing onto it. The feature wall in our room is a brilliant shade of happy yellow.
This morning we took a long walk inspired by the Lonely Planet Guide book which took us through the leafy Latin Quarter up towards a lovely salmon-pink temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman. We then followed a winding road which led us to the Archbishop of Goa's Palace. And it was indeed a palace! The Chief Minister lives opposite and his house pales in comparison - poor chap. I guess we know where the power lies in this town.
All the homes up in the area are just gorgeous with marvelous views. We continued our walk which took us down to the main church square. There Donny and I had a short conversation with some school boys. I asked them where their bags were and they told me that they were on their recess break. It seems that here in Goa - the children are allowed to leave school while on their break. We saw crowds of them all over the square and in the shops. I am sure this gives the teachers a good break from them as well, for each tiny classroom was crammed with at least 60 children. I marveled at how the children were so well behaved and disciplined enough to return after their break.
We then wandered through the town markets and finally found our way to Sher-e-Punjab which is a lovely restaurant over-looking a park which was being re-landscaped. I have not really mentioned how much we've enjoyed all our meals here while in India - have I? Donny brought this to our attention when he mentioned after lunch that he has yet to be disappointed by any of the meals he's had. We've been 'slain' several times over mostly by Moghul chefs and smiling waiters.
What a beautiful way to spend our Silver Wedding Anniversary. Tomorrow we are off to Anjuna Beach for their famous Wednesday Markets.
Love
Maya
Comments
HI AUNTY MAYA!! photos from my prom are up and india sounds so eventful for you(: cant wait to see you sooooooon!!! (: