PanajiJan 18, 2011
|
|
So I finally made it to Panaji, Capital of Goa state after a long and very annoying ordeal. I was due to leave on the bus from Hospet to Panaji at 6:30. It took me longer than I expected to get from Hampi to Hospet (1hr as opposed to the 20 minutes it took initially). Anyway I got to the bus right at 6:30 and was all set to get on. The guy on the bus told me that I had to wait for the next bus which would be coming in 5 minutes. An hour later another bus shows up. Then I go through a big ordeal because the bus is a sleeper with bunks and a/c. He keeps trying to tell me that I can't take this bus or if I do have to pay 400 rupees more. Blah blah blah. To make a long story short I made them give me my money back and then went to the city bus stand and took a bus from there. I got a seat, but the bus was packed to the rafters. The way normal buses work at night is they turn the lights off, then when they are about to make a stop the lights come back on. Every few minutes the lights went off and on. It was cold. The bus finally emptied out after midnight and there were no more people standing. I had to make 3 bathroom breaks. Yeah. Oh, and did I mention that my driver felt that it was necessary to have Hindi pop blaring out of the speakers the whole night.
Anyway, I survived and have ended up in Goa, a former Portuguese colony. Much of the old Portuguese architecture is crumbling but it is nice none the less. I slept most of my first day here as I didn't sleep on the bus. The state of Goa has a very neo-hippy vibe. I haven't seen so many white people with dredlocks in my whole life. Lots of drinking and drugs going on as well. I have met some really interesting people.
Yesterday I went to Old Goa which is basically just block after block of churches. Today I went to the town of Arambol to check out a yoga place. Tomorrow I am going back and will spend about a week there. The course is a 5 day beginner class where you do yoga for 3-3.5 hours in the morning on an empty stomach. It is called the Himalayan Yoga Institute or hiyoga. You can check them out at hiyoga.com. I will be staying at a place called Piya guest house. The town is on the beach though I will be maybe a quarter of a mile away. There are lots and lots of shops selling just about anything you can imagine and even many restaurants. I even saw a Mexican food place today.
In the morning I am making the longish journey back there. Wish me luck. Love ya'll.
