Candolim in Goa – Last Rest Day

Monday, February 28

Candolim in Goa – Last Rest Day

We visited Panaji, the capital city of Goa today. The taxi driver dropped us off in the town square and we walked around doing a little shopping and checking out the area. The park was pretty and well kept, the shops were touristy and expensive…. but we DID get to go to Bloomingdales… errr ummm, I mean Blooming Dales! Haha!!! J

The park is just across the street from the “department store” and is surrounded on all sides with businesses of all kinds. Here’s the park:

We didn’t visit any other sights in Panaji but did stop on a bridge to watch some fishermen gathering their nets at low tide. The nets are set at low tide, then when the tide comes in so do the fish. When the tide goes out again, the fish are caught in their nets.

Another fisherman out in the water further:

When we arrived back at the hotel it was time for our last lunch at our favorite spot – Café Chocolate. With a name like that who wouldn’t like it? They offer wonderful salads, drinks and desserts… oh and breakfast was wonderful French toast – like no other! They use reverse osmosis water to clean all their foods, veggies etc. so there is no worry about digestive distress. Something I never used to think about at home but now think of it every time I make a decision on what I will eat.

The time has come to get back to reality and prepare our bikes and bags for riding tomorrow. It’s been a wonderful break but I’m looking forward to riding again. The heat will be a big factor in the days to come as the temps are in the mid to upper 90s every day now – and it’s just going to get warmer and warmer as we head south. Tomorrow is a big climb day and the following day is 165 K with hills too! Oh BOY!!! J I’ve begun the countdown… only 16 riding days left and 20 days total before I say farewell to India and hello to my family and friends back home. J

My chain is oiled and cleaned, my tires are pumped, every bolt is tight and my bike is ready for the road ahead. My bags are loaded with snacks, bars and water AND all the repair parts necessary for maintenance along the way if necessary. Our taxi driver yesterday was literally shocked when we told him what we were doing – riding across India. He would ask questions like, how far we were going; how old we were; what we do if we have a flat tire; what we do when we come to a hill; and every answer we gave him he said, “OH MY GOD!” He couldn’t believe that we “rode” our bikes up the hills or that we actually could change a flat tire… haha!!! He was in his late 20s and said he could NEVER do that!!! We laughed!!! He must’ve said “OH MY GOD!!!” 50 times on that ride… J

Candolim in Goa – Rest Day

Sunday, February 27

Candolim in Goa – Rest Day

Our beds were so hard (thin mattress pad on a sheet of plywood) that we requested an extra “mattress” for the night last night. There were naysayers who said it wouldn’t help, but all I can say is it really helped me! I slept great… finally!!!!

I have a link you might enjoy – Clive is from London and is writing his own blog. He is funny and if you want a Brit’s perspective on the trip you might want to check it out. I started reading it a few minutes ago and I was laughing SO hard! He said that he wrote something on there about Jan and I – can’t wait to find out what he had to say… I’m sure it’s funny! Here’s his link www.clivesindianride.wordpress.com

Anna found her laundry!!! J

Everyone in this coffee shop is with our group… we all love it here. The coffee shop is doing a good business and we are all getting our cyber and caffeine fixes… it’s a win/win!

We caught a taxi to Old Goa which was the capital city of Goa until the mid 18^th century when a series of severe epidemics forced the viceroy to move the capital to nearby Panaji. Today all that remains of Old Goa are some beautifully preserved churches and the Basilica of Bom Jesus – the tomb of St. Francis Xavier. On our way to the Old Goa our driver slowed to a stop on the middle of this bridge and told us that this section of the side wall was removed to make the Borne Supremacy movie and then they rebuilt it. A vehicle went off the bridge into the water in the movie… he was very proud! J

Here’s a few of the sites in Old Goa: Basilica of Bom Jesus which houses the tomb of St. Francis Xavier

This is the cloister at the cathedral – very beautiful!

Church of St. Francis of Assisi

We also visited the archeological museum which had many artifacts and statues from the local ruins. No photography was allowed but I enjoyed reading about the carvings and artifacts. We have one more day in Goa and then we will head inland toward more of India’s historic sites.

Candolim in Goa – Rest Day

Saturday, February 26

Candolim in Goa – Rest Day

The plan for today was to have breakfast, then a latte, then a facial, then do a little exploring and also see if we could find the beach. Last night we spotted banana pancakes on the menu of a nearby restaurant so that was our destination for breakfast – I had the banana pancakes with of course… chocolate sauce. It was ON the menu that way I promise! I am rebuilding my body’s chocolate reserve here in Goa so it was a no-brainer! J

We ate breakfast with one of the younger riders in our group, Anna. Anna and her husband James are a fun couple – full of energy and enthusiasm! Anna is working on her thesis which she will defend in April when she returns to Canada. She is working towards her law degree and getting close to finishing her formal education before moving on to the bar exam. Anna decided to take advantage of a broken hub on her bike by taking a taxi here and spending a few days working on her thesis – it was nice getting to know her a little better over breakfast. We laughed when she told us about how she had asked someone at our hotel where she could take her laundry to be washed and they took her to a nearby house where she left it to be washed… the only catch was, she couldn’t remember WHERE the house was and hadn’t seen the person who took her there since. J She has no idea where her laundry is… but she and James will go searching for it when he arrives later today.

Our next stop was the coffee shop – a nice, clean shop with wireless internet available. There are two dogs that lay on the patio out front. The young gal in the coffee shop explained that they are street dogs but that she feeds them every morning and they go next door to the restaurant in the evenings for supper. In this tourist area, there is an animal agency (I believe she said from Europe) that comes in and picks up any dog that does not have a collar. The dogs are either spayed or neutered, given vaccinations and then returned to the spot where they were picked up. She put collars on them and they live as street dogs but are well fed and healthy. I named them Mocha and Latte for our time here – Latte is the brown one on the step, Mocha is black and white. They sleep in front of the coffee shop during the day and are most active at night when it is cooler.

After coffee we had our facials… If you know me very well you know that it is RARE for me to go to a spa and two days in a row sets a record for me. In fact, this was my FIRST official facial! . I picked the facial that also included a shoulder massage and hot stones… it was divine! I must admit it feels good to be pampered… especially knowing that in a few days we will load up our bikes and hit the road for another 3 weeks of riding in the heat. Here’s the entrance to the resort where our spa is located. If I ever come back, this is where I would stay. It’s very nice here with an award winning restaurant too!

We wandered aimlessly in the afterglow of our facials… haha! Well not really, but we did explore more of this little town and found our way to another coffee shop for lunch before hitting the beach. I had a wonderful salad – something I haven’t had since I left home. The fruits and vegetables are usually rinsed in local water here which contains bacteria that our bodies just can’t handle. But this restaurant cleans all its food with reversed osmosis water and is safe to eat. Apples, walnuts and greens never tasted so good!

The beach is alive with people, people, people! A huge ship had run ashore many years ago and remains just offshore.

Looking away from the shore, the beach is lined with benches, umbrellas and huts that sell snacks and drinks.

Jan and I walked the beach on the water’s edge… getting caught in the waves up to our knees a few times. The wind was blowing and in the distance we could see parachutes from the parasailers enjoying themselves. Here’s another overall beach photo looking north.

If you look closely to the right of the Bonos sign below you will see a woman carrying blankets on her head and selling swimsuit cover-ups, sarangs and other items. I can’t imagine how HOT she must be under all that… but they are used to the heat unlike us tourists. This is winter here and it’s in the high 80s and 90s.

Leaving the beach, I snapped a picture of the hot water tanks here. These black tanks are mounted on roofs and stands of all sorts and they supply the hot water for things like showers and sinks. Warmed by the sun, they are energy efficient and simple – cold water in, warm water out. Maybe they never heard the story of the 3 little pigs but if the big bad wolf came and huffed and puffed he would surely blow this stand down. J

Finding our way back to the main street led us through some of the back streets and of course I love the ox carts so had to take a picture of this brightly painted wheels and pretty oxen just standing on the street.

Here’s our barista and her boyfriend who run the coffee shop… a cute couple. He was able to help Bernie and Beryl buy a new camera to replace one the lost AND one for Morgan who wants to take some of her own photos for an article she is writing.

Candolim in Goa – R&R

Friday, February 25

Candolim in Goa – R&R

Today is pampering day! Yesterday evening we explored the main streets of Candolim and found a coffee shop that also offers free wireless internet. So after a nice breakfast here at the hotel, with laptops in hand, we headed to the coffee shop. My mocha was very good – a nice way to start the pampering! We decided to go next door to a very nice spa and see if we could set up appointments for a manicure and pedicure before returning to the coffee shop to get online. There was ONE shop between the coffee shop and the spa – the perfect place to pick up a pair of sandals to wear AFTER I have a pedicure! J Yes, I bought a fun pair of sandals on the way to the spa! The spa had availability right away so we both had our feet and hands done AND reflexology on our feet and calves. It was GREAT! I feel like a girl again! It’s the BEST!!

We didn’t want to leave this resort with the spa so I suggested we see if they had a restaurant there… which they did! It was an award winning restaurant! SCORE!!! The food was fabulous, the outdoor setting was very comfortable with fans blowing and a mist of water cooling the air… aaahhhhh!

We went back to the coffee shop and sipped more espresso as we got online to catch up on emails etc. I responded to an email from mom and was finishing my daily pages when the power went out so I didn’t get to send my blog updates to Ryan but I DID drink 3 mochas while typing my pages. J Little ones mind you…. all put together they MIGHT be a Venti at Starbucks J

Here’s my little workstation at the coffee shop:

We went back to our hotel for a while… just to relax. We’ll go back to the coffee shop in a little while to make another attempt at sending my blog updates… and coffee of course.

Thursday, February 24

Harnai to…. Goa - Taxi

Today I made an attempt to share a few moments of our taxi ride with you. I “thought” I had my camera on video mode but I later found out that I was doing it all wrong - no video at all. I’m disappointed because I thought I had caught some of those “take your breath away, flinch and close your eyes” moments that eventually happen on every taxi ride here.

I’ve since figured out the proper way to start the video on my camera so I will make another attempt in the near future. In the meantime, here’s the video that Jan captured as we attempted to pass two trucks and pass through a small town at the same time.

[Unfortunately, the video was too big to upload from the internet here.]

Goa is the smallest state in India and is a popular tourist destination because of its beautiful beaches. We are in the small town of Candolim at the northern part of Goa… near where the Mandovi river empties into the sea. Our hotel is not on the beach, but that’s ok… there’s time to see the beach in the next few days.

Harnai to Ganatiphule – 110 K

Wednesday, February 23

Harnai to Ganatiphule – 110 K

Several of us rode the lunch truck to the lunch stop location and then unloaded our bikes and rode from there to the hotel. That is the best way to ensure that we arrive at the hotel in plenty of time to enjoy the facilities and the beach in the afternoon. We rode only about 45 Kilometers of the 110 for today. The roads are still rough (we call them Rajasthani roads) and hills are consistently 8-12% grades. The concept of enjoying a well-deserved downhill AFTER a climb is an unlikely reality. Most of the downs are SO rough and strewn with gravel or dirt that you have to keep on the brakes the entire way down. Bernie (you’ll see a picture of him below) had a flat yesterday AND today from his rear brake overheating the rim on the down hills. I alternated and combined using my back and front brakes on the down hills…. most of them anyway. There was only one gradual downhill that was on a nice roadway – I enjoyed it immensely! J

Before arriving at our starting point (the lunch stop around 60 K into the day), we had to board a ferry (with the truck) for a quick ride across the bay - it saved everyone 70 Kilometers of riding around the bay. While waiting for the ferry, I captured a picture of one of the prettiest birds here – the Kingfisher. Their coloring is STUNNING! Here it is sitting on a hunk of concrete alongside the ferry ramp.

On the ferry, I snapped a picture of two of the three drivers for our group. Ashuk (pronounced “a “ (as in apple) & shook with the accent on the shook) is on the right – he drives the flagging car and sometimes picks up riders – and he is very helpful with whatever else is needed and also is available to change our money from dollars to rupees. The other driver is….. I can’t remember his name but he is the driver for the luggage truck. We also put bikes in his truck if we have too many riders needing a lift. The driver of the lunch truck is not very friendly and doesn’t really talk to any of us…he’s the serious sort and he stays with his truck and even sleeps in it every night. I do not have a picture of him… not yet anyway.

They found us a lunch spot at about 63 Kilometers. A woman was doing her laundry when we pulled up. I caught a few pictures of her rinsing the clothes. She filled the bucket from the water spout and then rinsed the clothes in the bucket

Just a moment before she rinsed, she was bent over this rock cleaning them by rubbing them on the rock – I think she was using a mild soap too.

Her water pots for carrying water to the house were waiting to be filled – when the laundry is done, she will fill them, and one by one she will put them on her head and take them to her house for cooking and cleaning.

We began our ride on a downhill and right away I spotted a ‘leaf” running across the road…? oh wait… that was a yellow lizard! I haven’t seen many reptiles here and I’m not too disappointed about that… especially the vipers and snakes. We’ve seen a few snake charmers with cobras but that’s all… they give me the creeps!

Soon we were on the hunt for a cold coke and found a nice spot to stop for one – this is a very NICE roadside shop – I’m sure the whole village comes here for everything they need. We ate potato chips and Pepsi and were on our way… refreshed. See the red phone on the right…. That’s the phone for the town and even though it looks like the hotline to the president, it is actually the only landline in the town. J

We had another ferry ride – this time the driver would not leave until we had 15 bikes and riders so we had to wait until the boat was full before heading across the bay. The ride was about 30 minutes long – here you see Bernie, one of the funniest guys on the trip. He and his wife Beryl are from Prince Edwards Island and traveled with Tour d’Afrique for 4 months thru Africa. They have written a book on that experience. I have the title written down in my bag so I can buy it when I get home.

We crossed a bridge this afternoon and saw a pretty fishing village – of course a picture was a great reason to take a moment to get off our bikes and relax. Our riding style is relaxed and casual but not everyone on the trip has the same style. Some are more driven to get to the hotel in the fast and furious way, while others opt to stop and visit with the local folks, sometimes putting their bikes in trucks or taxis and getting a lift forward. The beauty is, all our different styles are welcomed and the tour leaders want us to be as independent as we want to be – they only ask that we contact them if we make changes so that they can keep track of everyone’s whereabouts. They don’t want to lose anyone along the way. It’s a reasonable request and one that is easy to comply with.

We stopped just ahead and had another cold drink – this time it was Coke. We also ate 2 bags of potato chips and while we sat in the shade of the bamboo awning, one of the young men brought out a handmade wooden replica of a fishing boat that he had made. He was proud of his workmanship and we acknowledged his skill… he was so pleased with our compliments that he left and returned with a photo album of his work. We looked at the photos of the different pieces he makes and sells… and of course the photos of his family too. It was a nice stop.

When it was time to leave we returned our glass coke bottles and asked for a garbage can to throw away our potato chip bags. No matter where we go, the response to a request for a trash can is always the same – they look at us like we are from another planet and shake their heads and gesture with their hands to just throw it on the ground. I can’t get myself to litter even WITH their consent. I feel like I’m being so disrespectful to the country and it’s land. So I did what I do each time this happens, I simply handed my bag to the young man who in turn throws it beside the building on the ground by the street.

Here’s two more pictures of this village before we left:

The view from our balcony at the hotel is lovely.

We had time for a nice walk on the beach and then had a chat with Bernie and Beryl about the idea of skipping the next few days of riding and going straight to Goa for a few days of R&R there. That’s what we decided to do. Beryl made the hotel arrangements while one of the staff at TDA arranged our transportation. We are going to Goa tomorrow! I’m excited!

Here’s a self portrait of me on the beach at this lovely spot in Ganatiphule!

Janjira to Harnai – 100 K

Tuesday, February 22

Janjira to Harnai – 100 K

With an elevation gain of 2700 feet before lunch it made for a hilly morning on our bikes. Jan and I didn’t arrive at the lunch stop until after 2pm but by then I was more hot than hungry. While climbing one of the final hills before lunch, I looked down at my Garmin and it read 103 degrees!

Let me backtrack a little and explain how we came to arrive at our lunch spot (only traveling 60 K) by 2 pm. Our day started with a short 20 K ride to a ferry boat… well, actually the tour called it a ferry boat but in reality it was a fishing boat that we converted to a bike ferry for the morning. J Here we are loading the first 15 bikes on the boat. It can only hold that many of us at one time.

Right away they put Joe to work running the bilge pump – we had a laugh as he pumped the water out of the boat – knowing that our fate was in his hands. J I had dibs on the life preserver ring closest to me. J

My rootbeer ride is a trooper and rode the trip on the top of the boat – here they are unloading it – again we had to unload it onto another boat then to the dock. Funny!

Although we left at sea level and arrived at sea level there were MANY hills in between. We rode another 20 kilometers or so and then had ANOTHER ferry ride across another bay. This was a short ferry ride, but as it turned out they had to load a huge bus on the ferry and that undertaking took some time. Here, the crew is putting special ramps under the bus tires so it can be loaded. The bus riders were college students on their way to a nearby fort and we had a nice time visiting with them. At first I was a little overwhelmed with the attention they were paying me. They ALL (boys) wanted to take their pictures with me – I think they took about 30 cell phone/camera pictures or more. They were friendly and our ferry ride went quickly. One of the instructors who spoke English sent us off with wishes of “courage and goodwill” because that is what we had given them as we told them about our adventure.

The ride after this ferry was more of the same hills and rough roads – slow goin’. When we finally reached the lunch van we had decided that we would ride in the van the rest of the way to the hotel. While I sat in the shade of the van sipping my water bottle and pouring it on my head to cool myself, I turned to see one of the local cows snooping around and trying to score a taste of biker lunch from the lunch gear. I think it’s pretty cool how every day is a farm day on the roads here. J Here’s Fossy looking for a snack!

As we awaited the arrival of the last of the riders to come to the lunch station, we took advantage of the shade and concrete benches in a nearby bus stop – a nice spot for a little rest. Mika is in the green – she joined us in Mumbai and has such a wonderfully cheery personality – she is from San Francisco. Jan and Edwina (Joe’s wife) are laying down in the corner. J

The van drove us towards the hotel and it’s fun to see the scenery and not be concerned about the road conditions – often seeing things that I would otherwise miss because I have to concentrate on avoiding the many obstacles in the road. The magnolia trees are in bloom! They are large leafless trees with beautiful red blooms! The pictures I took from the van do not do them justice so you will just have to trust me on it! Soon they will have their leaves, but right now they are a wonderfully vibrant contrast to the browns and greens of the rest of the vegetation here.

We slowed for traffic in a small village and I snapped a few pictures out my window – here’s the view looking ahead down the road – this is very typical of the small towns and villages here (this one is cleaner than most however). People either live in these buildings lining the street OR they sell their goods and services in these areas OR both.

After arriving at the hotel and washing my clothes I decided the BEST thing to do was to take a nice LONG walk on the beach. It was evening and the water was the perfect temperature for strolling up the beach as the gentle surf washed across my feet. I didn’t take my camera or anything else… just me, the beach, the waves and the sunset – it was PERFECT! In the distance, a fleet of floating wooden fishing boats in a bay gave the appearance of what life was like hundreds of years ago in this very spot. The two oxcarts walking along the high tide line confirmed that I had stepped back in time and I relished the moment – I had walked far enough from anything that resembled the 21^st century that I really could step back in time. When I finally turned “back to the future” to return to the hotel, I watched the red sun set into the sea – it was beautiful! I thought about home too… and how that same red sun was just about to welcome a new day to my family and friends – they would soon be starting the day I was just finishing. J

I missed the group meeting while I was on my walk but I didn’t really care – I could easily get the updates from someone else but my sunset walk on the beach will remain with me the rest of my life!

Mumbai to Janjira – 70 K

Monday, February 21

Mumbai to Janjira – 70 K

Before we caught the ferry boat and said farewell to Mumbai we found that we had time for a group photo. We’ve said goodbye to 6 people and we’ve added 6 people for the 2^nd half of the trip. Here’s the picture of most everyone…. There’s a few missing, but they’re around somewhere. J I’m in the back row behind over the shoulder of the guy in yellow (Clive… he’s from London).

As we pulled away from the dock, we had a great view of India Gate and the Taj Hotel from the boat:

Once on board, we were supposed to have breakfast but someone forgot the loaves of bread. Our breakfast consisted of bananas, hard cooked eggs, peanut butter, Nutella, jam, butter and a juice box. Well, without bread we decided to put the peanut butter on the banana – here’s James’ version WITH both peanut butter and Nutella.

The riders are on top of the boat:

And the bikes are riding it out below:

Getting off the ferry was tricky. The ferry pulled up alongside an old antique wood fishing boat which was roped to the dock. We had to take our bikes from the ferry onto the old boat, across the old boat to the bottom of these concrete steps, then up the stairs to the top of the dock. You know what it’s like when two boats are side by side in the water… imagine taking your bike from one boat to another while they pitch back and forth… We all made it safely without incident but I sure wish I could’ve had a picture of it!!! Crazy!

The weather is warm and the ride is scenic. It’s getting more and more tropical with each kilometer and it’s very pretty. Jan and I stopped for a Coke at this quaint and quiet beachside spot. I really wanted to climb into one of the hammocks… they were so inviting. We will continue along the coast for several days on our way to Goa. The Arabian Sea is pretty warm… but then all I have to compare it to is the Pacific Ocean in Oregon where it’s quite cold.

Our hotel is in a nice setting – here’s our place for the night:

We get the room on the left of this bungalow – our laundry is already out on the line to dry:

I took a walk on the beach and here are a few of the sites from my walk. A horse drawn carriage for a ride on the beach was available – for a small fee of course.

Out from the shore is an old fort that sits as a sentry – guarding the coast. I heard someone say that pirates took over the fort at one point… I’m not sure that’s true or not but it is very easy to imagine them out there! J

Finally, Michlene from Canada took my picture out on the beach… Hi from the western shores of India!