Sorry for the delay of our newest posting, but I admit we have been distracted. I am writing this passage as Cat and I are enjoying pure paradise and as you can imagine, it's easy to lose track of time in paradise. But before I describe our experiences here in Goa, it is necessary to go back so that we can proceed chronologically. We last left you before our trip from Aurangabad to the Ellora religious caves. This trip was the main reason for our visit to the area and it absolutely lived up to its hype.l The caves are entirely man made; dugout from top to bottom and vary in origin from about 600 AD to 1000 AD. There were 3 distinct types of caves which were spatially segregated. They were built by Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains in that chronological order and have very distinct structural and artistic differences. The caves are believed to have been used as monasteries, dining halls, temples and gathering places. We started our walk at the oldest caves which were built by Buddhists. The very earliest caves were smaller with less intricate details but as we continued forward in timed they got much larger and more ornate. The Buddha sculptures were ubiquitous and varied in size but each cave had a centrally located large Buddha. Farther ahead there were even multi leveled caves with carved stairs connecting floors. The transition into Hinduism was obvious due to the plethora of deities carved in stone. Of the caves, these were my favorite and none could compare to the incredibly massive Kailasa "cave". Calling it a cave is a little misleading due to its sheer size and level of detail throughout its several buildings and stories. The largest monolithic structure on the planet, its wider and taller than the Pantheon in Greece. The cave was built by many workers who, over the course of some 200 generations, moved around 200,000 tons of rock. This temple (I can't even call it a cave) was truly mind blowing.
On the journey back to Aurangabad, we couldn't find out where to catch the bus so we decided to hop into one of the unofficial jeep taxis. In northern India, you can see these silver jeeps everywhere and they all look the same. We were told it would only cost 30 rupees for a seat so we got in. On the way to Aurangabad, the jeep kept stopping for passengers, piling us on top of each other and cramming people into the rear. Before we knew it, there were 18 people inside of a small jeep. Needless to say, we haven't ridden in another since.
Having taken an overnight sleeper train, we arrived in Mumbai early in the morning. We got an astronomically overpriced cab (150 rupees~3 bucks) to the Salvation Army Hostel located in the Colaba quarter. This section is on the southern part of the bay and is traditionally home to the Mumbai fisherman. We were slightly weary of the rumors of bed bugs at the hostel, but decided to brave it because it was by far the cheapest option. On the first day we worked our way up to the far north point of the bay. We stopped along the way at Chowpatty beach to marvel at the multitude of massive concrete tetrapods meant to "retake land from the sea" (whatever that means). At the very northernmost point, we stopped and rested at the Bananga Tank, a very large pool said to be where the earth began. From there, we moved back south to the Ghandi museum located at his Mumbai abode. We finished the day watching the sunset on Chowpatty enjoying roasted corn on the cob and Bhel Puri (a south Indian specialty). After a sleepless, bed bug infested night we headed off to Crawford Market. There we walked down the many aisles of fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, sweets and most anything you can imagine. While in the fish and poultry area, Cat's head became a landing pad for an airborne fish carcass, so we took some time to recover from that ordeal. Next stop was the uber touristy Gate of India and across the street to the historic 5 star hotel, the Taj Mahal. We spent some leisurely time enjoying the powerful air conditioning until our rest was cut short as I was chased out of the "residents only" pool area. On the walk home we hot caught up in a swarm of cricket fans making for the Mumbai Indians evening game. Then back onto the train for an overnighter into northern Goa (the state where Indians go for vacation).
Author's note: It's funny that our best nights rest consistently comes on sleeper trains which is most likely due to the effective air conditioning.
The next morning we hopped the most uncomfortable bus I've ever been on in my life to Aranmbol. Even with people taking every single seat, standing neck and neck in the aisle and people hanging out the door, they kept packing us in. I could not believe they were able to close the door behind us but there was hardly room to inhale. It was rather impressive how the money collector still managed to make his rounds up and down the aisle. And finally here we are right back where I started in paradise, more specifically a little beach called Mandrem in the northern part of Goa. With all of the hassles of traveling forgotten. Since its the end of the tourist season here and many hotels are closing down, we managed to score an ocean front bamboo hut for dirt cheap. We are spending about seven days in Goa hopping from beach town to beach town working our way south. Then it will be on to Hampi.
On the journey back to Aurangabad, we couldn't find out where to catch the bus so we decided to hop into one of the unofficial jeep taxis. In northern India, you can see these silver jeeps everywhere and they all look the same. We were told it would only cost 30 rupees for a seat so we got in. On the way to Aurangabad, the jeep kept stopping for passengers, piling us on top of each other and cramming people into the rear. Before we knew it, there were 18 people inside of a small jeep. Needless to say, we haven't ridden in another since.
Having taken an overnight sleeper train, we arrived in Mumbai early in the morning. We got an astronomically overpriced cab (150 rupees~3 bucks) to the Salvation Army Hostel located in the Colaba quarter. This section is on the southern part of the bay and is traditionally home to the Mumbai fisherman. We were slightly weary of the rumors of bed bugs at the hostel, but decided to brave it because it was by far the cheapest option. On the first day we worked our way up to the far north point of the bay. We stopped along the way at Chowpatty beach to marvel at the multitude of massive concrete tetrapods meant to "retake land from the sea" (whatever that means). At the very northernmost point, we stopped and rested at the Bananga Tank, a very large pool said to be where the earth began. From there, we moved back south to the Ghandi museum located at his Mumbai abode. We finished the day watching the sunset on Chowpatty enjoying roasted corn on the cob and Bhel Puri (a south Indian specialty). After a sleepless, bed bug infested night we headed off to Crawford Market. There we walked down the many aisles of fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, sweets and most anything you can imagine. While in the fish and poultry area, Cat's head became a landing pad for an airborne fish carcass, so we took some time to recover from that ordeal. Next stop was the uber touristy Gate of India and across the street to the historic 5 star hotel, the Taj Mahal. We spent some leisurely time enjoying the powerful air conditioning until our rest was cut short as I was chased out of the "residents only" pool area. On the walk home we hot caught up in a swarm of cricket fans making for the Mumbai Indians evening game. Then back onto the train for an overnighter into northern Goa (the state where Indians go for vacation).
Author's note: It's funny that our best nights rest consistently comes on sleeper trains which is most likely due to the effective air conditioning.
The next morning we hopped the most uncomfortable bus I've ever been on in my life to Aranmbol. Even with people taking every single seat, standing neck and neck in the aisle and people hanging out the door, they kept packing us in. I could not believe they were able to close the door behind us but there was hardly room to inhale. It was rather impressive how the money collector still managed to make his rounds up and down the aisle. And finally here we are right back where I started in paradise, more specifically a little beach called Mandrem in the northern part of Goa. With all of the hassles of traveling forgotten. Since its the end of the tourist season here and many hotels are closing down, we managed to score an ocean front bamboo hut for dirt cheap. We are spending about seven days in Goa hopping from beach town to beach town working our way south. Then it will be on to Hampi.
It's great to get caught up. We feel a little guilty and will email about our visit tonight or tomorrow. The big stuff is all ahead. Cat I can't imagine how awful the fish fiasco was. I would have been horrified!! The caves sound incredible! Can't wait to see pictures! Glad you're surviving local travel.
ReplyDeleteYour adventure sounds terrific (except the fish carcass projectile). All is well here in New Hampshire, but a little staid by comparison. I look forward to the next installment.
ReplyDelete