The previous day I booked a flight, taxi and thanks to three cashpoints in a row not taking my card, spent £15 calling LloydsTSB to tell them to remove the block they had put on my account. They said they hadn't and that I should try another cashpoint. The chirpy bint from Darlington or wherever, somewhere Northern was right. I was all fired up for a rant. I spent the day updating my blog sorting travelling arrangements and eating eggs. I would love to have a jump about in the sea, but I'm literally pillar box red I don't mess about when I'm sun bathing. I decide to take a few pictures of the locals.
A beach shack, the effort that has gone into the presentation is staggering.
One of the locals hoping for a fast ending
Took this picture at JUST the right moment. In the centre there is hovering bags, the blokes display collapsed just as I took the picture.
'Cos it's a bit poo ?
I have to be fair to Goa, this is a small part of it, and I wasn't impressed, it wasn't really geared out for travellers, there is loads of opportunity for improvement, and when they sort that out, the place will be great, the beach is good, there is loads of 'local' markets, where you can get your phone unlocked as you buy a Tuna steak, and your '5 a day' (daily amount of fruit and vegetables as 'dictated' by the UK government, for all my international readers). After speaking to people that have been here, I should have either headed south where it is quiet and ideal for resting your Gall bladder, or further north, where all the hippies are. As someone that hates hippies and their moral objections to capitalism, while using Facebook to air their issues on their Sony Vaio laptops in a Starbucks, I think next time I'll opt for the South.
I think I'm ready for a little more madness. A week in Kerala should give me enough time to think of the next place.
This gives me an idea.... I have a good budget, a sense of adventure, and a good camera, maybe people should suggest where I should go next... This could be interesting ! I might make another post for just that...
Anyway, back to Goa, to round my stay off perfectly, my taxi didn't turn up so I wander onto the streets to see who flags me down firsts. I literally make it about 8 steps from the front of the Hotel and a guy says "Taxi ?", "No," I respond automatically, "Hashish, MDMA ...", "Actually yes, taxi. To the airport", "Ok, 1200 rupees", "900", "ok". I should have started lower, but everywhere I asked said that 900 was about the right price, you sometimes get it for 850.
I was about 2 minutes behind schedule, thanks to the delay in one taxi not turning up and me getting the next one, I told him to step on it, but by the speed of this guy he thought I meant the floor pan of the car not the accelerator. We idled all the way there, overtaken by rickshaws with fat Russians in. My driver seem to think that the car was made of bone china too, so at every opportunity he tooted his horn to warn people, animals and small leaves that we were coming, this wasn't enough, he would deploy the drag chute at every bump turn and slightest hint of oncoming traffic. Luckily I ignored the warning to be there one hour before and opted for two hours. This had something to do with the fact I wanted to be gone asap.
We arrived and without slowing his taxi, I got out walked round to the other door, grabbed my bags, paid the man, got change and headed into the airport.
My bags were x-rayed for the millionth time, I'm pretty sure that if I had anything organic in my bag it would have mutated, punched a hole in the plane and escaped by now.
I'm flying "Spice Jet," something I once experienced after very spicy Chicken Vindaloo from the Barry Balti, the check in guy sees I'm tall and offers the emergency seat. For free. Wow customer service! I'll pick them to fly with again if I get the chance. The flight is generic, I land at Bangalore, where a few people get off, they sweep the plane for rubbish, a couple of people get on and we fly on to Cochin (Kerala). On arrival I'm faced with a dilemma. I have no idea where to go, where to stay, or anything, this is proper backpacking. I ask a Tourist info guy where all the people with back packs go. "Cochin Fort". A taxi there is just under 900 rupees (just over £10) or the bus is 50 rupees (under £1) bus it is, I'm not made of money. 2 hours later I'm there, at a market, luckily I had spotted a few rest houses and the eye catching signs saying 'A/C / Non A/C rooms available. No matter what the place is like I'll have a place to stay. I wander about for about 10 minutes and pick the first place I ask in. I'm hot and I STINK. I really need a laundrette, or I'm going to have to start rotating clothing.
Oddly enough the place I have found is called Park Avenue. It is the name of the road I live on back in Barry. I crank up the AC and lay on a bed with some comfort !
I pop out for a Biryani, and spot loads of other lone backpackers, mainly milfs, but with a day off the grid, my emails are bulging, I have texts, whatsapp messages and a load of things to do. The food is good, the first thing I have eaten all day, and within 30 minutes I'm sat on the karzi.
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