Following a weekend of climbing competitions back in the UK, Lisa and Katie bubble wrapped their luggage and arrived in Mumbai on December 11th to begin their journey to Goa.
Having already done the trip, negotiated and lost with the Taxi Drivers, they had received pre warnings about what to expect, what to do and what to say!
Their PRE PAID Taxi from the Airport dropped them at Victoria Train Station, not at the Travel agents around the corner,
where, with the quote “My Mommy Said …...”, they got two A/C Sleeper Tickets for a lot less than I had paid for my second class sleeper through the agent!
The Station was as busy as ever, apparently as many as a million people pass through the gates per DAY!
Their carrage was found,
And with the camera clicking away, the two girls settled into their new quarters as the sound of “Chai Chai, Samosa, Samosa,” echoed along the train.
Back in Goa, I enquired about the bus times to meet the train. “6am/7am was the most I could get out of people so I rose at 5.30 to walk to the village. At 7am the bus arrived, and at 7.40 I discovered the train didn't arrive until 8.45, not 7.45 as I had thought!
I settled with the two canines to wait as the sun rose in the sky baking the platform and surrounding area. People arrived and settled beside me. By 8.15 we had all realised the train was running late. I asked at the office for an expected time of arrival and was politely told 11am! I sent Lisa a text and settled to wait again.
While waiting for my train in Delhi I had heard the most enchanting train announcement. “ The 11204 from (?) is running 20 hours late. The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted!” Compared to that announcement, a mere 2 hours seemed trivial!
At 11am on the dot the Mumbai to Madgon Train arrived and two very well rested girls stepped out of their A/C compartment onto the baked platform and began to sweat! The bus was caught and within an hour I had them booked into their own hut opposite mine and heading for the beach.
When I had been planning my trip to India I had done so much research, I had read up on train times, places of interest, methods of travel. The girls, I discovered as they frolicked in the waves, had done no such research and apart form a visit to the Dudhsagar Falls, had no idea of where they were heading to next!
It was decided (by Me) that we should all stay put for 4 days and just acclimatise and rest before they began their wanderings. This also gave me somewhere to put all my stuff on the 15th as my train to Mumbai wasn't until 7pm!
With this decided I left the girls and headed off into the trees for my massage with Rasindel.
Although my massages with Raja had helped my shoulder, the following three days of travel and consequential exhausted sleep when I arrived in Goa had caused it to lock up again. Having already invested so much into its healing I had found another Masseur to see if I could unlock it again. Rasindel crossed deep massage with pressure point manipulation and although painful at the time, the results were brilliant.
Upon my return I found the girls playing cards on their balcony, their washing and unpacking completed and ready for food.
I introduced them to the Famous Thali and they were suitably impressed! We struggled through two plates between the three of us and then spent the rest of the afternoon recovering.
By the time the sun set, we/I had a plan for the next few days! In the morning, before the sun got too hot, we would walk down to Aswern to see if the tree huts I had stayed in in 2004 were still there. There was an afternoon visit to the Fresh Water lakes with shopping at Anjuna market planned for the Wednesday. Thursday was to be a chill out day with me departing at 7pm. The girls would then begin their adventures alone.
That evening, now that I had company, we walked the beach in the dark, enjoying the cooling breeze from the sea
and climbing unsupervised obstacles that lay deserted on the sands!
Bed was found quite early with lots of noise coming out of the girls hut as they settled themselves under the mosquito net!
I was no longer alone and the next few days were going to be interesting to say the least!!!
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