GOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOA
SOOOOooooooo GOA…. known for its beaches and lush foliage,
is located 661 km (410 miles) from
Hyderabad on the west coast. We took a
12 hour bus ride which left on a Friday night (June 21), leaving us with only had a day
and a half to enjoy the area. **If you read about the trip to Bangalangalore, then
you already know how terrible bus rides can be here. However, I do want to
mention that this bus ride was soooo much nicer than first. This one was a
sleeper with A/C, and there were four bunks to a room. Even though everyone
that was in my cabin was my roommate at home, except for Eric, it ended up
feeling like a sleep over as we squealed and laughed at dumb stuff. It was
pretty fun.
So we arrived on Saturday around 7 in the morn’. As we drove to our hotel I felt like I was driving through the roads in Kona on the island of Hawaii. It was so lush and green; quite the opposite of Hyderabad. It was funny because I automatically felt happier there because I felt like I was closer to nature. I know that sounds soooo dumb, but I find that I am happier when I’m outside surrounded by mother freakin nature. Of course the place had more of an Indian taste to it as we drove past rice fields, cow lined streets, and Indian peeps of course.
As we were pulling into our hotel we passed a few shop/shacks
and I kid you not, I was freaking out in my mind when I saw the clothes they
were selling. But it wasn’t just me that was stokedas. And because of the amount
of stoke that we were all feeling, shopping was the first thing we did. We all
managed to buy some really sweet pants (mainly the ones where the crotch is
hangin by your ankles (super touristy I know)) and happened upon a Tibetan
market that sold some of the coolest stuff I’ve seen this whole trip. And might I add that all of it was at prices
that would blow an Americans mind.
Anyways, bargaining was fun because you would ask them how
much something was and they would start of by saying “Best price for you” or “______”
and then would give some outrageous price (obvi because we were touristy
people). So I would cut it down more
than half, go up a little, and start to walk away if they wouldn’t sell. 98% of the time they would agree in defeat,
but it was nerve wracking walking away from something I was really, really,
really, really, really stoked on; I felt like they weren’t going to agree with
my price which would lead to them realizing how much I wanted it, thus giving
them the ability to jack the prices.
When we got to the beach we saw bagel (O) other tourists.
Instead, and in baffling amazement, we found ourselves in the midst of thee
biggest sausage fest. I probably saw a total of 5 women dispersed throughout
the hundreds of men, and they happened to be wearing t-shirts over their
swimsuits. I didn’t feel that uncomfortable being in a bikini, but had I known
it was going to be that way, I wouldn’t have worn one.
But when Lindsey and I returned to our headquarters with the
rest of the group, we eventually found ourselves surrounded by a crowd about 40
dudes strong. It was amazing how quickly
they appeared. It was slightly humorous when it was just a few of them, but it
got to the point where so many of them were trying to talk to us that it was
not ok. It was very disconcerting and we ended up having to leave. LAME. But it
blew our minds that people would even do that. I mean, why would anyone think
that it’s ok to do that? But that’s not even the beginning. There’s so much of
that stuff that happens here……..
होली मोली थेरेस अ लोट फॉर में तो कात्च उप ओन ! translates into > Holy moly there’s a lot for me to catch up on! And I just discovered that I could write in Hindi!
So my brain is kind of exploding as I try to figure out what I’m gonna talk about…..I guess I’ll start off by rambling about my weekend trip to Goa which took place a month ago today! I’ll post about everything else l8tr.
So my brain is kind of exploding as I try to figure out what I’m gonna talk about…..I guess I’ll start off by rambling about my weekend trip to Goa which took place a month ago today! I’ll post about everything else l8tr.
So we arrived on Saturday around 7 in the morn’. As we drove to our hotel I felt like I was driving through the roads in Kona on the island of Hawaii. It was so lush and green; quite the opposite of Hyderabad. It was funny because I automatically felt happier there because I felt like I was closer to nature. I know that sounds soooo dumb, but I find that I am happier when I’m outside surrounded by mother freakin nature. Of course the place had more of an Indian taste to it as we drove past rice fields, cow lined streets, and Indian peeps of course.
As we were pulling into our hotel we passed a few shop/shacks
and I kid you not, I was freaking out in my mind when I saw the clothes they
were selling. But it wasn’t just me that was stokedas. And because of the amount
of stoke that we were all feeling, shopping was the first thing we did. We all
managed to buy some really sweet pants (mainly the ones where the crotch is
hangin by your ankles (super touristy I know)) and happened upon a Tibetan
market that sold some of the coolest stuff I’ve seen this whole trip. And might I add that all of it was at prices
that would blow an Americans mind.
I was able to learn
how to really bargain there, though part of me felt guilty for buying such
awesome stuff for so cheap. On the other
hand, it’s made me really disgusted thinking about how much money people are
making in the States off of the same stuff. Take for example a pair of pants
that I bought for about four bucks..(I probably could have gotten for cheaper had
my group and I worked together).. In the states I’m guessing they would have
sold anywhere between 30-50 dollars. !!!Nearly 10X moarr than the original price!!!
Anyways, bargaining was fun because you would ask them how
much something was and they would start of by saying “Best price for you” or “______”
and then would give some outrageous price (obvi because we were touristy
people). So I would cut it down more
than half, go up a little, and start to walk away if they wouldn’t sell. 98% of the time they would agree in defeat,
but it was nerve wracking walking away from something I was really, really,
really, really, really stoked on; I felt like they weren’t going to agree with
my price which would lead to them realizing how much I wanted it, thus giving
them the ability to jack the prices.
Now that I think about it, I don’t
know if that’s ever really happened. And I admit, in great shame, that when I feel pressured to get something I think I’m never gonna see again, whether it’s due to lack of time or
because the seller isn’t budging, then I give in and spend way more than I
should. And whether or not you know, this is something I despise admitting. :( . BUT THEN I justify my
seemingly rash decisions by telling myself that I still got it cheaper than I
would have in the states :D Which is completely true. I swear.
But we didn’t just shop. The first day there my team and I hit
up the beach, which was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. **Now dress here
in India is very very conservative; shirts covering the upper leg are most
appropriate , and are to show little to no chest** So I wasn’t sure if it was
ok if I could wear a bikini, but I was was told that it was gonna be OK since we
thought the beach was gonna be filled with tourists dressed in the same manner.
So I did.
When we got to the beach we saw bagel (O) other tourists.
Instead, and in baffling amazement, we found ourselves in the midst of thee
biggest sausage fest. I probably saw a total of 5 women dispersed throughout
the hundreds of men, and they happened to be wearing t-shirts over their
swimsuits. I didn’t feel that uncomfortable being in a bikini, but had I known
it was going to be that way, I wouldn’t have worn one.
Anyways, the water was pretty dece I’m assuming it was due to a strong current or
something. And you don’t mess with authority here in India, so we did.
So the group went and set up our little sit down station
while Lindsey and I went to build a sand castle. I love building sand castles.
With moats. And shells embedded in the
walls. Love it.
As we were all doing our thang, we found ourselves being
haggled to buy henna tattoos as well as jewelry and such as. It was pretty annoying
cause they wouldn’t leave, but I ended up making friends with the henna tattoo
lady as we talked. All the while, Indian men began would come up to me and
Lindsey and try to get photos with us. That happens a lot here in India so we
know how to deal with it.
But when Lindsey and I returned to our headquarters with the
rest of the group, we eventually found ourselves surrounded by a crowd about 40
dudes strong. It was amazing how quickly
they appeared. It was slightly humorous when it was just a few of them, but it
got to the point where so many of them were trying to talk to us that it was
not ok. It was very disconcerting and we ended up having to leave. LAME. But it
blew our minds that people would even do that. I mean, why would anyone think
that it’s ok to do that? But that’s not even the beginning. There’s so much of
that stuff that happens here……..
Anyways, that was basically the whole trip. We did more
shopping and a few of us cruised the beach before we left next day.
Speaking of leaving the next day…. that bus ride home is what I believe to be the second
most life threatening thing that has happened to me since I’ve been here in India. It was rainy and the driver
was flooring it through these tiny windy roads. I
was on the top bunk so I felt the turns more than the others on the bottom, and
there were multiple times when I was thrown from one side of my bunk to the
other. If you would like to read more about that experience, please visit my
quick little post on it….I feel like I’ve already drawn this one out too long. Enjoy some extra fotos
This poor guy. He freaked out once he figure out what I was doing.
Who can spot the peeing man?
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