(There are few pictures in this entry. Keep in mind that I spent the day in the bus and I've learned that trying to take pictures from a bus is a wasted effort. And since I had a film camera at the time, I decided not to waste film on blurred images.)
I'm sitting in a bus in the town of Vasco de Gama. I arrived in Goa about an hour ago and immediately went to the tourist office for information. One guy told me to take a taxi for the price of 1,200rupees. A woman suggested I take the bus because it would cost less. I opted for the bus because I'm in India and I don't really want to travel like a bourgeois. This, I feel, is more authentic. So, here I am. I have no idea when the bus will leave, though an old man (there are two old men and one old woman in the bus with me) told me this bus would go to Chaudi, which is fairly close to where I want to go: Palolem.
The inside of the bus is painted in crazy aquamarine and there are painted signs for "senior citizens" and "ladies only". The conductor is sitting in the cabin, which is caged off, but he has hung two old water bottles from the ceiling and has plants growing out of them. Their leaves have been wound throughout the rest of the bus. It adds atmosphere...
The bus is moving now. It sounds like it's 50 years old and just wants to die. More people have got on now. The buildings outside are old and the paint's chipping off, but it's very green here and there are coconut trees everywhere. It's over 30 degrees Celsius and I'm in heaven!
I think I could walk faster than this bus! :)
On the bus, there are signs asking people not to eat Paan.
Paan salesman (picture taken in Kerala): paan is made with a betel leaf, in the upper left of the picture. The way they make it in Bangladesh is with a crushed palm nut that is placed inside the betel leaf along with a kind of white paste made with crushed shells. Feel free to correct me if my memory is wrong. In India, though, there seems to be a slightly different way of making it, though I don't have the know-how to explain it. It is also very possible that different states in the country have their own twist on it.
(check out the recipe for paan on www.Food-India.com. While reading the recipe, I realized that there is no indication of crushed shells in it, but I'm leaving my explanation up here because that was the explanation I remember receiving at the time; the mind is tricky though, so if you do want to try this for yourself, definitely trust the website!)
Palm nuts: (taken at a Myanmar market in 2002)Some observations while riding on the bus:
-There are lots of bougainvillea here and everyone plays cricket; I saw cricket fields from the plane. Wouldn't it be nice to watch part of a game and have the rules explained to me...
- Driving by a bunch of beautiful old colonial houses set back off this country road; surrounded by trees, they are amazing
- Saw a funeral procession; everyone was wearing blue
- There are so many shades of Indians; from the very light-skinned to the dark cocoa that is so rich and beautiful
- The women are brightly colored peacocks and the men drab, in comparison.
- I have only seen one man wearing a lungi. I was told that wearing a lungi was considered old-fashioned and that no one in the north wear them anymore (unless they are in the comfort of their homes), but that I might find some wearing them in the south. And I did! It brings back fond memories of Bangladesh...
I have arrived after almost 12 hours of traveling! Big difference from the 3 hour cab ride I could have taken! But it was worth it.
When I got off the bus, night had already fallen hours earlier and I was immediately accosted by loads of young men paid to bring you to their beach hotel/motels. I tried to find the place that I had wanted to stay at, (recommended in Lonely Planet), but couldn't figure out North from South (rare for me, I'm pretty good at getting my bearings.) And with my heavy backpack and the fact that I walking in sinking sand in the dark, I soon gave up and decided to check out a place one of the many young men had to offer. I finally found one that wasn't really that great, but it was clean enough and I had my own bungalow steps away from the ocean. The people there were really nice, though, and very helpful; and best of all, it was cheap (the equivalent of $10US per night)!
After settling in, I was ready to eat; one of my favorite pastimes. I was initially going to find another place to eat at, but the managers and guys working there convinced me to stay. I was led to a table in the sand, facing the water, a candle lit and waiting for me. It was wonderful.
Fish, freshly caught that day, were laying on a bed of ice in a glass case, waiting for patrons to take their pick. I let myself go and asked for the young man's opinion. He suggested the red snapper. I've since learned that snapper come in all shapes and sizes depending on the country you're in. This one was pretty big, but I was up for the challenge. The snapper in New Zealand were smaller, but perhaps it's because I fished off the coast and they were therefore smaller. And how would I like it cooked? He suggested tandoori.
That meal will remain one of the best meals of my entire life. I will never forget it.
Tandoori Red Snapper
