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| Goa, the smallest state in India |
If you’ve heard of any places I mentioned so far in India,
it is probably Goa. Goa is the smallest state in India by area and has only 1.5
million people, but it’s is unique in that it was a Portuguese colony for about
450 years (it was annexed by India in 1961). You may have heard of Goa because
it’s a tourist hot spot—over two million people visit annually. Goa is known
for beaches, blend of Indian and Portuguese culture, and nightlife.
The Rickshaw Run event organizers planned a halfway party
there for the 5
th of January. It was odd to have a halfway party in
Goa, considering it is less than a third of the way—800 kms of the 2,500 plus
to the finish line in Jaisalmer. I guess Goa was the only place that most of
the Runners would go for more than a short overnight stop, so better to do it
there on the beach then some random town at the real halfway point.
By early afternoon on the 5
th of January the
Steamer pulled into the Mariott in Panjim, the largest city in the state of
Goa. Tim used his dad’s Mariott points to book a room for two nights of luxury
on the beach. Pat and Tim arrived the night before us, and when we walked in
they were already sipping mixed drinks poolside. Both of them were in
noticeably higher spirits then when we last talked to them in Udupi (the day
Tim considered quitting the run altogether).
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Mike and Sam walking into the Marriott lobby;
our rickshaw sure turned a lot of heads |
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| Pat on the balcony |
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My camera flash sucks; main idea here is
that we had lots of free drinks |
The five of us all managed to squeeze into one twin room
that night. I was fine with sleeping on the floor at a resort, and besides, by
the time my head hit my pillow it was nearly dawn and I could have slept on
just about anything. That afternoon we’d relaxed by the pool and then made it
up to the club lounge for happy hour drinks and snacks. Tim’s dad is a platinum
Mariott rewards member, which meant Tim and a guest could get all the free
booze and appetizers they wanted from 5-7 pm. Thing is, nobody counted, so the
booking for two became five; we sure capitalized on the freebies.
That night we took a cab to Baga Beach, which is one of the
nightlife centers of Goa. Before arriving in Goa we didn’t realize just how far
things would be though. From our hotel the cab ride to Baga took 45 minutes; it
wasn’t the end of the world, but definitely inconvenient—and also more
expensive. In Baga we did a bar crawl of our own and managed to get into a club
for free. It typically charged guys nearly 20 bucks to get in, so we were
thrilled, but then realized why it was free when the place had last call 10
minutes after we arrived.
You may be wondering what happened to the Rickshaw Run
party. It was scheduled for the 5th, the night we arrived. Well,
like I said, we didn’t realize how far things were. I knew Goa was a state, but
thought it was tiny. It is small relative to other Indian states, but to drive
from north to south still takes 4 hours (there aren’t many actual highways in
India). The party was located in south Goa, nearly 2 hours from our place in
Panjim. So, we missed the halfway party. Oh well, we still had a fun night out
in Baga, and there was still the end-of-the-Run party in Jaisalmer. It was a
disappointment, but no biggie.
Our second night at the Grand Hyatt—our last in Goa—we
wanted another night out. After researching places to go, we ordered a taxi and
rode for another 45 minutes, only to discover that the place was…closed! And it
wasn’t just the one spot. Apparently there was a state election coming up, and
on certain days bars had to shut their doors. What a waste of an hour and a
half round trip taxi ride. Oh well, at least we had a better night sleep before
hitting the road again.
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Driving through the hills took
awhile, but once on the
highway we were cruising |
From Goa we turned inland, heading through the Western Ghats
and meeting up with National Highway 4, which connects Bangalore to Mumbai. The
views heading into the hills were beautiful; they would have been more so
without the haze that often obstructed our view. I don’t know if it was a
natural haze from the dust of the dry season, or if it was the result of
pollution (maybe a bit of both), but either way that haze stuck with us for
most of central and northern India.
Once on highway 4 we made good time, which was needed after
three nights in Goa. Most teams spent one or two nights there, so we were
already behind schedule. Relative to most roads we had been on Highway 4 was
smooth sailing. The highway was far from scenic though, as our views consisted
mostly of trucks, buses, and the occasional curious stare of a passing driver.
By the evening of the 8th we made it to Satara,
320 kms from the Grand Hyatt in Goa. After our short drive looking for a place
to stay, I was glad we didn’t have more time to explore. It’s not often I say
that about a place. Maybe there was more to the town, but it was hard to look
past the heaps of trash piled up in empty lots and along the side of the road.
That night, as we checked into our hotel, my stomach started
to rumble. I wasn’t hungry—my stomach didn’t want more food, it wanted a clean
slate. And over the next 8 hours I obliged, making frequent runs to the toliet
to clense my insides. Some went out the traditional way, some I threw up. All
the while I fluctuated between hot sweats and shivers. This lasted until the
wee hours of the morning, after which I managed some shut eye. It would take
another day for my stomach to get back to normal, bur fortunately that night
was the worst of it.
I’ve heard that most Westerners that go to India get sick. I
was expecting it would happen eventually, but the timing was definitely a
surprise. All I’d eaten the day before was food from the Grand Hyatt. Was it
possible that my stomach had been cool with street food in Kochi but rejected
the appetizers at the Hyatt club lounge? Later in the trip I again ate street
food, and everything seemed A okay…who knows what set me over the edge?
On the 9
th of January we had another long day of
driving, going through Pune, around Mumbai, and stopping near a town called
Manor, at the Las Vegas Inn. The 330 kms were mostly monotonous, as we
continued along highway 4.
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| Driving on the wrong side of the road outside Kollapur |
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| Where we broke down just off the freeway in Pune |
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| The locals discussing our rickshaw issues |
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| That mechanic was a lifesaver! |
The one highlight was our first real breakdown, which
happened just as we took an exit for lunch near Pune. The clutch started
jamming, and when we tried to start her up, the hand lever had no resistance. In
hindsight it was a lucky break; had we been on a quiet stretch of highway who
knows how long a repair job might take. As it turned out there was a motor shop
just around the corner. Within a minute of stopping two locals were helping to
push our rick over to the shop.
New gear plates, 10 dollars, and 20 minutes later she was
running like new (well, as good as she’d ever been with us). Aside from the
breakdown, it was a smooth day. We hit heavy traffic around Navi Mumbai, and we
had to drive in the dark to before we found the Las Vegas Inn, but no other big
problems.
The same was true for the next day—we made good time and
were smooth sailing, another 330 kms or so up to Vadodara. After Vadodara we’d
finally get off the highway and hit the country roads again on our way up
towards Rajastan and the finish line. More on that to come!
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Self Drive Car Rental in Goa Calangute
Car Rental in Calangute Goa