Just sitting from Panaji to Hampi

Just sitting for 9 hours. Tuesday morning at 9 am ( 21 of March).  I took a bus from the bus station in Panajim to Hospet. Most people take a tourist sleeper for 500 rps but I took a normal ordinary bus to Hospet, at least they don't drive like idiots. According to the bus people the journey suppose to take about 9 hours.

 

The roads in Goa are fine but small so the driver can not go fast. We leave Panajim and soon we are in a mountain area full of big trees and tropical forest. The views are great. At the border between Goa and Karnatka the police search some luggage for illegal alcohol from Goa. It is not allowed to take alcohol from Goa to Karanatka. In Karanatka the roads becomes very bad, we still go trough mountains and forrest, the road looks like a country dirt road with many way to many holes. At one point I thought the bus driver must be taking a shortcut because the dirt road was so small and the forrest so close by. But no it is just the normal route. Because of mining the roads have become dirt roads. 

 

Slowly we came out of the forest on a plateau, wauw this plateau could look France after a hot summer somewhere in August. I saw people working on the land, harvesting vegetables, cotton, hay etc... The land is dry and dusty you can see far away, there is a strong hot wind coming trough the open windows of the bus. 

 

It not possible to read because of the bad roads, the amazing view and the noise of the bus. Just sitting, it is like zen meditation I just practise sitting, the difference is the view in Zen I look at a white wall here in the bus you see an always changing surrounding. Just imagine how many buses I took while traveling by bus from Amsterdam to India and now I'm in Hampi.

 

The bus arrived late in Hospet so around 8 pm, I decided to stay in Hospet for the night. I stayed in a very Indian hotel for 400 rps It looked like a high rise building. My room had a television (Indians can not stay in places without a television) and even a tub.After a shower I went to the ATM to get some money because in Hampi there are no AT Ms. For dinner I had a masala dosa (6 rps) and for desert some Indian sweets. Indian sweets are so nice. The rest of the evening I watched television.  

India overland by bus and train

Panajim capital of Goa (written in Hampi)

Panajim is only one and a halve hour from Arambol but it took me one month to get there.

I was glad that I arrived in Panajim so many people miss it because there are either on their way to Hampi or go straight to the beach in Goa.

 

Panajim is pretty, small and clean. The first night I stayed at comfort guesthouse, according to the book very nice. But the single is a kind of dorm because the wall of the room are not very solid. So you can hear everything what your neighbour is doing and the people are very on the money. Maybe it is OK but the people always make the difference.

 

Panajim is as laid back as a Portuguese town can be. You can see a number of small yellow, brown red houses. Many streets have Portuguese names and the names on the houses are Portuguese. The restaurant have a Portuguese flavour and the food Goan food is awesome esp the Kingfisher vindaloo. There are number of churches around Panajim and in Old Goa.

 

The second day I moved to another guest house called Mantovi white house. This is really a very nice place in old rambling Portuguese guesthouse, the people are much nicer. The rest of the day I have spent in Old Goa. Old Goa is littert with many old churches one of the churches in Old Goa, Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa  contains the remains of St. Francis Xavier.

Read more about this unique UNESCO world Heritage site press here.

 

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Happy travels,
Meinoud
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
India overland by bus and train

Mikey and Terek

Mikey and Terek,
originally uploaded by mjrijnen.

To see some picture from Arambol just click on the picture

Arambol (4)

Arambol is a trap, it is very difficult to leave. The last 4 days I tried to leave but it is not possible. In the morning I do my Yoga after that I have breakfast and then it is just to late to leave.So next day I tried again nope it was not possible we went out for dinner (Terek, Mikey,Olive, Alyze, Claudia) had a few drinks and come back at 3 in the morning. Coming back at 3 in the morning does not contribute to get up early and to be very active after 9 am is just to warm on the roof to pack.

The day before last night I packed my things so the next day I would be more easy to leave. But then that night I went to Anjuna for the Saturday night market and after that we went to Dolche Vita an open air Disco. We had good time smoking drinking Honeybee mixing it with Coco cola. Honeybee is a kind of Goa brandy. We came back at 7 am in the morning yesterday was also a no go.

But today 20 march 2006 I finally left for Panaji only 1 hour and 30 minutes from Arambol.
Goodbye Arambol I was 30 days in Arambol 20 days on the roof in Ave Maria. The roof was a great place to meet many nice people.

Goodbye Honey bee, old monkey rum, Kings, gin and tonic, yoga on the beach, sunsets, cakes and strawberry in chocolate in Double Dutch, Felini, the rice bowl, the pyramid, fire dancers, rainbow drum dance on the beach, Ave Maria, Zion, Myrand,Mikey, Terek, The polish people, Fabian and Eva, Beatrice and Paul, Olive and Alyse, the tabla playing Djez, Claudia, the Swedish people, playing chess with Terek and Mikey, smoking

Arambol (3)

He I'm still in Arambol. This place is hard to leave, it is very relaxing nice beach, friendly people, good food. I also enjoy to do my Yoga in the morning. I'm still living on the roof of Ave Maria for 30 rps a night and nearly every night we (the roof people ) go for a drink and returning around 4 in the morning. The only problem is that after 9 pm it is getting very warm on the roof like a sauna. So a lot people have a shortage of sleep. Hopefully in the next few days I will move to Panji and then on to Hampi. Arambol is a great place and very relaxing people return here.

 

In the last few weeks I finished the following books:

 

Power thought  -  by Swami Shivananda comment: This is a great book about the resonance of thoughts

Sophie's world -  by Jostein Gaarder  comment: Wauw this book was amazing. One of the most amazing books I read lately.

Split second - by David Baldacci  comment:The book from Baldacci are always fast reading thrillers combining David Ludlum, Grisham and Stephen Frey (financial thrillers)

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values - by Robert Pirsig; comment: This was a difficult book the first 100 pages I just thought were is this going but then suddenly it griped me  and at the end I thought I have to read it again.

--
Meinoud Rijnen
http://www.rijnentravel.blogspot.com
India overland by bus and train

Arambol ( 2 ) Zen and Yoga

Arambol is such a nice place after hard core travelling in India. Arambol is like a small village with no big concrete buildings and a number of restaurant shacks along the beach. It is not a party place there are no disco's what so ever. Sometime there is a party on beach, but you have to ask around for it. A few venue have some music evenings with sometimes very good artists who normally perform in Europe or in the USA but are here on holidays. A couple of days ago there was a Carnaval party at the surf club near the beach behind the surf shack. But the police shut music down at 10:15 PM, normaly I would think that would be the end of the party but in front of the surf club there was a bon fire with a lot od drum and tabla players. They started to play more louder and faster drum music so at the end everybody was dancing on the music. According to some people this it is kind of party like on a rainbow gathering

 

Most people come here are backpackers and the more alternitive people. In the morning you see a lot people doing Yoga, meditate on the beach. Yeah is nice relaxing quite place with no house music but a lot of new age music. 

 

Zen and Yoga

Yesterday I finished my course in Zen and yoga with Yaron. It was a good introduction into Zen meditation. I think Zen meditation is a good meditation for lazy people. It is a strong meditation but not as strong as vipassana . The yoga was good. Not that many postures, but all the great postures where there. I had to keep the posture for a longer time but that feels much better. The setting was awesome in the morning on the beach and in the late afternoon in coconut tree garden very close to beach. This course made me realize that I like to do more yoga. The zen I have to practise that much more. But I know that meditating is very good so it will be either Vipassana or Zen 

 

A 5 days ago I moved from Sunrise hostel in Arambol  (very nice incl bathroom 200 rps) to a much cheaper option the dorm in Ave Maria, here I pay only 30 rps per night.

 

The prices in Goa are much higher then in the rest of India. Goa is the state with highest GDP in India. They are doing well because of tourism. The food is great when you are craving for some western food and then there is alcohol in every place. Kings Beer for 25 rps, a big Kingfisher for 45 rps and the local cashew Feni for 10 rps etc.... etc.. No where in India you see that much alcohol as in Goa. In lot of places in India if you want to drink you have to go to a hush hush place for a 80 rps beer. In Goa I drink beer again, in the last 6 months I had only 4 beers.

 

I think I will stay another week in Arambol and then move to Hampi maybe.............