by Jess Williams
Another train brought us into Udaipur where we had had the foresight to organise a personal auto-ricksaw to our hotel, so we were greeted at the station with a sign for “Jeffica.” The Jess/Jeff mix up is fairly common when ordering taxis but this was a new highlight of mistaken names. I wish I had had the foresight to get my camera ready for the event.
Anyway, we were dropped at Minewa hotel in time for a Christmas Party Skype conversation with our London flatmates on the beautiful roof terrace, complete with cushioned alcoves. We spent a lot of time on that roof the next few days, working our ways through all the flavours of lassi on the menu.
Other, more culturally stimulating highlights of the city were the palace and view of the floating palace from Octopussy. Octopussy is everywhere, and screened every evening at some hotels. We manage to avoid it in favour of flute lessons though, and a trip to a fancy 5 star hotel to see our flute teacher perform. Oh, how the other half live…
We were actually very busy in Udaipur, squeezing in an early morning horse ride, a yoga lesson, and a trip to a leather workshop where we gave specifications for a very particular satchel, to have it whipped up in front of us. It was posted home, stuffed full of Christmas presents.
Somehow, we both got horrendous colds in time for an overnight bus ride to Mumbai. A word of warning: the beds at the back of the bus are appalling. I spent much more time being thrown in the air than lying comfortably on my bed. As a result we spent the first morning in Mumbai sleeping fitfully in a massively overpriced hotel. I suspect that most of the hotels in Mumbai are fairly expensive however, so we quite possibly got an OK deal.
The afternoon took us to our first experience of Bollywood, when we saw Dabangg 2 at The Lotus Cinema. All singing, all dancing, bizarre and beautiful. Of course we didn’t understand a word but it was pretty easy to follow. Especially with the audience whooping, clapping, hissing and wolf-whistling every moment. It’s probably also the funniest and most baffling thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t know whether that was intentional or not really. Perhaps I should check it out in English. Or would that ruin the magic?
A walk along the beach and to Nariman Point introduced us to an old man we came to know as The Philosopher. He showed us the necklace of lights along the bay, then around a fancy hotel where we listened to Christmas carols beneath an enormous tree. It was the first time I realised I was going to miss Christmas this year.
The Philosopher was quite a talker. By the time we said goodbye to him on the train, he had shared a multitude of small wisdoms with us including “we get 3 things free in this world: life, the air, and several trips around the sun.” It’s no “Beyonce only has 24 hours in the day too” but I’ll take it on board none the less.
The following day we saw The Gateway to India, The Taj Mahal Hotel and the inside of a Pain Quotidien. I think we both needed a small respite from dal and aloo jeera so coffee and a few pastries went down a treat. Don’t tell anyone though…I think that might be cheating.
Mumbai was quite a whistle-stop tour and I would quite like to return. Far from being just another city, I was surprised how much I liked it, and everyone was so friendly. But for us it was just a stop on route to our Christmas destination, which was of course Goa.
Ahhhhhh….Goa….
We were staying in the nicest little guesthouse: Ospy’s Shelter. It was a two minute walk to the beach, and a two minute walk to a glorious fish restaurant where we spent every evening drinking Goan port. I wish I’d brought a bottle home with me. It was possibly the nicest drink in the world. The food was a particular highlight too: fresh, light, delicious. Our Christmas dinner was lobster and a couple of beers, after taking a break from sunbathing (in my case under a large umbrella whilst wearing factor 50).
The party scene wasn’t really for us so we may have chosen the wrong bit of beach to stay near. Calangute is prime tourist area so the beach is pretty full of both semi-naked Russian women and touts. We avoided this by hiring a scooter and spending a couple of very pleasant hours a day zooming through wonderful countryside in search of those gems that are deserted beaches. Even if you are lucky enough to pick a quiet bit of coast to stay at, get a scooter. And if you can, a large straw hat. I was incredibly glamorous and protected. I’m a sensitive type you know! Got to give these hints to fellow fair skinned travellers.
And after a blur (that was mainly due to the amount of port we drank) of coconuts, sunsets, and the feeling of sand between our toes, it was time to say goodbye.
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