The roads here compare to small beach areas in the US that I have
visited. 2 lane roads with less traffic than Bangalore, yet the same rates of
speed and deep-seated driver desire to pass any car in front of you was there. Lots
of gorgeous palm trees, a few cows, lots of dogs, and quite a few pigs! There
were few if any autorickshaws in the part of Goa we visited, as there is just
not the volume of people to keep them in business. You can rent motorbikes if
you want, and drive through the curvy streets, probably without a license. No
worries here! There are taxis in front of all hotels and restaurants, and this
is where it became interesting. Before coming to Bangalore, so many people warned
me that finding an honest cab driver was going to be quite difficult. In
Bangalore that has actually never been the case for me. I have ridden with many
different services, and it is always a good deal, with an honest exchange. However, in a state like Goa
that caters to tourists over a peak season, the cab drivers were all over the
place with their rates. In the same sentence, from the same driver, the rate
would initially be “600 rupees there and back” and then if we took half a breath, the rate suddenly turned into “300 rupees there and back”; yet, upon arrival it suddenly
turned into 400. Not bad, of course, just different from Bangalore as far as many more “fast-talkers” in Goa, simply representative of tourism and the need to make money. Once
we found SAGAR, it was like a dream come true. There are dishonest people all
over the world, yet….there are a lot more honest people to be found all over
the world. SAGAR was one of a kind, and it was hard at first to tell if he could
understand us. For the first 2 days he did not say much. By midweek, he was
ready to practice his English, and he suddenly began talking non-stop. He still did not
understand us, but we could understand him! It is like when you are practicing
a foreign language that you barely know and can finally speak it basically, but
still can't quite understand what other people are saying back to you?
Back to travelling through Goa...the houses were painted in
the same colors as those that I saw in Trivandrum, all pretty pastels, some
with amazing architecture. Every house than you see in India has the family
name on the front, as well as a gate that is closed and locked at night. I was unable to take a picture of an example of a family home with a gate. I
discovered that the towns in Goa, much like Bangalore, are undergoing lots of
active construction. Everyone has confirmed that Bangalore is completely
different than it was 10 years ago. You will see a pile of dirt and bricks one
month, and a sidewalk completed the next month. It is in constant “upgrade
mode”, and I will be interested to see the city of Bangalore (as well as
others) in 10 more years. The towns we saw in Goa were under this same kind of
construction. Lots of men working along the streets, pulling insulated lines,
or using heavy equipment to dig, as well as all of the personal housing
upgrades and construction projects underway. Most parts of India I have visited
are in constant upgrade-mode, which has got to be exciting for the locals.
I have posted here a lot of shots of houses that I saw, the motorcycles
in front of establishments (the more motorcycles outside, the more fun inside?), and some of the construction and road work being done.
Finally, on a funny note, below, the chalkboard menu that is displayed in front of one of the restaurants, (which serve among the many awesome food items to be found in Goa), lists “Cornflake”. Funny.
Finally, on a funny note, below, the chalkboard menu that is displayed in front of one of the restaurants, (which serve among the many awesome food items to be found in Goa), lists “Cornflake”. Funny.
No comments:
Post a Comment