At the Beach in Goa

We made it to Goa. After 2 and 1/2 months, we are finally back at the beach. Goa is very nice and reminds me of Hawaii. It is sunny all the time, 80 degrees and there are palm trees everywhere. The little beach town we are staying in is called Benaulim and it is very peaceful and quiet. It is very different than the rest of India. We jumped in the ocean the first day we got here and were swimming as the sun was setting. We are loving it.

When we last left you we were in Pushkar and we had to get out of there before the quarter of a million extra people arrived for the annual Camel Fair. From Pushkar we took a 7 hour bus ride to Udaipur.

In Udaipur we stayed with a very nice family. One member of the family was an 84 year old guy. He was a former Freedom Fighter and fought right along with Gandhi for India's independence. He had many interesting stories to tell. The family we stayed with fed us very well 3 times a day. We also visited one of their friends who used to be in the ruling family of Rajastan. They lost their their power and land when India became independent, but they did not lose their money. He owns 4 different 5 star hotels in the area. We got to visit one and went to his restaurant. They treated like royalty and served us tea, french fries that they ate with forks, and the best ice cream I have ever tasted. He also showed us his amazing car collection which included one vehicle that could travel on land and in the water. It was great. While in Udaipur we also checked out the City Palace and many temples, which got a little boring. We were sad to leave Udaipur and our new friends.

Next we caught a 17 hour night bus to Mombai (used to be called Bombay, and most people still call it by the old name). Bombay was the most civilized city we have seen in India. It was almost like we were not in India anymore. There were no cows in the street. People drove in their lanes. Nobody pushed or shoved us the whole time we were there. They are even trying to get people to stop spitting by fining them $5 if they get caught. While there we got to ride around in double decker buses all the time. The buildings looked out of place in India. My parents said the city looked more like it was a city in Europe. I guess I'll find out in a couple of months if they are right. We visited a bunch of museums, art galleries, and old buildings. We stayed with another nice family we had never met before. They also fed us 3 times a day and treated us like we were part of the family. The funniest thing that happened in Bombay was that my mom got pooped on by a bird. She got pooped on not just one time, but 4 times in one day. Now that's bad luck. My dad and I tried not to laugh, but it was hard. We loved Bombay and it was again difficult to leave our new friends and the delcious meals. They even had a servant who waited on us all day long and they had HBO and we got to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

From Bombay we caught a 13 hour train to Goa. My dad saved us some money by traveling in sleeper class instead of 1st class A/C. That was fine and we were quite comfortable. We got on the train at 11:00 p.m. and when we went to sleep there were 8 people in our cabin that was designed for 8 people. When I woke up there were 27 people in our cabin. People had snuck into our cabin and nobody ever kicked them out. There were people everywhere. It was crazy. I just stayed in my top bunk and waited to arrive in Goa. If I had gotten up to go the bathroom there would have been 12 people in my bunk in no time. We arrived in Goa around noon. All we had eaten for breakfast was cookies, so we went to lunch when we arrived in Margao. From there we went by tuk-tuk to the beach in Benaulim. We jumped in the ocean and it felt just like the ocean in Hawaii. The next morning we jumped in the ocean again. We also ate the best fish I have ever had in my life 2 days in row. I am tired of being a vegetarian. I didn't want to be one in the first place, but it has not been safe to eat meat most of the places we have been.

We are hanging out in Goa for a few days and then heading by train to Kerala for a week or so. We will then return to Goa for about a month. We may have found a free place to stay in Goa with some guy who has a house by the beach. We will be in Goa for almost the entire month of December. We have already found a couple of Catholic churches. We are trying to decide which one to go to for Christmas mass. Some of the churches were built over 500 years ago. Unilike the rest of India which is over 80% Hindu, in Goa half of the locals are Christian. We already love Goa and are looking forward to relaxing here, eating good food, and swimming in the ocean everyday. We rented a motorbike for the first time in India and we are crusing all over the place. I am having an amazing adventure. Please email me at Kylearoundtheworld@gmail.com. I love getting emails. Thanks.