(Note: Due to problems with Blogger.com, I was unable to post until now...)
We attend Easter Mass at 7am instead of 5am .. .it turns out, we were the only one's told of this mysterious 5am mass. Even the priest giggled at us when he heard about the two Westerners that were loittering around the church for 2 hours before mass.
Mass was relatively straight forward. We didn't understand anything that was said (as it was all in Hindi, or rather Goan).
We jump back onto the Scooter, head back to Palolem Beach, and pick up our bags. We have a quick smoothie at our favorite organic food restaurant, and head out for that 2 hour journey back to Panjim on motorbike. It should be noted that when we told the locals we were riding to Panjim on motorbike, they would tell us 'Go slow my friend. Very dangerous. Many Lorries.' True, its no easy journey because of all the lorries on the road, but the real danger is in the cows. So many cows jump onto the road at any given moment, that the risk of collission is much higher.
We arrive to Panjim at noon and return our scooter before taking a taxi back to Panjim airport. There, we wait another two hours before our flight to Mumbai, and the connection to Jaipur. While at the airport, we become thoroughly familiar with the sport of Cricket, which is in high gear due to the Cricket World Cup. India was shockingly defeated in round 1 by the Bahamas, and now, only 4 counries remain - Australia, N. Zealand, South Africa, and Bangladesh ... my money's on the Aussie's.
We board our SpiceJet flight and land in Mumbai at 4pm. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed long enough for us to miss our connecting flight to Jaipur. It was truly a tragedy. Due to the inefficiency of the Indian Air Transportation authority, we were delayed at the Terminal from checking in, and ended up arriving minutes after gate closure. After 30 minutes of frustration, we decide that instead of waiting around for another flight tomorrow, the next best option is to take an overnight train ride from Mumbai to Jaipur. And that's what we do...
We quickly take a taxi to Mumbai Central Station, and then jump onto a train ride that has connecting rail links to Jaipur. We find the Jaipur train at the moment of departure, and in one of those classic cinema-scenes where the film star runs parallel to the departing train and boards at the last minute, we too jump at the last second - nevermind the fact we don't have tickets. So now, we're onboard the Jaipur bound 18 hr train ride (as we found out to our surprise), with no tickets. Mind you, this is our first time on an Indian rail, so we don't know what in the least to expect.
We decide to post up in first class, and figure that when the conductor comes by for tickets, we'll explain the situation and buy tickets there and then. Well, that was not going to be the case. Apparently every single train in India is sold out months in advance. And even if we had time to purchase tickets, we would have been unsuccesful. So we end up getting kicked our of our nice AC seats by the righful passengers, and instead, get tossed into 2nd, an finally 3rd class. That's where the fun really started.
India rail is an experience for the adventurous. Even if you are lucky enough to score AC Sleeper Coach, it's still a zoo. For those unfortunate souls stuck in third class, its even worse. For every square feet of space on the rail car, there is at least 1 passenger. Which means, there are people everywhere. Sleeping ontop each other, Sleeping on the floor, Sleeping in the passageway, Sleeping in the closets! People everywhere. And let me tell you, it's neither clean, nor scent-free, nor mosquito free either.
We somehow manage to convince the conductor to hook us up with beds, and that's what we do. We manage to sleep some 6 odd hours, before waking up to look out at the Rajhestani countryside, which is chaparell, and desert - a starch contrast to the lush jungles of the South.
On the train, we befriend a very wise 27-yr old named Alan, who teaches Erik about the benefits of daily meditation, and of the core principles of Buddhist philosophy. We spend the rest of the train journey exchanging stories, playing guitar, singing to the children on the train, and ordering round-after-round of Chai and Pokari (the staple fare onboard the train).
We attend Easter Mass at 7am instead of 5am .. .it turns out, we were the only one's told of this mysterious 5am mass. Even the priest giggled at us when he heard about the two Westerners that were loittering around the church for 2 hours before mass.
Mass was relatively straight forward. We didn't understand anything that was said (as it was all in Hindi, or rather Goan).
We jump back onto the Scooter, head back to Palolem Beach, and pick up our bags. We have a quick smoothie at our favorite organic food restaurant, and head out for that 2 hour journey back to Panjim on motorbike. It should be noted that when we told the locals we were riding to Panjim on motorbike, they would tell us 'Go slow my friend. Very dangerous. Many Lorries.' True, its no easy journey because of all the lorries on the road, but the real danger is in the cows. So many cows jump onto the road at any given moment, that the risk of collission is much higher.
We arrive to Panjim at noon and return our scooter before taking a taxi back to Panjim airport. There, we wait another two hours before our flight to Mumbai, and the connection to Jaipur. While at the airport, we become thoroughly familiar with the sport of Cricket, which is in high gear due to the Cricket World Cup. India was shockingly defeated in round 1 by the Bahamas, and now, only 4 counries remain - Australia, N. Zealand, South Africa, and Bangladesh ... my money's on the Aussie's.
We board our SpiceJet flight and land in Mumbai at 4pm. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed long enough for us to miss our connecting flight to Jaipur. It was truly a tragedy. Due to the inefficiency of the Indian Air Transportation authority, we were delayed at the Terminal from checking in, and ended up arriving minutes after gate closure. After 30 minutes of frustration, we decide that instead of waiting around for another flight tomorrow, the next best option is to take an overnight train ride from Mumbai to Jaipur. And that's what we do...
We quickly take a taxi to Mumbai Central Station, and then jump onto a train ride that has connecting rail links to Jaipur. We find the Jaipur train at the moment of departure, and in one of those classic cinema-scenes where the film star runs parallel to the departing train and boards at the last minute, we too jump at the last second - nevermind the fact we don't have tickets. So now, we're onboard the Jaipur bound 18 hr train ride (as we found out to our surprise), with no tickets. Mind you, this is our first time on an Indian rail, so we don't know what in the least to expect.
We decide to post up in first class, and figure that when the conductor comes by for tickets, we'll explain the situation and buy tickets there and then. Well, that was not going to be the case. Apparently every single train in India is sold out months in advance. And even if we had time to purchase tickets, we would have been unsuccesful. So we end up getting kicked our of our nice AC seats by the righful passengers, and instead, get tossed into 2nd, an finally 3rd class. That's where the fun really started.
India rail is an experience for the adventurous. Even if you are lucky enough to score AC Sleeper Coach, it's still a zoo. For those unfortunate souls stuck in third class, its even worse. For every square feet of space on the rail car, there is at least 1 passenger. Which means, there are people everywhere. Sleeping ontop each other, Sleeping on the floor, Sleeping in the passageway, Sleeping in the closets! People everywhere. And let me tell you, it's neither clean, nor scent-free, nor mosquito free either.
We somehow manage to convince the conductor to hook us up with beds, and that's what we do. We manage to sleep some 6 odd hours, before waking up to look out at the Rajhestani countryside, which is chaparell, and desert - a starch contrast to the lush jungles of the South.
On the train, we befriend a very wise 27-yr old named Alan, who teaches Erik about the benefits of daily meditation, and of the core principles of Buddhist philosophy. We spend the rest of the train journey exchanging stories, playing guitar, singing to the children on the train, and ordering round-after-round of Chai and Pokari (the staple fare onboard the train).
posted by Jesse Sandoval at 6:14 AM
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