And now we are here:
India is many things. It is busy, chaotic and sometimes very depressing. But it is also fascinating, mesmerizing and very beautiful. Our trip was kind of stressful - first, because we were afraid we wouldn't be flying at all because of the snow, and then, because we were delayed anyway for 2 hours and almost missed our second flight from Istanbul to Mumbai. But, in the end, we made all 3 (!!!) of our flights and one (very bumpy) pre-paid taxi ride later (note to self: take car sickness medicine next time) and 30 hours after we first set out, we finally made it to our hotel. Our hotel is very much an Indian hotel, but very nice (fluorescent lights exluded) and situated in a beautiful green area with lots of palm trees, bright flowers and a comfortable garden, which also serves as a dining area. The people are sometimes pushy but always nice. If you can look beyond the filth, slums and stray animals, you can actually imagine yourself being in paradise. Coming from such a cold country right before Christmas, Jochem and I are very much in a state of disbelief. We often find ourselves looking around, then looking at each other, and asking: "Is this for real?"
We haven't done much yet (the trip in itself was exhausting enough). Yesterday, after arrival and a much-needed shower (which was hot, by the way, and we have only seen one power cut so far), we had dinner at the hotel before crashing at 9 PM. Today we woke up at noon, had breakfast at the hotel, spent the entire afternoon at the beach, had a beer at a beach bar during sunset, went back to the hotel, took showers again, went back to the beach, had dinner under the full moon, and now we are sitting in this internet cafe. I am having a blast reading a book about an Australian woman traveling through India and living in New Delhi, but I think Jochem is already starting to get a bit bored (beach holidays are not his thing), so I think tomorrow he wants to rent a scooter and scout the area. I am hoping to visit a temple close by.
As for my "What I Cooked Today" blog posts, I may find it impossible to keep track of those, since we are not only not cooking at all, but are having so much and so many different kind of food, since it's so ridiculously cheap and delicious, and we feel like kings here. But here's a short summary:
- On Saturday (day 236) we had dinner at the hotel near Schiphol, which was, as expected, a bit disappointing, but tolerable.
- On Sunday (day 237) we had as assortment of meals at the many airports and in the many air planes that we were in. Conclusion: Turkish Airways arguably has the best food in aviation history (I haven't had such good kofte since actually having been in Istanbul). Kingfisher, our lovely owned-by-an-Indian-beer-company airline, however, not so much.
- On Monday (day 238) we had dinner at the hotel. We fed on avocado salad and calamari, followed by the tourist version of vindaloo curry for Jochem (which he says was NOT spicy enough for him - crazy man) and prawn curry for me. Very delicous.
- Today we had breakfast at the hotel, lunch at a beach bar and dinner at another beach bar and it was all delicous. Highlights were our fish curry, our spicy fish bites with coriander dip, my tandoori-grilled red snapper and our bebinca (a Goan dessert specialty which is basically layered coconut pudding with shaved coconut on top).
And the best news is that we haven't been sick yet!
Happy holidays and talk to you soon! Love from Palolem, Goa, INDIA!
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