Goin’ Goan
Goa!
I flew from Mumbai to Goa, and on the plane, they handed out this really delicious chocolate…
schmitten chocolates
yassss
The whole trip, I was thinking, “I hope I get another chocolate.” “Maybe the flight attendants will give out more chocolate.” “I hope someone leaves their chocolate on the plane, and I find it.” And then, as we were waiting to de-board the plane, THE GUY IN FRONT OF ME HANDED ME HIS CHOCOLATE! I said, “Are you sure? It’s really good chocolate.” He was sure:)
sunset over India
Also, during the plane ride, I kept thinking, “I hope I can find someone to share a taxi with.” I was thinking this because the taxi fare from the airport to my hotel in Candolim was supposed to be around $15. And no bus option. So, the whole time, I’m thinking, “Wow, it would be great to find someone to share a taxi with.” And then, as I was walking to the pre-paid taxi counter before leaving the airport, THE SAME GUY WALKS UP BEHIND ME AND ASKS WHERE I’M GOING. So, I told him, and he was going to a town just a little further north of Candolim!
And then, A GUY COMES UP BEHIND US AND ASKS THE OTHER GUY, “Hey, did you say you’re going to Baga?” And, “Yes, do you want to come in the taxi too?” So, suddenly, I’m only paying $5 for a cab, instead of $15, and I was the first one to get dropped off. Awesome. Just very funny because I was putting positive energy towards these two things happening, and they happened☺️
Goa is a state actually, not a town (which I didn’t fully comprehend until I went there). I have stayed in: Candolim (North Goa), Panjim (or Panaji) (Goa’s largest city, in North Goa), on Bambolim Beach (still considered North Goa), and in Cansaulim near Arossim Beach (South Goa).
Candolim has a cute town, with lots of restaurants and bars catering to tourists, and a cool beach.
candolim town
welcome basket – only good thing abt my free Club Carlson hotel in candolim..?
Panjim is on the Mandovi River, and it has the casino riverboats. I read about the casino industry in Goa before I went, so I understood the process. You have to pay to get into all of the casinos in Goa, but they give you OTP ‘one time play’ chips of various quantities, which you can use at some games, to ‘get your money back’. You also get buffet lunch, snacks, buffet dinner, and drinks complimentary.
I paid 3,500 rupees to get into Deltin Royale, and the time of day I went has the best OTP redemption, so I got 3,500 rupees of OTP chips. I played roulette and blackjack, and I got all 3,500 rupees back in real chips. Then, I quit and played slots😂 The slots sucked. Didn’t pay, and even worse – THE SOUND WAS TURNED OFF!? But it was really fun, and I’m glad that I got to experience an Indian casino.😄
taking the boat, to the boat on Mandovi River
deltin jaqk & casino pride boats
casino pride 2
deltin royale boat
i guess it’s owned by Horseshoe?
indian casino chip:)
I had a lot of fun exploring Panjim because of all of the interesting little streets and buildings. It was busy, and some people throw their litter everywhere😢, but it was still really nice. I really liked it!
panjim street
our lady of the immaculate conception church, built ~1600
panjim street
woodsy and hilly
After Panjim, I went on to Bambolim and stayed at the Grand Hyatt. My TOTALLY FREE hotel was amazing. And because of my Platinum status, I got a free upgrade to a bigger room, with an ocean view…
grand hyatt goa
room
grounds
balcony
There is a really cool chapel on the property that was built in the 16th century and was used by fishermen for centuries…
16th century chapel
chapel
chapel overlooking the ocean
old
so old.
The Bambolim Beach is nearby…
bambolim beach
feet in sand
bambolim
lovely rocks
bambolim
beach dogs!
One night, someone put on a fireworks display for me, and I had a wonderful view, right from my balcony. (When rich people get married, sometimes everyone wins.)
Next up: Kochi
Gateway of India
-from “Passage to India”
The early morning flight I took from Colombo to Mumbai had a nice surprise of a pink and purple sunrise😃
sunrise over mumbai, no filter😍
mumbai airport
I had no issues getting through customs, got through the lines, and then out to get a taxi to my hotel. The hotel was right beside the airport, a Hyatt I booked with points. Beautiful, fancy hotel, mostly used by international business travelers, and the service was excellent👍🏼
I used Uber again in Mumbai! So fun to use in different countries😏 It was much cheaper than a taxi. I went into the city, which ended up taking almost 1.5 hours because it was far away, but more because of the traffic. I wanted to see two things in Mumbai…
- Gateway of India
- Starbucks 😂
Smoke in the forecast? I don’t think I’ve seen that before from the weather.com app…
smoke forecast
part of skyline – mahim bay, arabian sea, indian ocean
lovely street
Mumbai reminds me of NYC a little.
make in india campaign
They have this ‘Make in India’ week thing going on now, and it must be a big deal because I saw billboards everywhere I looked advertising it.
gateway of india
The area around the Gateway was blocked off, I think because they were doing construction to build what looked like a seating area out in front. I dont know if it’s usually blocked off?
this kid had the right idea and snuck inside… made for a cool picture. He looks so small.
mumbai harbor
taj mahal palace hotel
starbucks!!
Being in a Starbucks made me feel like I was home… somewhere familiar😊 It was really nice… amongst all of the exciting newness every day brings, something familiar is a nice change every now and then.
salvation army – mumbai😃
People line the waterside for miles and miles to watch the sunset. Beautiful.
sunset over the bay – a little bit nyc to me, no?
sunset over mosque
I started the day over Mumbai seeing the sunrise and finished it seeing the sunset❤️
When I was walking around a few blocks away from the Starbucks, a guy came over and asked me if I wanted to be an extra in a Bollywood movie (ummm, OF COURSE I DO). I asked him if I could have the lead role instead, and he said that it was already filled. Damn, timing is everything:/ Then I said ‘Okay, I guess I’ll settle for being an extra.’ Buuuut, they were filming the next afternoon, and I was flying out of Mumbai😩 My one shot to be famous in Bollywood😥 Alas, was not meant to be. But maybe there will be movies filming in another city I visit in India. I’m keeping my eyes peeled🙆🏼
On the way back to my hotel, which took 1.5 hours, I unfortunately was paired with a cab driver who was the craziest person (not craziest cab driver… CRAZIEST PERSON) I’ve ever met. I think he was hopped up on some sort of substance. Because he was sweating and screaming and singing and buying ice cream cones and getting stuff out of his trunk and arguing with me about taking the toll road….
craziest person I’ve ever met.
This was him breaking out into some sort of song… I recorded just the tail-end, when he had gotten bored of it. But, initially he was singing, laughing hysterically, looking at me and saying, “Yeah?!?”, then singing more.😧 Anyway, hoping that guy gets help (and even more so, that I never see him again)😁.
Next up: Goa – Beaches and Riverboats
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