To escape energy-driven North Goa, we ventured south, first for a lunch at Matrin’s Corner (reportedly a favorite of the almost holy cricketer Sachin Tendulkar) in Betalbatim and then on to the pristine beaches. Due to strong riptides you’re not allowed to swim, but we played ignorant and stripped down to our icebreakers for some body surfing before being yelled at by a patrolling lifegaurd.

On the way home we got lost and stumbled upon the Three Kings Church which had breathtaking views of all the rice fields.  Because it’s monsoon season, this is prime growing time and it was amazing to see people working their fields with ox and plow.

As a treat for finding our way back to the main road, we stopped and each had a couple of coconuts with cream.

Party party party….

North Goa, home to the infamous party beaches at Calangute, Baga and Anjuna, only have a few nightly functions in the off-season month of June, but they’re enough to get a taste of the hedonism of Goa.  We relaxed the first couple nights in Candolim Beach and the second two nights in Baga.

For some reason there are no photos for these days…

The Indian Railway network is one of the largest in the world, but besides a brief, hair-raising experience on the light rail in Bombay, we hadn’t ridden on the iconic transporters.  From Bombay to Goa we were just barely able to find a reservation for an overnight train at the last minute, saving us a possibly miserable bus ride.  However in the process, we got a ride on both.

When we got to the train station the rider list hinted that our car would be packed, but either due to rain or reported land-slides, only about a quarter of the folks showed up and we had the six-bed compartment to the four of us, including Kunal’s cousin and Goan expert, Rishi.

Unfortunately, in an A/C car the windows fog up so you’re not able to see the lush landscapes outside. They were only visible from the open boarding doors at either end of the car.  The other surprise came at 6 am when we were alerted of a land slide ahead that blocked the path of our train and were told that we’d all have to transfer trains.  Knowing how complicated maneuvers like this usually are, we were pleasantly surprised to find buses ready to take us 45 minutes away to a different train.  This ranked as the most efficient process we found in India!

P.S. You’re not allowed to drink alcohol on the train.  If you’re caught, you’re subject to heavy fines or jail time.  Luckily, when caught, a small bribe of Rs. 250 will allow you to drink in peace and make friends with the train cop.