2 MID-LIFE CYCLISTS IN A MOTORHOME: February 2019

Shiva at Murdeshwar

Goa 2018/19

We flew out to Goa earlier than normal this year, arriving the last week of October and escaping the dreaded clock change that heralds the long dark evenings of winter. After a wonderful hot sunny November which involved dolphin sightings off the beach at Benaulim, boat trips and the usual various gatherings with lots of friends we had planned a little getaway early December for a night on a house boat with our friends Hilary and Ray.

2 bed houseboat

Houseboat trip.

5th December. We got a taxi to Johns Boat Tours in Candolim and we were then transported via minibus to the River Chapora and then via a small speedboat across to the houseboat. It's possible to book either a 2 bed or a 3 bed house boat so we had booked the 2 bed boat so that we had it to ourselves. The boat was great with a lounge/dining area in the middle and a decent sized bedroom, each with a separate shower room, on either side. Stairs from the lounge led up to a top deck with sun loungers. The stairs were similar to a bunk bed ladder so not necessarily that easy if your less mobile or have had one too many drinks however the stairs on the 3 bed boat are apparently better so if you're reading this blog and tempted to do this trip bear this in mind.

Sunbathing crocodile!

We had no problems with our mobility so we were straight upstairs as soon as we'd boarded and we enjoyed a fantastic afternoon cruising up the river while we relaxed on the sunbeds. The boat trip is all inclusive for food and drink so we were offered drinks to enjoy while we sailed up the river. Our captain alerted us when he suddenly spotted a large crocodile basking on a rock in the middle of the river and we were able to get some good photos. We also saw lots of beautiful birds including a flock of green parrots and the occasional kingfisher. It was a fantastic relaxing afternoon and after we had moored for the night we enjoyed a beautiful sunset before we headed down to get ready for dinner.

Relaxing on the top deck!

I'm always blown away by the quality and quantity of food than can be produced with very little space or equipment. The chef did us proud as dish after dish was placed on the table including fish and meat curries, vegetables, rice, and naan breads. The boat is manned by two guys who do everything from steering the boat to keeping us supplied with food and drink (as well as being a wealth of knowledge about what we were seeing as we sailed up the river) and they did a grand job. After dinner was cleared away our evening was spent playing Scattergories and Chronology and involved more drinks and lots of laughter, especially when we were checking everyone's answers on a game of Scattergories and Hilary had somehow used the wrong starting letter so every answer was wrong.

Feet up in case more cockroaches appear!

For some reason myself and Hilary found this hysterical and we laughed so much we nearly cried. To make it even funnier we accidentally head butted each other while we were laughing and that finished us off completely. Even the appearance of a large cockroach did little to dampen the atmosphere as Ray and Glynn kindly encouraged it to go for a swim while myself and Hilary did the decent girlie thing and screamed whilst curling our legs up out of the way on the chairs. Both bedrooms came equipped with a large can of cockroach spray as the presence of water meant the chances of there being cockroaches was quite high. As it turned out we only had 1 visitor to our bathroom and he was also encouraged to take a swimming lesson!!

Amazing ants nest in a tree

6th December. The boat was moored close to a small inhabited island on the river called Raneache Zuem and after our morning coffee we were taken to the island on the small speedboat. We were given a guided tour of the island which was extremely clean and well kept with some amazing flowers and trees. Only the smallest of vehicles can get on the island as the only access is via a narrow bridge. We were then transported back to the boat for breakfast before setting sail slowly back up the river. We again enjoyed a wonderful relaxing time on the top deck before lunch was served prior to our departure back to solid ground. We all agreed it had been a fantastic trip and it's definitely one I would do again.

The rest of December will involve the usual Christmas parties and gatherings and of course not forgetting my birthday party which I'm holding at the Mahal beach shack this year as it has a bigger dance area to accommodate us. We are also planning a trip to Murdeshwar in the new year which I'm very excited about after seeing some amazing photos of the giant shiva that sits right on the coast.

Murdeshwar Temple

Murdeshwar and Gokarna trip.

25th February. Today was the start of our mini break to Murdeshwar with Paul and Jan. I wasn't keen to repeat the experience of the 6 hour train ride that we had done to Hampi last year but as this trip involved a much less popular route and normal train carriages rather than the sleeper carriages I was optimistic (read that as hopeful!!) it wouldn't be too unpleasant. Our return tickets had only cost us 1,250 Rupees (approx £6) for two of us including a booking fee for the 2.5 hr journey!!

Indian train air-con!!

The journey was indeed uneventful and we amused ourselves taking photos of the Indian version of air conditioning on the ceiling of the train and admiring the scenery as we passed from Goa in to the state of Karnataka. A very short Tuk Tuk ride from the station and we were at our hotel, the RNS Residency, which was beautifully situated right on the coastline and adjacent to the worlds second tallest Shiva statue and Murdeshwar Temple. Our hotel rooms were lovely and after a quick freshen up the four of us set off to explore.

At Murdeshwar temple

There was a busy little market area on the beach outside the hotel so we explored the various stalls before wandering further in to the centre where we stopped for a drink before heading back to the hotel. As it was now dusk we took some photos of the Shiva and the temple illuminated by lights before heading back to our rooms to get ready for dinner. We had decided to eat at the hotel which turned out to be quite an amusing experience. The head waiter was very keen to please and hovered closely as we examined the menus. Glynn mentioned the dish that he wanted and instead of waiting to take all of our orders the waiter sent Glynn's request through to the kitchen. This meant that just as we'd finished placing our orders one of Glynn's dishes appeared on the table. We tried to explain that we wanted all the food together but the waiter didn't really seem to understand. The dish was covered and moved to a nearby serving area so Glynn again explained that it would go cold by the time the rest of the food arrived and asked them to take it back to the kitchen. We couldn't help but chuckle when all the food arrived and Glynn's prematurely cooked dish was put back on the table having been sat on the side to go cold.

View of Shiva from the temple

This is not unusual in India and Glynn decided to just accept it rather than risk further confusion. The waiting staff were clearly keen to ensure we had everything we needed and three waiters and the head chef hovered closely watching us eat which was slightly off putting eating with an audience. Joking aside we enjoyed a very pleasant meal and after dinner we decided to settle down early as we would be doing a lot of sightseeing in the morning.

One of the many interesting sights

26th February. After a very nice breakfast in the hotel dining room we set off to explore. I must say that the area did not disappoint and everything was conveniently located around the hotel. We took the lift inside the temple towards the top and we were able to see for miles out across Murdeshwar and beyond through the little windows. The views were spectacular and when we descended we headed over to the statue of Shiva and all the other carvings and displays that surrounded the area. It was a really lovely morning and we were all really impressed by all there was to see.

Murdeshwar

We then took a nice long walk along the beach and stopped for coffee at a lovely little shack before heading back. We had booked train tickets to Gokarna to stay in a home-stay for our second night so we collected our bags from the hotel and headed back to the station. After a short delay our train arrived and we were on our way for the 55 minute journey. A short while later I spotted charging points which was quite impressive considering the age of the trains. I plugged my phone in and as Jan went to do the same she realised her bag was missing. It then dawned on her that she had left it on the bench we had been sitting on at the far end of the platform.

Murdeshwar

Poor Jan was distraught with worry at whether she'd be able to get it back. Two Indian men sitting opposite heard what was going on and were absolutely brilliant. They called the train guard over and explained what had happened. He then disappeared to call the station. There had been several beggars at the train station so we weren't optimistic at seeing the bag again. When the guard returned about 10 minutes later he was able to advise Jan that the bag had been found. While Paul and Jan were busy working out how quickly they could get a train back to Murdeshwar to get it the guard informed them it was being put on the next train to Gokarna and would arrive about 45 minutes after our train.

Gokarna

We were blown away by how efficiently the whole incident had been dealt with as anyone who has travelled in India knows how chaotic everything can be. Luckily our seat tickets meant we'd had to wait at the far end of the station to be in line with our appointed carriage so that probably helped as it was well away from the main part of the station. Poor Jan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, she was so stressed but also so relieved at the same time. When we got to Gokarna myself and Glynn got a taxi to our home-stay while Jan and Paul waited for the next train. When they finally arrived at the home-stay Jan had a big smile on her face as she clutched her recovered bag. By this time it was dark so we walked in to town in search of a restaurant and found a lovely little place full of locals that looked quite appealing. Jan is not really a drinker but on this occasion she felt a gin and tonic was in order. I'm not sure what we found more amusing, the fact that our gin came in 180ml cartons like an orange juice or the fact that we were given half pint beer glasses to pour it in to. We had a lovely meal and with Jan feeling much more relaxed the evening ended much better than feared just a short while earlier.

Gokarna beach

27th February. As we had most of the day free before it was time for the train back to Margao we walked back in to the centre to explore the town. We came across two huge wheeled wooden structures, one of which was being decorated ready for one of their major celebrations, the Mahu Shivaratri , a Hindu festival held in honour of the God Shiva. It is a celebration that spans many days and culminates in the huge wooden structure being pulled along the street while people throw bananas at it. Apparently bananas go up in price in the days preceding this tradition!! We carried on through the winding main street in the direction of the beach and crossed over a bridge where the water below was lilac coloured!! It looked like someone had spilled a huge container of powdered paint in to the water so your guess is as good as mine as to what had caused this strange occurrence and it certainly didn't smell too appealing either.

Gokarna

The beach area was lovely and I'm happy to say there was no evidence of any strange dyes in the water. We went for a stroll along the beach before stopping for lunch at one of the shacks and then all too soon it was time to collect our luggage from the home-stay and head to the station. It was only a short 90 minute train ride back and Jan kept a tight hold on her bag to prevent a recurrence of the day before. It had been a fantastic trip and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, especially Murdeshwar which for me was the highlight of the trip.

Fun trip out on the scooters

We've had a very varied and interesting stay this season. As well as the trips on the houseboat and to Murdeshwar we hired a scooter a few times and did some lovely trips out. One of these trips was to the Palacio do Deao at Quepem, a restored Portuguese mansion where you can explore the ground floor of the mansion before being served a wonderful meal in the dining area. We did the trip with our friends Bert, Bridget, Birgit and Dieter and enjoyed a lovely day exploring the area on our scooters. We also drove down to Agonda a couple of times to spend a night in a beach shack. It was Jan's 65th birthday in February and as she doesn't like a big fuss we got together with Hilary and Ray and surprised her with a wonderful day at a hotel on the river Sal so we could swim in the pool and then enjoy a lovely meal afterwards.

Happy birthday Jan

After my shock decision to have all my hair cut off last year (after getting fed up with it going frizzy in the heat) this year I have continued to grow old disgracefully by getting a tattoo!! I have wanted the words "Carpe Diem" tattooed on the side of my foot for many years so in December I bit the bullet and had it done. I even persuaded Bridgit and Hilary to the wisdom of it so Hilary had it done on her lower back and Bridgit on her foot. I did test it out by having it done in henna first and lived with it for a week to make sure I really liked it as a tattoo is such a permanent thing. Glynn surprised me back in November by checking out a local dance school as he was keen for us to have lessons so in addition to everything else we have been doing we've also been having lessons to learn bachata, a type of salsa.

Cocktails on my birthday

As it was the same price for the dance teachers to come to ours as it was to attend a group class we obviously opted for the private tuition and it was great fun learning to dance. I fear we will quickly forget how to do it as there will be little opportunity to practice when we are touring in the motorhome all summer but it was great fun anyway. After spending the last five winters in Goa we have decided to have a break next season for two reasons. We miss not being able to ride our bikes and maintain our fitness all winter but also because Glynn's mum sadly has dementia and we feel we would like to be closer to home while we all get used to how this will impact on her. We will hopefully rent an apartment in Spain so that we can have Glynn's mum to stay with us as she would love to visit Spain again. With just 2 weeks left in Goa we have nothing more energetic planned than making the most of the glorious sunshine because it is certainly going to be a lot colder when we return home although hopefully not as bad as last year when the UK was in the grip of the "beast from the east".