I think I'll just condense the rest of the events and give the highlights!
We made it to Chennai, met up with Keggan's friend of a friend who showed us around and took us to the longest beach in India where we saw a Women's Day Demonstration which was pretty cool, and then we basically had to turn around and go back to the train station. Chennai was really out of the way and no was really quite sure why we made that stop first, but Hemant (the friend of the friend) got the tickets and I think he wanted us to meet up for everything to work, so anyway we were now heading to Goa. Goa was a 22hr train ride away ... yuck. Hemant had been trying to get me a ticket for this train but I was on the waiting list so I had to purchase yet another General Seating ticket but I got on their car from the get go.
Hemant made up a story for me saying I didn't know either him or Keggan but I saw Keggan's white face and ran over to talk with her, and I was in Chennai for the Women's Day demonstration for 5 days (almost true, I saw it), but my father just became gravely ill in Goa and it was pertinent I get there ASAP and I was unable to get on a flight and I could only get a General seating ticket and I was begging to get a seat in the car. So when the ticket taker came up about 2 hours into the train ride Hemant explained the "situation" I was in and commenced the yelling. Hemant and the ticket taker spent the next 10 minutes or so shouting in the isle, looking at me and back at each other (I was trying to look as sad as possible). The ticket taker decided to let me stay until Bangalore and didn't even ask me to pay extra for a seat and then Hemant was able to get me a ticket from Bangalore to Goa on the same train in the same car!
We met up with Keggan's friend Jon in Bangalore and another friend of Hemants and off we went to Goa. We didn't get to the train station until 11:30am and then took an hour and half cab ride with me crammed in the back with the luggage because there weren't enough seats. We had a really ummm interesting hostel. It had 7 or 8 beds that had mats and a sheet, tarps for walls, and a shower, no toilet, a fan, a partially open wall, and electricity that sometimes worked. Found a tick looking thing on me the morning after I slept there.... never really found out what that was...
We went to beaches in Anjuna and Baja for the next two days. I ate the best food I've eaten on the entire trip on the beach in Baja. If you have been wondering about things to get me for my birthday, and Indian cookbook is now at the top of the list. That and beer. Beer is topping the list now a days. We swam, rode motor bikes (I didn't drive), ate, drank, ate, ate, drank a little more.... sat on the beach, and ate some more. It was great. Our train ride back the next night was much less dramatic than our first two, which was a nice break ha.
We made it back to Kochi around 10am and Keggan and I did some shopping the rest of the day, got rid of the rest of our Rupees, headed back to the ship around 4pm and I finally showered after 5 days! Yes, I didn't shower for 5 days. I'm not making a good reputation for Montanan's personal hygiene on the ship....
And now a quick bit on my 7 hours in Mauritus!
We were in Mauritius for one day yesterday, it was so insanely beautiful. My friends Huw, Ed, Amanda, roommate Christine and I hiked the La Puce (The Thumb) and made a movie for a "72hour Film Festival" Contest on the Ship. About halfway up it started pouring rain, and we were high enough up that we were in the rain cloud for about 40 minutes but when we finally reached the top the cloud started moving and we could see the whole island. BEAUTIFUL! I'll post pics!
As always, thanks for reading and following!
My best!
L
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