We finally made it to Goa. Not where we expected to end up, but Goa nonetheless. As we hadn't pre-booked a train and weren't sure we'd get a sleeping spot, our plan was to go to Udupi, spend the night, and eat a great dosa in the morning before continuing onto Palolem. Then the train was more than an hour late and we got on the wrong train, so we decided on a new plan. Jump on the next train going north and see if there is space to Goa. We asked 2 Train Ticket Checkers (TTs) and one had space, so we settled into our bunks for about 5 hours of sleep. Luckily the train was even later than expected as we didn't hear the alarm through the earplugs and we made it off in time. Palolem is 30km south of Madgoa, where we got off, so we went to see about a train there. Moments later, we were racing to platform 3 as instructed and on the train that was waiting there. It took a while to leave so we dozed off and when I awoke, realized that we went north instead of south. Dang! We jumped off at the next station, which turned out to be near Old Goa and Pantaji, the old and new capitals that are both rich in Portuguese architecture, so we did that making lemonade out if lemons thing and went sightseeing.
From the Karmali train station, Old Goa is just 2km but the auto rickshaw driver said it was 3 and wanted Rs.20/km. We headed up the hill to the main road to wait for the bus. Not long after, a man and his son appeared and wisked us down the road.
After a quick breakfast of omlette and Goan pao (bread rolls) for Rs. 100, we cruised through the Basilica of Bom Jesus and Sé Cathedral.
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| Basilica of Bom Jesus |
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| Sé Cathedral |
From there we hailed a bus to Pantaji for Rs. 10 each. After doing some quick reading about Pantaji by Lonely Planet, we went to see the São Tomé, Fontainhas, and Altinho areas. They are all quite small, so the only thing slowing your down is the hill, especially when carrying your backpack.
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| Chapel of St. Sebastian |
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| House up the hill from the chapel |
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| High Court |
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| Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church |
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| Mahalaxmi Temple |
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| Bishop's House |
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| View from Hanuman Temple |
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| Hanuman Temple |
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| Bombay Coffee Roasters |
On the way back to the bus station, I enjoyed the public service announcements.
From Pantaji, there is a shuttle (direct) bus to Madgao for Rs. 40 that takes 45 mins a day from there you can get a bus to Palolem Beach for Rs. 40 and 1.5 hours.
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