India: Mumbai and Goa
Sleeping Dog
Rolleiflex 2.8D | Fuji Provia 100f
We flew from Jodhpur to Mumbai. Unfortunately, from Mumbai airport to the city, there is no airport train, meaning we had to get a cab. It took a while, but we were able to locate the slowest and absolute worst cab driver in all of India. That's a win right there. It took us over an hour to get to our hotel, driving through slums and also nicer parts of town.
Birds
Fuji GF670w | Kodak E100gx
We had a nice hotel, Hotel Residency Fort, which is smack dab in the middle of Mumbai's Heritage district. The hotel was very nice, within walking distance of the Gateway of India, which we walked to one of the days we were here. Besides that, we really did not have any specific places to go. I really enjoyed Mumbai, the city had so much greenery in it, was massive, and didn't feel like Delhi. I did a lot of street photography, or my version of street photography, which is subpar. I also spent a fair amount of time in the hotel room because it was really nice.
Before I move onto Goa, which was...ugh...I'll mention that we had some absolutely delicious food at Hotel Deluxe, which was a hole in the wall lil place with amazing reviews.
These kids were so excited to wave at us
Fuji GF670w | Kodak E100gx
The following day, we took a cab to the airport, unfortunately, our driver was wholly competent and got us to the airport well ahead of our flight time. As a matter of fact, our flight wasn't even on the board for how early we arrived at the airport. We also arrived early enough to grab a tasty delicious bite to eat, Carmen got KFC fries and I picked up some Dominos pizza. Then, to our flight.
Sugar Cane
Rolleiflex 2.8D | Fuji Pro 400h
Goa
We arrived at Goa, which is actually the state and not the city, late in the evening. When we landed, it was bedlam at the airport, we couldn't figure out why no one was leaving: Taxi strike. Deciding to just start walking, I figured that someone would offer us a ride. You might be interested to know that this is exactly what happened. We paid a few bucks and got to our hotel, which was run by the nicest family there is. About a half mile walk and we'd be squarely on the beach, which had a few places to eat and souvenir shops. It very much so had the feeling of a small beach town in the Caribbean, with the exception of the cows on the beach.
Beach Cows
Rolleiflex 2.8D | Fuji Provia 100f
We found a small spot to get some samosas and then head back to our hotel for the night. If you can remember about 200 words ago when I mentioned that I had Domino's Pizza at the airport, I made sure to mention this for a reason. That night, as well as the entirety of the following day, was spent in bed, on the toilet, in front of the toilet, or in the shower. It was absolutely awful. When we got home, I told someone this story, I was told "always eat the food of the country you're in, they know how to cook their own food" which was clearly true.
Vasco De Gama, Goa
Fuji GF670w | Kodak Portra 400
I did try to go to the beach, get in the water, and then puke on the beach. I was able to succeed at all of these things. I wish I had time to relax and enjoy the beach, as it was gorgeous, but that bathroom wasn't going to occupy itself. We were able to get a taxi back to the airport. Our flight back to Delhi was uneventful.
Walking to the hotel
Fuji GF670w | Kodak Portra 400
Our last hotel, in Delhi, was across the street from our original hotel. We went to Humayan's Tomb, took a tuk-tuk across town which made my tummy feel absolutely awful. The tomb, however, might have been cooler than the Taj Mahal.
Final Thoughts on India
We didn't visit India for a long time for our own personal reasons, whether it was the right choice or not, I couldn't tell you. I can tell you that I enjoyed India. It was everything I was expecting it to be. I was not ready to be blown away by India, nor was I ready to be underwhelmed, both of which happened. The country had its ups, it had its downs. The one solid fact that I can say is do not eat Domino's at the Mumbai Airport.
