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Before the trip to GOA, I spent several days on the Internet, reading reviews and closely looking at photos of hotels, picturesque places and everything related to GOA... We arrived at Dabolim Airport on October 27 at 5 am. We received the suitcases in an hour and a half (shouldn't we be in a hurry? ). It was pouring, no one predicted for this time, rain. At the exit, we were met by a tour operator (they are not allowed inside the airport; in general, they are only allowed into this airport if they have a ticket, because this is a military airport), showed us the bus for further travel directly to the hotel. Another hour everyone was collected on the bus. Hotel "Villa Anjuna" was the last on the bus route, so we were brought to the hotel itself around 8 am. At the reception, we were met by a very friendly manager Ramesh (by the way, he speaks a little Russian) and asked us to wait until 9. We were also offered to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant (toasts, jam, butter, coffee). We left our suitcases at the reception and went to explore the surroundings.
And now about the most important thing! If you were looking for passive rest in a hotel with a beautiful view from the window, romantic views of the landscapes around and shampooed streets, then you have chosen the wrong country. India is a country of CONTRASTS, in every sense of the word. This is a beautiful, colorful, bright, full of tastes and smells, good-natured country, which is no longer on Earth! You need to get to know India by traveling daily, on a bike or scooter (it is convenient to park anywhere) or other vehicle.
While our suitcases were at the reception, we moved to the sea. On the way we were met by cows (they are much smaller than our domestic cows), merchants in tents shouted in Russian “Madame! Come in! Shop! Look! Mikey! ”, drug dealers came up with the words “hashish, marijuana, kidneys, grass…”… The beach in Anjuna turned out to be with reddish sand. Yes, I must say that the earth in India has a red color, and after the rain it looks like plasticine. The rain stopped falling, as if realizing that WE have arrived ? . The puddles began to dry up. People on the street smiled sweetly at us, and when we smiled back at them, they seemed to blossom and become even happier without that.
Although the first impression was formed on the way to the hotel, and it was not rosy. There is really a lot of garbage on the streets, during the rain it is dirty, wet and slippery underfoot. And the air is as if in a steam bath, and even poured from above. Along with ordinary buildings, there are some shacks, and sometimes even just 4 pegs and a film - that's the house. People wash themselves right on the street, women collect garbage along the roads with their bare hands and put it in a huge bag on their heads, dogs and cows walk along the roads (and defecate right there? )... Returning after an introductory walk to the hotel, we were shown to our room. In general, in India, hotel rooms are quite ascetic. You should not count on super-apartments (as, for example, in Turkey), because. in such hotels people only sleep. Large bed, air conditioning, ceiling fan, TV, shelf, locker, table, two chairs are in the room. The bathroom is an ordinary, clean toilet bowl with a rain for hygiene, a washbasin with a mirror and a rain-shower sticking out of the wall. But we were given a room on the first floor in the season just after the monsoon (it rains in India for six months) and there were signs of dampness on the ceiling and it smelled of dampness. The next day we asked the manager Ramesh to change the room. For a nominal fee of $45 for 9 nights (although our operator promised this service for free? ), he placed us in a much more comfortable room, on the second floor with a balcony, new air conditioning and two windows. We were satisfied. If you leave the key at the reception in the morning, the room will be cleaned, the bed will be made and the towels will be changed.
Don't sit still! Take a vehicle, a map and go! There is something to see if you have not yet found what you came here for. If there are any difficulties with the language, and here they speak English, there are many Russians or Russian-speaking people in Anjuna, and this is a big plus. And most importantly, even if you didn’t understand anything from what the Indians told you, the main thing is to smile, and everything will work out. But at least the basics of English still do not hurt to know. You need to bargain with traders on the market, and immediately dropping 50-70 percent of the original price, but in stores prices are fixed. The exchange rate of the rupee per dollar varies from 59 to 61. Moreover, tour operators have the worst exchange rate.
About values. We had a small backpack with us, where there were passports, some cash, and a bank card. Of the things that were left in the room, nothing was missing. On the street, too, no one encroached on our things, even on the beach the backpack was left alone while we swam. The ATM was 10 meters from the hotel.
Fruit in GOA is just wonderfully tasty and cheap. And I tried some hitherto unknown to me, such as chica and castardaple. Of course, it is better to drink bottled water, it is sold in the store. But we washed the fruits with tap water and everything is fine. And in restaurants they asked for everything without ice. On the streets they sell coconuts (coconut) for drinking, very tasty and satisfying, and cost 50 rupees. You can also try cane sugar juice (30 rupees). Food in shakes and restaurants is obscenely cheap, even including alcoholic drinks. It is here that you can try a lobster with a side dish for only $20, buy a bottle of fine rum for only $1.8, drink wonderful juice from mango or papaya (or other fruits) for only $1. Also try lassi, which is a local yogurt. You can ask for it with sugar, and with any fruit. Very tasty! From the food that we ate in restaurants, I do not advise you to take grilled seafood (strange smack of smoke and a lot of garlic), and also do not try anything from the Indian menu (no taste, only SPICY). By the way, many already have menus in Russian, and they speak a little Russian, so you won’t be lost at all? And if you get tired, you can eat in the restaurant at the hotel. They cook delicious food there too. And the waiters Lucky and Krishna will not let you get bored and will cheer you up with jokes like squeezing a bottle of beer “well, a little more... ” ? .
There are many beaches in GOA. And it's up to you whether you find the best one. Moreover, the sand on the beaches is different: from red to white. Arabian Sea! It's so warm! The waves are not small, like on the sea, but rather big, like on the ocean. Seashells with hermit crabs sitting inside come across in the water, small crabs run along the beach. The waves throw out white marble sand and some types of agate. The wind is warm and gentle. It is better to sunbathe at any time, except for 12-15 hours (do not joke, you will burn yourself). Most Indians don't know how to swim. And even a lifeguard on the beach (a boy in a red T-shirt, constantly whistling a whistle from the shore to vacationers who have swum far away) may also not be able to swim. The Indians on the beach will take pictures and pretend that they are only themselves, but in fact they are trying to capture us “whites” in the frame, because. they have a cult of white skin. They may ask if you can take a picture together... In general, if you don’t want something, just smile and say “no, thanks” in English. By the way, the hotel has an excellent swimming pool from 70 cm to 2 m deep, always clean.
For shopping, you can go to Panaji or Arambol. And there is a good network of Indian stores of quality things Fabindiya (Fabindia), there are awesome twisted cotton scarves and bedding. For souvenirs, it is better to go to the market in the city of Mapsa on Friday. Girls need to put something on their heads and cover their knees a little.
And lastly. Don't take too many things with you. This especially applies to our young ladies with dresses and shoes with heels. All this will not be useful. You need 2 T-shirts, shorts, a knee-length skirt, flip flops. What was missing? -1. Time. I wanted to extend my stay in this wonderful country for a couple of days. -2.20 kg luggage! Well, it is impossible in such a narrow kilogram framework to fit everything that you wanted to take with you as a keepsake.
And most importantly, remember that you came to see the country, not to show yourself, be polite to others.
And now about the most important thing! If you were looking for passive rest in a hotel with a beautiful view from the window, romantic views of the landscapes around and shampooed streets, then you have chosen the wrong country. India is a country of CONTRASTS, in every sense of the word. This is a beautiful, colorful, bright, full of tastes and smells, good-natured country, which is no longer on Earth! You need to get to know India by traveling daily, on a bike or scooter (it is convenient to park anywhere) or other vehicle.
While our suitcases were at the reception, we moved to the sea. On the way we were met by cows (they are much smaller than our domestic cows), merchants in tents shouted in Russian “Madame! Come in! Shop! Look! Mikey! ”, drug dealers came up with the words “hashish, marijuana, kidneys, grass…”… The beach in Anjuna turned out to be with reddish sand. Yes, I must say that the earth in India has a red color, and after the rain it looks like plasticine. The rain stopped falling, as if realizing that WE have arrived ? . The puddles began to dry up. People on the street smiled sweetly at us, and when we smiled back at them, they seemed to blossom and become even happier without that.
Although the first impression was formed on the way to the hotel, and it was not rosy. There is really a lot of garbage on the streets, during the rain it is dirty, wet and slippery underfoot. And the air is as if in a steam bath, and even poured from above. Along with ordinary buildings, there are some shacks, and sometimes even just 4 pegs and a film - that's the house. People wash themselves right on the street, women collect garbage along the roads with their bare hands and put it in a huge bag on their heads, dogs and cows walk along the roads (and defecate right there? )... Returning after an introductory walk to the hotel, we were shown to our room. In general, in India, hotel rooms are quite ascetic. You should not count on super-apartments (as, for example, in Turkey), because. in such hotels people only sleep. Large bed, air conditioning, ceiling fan, TV, shelf, locker, table, two chairs are in the room. The bathroom is an ordinary, clean toilet bowl with a rain for hygiene, a washbasin with a mirror and a rain-shower sticking out of the wall. But we were given a room on the first floor in the season just after the monsoon (it rains in India for six months) and there were signs of dampness on the ceiling and it smelled of dampness. The next day we asked the manager Ramesh to change the room. For a nominal fee of $45 for 9 nights (although our operator promised this service for free? ), he placed us in a much more comfortable room, on the second floor with a balcony, new air conditioning and two windows. We were satisfied. If you leave the key at the reception in the morning, the room will be cleaned, the bed will be made and the towels will be changed.
Don't sit still! Take a vehicle, a map and go! There is something to see if you have not yet found what you came here for. If there are any difficulties with the language, and here they speak English, there are many Russians or Russian-speaking people in Anjuna, and this is a big plus. And most importantly, even if you didn’t understand anything from what the Indians told you, the main thing is to smile, and everything will work out. But at least the basics of English still do not hurt to know. You need to bargain with traders on the market, and immediately dropping 50-70 percent of the original price, but in stores prices are fixed. The exchange rate of the rupee per dollar varies from 59 to 61. Moreover, tour operators have the worst exchange rate.
About values. We had a small backpack with us, where there were passports, some cash, and a bank card. Of the things that were left in the room, nothing was missing. On the street, too, no one encroached on our things, even on the beach the backpack was left alone while we swam. The ATM was 10 meters from the hotel.
Fruit in GOA is just wonderfully tasty and cheap. And I tried some hitherto unknown to me, such as chica and castardaple. Of course, it is better to drink bottled water, it is sold in the store. But we washed the fruits with tap water and everything is fine. And in restaurants they asked for everything without ice. On the streets they sell coconuts (coconut) for drinking, very tasty and satisfying, and cost 50 rupees. You can also try cane sugar juice (30 rupees). Food in shakes and restaurants is obscenely cheap, even including alcoholic drinks. It is here that you can try a lobster with a side dish for only $20, buy a bottle of fine rum for only $1.8, drink wonderful juice from mango or papaya (or other fruits) for only $1. Also try lassi, which is a local yogurt. You can ask for it with sugar, and with any fruit. Very tasty! From the food that we ate in restaurants, I do not advise you to take grilled seafood (strange smack of smoke and a lot of garlic), and also do not try anything from the Indian menu (no taste, only SPICY). By the way, many already have menus in Russian, and they speak a little Russian, so you won’t be lost at all? And if you get tired, you can eat in the restaurant at the hotel. They cook delicious food there too. And the waiters Lucky and Krishna will not let you get bored and will cheer you up with jokes like squeezing a bottle of beer “well, a little more... ” ? .
There are many beaches in GOA. And it's up to you whether you find the best one. Moreover, the sand on the beaches is different: from red to white. Arabian Sea! It's so warm! The waves are not small, like on the sea, but rather big, like on the ocean. Seashells with hermit crabs sitting inside come across in the water, small crabs run along the beach. The waves throw out white marble sand and some types of agate. The wind is warm and gentle. It is better to sunbathe at any time, except for 12-15 hours (do not joke, you will burn yourself). Most Indians don't know how to swim. And even a lifeguard on the beach (a boy in a red T-shirt, constantly whistling a whistle from the shore to vacationers who have swum far away) may also not be able to swim. The Indians on the beach will take pictures and pretend that they are only themselves, but in fact they are trying to capture us “whites” in the frame, because. they have a cult of white skin. They may ask if you can take a picture together... In general, if you don’t want something, just smile and say “no, thanks” in English. By the way, the hotel has an excellent swimming pool from 70 cm to 2 m deep, always clean.
For shopping, you can go to Panaji or Arambol. And there is a good network of Indian stores of quality things Fabindiya (Fabindia), there are awesome twisted cotton scarves and bedding. For souvenirs, it is better to go to the market in the city of Mapsa on Friday. Girls need to put something on their heads and cover their knees a little.
And lastly. Don't take too many things with you. This especially applies to our young ladies with dresses and shoes with heels. All this will not be useful. You need 2 T-shirts, shorts, a knee-length skirt, flip flops. What was missing? -1. Time. I wanted to extend my stay in this wonderful country for a couple of days. -2.20 kg luggage! Well, it is impossible in such a narrow kilogram framework to fit everything that you wanted to take with you as a keepsake.
And most importantly, remember that you came to see the country, not to show yourself, be polite to others.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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