old tiger's Blog

So..goodbye Goa..ferry again to Marmagao..
train from Vasco da Gama..not soo crowded really..
don't remember much of this trip...anyway..
reached Bangalore town=capital of Karnataka state..
very funny language=Kannada..weird sounds..
Bangalore in the 70's was not what it is today..
Bangalore is now the IT place to be in India..computers..
but that said..it was a nice town when I passed there..
I could get a room into the railway retiring room for 1 night..
i decide to take a city sightseeing tour by bus..
I did this because the attractions were very wide apart..
spread throughout the city..a conducted sightseeing tour..
was cheap...I recall clearly the visit to the botanical gardens..
it was called *lalbagh*loveley flowers in that garden..
also the *nandi temple*or bull temple..was worthwhile..
nandi is the bull on which Shiva rides(Indian mythology)
it's a typical South Indian *mandir*I witnessed a *puja*
there..means..lots of flowers,coconuts,milk,incense..
chanting and praying..well...typical Indian of course..
Bangalore was a very green town..lots of parks and gardens..
a good climate as well...I really enjoyed that conducted tour..
one meets Indian tourists..couples on honeymoon etc..
I also must mention here that Bangalore is good in *agarbatti*
that's the incense you may find all over the world nowadays..
could be that the packet says..made in Bangalore or Mysore..
Indians use lots of incense in their *puja* ceremonies..
shopkeepers burn it in their shop...oh..I did not tell you peeps..
about *paan*which I took almost daily while in India..
paan is a betelnut..cut into fine pieces..wrapped into some green
leaf..and mixted with all kind of stuff..like lime..tobacco..
spices etc..it's a mild narcotic substance..and if you use it too much..
it's gonna be very bad for your teeth..lots of Indians are addicted
to this stuff..it's regarded as a digestive after a meal..
I usually took mithaa paan which is the sweet version of paan..
in Northeast India later on..I took *tamul paan*once..
that's another story..I'll tell you all when we get there..
a paan wallah is a sight of everyday streetlife in India..
in these days..I was still smoking cigarettes aw well..
in india it was possible in these days..to buy 1 cigarette only..
I took the national cigarette of India..called Charminar..
they used to say..while in India..enjoy a Charminar..
also beedies..I smoked a lot..it was damn cheap..
the poor people's cigarette really..funny smell..
so..Bangalore..I took a south Indian thali in the railway station..
included a *masala dosa*it looked like a pancake...ahah..
so..I went to the retiring room..took a shower..
and was gonna take a train to Mysore the next day..
only bit over 140kms away..maybe 3 hours trainride??
I'll try to find you peeps a llink for Bangalore town..
http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/bangalore/
Tiger

This day..I went to Miramar beach..at 4kms.from Panjim..
took a bus..my plan was to go onto a ferry on the Mandovi river..
some Goan suggested me..to get up north from Panjim..
towards Calangute an Anjuna beaches..that's where the hippie
freaks were..I did not have the guts..neither the stamina..
to make that hot bus ride..in these days..let's say early 70's..
these beaches were famous..nowadays Anjuna still holds a weekly market..
bit of a flea hippie market..started in the early days...
it's full of bars...and nowadays rave parties...woohah..let's go??
swimming is possible at Miramar..mostly done by locals..or Indian
tourists..did not see a single foreigner there..I felt awkward again..
in India..one always get confronted into silly or awkward situations..
one gets so used to it after a while..in the beginning..it's biting..
on your teeth..I took a ferry ride over the Mandovi..
from Dona Paula..towards Marmagao and Vasco de Gama...
I went there..to find out..about my ticket reservation..
by train towards Bangalore...always better to do a reservation..
I liked the ferry ride..cooling experience really..full of local Goans..
I did not like Vasco de Gama..there was nothing special here..
booked my railway ticket..so..next day..goodbye to Goa..
Vasco de Gama was about 33kms.from Panjim..
train to Hubli..via Londa..trip of 10 hours from Vasco..
then change for the Bangalore train...another 10 hours train..
I went back to Panjim...and did not do anything special..
just was getting ready to attack that difficult train trip..
Tiger

so..ferry trip towards Goa..I believe it took more then 10 hours..
arriving in Panjim..was like stepping into another country..
Goa is known for beaches..sunshine..its liberal ideas..it's people..
it's so damn different from India..it's like Portugal within India..
I decided to stay 2 nights..and leave on day 3 by train..
direction Bangalore(Karnataka)Goa in the early 70's...
was a paradise for hippies..liberal laws on drugs..sunny beaches..
unfortunately..things have taken a worse turn..even in these days..
average Indians..frowned upon behaviour of hippie junkies..
the heavy freaks..were just addicted..to any drug available..
they went either to Manali,Katmandu or Benares..and then came
back to Goa..there were cases of nudism..no problem..
the Indians took it as a sightseeing these days..bwaahah..
but hippies got a bad name...when in the 70's some death cases
were reported=overdose..or when hippie junkie chicks prostituted
themselves to get these drugs..and then..people started looking
differently at hippies..I don't know about nowadays..but I think
nowadays it's more centered on beach holidays..Goa got such a
nice temperature chart..It's mostly sunny all year round..
nature is fascinating..with palm trees..loveley green vegetation..
beaches like Anjuna,Miramar,Dona Paula etc..old churches..
loveley folks these Goans...always smiling..it's their nature..
so..in Panjim..I got into a rather dirty but very cheap hotel..
for 2 nights..together with the Dutch couple..I recall..the room..
was O.K..but the kitchen??we saw coakcraches crawling around
on the walls..bahh..Panjim is nice..I went to Miramar beach..
took a sunbath...and burned my ass..did not put sun cream..
in the evening..I looked like a Cajun lobster..my fault..
it gets so damn hot in Goa..it makes you lazy..and you just wanna
rest or lay down..the heat is sometimes too much in India..
the influence of the Portugese is still seen everywhere in Goa..
in its churches..architecture of the houses,people's mentality etc..
just everywhere..it feels different from the rest of India..
Goans are Catholics mostly..but some Hindu+Moslims are present..
Panjim is on the Mandovi river..I walked through the narrow lanes
of Old Goa..very quiet..loveley churches..looked colonial too me..
I believe Goans took their siesta while I was there..not too many
folks out on the street..Goa got these caf?s+bars..I got into one
and was served by a Goa belle..now..*feni*is a local booze..
quite strong..made from coconut palm..a shot of *feni* straight..
will get you high..it's better to mix it with some limca or water?
because it can be quite potent if you're not used to it..
food in Goa..different again..they use lots of spices..and chillies..
try a*vindaloo*a very hot curry of pig meat,spices,garlic etc...
I did not get the shits from it this time..ahah..
so day 1..was mostly strolling around..talking to the locals..
and drink and food..damn..it was hot that day..I recall it very well..
will try to get you peeps a good link about Goa..
http://goatourism.org/About_Goa/goa_intro.htm
Tiger

It was my last day in Bombay..4 days is really not enough..
there is so much to discover..I did not go to Elephanta..
these caves are dedicated to Shiva..Elephanta is an island..
about 10kms.offshore greater Bombay..maybe next time??
another thing in Bombay..everybody talks about Indian movies..
Bollywood produces quite a number of movies on yearly basis...
Indians have an obsession for movies..almost every street corner
gets a huge publicity board with nice painted scenes..
the usual plots in Indian movies are a villain,a hero,some heroin,
lots of dancing and singing..in the beginning 70's sex..
or even just a kiss..were taboo..nowadays..there is a tendency
for more violence and sex..although complete nude scenes..
are very much frowned upon..in Hindi movies they are absent..
the new age film producers like Mrinal Sen,S.Ray,Mira Nair..
try to make different kind of movies..mostly better appreciated
abroad then in India itself..but still..the succes..the glamour/glitter
of Indian movie blockbuster movies..like Sholay(1976)will remain
in every movie goer's mind forever..nowaday's movie stars...
got such a high status..they are almost gods..when Uttan Kumar
died in Calcutta..the whole city was mourning..when Amitab got
sick in hospital..crowds and wellwishers all day long outside..
I've seen quite a number of Indian movies..not bad..but..Indian..
the formula..hopping around in Kasjmir in a meadow..still works..
Shabana Azmi is my favorite actress..she's really very good..
she portrays to me..all good values in life..she's an activist..
for social justice..she got lots of criticism for what she stands for...
and she's damn beautiful as well..here are some links about her movies..
http://images.google.be/images?q=Shabana+Azmi&hl=nl&um=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabana_Azmi
a real controversial movie was the Bandit Queen..Phoolan devi..
I'll try to get some links about Bollywood etc..
so..in the early evening..I went to Bombay Docks..
and boarded the ferry towards Goa...and..I met a Dutch couple..
going the same way..funny..I was able to speak my own language..
or let's say a dialect of Dutch(Flemish)nice couple they were..
Tiger

Almost my last day in Bombay..I went into the markets..
Crawford market is a feast for the eyes really..
anything goes..flowers..herbs..fruits..vegetables..spices..
hectic activities inside..and crowds..very colourful indeed..
the meat and fish sections..I would NOT recommend..
it smells horrible...a speciality of Bombay was *Bombay duck*
not a duck like the name suggests..but a dried fish..
which smells awful..but Bombay people regard it as a delicious
fish preparation..Flora fountain is another sightseeing spot for
central Bombay..nice monument north of Bombay Victoria..
I took a bus..to drive through Bombay's red light district..
I did not wanna walk through there...they told me to avoid that..
could have been dangerous even??so..that double decker bus..
took me through Falkland Road..the area is called Kamathipura..
in these days..no HIV(aids)if you all can watch the movie callled
*salaam Bombay* you will get a real picture of this redlight area..
the director of this movie=Mira Nair..please..watch that movie..
the hookers...are behind grilled windows...looked like a jailhouse
to me..some of them stand outside..some girls are very young..
and come from Nepal or south India..really sad..
there is a concentration of *hijras* in Bombay as well..
now..let me explain..these are mostly men..or hermaprodites..
or eunuchs..who dress up in women's clothes..usually talking
very vulgar language to anyone they meet..
I did NOT like these folks at all...you know what they do??
if a baby is born into a married couple..these hijras know it..
and they go to that house asking for money..Indians are scared
of them...and of superstition..because..if ones refuses to give
money..they will curse the baby...and tell it will become like them..
i will give you peeps 2 links about Indian hijras..
just let me tell you..it's not to read by the faint hearted here..
sometimes castrations are performed etc..by the leading eunuch..
that's India as well..it's extremeley strange and mysterious..
I will have to look up these links..be warned..it's horrible..
http://www.thewe.cc/contents/more/archive/aruvani.html
http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/article.1734.html
so..the boat trip from Bombay to Goa would take 10 hours..
I will report about that trip in next posting..
next day..was my last day in Bombay..boat trip overnight..
crazy Tiger