Feels like a long road to my destination

Arriving in Mumbai

We landed in BOM at 0115 and was bused to the International arrival hall bursting with people waiting to be processed. It took 1h30 for me to clear.

I was feeling pretty tired and all I needed was for the ATM to not read my card (actually the guy in front of me as well). Arggghhh! The next machine (Citibank’s) had an additional levy of INR200 so I upped the amount I’d withdraw and proceeded with the withdrawal.

As I walked out to the public area, it was with some relief to find that the hotel’s complimentary driver hadn’t given up waiting for me. It was a short ride to the hotel … a public taxi at this time would have been trouble, eg. Sir, the hotel is closed / burnt down / full.

At 0300 in the morning, my room wasn’t ready. They have lots of night flights and the previous occupants had just left and they took about 15 minutes to clean it. It was a quick wash and straight to bed for me, sleeping till 0800.

Good morning Mumbai

I ordered a breakfast of masala dosa and masala chai at the hotel’s tiny lobby. They sourced it from the street and it was delicious. I thought I’d stock up on some sleeping pills which I use (rarely) to help me through time zone changes. I found a pharmacy down the road but they didn’t carry it … they always seem to be knowledgeable and well-stocked but people here just don’t suffer from insomnia I guess.

I had time to kill so I reviewed my travel plans and realised that due to my tiredness and the local ATM fee, I had withdrawn too much money. About double what I had wanted to get, and perhaps 1.5x what I need for the whole trip. I’m surprised my bank’s limit or the local bank’s limit didn’t kick in. But I hear ATMs are hard to come by at Arambol and Mandrem where I’ll be based.

The hotel dropped me off to the airport at 1045 for a 1300 departure, which was perfect as it gave me time to enjoy the lounge for brunch. The ride to the domestic terminal was slightly further and extremely congested taking about 30 minutes. My baggage had already been tagged in Hong Kong all the way to Goa so I dropped it off and headed straight to the lounge.

Going to Goa and Arambol

The flight to Goa was scheduled for 1h05 but the actual flying time was only 45 mins. I was met by the guesthouse driver who took me to my guesthouse at Arambol, 1h30 mins north of the airport. Parts of the drive was exactly what I had imagined. Colourful concrete houses set amongst coconut groves, veils of jungle creepers and brown rivers.

My guesthouse “God’s Gift” is set about 5 mins back from the beach. There are beach huts on the beach itself, so the view of the sea is slightly obstructed. I kinda knew this but didn’t mind too much as I will be on the beach later in my stay at Mandrem.

I dropped my bag and explored in order to find my yoga centre for tomorrow. I got lost slightly as the road disappeared in parts. Having sorted all that out, I bought some mangoes (expensive at NZD1 each) but that seems to be the set price at different places … tourist price, perhaps.

I chose to have dinner back at my guesthouse before going to bed before 2100.  It felt like it had been a long road from Hong Kong to Arambol via Delhi and Mumbai, despite the short night stop in Mumbai.