Goa, Palolem Beach

First of all this is the route I've travelled so far since Alessandro and Maise are gone (03/01/15 - 31/01/15), which I'm still gonna tell more about!

Finally the travelling on my own started now.
I'm sitting in the hotel infront of the mirror above the little table. Still in Kollam. What do you do when you're on your own? I am prepared. I got my ukulele, a book, audiobooks, music, something to write. I start writing. 10 minutes later I stop. It gets boring. But I can't sleep already. It's too early. Let's go to the rooftop.
After 10 minutes I go back down. Couldn't really chill. Just got bored.
I go to sleep. Travelling alone must be learned.

On the next day both bus rides (first to Kochi and then to Goa, Chaudi) were chilled and easy. In between I had a nice chat with an Indian family father, coming back to his hometown Mangalore (between Kochi and Goa) from a few work days in Kochi.
I arrived in the morning at Chaudi. 15 minutes bus drive away from the beach I wanted to go to. Palolem Beach.
Before I got into the next bus, I bought myself a lock. It's always safer to use your own than the one from the hostel. The lock I got is special though. (Maybe they knew I'm German.) The lock's brand is called "Hitler". Quite funny I think.

I arrived at Palolem beach, looked for a hut, settled down and went out to eat something. Palolem beach is very small and touristy, but I really liked it.
Straight away I got to know Norman and Albert having nice street food together and we ended up arranging to meet for dinner.
One hour later Tahi (the guy from New Zealand with whom I went to the Nationalpark in Nepal) tells me, he is in Goa and asks if I want to meet up.
Another hour later he shows up in front of my hut. Nice seeing someone again you weren't sure whether you would ever meet again.

In the evening I go to dinner with Norman, Albert and Maxi. Maxi and Norm are a couple. (Coolest couple I've ever met I think.^^) They actually got to know Albert in Delhi, the day they arrived in India, which is now a month ago and since then they travelled together. All three are from Southafrica.
Well and the next five days Tahi, Maxi, Norm, Albs and I spent together chilling at the beach or going out. We went to two silent parties, where everyone wears headphones. Apparently those silent parties weren't as weird as I expected them to be, they were quite fun instead.
Summed up: 5 really really nice days!

On Wednesday, the 7th Alb, Norm and Maxi went to Hampi, which I planned to go to next as well, but I wanted to stay some longer in Palolem. And also I wanted to head north after Hampi and they planned to head south.
On the 8th also Tahi left me, flying to Hongkong for 4 days to meet a friend over there and then fly back home to New Zealand.

Thursday, 8th of january. I'm in a new cheaper hut after Tahi left and think I'll be on my own the next days... but not in Goa... Very soon I get to know my hut neighbours from England and from Israel and friday we all go together to a nice normal (loud) big party, where I meet some other english guys from Manchester who turn out to be my future travel mates for the next two weeks.
Nick, Tom and Nathan.
Nathan and I book the bus tickets to Hampi for monday evening.

During the weekend I still meet a bunch of other people. One day I get to know three other english guys and we meet for dinner, not having in mind that their budget is a lot higher, because they work and only spend two weeks in India, so it's a very different kind of holiday/travel compared to mine. So in the end we went to a quite expensive restaurant, me starting to sweat because of the prices, but I made it not to let them notice. Hopefully they don't read my Blog haha ;)
And monday before the bus ride I meet three mexicans, whose names are so similar to my families' names: Alejandro, Alfonso and Nadiola. (My brother: Alessandro, my father: Alfonso and my father's girlfriend: Nadia) What a coincidence! They even had similar relations to each other, because Nadiola and Alfonso were a couple and Alfonso's and Alessandro's father's name was also Alfonso. Nice afternoon together and really good pizza together in the evening. I guess I'll travel to Mexico next. ;)
And then it's already monday evening, I meet up with Tom, Nay and Nick and the drive to Hampi starts.

Here some pictures from my time in Goa, Palolem Beach:

Tahi helping to push the boat back on the beach

Chillin infront of the hut

Maxi, Norm, Alb and Tahi

These huts get removed every year when the season is over

Third Part of the family travel

27th we noticed we haven't got a lot of time left. After planning a little we decided to take an overnight half sleeper bus to Kochi.
28th in the morning we arrived in Ernakulam/Kochi and took the ferry to Fort Cochin, the nice area to stay at.

We looked for a cheap hostel and checked in. This time I made it to bargain 1000 rupees down.
We slept a little and went around the area.

29th we took the bus in the morning to Kumily, the city closest to the Periyar Nationalpark.

That's the part I forgot in the last map (last post)

We arrived in the evening and unfortunately just missed a martial arts show. Also we had planned to take the bus to Alleppey on the next day around 12, right after the Safari in the morning and unluckily found out you have to do the Safari a whole day otherwise you can't even get into the Nationalpark, which was really unexpected and unusual. We weren't really lucky with Nationalparks... Well, I was (in Nepal), but not Alessandro and Maise.

Hotel in Kumily

So all we did on the next morning was a jeep tour through the mountains. Nothing we couldn't have in Europe, but nice anyway.

We arrived in Alleppey by bus as always. Room already booked. Three beds and a bathroom. Simple, good, cheap. And the reception was a tourist centre at the same time. What else do you want?

In the evening we went to a beach Festival. That was nice. Lots of people at the beach, 99,9% indians, even though my travel guide said Alleppey would be quite touristy. The atmosphere was nice, a lot of food shops and a stage. After a while everyone sat down on the sand in front of the stage and watched the different dance groups - all Indian. I enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera, because it's not too good in the dark.

On the next day, the 31st of decembre, we had planned to do a backwaters tour down to Kollam for 8 hours and then celebrate New Year's eve in Kollam.
The boat tour started at 10:40am and before that I had to get my train ticket for the first of january to Goa. Because Maise's and Alessandro's flight was gonna take off in the evening of the 1.1. and I wanted to go to Goa after our trip together.

At 10am the train booking station (a little counter, easy to miss) opens. Me and my mom go there at 9:45am and already 22 people are queueing infront of us. "Is this here for booking trains?", I ask someone. The head wobble I get as an answer is as always not really satisfiying, but there is nothing else I get.
("The head wobble. It can mean 'yes', 'maybe' or 'I have no idea'. Go with the flow!", Lonely Planet. It's a movement with the head that looks a little like you would put your head on your left shoulder and then on the right shoulder and back and forth. Just that the head changes direction way before it touches the shoulder and that a little circle movement is in it. Well, hard to describe, tried my best, just google or youtube it.)
We stand in the queue for a bit when I suddenly see someone writing his name on a piece of paper and then joining the queue. "What is this?" "The waiting list, you have to write your name."
'Thanks for telling me now! Is it not obvious that I'm a lost tourist? Could've told me that 10 minutes earlier before the other 4 people came!' is my first thought.
I write down my name. Now I'm number 26. The queue doesn't matter unless you write your name on the list.
Another few moments later, now it is finally 10am and the counter opens, when my mom suddenly notices that someone holds a copy of his passport in his hands. "Does everyone need this?" Head wobble.
Shit! "Ok, you wait here, give me your passport and I'll go find a shop where I can make a copy of it." Before I can say anything against it, my mom crosses the street and walks off quickly.

The queue goes very slowly. Finally it's 10:25am and only two more people are in front of me.
"Yes, please." "Ehm, sorry my mother comes soon with my passport copy, I haven't got it yet." "No problem." "Ok. I need a train ticket for tomorrow from Kollam to Goa." My mom turns up and passes me the copy. "Which class?", the woman behind the counter asks. "Sleeper class" "All full" "Ok, any other class?"
A guy next to me tries to explain to me now, because the woman behind the counter doesn't know that much english:
"There are only standing tickets left" "Ok doesn't matter, I can stand for 20 hours, that's ok. I'm just really in a hurry and I just need to get on this train, give me any ticket.", I'm getting nervous. The woman types something in the computer and looks at my passport copy, while the guy who just explained me that with the standing tickets walks off.
"There is no ticket, m'am", the woman suddenly says. "But what about the standing ticket he mentioned?", I point at where the guy last was. "No ticket m'am", her Indian accent is strong and reminds me of Alessandro and me always imitating the Indian accent for fun.
"Please, any ticket, I have no time left." It is 10:35am already.
In the end she prints out a ticket and gives it to me. My mom and I run to the boat and get on. Alessandro was already getting worried if we'd make it in time and is surprised why it took so long.
At the same time I'm on the edge, because it was even a lot more confusing and annoying than I could tell about it now. I wouldn't be able to retell the mixture of head wobble, weird answers and lots of indians talking at the same time.
At least in the end I got a Ticket. Not knowing yet, what kind of ticket......

The boat takes off and we start enjoying the backwaters tour with two breaks. One for a simple nice lunch and one tea break.

We arrived in Kollam and headed to our hotel. Quite luxurious, especially because we had the disabled room, the only free one left.
After settling in, showering and getting ready..

..we went for a really nice New Year's Eve buffet in the Hotel's Restaurant. Really really nice.
At 11pm it ended and we went upstairs. What now? Apparently Kerala has a lot of muslims and the restaurant doesn't serve any alcohol. Also pubs don't seem to be common outside, we found out after asking at the reception.
In the end we went to our room and ordered some chai (tea) at 11:40pm. We didn't want to celebrate New Year's big anyway.
Unfortunately at 11:59pm the chai was still not there. All we had was some half warm drinking water. Well, then..
"Cheers and a happy New Year!"

In the next year it finally knocks at the door (at 00:01). The chai. I have a sip and it tastes horrible. (At least to me.) Good start to 2015! :D
Actually one of the good New Years Eve's I had so far. My mom and brother with me and no big party, just relaxed into the new year.

Next morning I find out my train ticket is only a waiting list ticket. My waiting list number is 106. Chance to get in: 0%
We go to the railwaystation, get almost all money back for the ticket and after an hour of the receptionist's research back at the hotel we find a bus that goes from Kochi to Goa at the 2nd of january. Taken. So I stay one more night here, take a government bus in the morning to Kochi and from there at 4pm the bus to Goa and arrive there presumably at the third january at 11am.

After a few relaxed hours together, reviewing the nice two weeks we had, Alessandro and Maise take a taxi at 10pm to Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) airport.

Thanks for these nice two weeks! :))
See you almost in a month! :-***