The last portion of my trip took me to the southern part of the state of Goa. Having read a lot and then experienced first hand how grinding traveling in India can be at times the best antidote is to leave yourself some space for a short vacation within your vacation to unwind at the beach. For me this took place around the sleepy town of Palolem that is known for having one of the most beautiful beaches of India. Surrounded by mountains on each sides, the kilometer long crescent shaped beach gives way into the calm and idyllic Arabian sea which you can walk up into about a hundred of meters or more depending on the tide. Due to a ban on permanent development the beach is filled six months a year with an unbroken line made up of hundreds of temporary shacks offering the usual bamboo and palm leaf huts accommodations, restaurants and bars. Those in need of a bit more luxury or visiting out of season can find concrete air-con style guest houses a few streets back in town all year long. The mood is definitely laid back and those looking for a party atmosphere should skip Palolem and head up in North Goa as loud music is banned past 10 o’clock here. Though there is  somewhat of an alternative as on certain nights they open up silent discos parties where wireless headphones allow people that want to party into the wee hours of the night to do so while no one else is bothered. A good thing to mention is that the whole state of Goa has an unusually easy going attitude towards alcohol that you will find freely available everywhere and at cheap prices being that this is the only state in India to have tax-free beer.

Pictures of Palolem and the surrounding beaches of  Patnem, Agonda & Colomb :

While the beach was not too crowded and still felt largely unspoiled when I visited in November I am sure some might find it to be a different story in the high season of  December and January. Those looking for a more quiet and secluded getaway can walk down south from Palolem and find accomodations in Colomb and Patnem Beach or take a 10km Auto rickshaw ride to peaceful Agonda with it’s three-kilometer-long beach. I am sure that like countless others with a bit of a loose itinerary you’ll find it’s very easy to stay here for far longer than you  initially intended enjoying the lazy beach lifestyle.

A Sadhu priest more commonly knows as a Hindu holy man on the banks of the Ganges river.

After an initial short and uneventful stay in Delhi I was glad to arrive in Varanasi which happened to be the first destination to really triggered my interest in India. A place where you can experience first hand the magic of being in one of the most spiritual and colorful cities of India. Varanasi is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the holiest for Hindus. Pilgrims flock here from all over India and beyond to either wash away a lifetime of sins in the river Ganges, cremate their loved ones at the open air burning ghats or live out their final days. As it is said that anyone who dies in Varanasi attains instant enlightenment or “moksha” and is liberated from the cycle of reincarnation. I got to encounter just how important the city is to Hindus even before I arrived, as right next to me on the plane from Delhi was an elderly couple where the wife was caring for her terminally ill husband which didn’t seem to have much more than a few days to live and wished to go die there.

Varanasi is rather small and all it’s points of interest are within walking distance so all you really need to do is meander through the alleys of the old city and go on a stroll along the Ghats of the Ganges river and let yourself be absorbed by the experience. For those who might wonder ghats are a series of stone steps that lead down to the water which the city consists of an endless series of but before deciding to jump in for purification bath with the other average 60000 daily pilgrims, remember that on this same 7 KM stretch there are 30  sewers discharging heavy polluting into the river. While the World Health Organization suggests bathing water should have no more than 500 bacteria per 100mL; the Ganges has 1.5 million bacteria for the same quantity of water making it septic so think twice!

Pictures of Varanasi:

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Like the bulk of the travelers coming to India, Delhi will most likely be the obligatory first and last stop of anyone’s journey across the country. The first Impressions of North Delhi you will get of India should be a brutal assault on the senses as you try to make your way through its noisy and frenetically jam-packed streets filled with rickshaws, hand pulled trolleys, scooters, trucks, etc. Add to this being pursued by a few limbless beggars and immediately besieged by touts trying to sell you just about anything from souvenirs, postcards, guide services, etc. The high levels of pollution and garbage, the non stop frenetic honking and you’ll stat to have an idea of just how chaotic it can feel.

The streets are lined with makeshift kitchens, myriad of bazaars, shoemakers, sidewalk dentists and all sorts of second-hand merchandise in this mixed but mainly Muslim part of town. Old Delhi served as the capital of Islamic India and was founded by Emperor Shah Jahan and remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of their dynasty in 1707. Most of the interesting sights of the Capital such as the Red Fort and Jama Masjid mosk relate this era though the food alone would make it worth the trip where unpretentious restaurants such as Karim’s have been rated by time magazine of the best of Asia.

Here are some pictures of the main sights of Old Delhi and around:

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