Hello Gokarana, Mumbai (Bombay) and Kolkata (Calcutta)!
On the road again...here we are "relaxing" on the side of the road after our "direct" bus from Hampi dropped us off at 3am, still about 1 hour from our destination. We waited for about an hour in the middle of nowhere with a few other folks and then arrived in Gokarna at around 4:30am.
Lucky for us after catching a few hours of sleep on the beach we were able to soak in an amazing sunrise!
Gokarna is a holy town with lots of pilgrims and also a fair share of backpackers. There is the town itself and also 4 beaches. We stayed in "Paradise" for 2 nights, and then moved to the main beach. We met some great people at our little guesthouse, and felt right at home. Behold Chapa, short for Chapati, the Dandi stand-in while we stayed on Gokarna Beach.
Camels on the beach? Normal, right?
Our Megamoon Suite is the top space next to the yellow flag.
The view from inside the Megamoon Suite looking out to the sunset. Yes, that is our hammock.
Look how beautiful Jessica makes the scenery look!!
"Don't drink the water"
Amazing fish thali!!!
Where's Jessica?
Holy cows eating trash, and also the decorations off the pilgrims' car.
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After Gokarna we said good-bye to all of our friends and headed to Bollywood! Jeremy was quickly asked to take a lead role/extra role in a Bollywood film. Mumbai was a nice city to wander around, with cool architecture, double decker buses, and amazing street food.
Behold Krack Snack, the main source of energy that keeps Mumbai and Bollywood going!
We ate this fun meal (Chaat) on the beach in Mumbai.
Of course you have to try the manually operated rides on the beach if you really want to enjoy!
Always time for a street shave...check out the man-beard!
Space is limited in the city and you must use it wisely. On top we have our local corner store and below you can have a full breakfast with tea!
Our travel plans had us moving east to Kolkata, a quick 26 hour train ride from Mumbai. This is the SUPER EXPRESS train. We opted to treat ourselves to AC 2 Class where they clean the floors and feed you high tea. Truly a different experience than sleeper class. It was lovely and exhausting. We arrived to find that Kolkata is a city under smog. However, under that smog you will find some amazing street food and stalls. Here is a quick glimpse into the first couple of days in Kolkata.
This bad boy is fried dough with egg, butter, and vegis and then fried again, and then one more time for good luck. Quite tasty and wee bit greasy, but a classic in Kolkata.
More good stuff to come from Kolkata, the Jungle and beyond!!
