It seems like we've been here longer than (almost) 2 weeks. We've done so much in the time we've been here and to think it all started in Delhi. Right now we're in Mangalore in the province of Karnataka. We arrived last night at 11pm on the train from Madgaon. We rode in the lowest reserved class because it was a day train and there are little to no options for day trains usually. The windows were the ones that are open so you get the wind coming in and you can take pictures without the reflection and glare of the window. Overall it was a pleasant trip, lots of beautiful scenery and it wasn't a very crowded car so we got to spread out and make ourselves comfortable (comfortable is a relative term). I got a lot of reading done. We're pretty excited to take a 1st class train to see what the differences are and whether the price is worth it. We arrived at the hotel that we had called ahead of time to book (a Lonely Planet recommendation in budget class). It was definitely budget, but it was perfectly fine as a crash pad for the evening. Perfectly fine until I saw one tiny bed bug crawl past my arm. We squished it and then stood around for a bit discussing what we'd do... leave, "upgrade"? In the end, we decided there was not much that could be done so we got out our silk sleeping sleeves (sleeping bag liners) and left the light on in the room to help deter them. We both eventually fell asleep and we didn't have any bites or anything this morning so we'd like to think it was a lonely little bed bug.
We had a lovely stay in Fatorpa in Goa. Fatorpa is a rural village inland from the coast where Anil's maternal family has roots. The towns was quite small, but there was running water and electricity and everything we needed. We arrived on Sunday morning and it was rainy and we were sticky and stinky from having slept on the train. We climbed aboard the local bus to the village and I got stared down hard. As soon as we arrived at our accommodations, we were able to shower and wind down which we needed. Anil's uncle arranged for us to stay at the mundir's (Hindu temple) guest lodging which was basic, but clean and comfortable. For meals, we went to a family's (relatives of Anil's) and ate delicious, homemade Goan food which is different from the Indian food we get back home. It's spicier, less rich, more flavorful and they use coconut in the curries. We were truly spoiled by that family. Honest and genuine Indian hospitality is so unique and wonderful and we were both in desperate need of it after our adventures in Delhi. Anil's uncle was so helpful and generous and spent a lot of time taking us to all the beaches and local towns in Goa. We visited all the main beaches (in North and South Goa) and the capital of the province, Panjim. Everyday we'd wake up around 6:30 or 7am and catch a bus to a different area. Once there, we'd have a snack and some cool drinks and explore the area and then we'd make our way back to Fatorpa. The bus local rural bus systems are very intricate, but routes are long so it takes a while to get from point A to B. We spent a few more days in Fatorpa than we had originally planned for so we didn't spend and additional time at the beach. Everyday we had great weather... sunny and highs in the low 30s.
So today in Mangalore we're making some travel arrangements for the next couple of days. Tonight we head a little further South to Mysore. From Mysore we're headed to Ooty, Coonoor, Munnar (all hill stations which means cooler temperatures and hopefully less crowded and more nature), Varkala, Kanyakamurti (the tip of the continent) and then we start to head north again to Pondicherry, Hampi, Pune and then back to Mumbai around July 5-8th to visit with more of Anil's family.
We're finding ourselves more settled in now and are able to ignore a lot of the stuff that goes on around us so we don't get bothered by it. We're learning how to take it with a grain of salt.