This weekend will hopefully turn out to be a nice change of pace from 6-day workweeks, seeing as how we're spending it in Goa. Last night we took an overnight bus from Pune to Panjim, Goa, which turned out to be quite the adventure. Our driver took us to the bus station in Pune at about 8:30 last night, which I can honestly say is probably the sketchiest bus stop I've ever been to. Basically it consisted of a bunch of buses lined up on the side of the road across the street from a group of what appeared to be very seedy travel agencies. The other side of the road looked strangely like a dump, complete with a herd of pigs rummaging through the trash.On the bus we were led to the back of the bus, where there were four bunks waiting for us. We proceeded to get into the four bunks, until we were informed that we only had two of the bunks--we would be sharing them between us. It was going to be a long night. There are some things that can be said about the bus: it seemed relatively clean, and it didn't smell too bad. On the other hand, in lieu of having bathrooms, there were four extra bunks. Not helpful. It was also freezing. The entire experience is best summed up in a single word: sketchy. We arrived in Panjim at about 7am in the pouring rain, and bleary-eyed, were directed to our hotel.
What hadn't registered with us was that we would be staying in a 5-star hotel. After a restless 10 hour overnight bus ride, the soft pillows and hot showers couldn't have been more appealing. To top things off, the complimentary breakfast was amazing (complete with real coffee--not the coffee-flavoured milk and sugar we're used to being served). I can't afford to stay at a hotel remotely like this in the United States, but for the equivalent of $40/night in Goa, staying in a 5-star hotel is absolutely worth it!For perhaps the first time this summer, I seem to be running a bit behind with blog posting (by about 12 hours, to be exact). I apologize, and I'll post as much as I can regarding Goa over the next few days. Also, because I maxed out my Google account with India pictures, I've started a second album here. There are lots more pictures from Goa coming soon!
Hmm....that reminds me of a time when I booked a hostel in London the night before I was to return from my mission trip. I showed up to find out I had booked it for the next night and there were no rooms available that night. After deciding against sleeping on the couch and being unable to find a standbye seat, I resorted to asking my parents to spend 200 pounds (a cool 400 dollars) for a pretty decent hotel near the airport. One of only 5 rooms available in the entire city due to Wimbledon. Yeah, the bed, bath and food was glorious compared to sleeping on a couch or in a terminal.
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