Stranger than Paradise

In Ratnigiri I was packing my motorcycle and getting ready to leave the hotel when I met a cyclist. He was honestly the first foriegner I've met in Inia that struck up a conversation with me. He informed me that even though there was no road listed in any map, it was possible to follow the coast all the way from Ratnigiri to Goa. So, I decided to throw caution into the wind and set of on roads and places I had no Idea how to navigate. This was a really good descision. I passed through some of the most beautiful coastal areas I've ever seen, and I was the only foriegner within a good distance. This made getting directions, safe food/water, difficult, but was exactly what I needed. After about two hours of driving I came to my first river crossing which I really hadn't exected. A fishing boat ferried me and my motorcycle across for 20 rupees, and I was off again. Around 1pm I hit a large bay and was told that a ferry only left at 2pm, so I spent some time in a small fishing village, fishing.

At two o'clock I got onto another fishing boat and set of for a small town I new absolutey nothing about. The town turned out to be built around an old Portugese Fortress, which is where the boat docked and unloaded me 30 minutes later. The town was pleasant, and because I was intent on exploring the fortress, I went looking for a hotel. After a brief look I found one on a hill overlooking a Palm tree lined beach. The room was simple, but good enough for my needs. The hotel was run by a very sweet family and was completely empty. It was the only hotel in town and hadn't seen a foriegner in over 3 months, which gave me an idea of how off the tourist track I was. I spent the rest of the day searching the fort, exploring hindu temple ruins, and fishing with some children I met. I couldn't help but feel like I had found paradise and it was the most cliche thing I'd ever seen. Ever pamphlet, tv commercial, etc. advertising exotic tropical get-aways was exactly where I was. Minus the four star hotel, it was the beautiful deserted paradise that I always think of as a haven for stressed-out business men and honey mooners. This made the whole experience a little surreal.

That night I went to sleep early only to be woken around midnight covered in welts, that were itching furiously. As best as I can figure I was being completely ravaged by bed bugs. My attempts at escaping to a safe place in the room were fruitless and I ended up sleeping very little the rest of the night. Around 4am, I fell asleep, and after what felt like seconds was woken by a loud knocking at my door and a voice saying "sir". Having completely given myself up to these encounters at this point I went to the door and openned it to find the owner of the hotel. I asked him what he needed, and he just looked at me blankly. He then informed it was 7:30am and walked off. I hadn't arranged a wake up call, and he hadn't asked me to breakfast, so as far as I know, he was just informing me of the time. I would have been disgruntled had I not been coming to except such random experiences in my travels.

The rest of the day was spent manuvering through gorgeous coastal villages and empty beaches. I reached Goa about 2 hours ago, got a room and am resting, which is good because I think I have a sinus infection. Goa is a vacation spot. I understand more what some people have said about it, as being a very easy place to stay. Its really hassle free here which is impressive for aplace in a country like India.

I don't know whats happening next. Bye for know.