Monday 11th Jan

Managed to buy a ticket in the airport no problem at the very efficient Kingfisher Airlines desk. I love that India has a company that does both beer and air travel. After a four hour transit, I boarded the 4.55am flight. I woke up halfway through to find they were serving curry for breakfast. It went down surprisingly well.

Upon landing, I fought my way with all my luggage to the pre-pay taxi desk where you can pay a fixed fare in advance to get to Panaji, the state capital. Once I got to the taxi, I found that it was one of the yellow and black ones that the Imperial College International Office had warned us against on the grounds of extreme discomfort. And indeed the suspension factor was low. The taxi did however have a hypnotic blinging lit up virgin mary on the dashboard which changed colour at various speeds, no doubt to guide us safely to our destination. It was still pitch black at 6am, and the driver went shooting off at full throttle along the main road, casually overtaking trucks on blind corners, almost ramming the back of a scooter, and nearly crushing assorted locals wandering along the side of the road. Then, to my sheer terror, he swerved off the main road down a bumpy unlit unpaved track into a forest. I realised that the only weapon I had to hand was the Lonely Planet, which I gripped desperately, in order to be able to clobber the driver over the head with it if need be. He was pretty little, so I reckon I could have put up a good fight when he tried to murder me. Unless he was driving me out to meet his bandit friends. Fortunately, we turned back onto another main road and I saw signs to Panaji. My relief rapidly diminished as he accelerated into corners, ran over a giant rat, and nearly hit some dogs. The worst moment of all was on an overtake that wasn't even on a blind corner, so unfortunately I could actually see the headlights coming right at us. I shut my eyes and clutched the Lonely Planet to my chest.

Mercifully, we did get to Panaji, but the driver had no clue as to the location of the hotel I was looking for, even with the aid of a map with the hotel marked on. We stopped to ask several locals who all pointed us in opposing directions, until one man got into the car with us and directed us all the way there. Casa Paradiso guest house is recommended as the LP pick of mid-range Panaji accommodation, but I'd hate to see the bottom-of-the-range stuff. The room itself is ok but the bedding is terrifyingly stained and the ants certainly bite. I regretted not having brought my own travel sheet that has stood me in good stead in so many dirty hostels. Nonetheless, I crashed for a good five hours.

I went for a walk around town, and got surprisingly little hassle. A few stares and hellos but no-one was actively following me shouting "white girl" this time. The strangest, and possibly nicest thing that happened was the mother of a big Indian family rushing up to me brandishing a camera. I assumed she wanted me to take a photo of the family, but actually she wanted a photo of me with the family. Stunned into compliance, I sat on the bench and she plopped her happy little girl down next to me, then everyone crowded round for the photos. Panaji itself is pleasant enough, with faded whitewashed colonial buildings and a spectacular church. It is a little difficult to walk around as, for the most part, there are no pavements and the traffic is pretty wild. Upon observation of the locals, I realised you had to walk along the road and pray that the traffic swerved around you.

In the evening I ventured out in search of internet and dinner. Incredibly, given what a tourist trap Goa is, I had to wander for ages before I found 1 single tiny cyber cafe, which was closed. I have never experienced the like in any town anywhere. Hoping for better luck with dinner, I tried to find a couple of places recommended in the LP but they just weren't there. After some unnerving wandering down dark alleys I found a place where I got my entire dinner for £2 including tip. I expect I spent the same amount on receiving a phone call from Alvin at dinner. I think I'm going to enjoy eating my way round India.