My India

Gate of India

It's my first time in this big and amazing country, you must have in your mind that you need at least 2 days to get your visa at Indian Embassy in Rome. I started my trip in Mumbai from airport its better to get a prepaid taxi or just take some steps out from airport and if you don't go to South Mumbai you can get a rickshaw. You can get a rickshaw too till first train station Andheri but train will not operate from 11pm to 5 am.
Here some useful info
Wow very crowdy city, I just landed around 11pm and my friend lives close to airport so two options: prepaid taxi not more than 300rps, rickshaw halfprice. City is very lively and after a while and many questions around to discover where my friend lives finally I reached the place. Puru is great guy and soon I understand it's true Indian motto: Guest is like a God. If you're in Mumbai and stay outside Colaba, touristic area please have a chance to take a second class train for only 9rps and live the real great experience to stay with locals and rush into the train to find first space available in a packed train in rush hours. Main attractions of Mumbai is in Colaba area. Gate of India is a must and Taj Mahal hotel is a nice place to see just to compare the difference between the poor India and the rich side of it. In walking distance you can visit Victoria Terminal Station, Mumbai market and a Cathedral. In the main park all day you can see people playing cricket, national sport. If you can live the city with locals to eat yummy food for just 100rps and i f you're brave eat on the street for 30rps food and drink like water. Its a dirty city but not how you can think from abroad. If you have time visit Bollywood and have a boat trip to Elephant Island, discover other suburb as Kandvali. I started my trip with my friend Stefania but on the way Dana, argentinian girl joined us.

Gate of India and Taj Mahal

Next stop after Mumbai should have been Goa State but express trains were full booked so we decided to move down in a different way discovering the real taste of India. Go to gate of India and get a ticket for a ferry going to Mandava including a free bus to Alibag just 70rps or 90rps with fast ferry up to 110 in AC deck. We chose cheapest option living a nice trip with local people. When we reached Alibag you have to option: one is rickshaw and other bus cheaper. Of course we chose the cheapest one: so from the bus stop go forward till the bus station and every half hour you have a bus to Murud nice village where you can stop and live some local life. Trip is like 1 and half hour for 57rps. Murud has a nice beach and main attraction is Janjira Fort. Living in a indian destination you will spend all your time with locals, curious to meet foreign people and have a photo with you maybe many... We found this tiny place just in front of the beach and you will have your hut for 1000rps/double room.
You can have a walk around to see a mosque and Murud Place too on a top of a hill. To visit Janjira get a rickshaw to Rajapuri for 50-60rps from there take a local sailing boat for 20rps return ticket, very short journey then on the fort some sailor will ask you to be your guide, we managed to get this guide for 100rps.. a trick about price: share price per 3 then ask something around that price. In this case he asked 300rps then after some minutes of bargain we managed for 100rps.. remember to visit the inside lake with drinkable water coming from a spring and nice frogs living around it.

If you wanna taste a good thali go to Patil Khanaval you won't spend more than 120rps: this place was suggested from locals that they also invited us to visit a Jansenism Temple so friendly.. just near you have another restaurant with yummy beryami and ask for kingfish around 700rps maybe bit expensive.
info about Murud
To proceed south till Goa you need to get an early morning bus to Roha for 60rps. Amazing journey and thanks for driver's kindess I could take great sunrise pics.
In Roha you have to walk one km to reach train station or get rickshaw but be ready to bargain. In Roha you can get at 9.15 Diva pass train for just 65rps but ready to live a very local experience. No tourist just locals, really packed and local yummy food do not miss to try aloo paratha ( fried potato with small bread) and some chili powder), railway mix, fruits or some dried fruits. People are so friendly and they gave us a place to seat even if the train was really packed.

Janjira Fort, Murud

Local Train

As this train is often late have a rest in Ratnagiri, take off train and cheap option is local bus for 8rps or always rickshaw. Bus station is like 5kms away and from there get a bus to Ganpantipule another local destination. You have many lodges growing to host indians coming from Mumbai during the weekend to visit Ganpani Temple or spend some time in its long palmed beach. You can find local guesthouse  for just 500rps sharing in 3 in our case. Its a place wiht many weddings in the weekend so we had a chance to join one of this and live a local wedding experience with live music, religious ceremony and yummi food eaten by hands as them.

Indian wedding in Ganpantipule

From Ganpantipule just do the same route to Ratnagiri or find a collective taxi for 40rps. From Ratnagiri take the same diva pass or an express price difference is just 30rps. Train is almost empty as final destination Goa is more for tourists and not for locals. If you have to stay in northern beaches better get off in Pernem otherwise Thivim for beaches like Calangute, Karmali for the capital Panaj or Old Goa and Margao for southern beaches. We went to Ashvem beach so we got off in Pernem but Dana went to Calangute. Station is some km away from the village. Two options: get a taxi for 350rps or walk some meters to main road where you can get local bus for 5rps to Pernem. Here you get another bus to Arambol then a rickshaw from there its like 50rps but check better when you arrive as like on sunday you can be stucked there and take a taxi to Ashvem for 300 rps.
Best way to visit Goa beaches it's to rent a scooter or a bike, in high season scooter is 250-300 rps per day. Northern beaches are full of foreign people so you don't feel real India but you have everything you need as my yummy Nutella.
We stayed in a russian community, having a chance to taste russian food and drink, meeting many people from Poland, Kazakistan and Mexico too.Internet easy to find and hour is 40rps and every day in Magic Park, Arambol beach you have sunset drum session with some locals too and last hippies.The northest beach is Querim beach with a temple but very dirty one, just good stop to cross river by ferry and visit fort Tiracol. Arambol is the most trendy then you have Mandrem also popular and very quite and relaxed like Ashvem and Morgim.

Arambol sunset, Goa

If you cross the Siolim bridge you can visit other beaches of northern sites. These beaches you can meet more locals but also many sellers and cheaters like ear cleaner please do no trust them.  After bridge first you have Chapora lively village with its famous fort. First beach is Vagator divided in 3 beaches and next one is Ozram but more popular and full of sellers is Anjuna beach where every wednesday there's a flea market and we met Dana again :). But if you wanna make great bargains and see a local market make a detour to Mapusa its worth. After Anjuna you will have Baga beach and the well-known Calangute Beach. This beach is main beach for indians and very dirty one but atmosphere is more indian then if you need more relax just go to next one Candolim where you can have a picnic and see beautiful sunset from ruins of Fort Aguada. Keep going you will reach Panaj the capital, crowdy but with a portuguese atmosphere that you can feel more in Old Goa just a detour of 10ks from Panaj. Airport in near the capital reachable from any beaches from 600rps to 1500rps. You can go by bus to the capital then take another bus to Dabolim then you need to walk or get a rickshaw cheaper but bit complicated. Going down the main town is Margao, nice local market but so much traffic. From Margao you can discover local beaches from Arossim very quite one then Betalbatim mix of locals and foreigners. After this you can go to Colva, very touristical beach and bit crowdy keep goin down till Betul Beach. In Betul you can get free ferry for scooter and pedestrians to other side of river where first beach you will reach is Canaguinim beach from there nice stop is Cabo de Rama Fort with nice views.

Our scooter

After Cabo de Rama good stop is Agonda beach, few tourists and nice village. Agonda is last beach before very famous Palolem. Wow 7 hours by scooter with some stops and finally we reached this little paradise but a bit touristic too. This beach is halfmoon-shaped and full of huts where you can sleep just in front of sea for 500rps. Our hut was behind  this  famous place, food is fine and I tasted pizza bu as Italian I can say you can find a better one ;). Even if its bit touristical you can find relaxed points and in walking distance you can reach southwards Patnem and Galijibag beach. Patnem is not so nice as Palolem but good place to relax. We made some stops on the way down and up before ending last days in Ashvem, last stop on the way to Mumbai by plane. In Mumbai I met some local indians before going back home hey feeling again the real spirit of this amazing country. Thats my experience in few words :) Namaste

Palolem sunset, Goa