It’s hard to say goodbye to a sunset like this one…In today’s post we wrap up almost four months of traveling all around Asia. We spend more time on the glorious beaches of Goa before reluctantly returning to Mumbai and then flying to Israel via Istanbul. It was the perfect relaxing end to a wonderful adventure. Catch up from the very beginning and then read on for the final twist in our last leg.
The much anticipated return to Goa began early at 5:30 am. We rolled to the train station in our last rickshaw ride. After 8 hours or so we were back in Goa where we headed back to our bungalow in Varca. The next couple days we enjoyed a few more scooter rides along with delicious meals, drinks, and conversation.
Palolem and Putnem Beaches
Our venture southwards towards Palolem began early with a short ferry ride and then a drive along the coastal road stopping at the beaches on the way. One stop was Agonda beach, quiet, empty and nice waves.
Then we reached Palolem with its dense palms along the beach, pubs, restaurants, and bus-loads of Israelis. We walked the length of the beach and then enjoyed some delicious iced cappuccinos on fake leather sofas overlooking the sea.
Our next stop was just a few minutes south to quiet Patnem beach. A world away from Palolem although they are adjacent coves. After a dip we hopped back on the scooter and took the bumpy highway all the way back to Varca. The next couple days were spent relaxing and in good conversation with Archie and Jane along with several delicious meals in between.
Back to Mumbai and Riots
We left Goa on a (late) internal flight to Mumbai, at which point we had to get to the train station downtown where we had left our luggage. Unfortunately there was rioting in the streets, so we took a free shuttle to the nearest train station and took a train downtown.
A quick retrieval later we got into a cab which sped back to the airport in record time (in order to avoid rocks being thrown at cabs)…there we had a wait until 4 am to board our flight to Istanbul.
One Day in Istanbul
A sleep later we arrived in Turkey, and with a long layover, we headed out into the city. A lunch, Sultanahmet, Aya Sofia, baklava, turkish coffee and subway ride later, we were back in the airport for our flight home!
keeping the site alive