It was an early 4.30 wake up for a 5.00 pick up to Chennai airport. I probably should have pack the night before but I honestly didn't see the driver turning up 25 minutes early. I scrambled my belongings into my bag, had a quick wash and half sleepwalked into the car. I tried to continue sleep in the car but the sun was rising and there was little I could do to get myself back to sleep. I was excited for my trip, I actually enjoyed the feeling of being completely on my own, do it by myself and hadn't really had this with out the help of parents or Tom Turner. I felt in many ways, completely free. The journey was surprisingly pleasant. I flew with "Jet Airways" and I was impressed. I could check-in online and the planes were comfortable. I have become a master of checking in online and guarantee myself the emergency exit. 3 out of 3 now, little do they know that if there is an emergency I will be off like a shot. After plane 2 landed in Goa I got talking to some English girls on the bus to the terminal. It was nice to hear English voices and I was thrilled that I had made some friends. I was a little bit worried I would be a loner on the trip, so to have already met people before I got across to Goa's terminal was a dream. At baggage I was kindly introduced to their group which I struggled to work out quite how big it was. I was bombarded with names, some I don't remember and exchanged my phone number. I got into my taxi happy and full of energy for the day, despite having little sleep. On the 25 minuet taxi to the hotel I had my first sights of Goa. Due to my lack of research I wasn't aware that Goa is a state and not a city. It is a small state but there isn't an actual place called "Goa". The countryside was incredibly green, I'm sure due to the vast amounts of rain they have here, but it felt like I was in a jungle. Very different to the surrounding I have back in Pondicherry.
The hotel is fantastic, huge king size bed (don't know if you can actually have a "huge" king size bed, as "king size" is a standard measurement), air con, good food, swimming pool (haven't got any trunks but I can still look at it), and a TV that has had the cricket on non-stop. There is however one problem. I do feel that I am in the Friends episode where they go to Barbados and cant leave the hotel because it wont stop raining. They only difference is, they actually have some friends.
The first few days have been pretty relaxing, room service and cricket mostly. I have however, at the request of fitness coach Josh Lawson, gone to the gym a few times. Yesterday (my second day here), I had yet to have word of the group I gave my number to. I don't want to sound needy but the only friends I had made, hadn't text. As I looked at the phone number I had given them, and with no thought to get theirs or give my English number, I realised that it was a Pondicherry number and there was a possibility that without the area code the number would be unrecognisable. My heart sunk. I tried it in my hotel phone and after a lengthy talk of Hindi, an English voice said the dreaded words, "the number you have dialed is unrecognisable, please..." I was so angry at myself, I lost the only friends I had and, as my worries tried to tell me, spend the rest of the holiday on my lonesome. I went to the gym, still with a mixed emotion of anger and real disappointment. As I was doing my "35kg" bicep curls my phone went off. To my utter surprise it was them. I have no idea how the number worked but I really didn't care, I was delighted and we have all arranged to meet up tomorrow.
I didn't make it to breakfast the first morning, due to my body going into a mini coma from the comfy bed and black out curtains. I did however make it down today at 9.30. Now I didn't understand at first but I think I have come up with a conclusion for why this is happening to me. I can see only 2 reasons why a white man would come to a hotel like this on his own.1 He is like me and just taking a holiday (with no friends) or 2 he is a hotel inspector. Now I think, that they think, that I am 2. At breakfast I was met by person 1 who took me to me to person 2 who took my name and handed me over to person 3 to take me to my seat. Person 4 then asked me if I would like some fresh juice, despite it being a buffet and 3 yards away from me. I went up to get some fruit where person 5 helped me plate it up, its still a buffet remember. After fruit I went to put my bread in the standard hotel toast conveyor belt, and person 6 insisted that he would do it for me and bring it to me. I got back to the table where person 7 (OK it might have been someone from before but there were a lot of them) was pouring tea and person 8 was asking how I would like my eggs. I felt swamped, especially as this didn't seem to be happening to the other guests who were left to fend for themselves. I did have a pencil and pad with me as I was going to plan out my day from the map, but for them this was just a tool for hotel criticism.
To bring you up to date. It is 11.30. I asked where the nearest Internet cafe was but they have assured me that I can use theirs and given access to their office. Again I'm not sure if this is normal hotel policy. This blog just adds to their concern that I am noting things down about the hotel.
Now this, as I am sure you can work out, is my bed.
Not a great photo, but they only ones I have so far. Its raining btw.