I had scheduled an overnight bus to return to Goa as the trains were all full. I’d never been on a “sleeper bus” before so I was looking forward to the adventure until a nasty chicken mushroom burger had a little revolt in my tummy from my meal the night before and most of this day. I had planned to check out a couple more temples on the other side of the river from where I was staying before getting a rickshaw to Hospet to catch the bus. Well, I ended up in bed and on my flat board hammock until it was time to go. In packing light I had forgotten a few essentials back in Goa such as a towel, bed sheet and most importantly Immodium. The sleeper buses don’t have toilets on them so this could be an interesting experience...
As I walked down to the little ferryboat to cross the river, I briefly spoke to an older backpacking woman. I asked her “So this may be a strange question from a stranger, but as a fellow traveller, do you happen to have any anti-diarrhea pills?”
“No I don’t” she replied, “I make sure that I’m very careful of what I eat as I’m travelling on my own.” Thanks a lot lady...that really helps but as we all know ‘Sh*t happens’ or more appropriately in India: ‘The sh*ts happen’.
Well to cut a long story short, I found a drug store when I arrived in Hospet and the Delhi Belly didn’t cause me any grief on the ride. I lucked out that the bus wasn’t totally full so I had two sleeper beds to myself, and good thing too as I couldn’t imagine if I had to share it. They are about six feet in length and not terribly wide so you would have to get a bit cozy with your neighbour.
The bus arrived in Panjim around 5:30am while it was still dark and I shared a taxi with an American woman to Arambol. Arriving before the beach was awake, I hiked up the small hill at the north end of the beach (where I paraglide) to watch the sun rise...great way to start the day and welcome me back to Goa.
Back in the Olive Garden, there were more people around that I knew than there were before I left for Hampi. A Swedish couple, Martin and Ida, returned after traveling up north for a month and a half. Additionally, three English women, Ren, Maz and Lucy, were back from journeying down south...ahh, back at my Indian home...
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