Party Bus Cabo Baby

Another glorious day in the monsoon...after a restful sleep that was forced due to the 10 hour blackout that occurred last night from about 7pm, we awoke refreshed. Almost as if we hadn't slept on sandpaper sheets with mosquitoes whizzing around our bodies all night feasting on our loins like a dead carcass...ok, well not so much our loins (although Al does have a few bites on her butt cheeks) as the rest of our entire bodies. A nice stretch, a rub of the sleep/conjunctivitis build up in our eyes and a walk to the toilet/shower room that is constantly wet to wash our face and start a brand new day. "Hmmm, what to wear to day," we thought, as we sifted through the pile of un-matching, stretched out, shapeless, colourless, mildew smelling and damp clothing in our backpack wardrobe. What a tough decision, but we finally made it out the door to get a breakfast of porridge with pineapple and watermelon (a strange combination) and beans on "toast," though it is more of a bap...so beans on a bap. We decided to brave it on a bus ride to Margao (the second biggest city on Goa) to possibly see a film and shop around. We went with our new friend Natalia. All appeared to be fine with the weather and we were excited that it was just overcast and drizzly, but this quickly turned into torrential downpour all day long, so my decision to wear a long floor length black sun dress was a bit defunct, but I managed to tie it into a side knot and shuffle along all day like a Geisha. Bus stops in India are rather random and typically you just pick a place to sit on the street and jump on the moving bus, as it speeds by. Luckily, there was a tiny Indian woman also waiting for a ride to Margao so the bus came to a complete stop! We got on and found some seats that are made for very thin midgets and that is when the party started baby! Cue the newest Indian musical hits of the month, lights, disco ball, fog machine...alright, so there wasn't exactly a fog machine or disco ball, but man, they certainly deck out their buses here. It is like a competition and the louder the music, the crazier the horn sound, the wilder the reverse song and the brighter the lights wins the competition. I reckon our party bus would have placed in such a competition. We made it to Margao and then the heavens opened upon us like the great flood of '66. Not sure if there was a flood then, but it sounded dramatic and historical for all you history buffs out there. I have just been told by a history buff that there was a flood in November of 1966 in Florence, Italy and it was tragic, so my metaphor is a winner! Moving on. We tried to "wait it out," which is what I thought most people do, but I have noticed that it is just travellers who honestly think it will stop...poor white people! We just have not been broken yet, while the Indians have been broken and have put themselves back together again and just get on with it. We eventually found the cinema only to discover that the only English movie playing was the Sorcerer's Apprentice, which we all decided was a no go and moved on into the city centre to do a bit of exploring/shopping. We had to stop in a restaurant for some chai, as we were too cold and wet to even move. I hope all of you realize that Alex and I have been surviving this monsoon with only our wits and a rain slicker. We are hardcore and just refuse to give in, but today I fear we have been beaten, battered and broken down. Since we started this trip, we have been to so many amazing places, seen so many beautiful sites, had so many life changing adventures and do you know in all of this, the most memorizing site that has beholden us thus far...the umbrella shop. We bought one and it has changed our lives...both our lives. We are new people and improved people and you will not even recognize us when we return. Thank you umbrella for making us see the light, the truth and the path to dryness.