Gone to Goa!

After a shortened day at work, Kalie, Danny, Om, Jon and I went back to the Lemon Tree for showers and a quick dinner before making our way to the train station. Once there, it was easy to find our group of 30 coworkers who had already assembled on the platform and were waiting to get our adventure started.

We walked down the track to find our designated sleeper cars, and as we piled in, I was slightly confused. Each side of the cars had three seats assigned to it but there seemed to be only two "bunks." There was one bench seat at regular height and another bunk just below the ceiling of the train car. It turned out that what I had thought was just the backrest of the bottom bunk could be folded up into a third, middle bunk for sleeping, so everyone would have somewhere to sleep. Whether or not we would be able to turn over at all once we chose our initial sleeping positions is another story!

Before we all turned in for the night, my coworkers and I had an evening of fun and games together, playing charades and card games like Uno. Soon, I climbed into my middle tier sleeping bunk, which as I suspected would afford little room for tossing and turning. I slept off-and-on for the next eight hours, sometimes being startled awake by train whistles sounding as we pulled into stations along the route.

At about eight in the morning, I decided to get up for good and after breakfast at a pre-determined station, we resumed our game playing from the night before.

It was only then that we learned that our train had been running off-schedule. For what reason we never discovered. In any event, we finally arrived to Castle Rock around noon. A short car ride later and we were at our campground! Let's just say that the driver of the van I was in provided a few tense moments -- only kidding for the camera. ;- )

We were pleasantly surprised by our accommodations for our trek. Although there would be a handful of people sleeping outside in a tent, most of us would be able to stay in cabins on the grounds. Kalie and I still volunteered to sleep on the floor and give our coworkers the more comfortable beds, but at least we would be shielded from the elements! This was essential, especially after seeing a six foot snake skin right outside of our cabin!

Our hosts made us a delicious home-cooked lunch before we set out on an afternoon mini-trek to flex our muscles and get us ready for the next day's much longer trip to the top of the falls.

Our guide was equipped with a machete to chop down any foliage that got in our way as we climbed and hiked though the jungle. By the time we reached the lake to which we were trekking, my pants were covered in burrs, and some of us had a few scratches from stray branches or tripping over brush and a random log or two.

After taking a few group pictures, I happened to look down to see a leech attempting to chew its way through my shoe! Fortunately, Kalie had her camping knife with her and was able to scrape it out before it reached its target!

 

 

 

We took a different path back to our campsite as the sun began to set.

When it started to get dark I was very thankful that we were encouraged to bring flashlights! Our  cabins were a welcome site, but a roaring campfire that was already prepared for us was even better.

Although the weather in India still reaches 80+ in winter, the nights get much chillier. We huddled around the fire and played a few rounds of Mafia before dinner (a very complicated "who done it" party game that dozens of players. There are mafia, police, a victim and villagers roles for all).

 

Afterwards, Kalie and I decided to take quick showers before bed (a luxury we didn’t think we’d be having over the weekend). The water was freezing, but it was worth it to feel clean before our big trek the next morning!

For the record, the video below is not of the train ride we took, but provides an excellent and comprehensive pictorial of the falls and what a train ride in the region is like. Enjoy.