Sunday 7 October 2007

up 6:15

taxi to airport in (semi-deserted) mumbai streets

fav brekkie bread butter jam

flight to kolhapur, air deccan is punctual and efficient, although seats on board its planes are a bit crammed

lovely airport in kolhapur, everything is so green around here

sign for Mr. Matto Vescovi waiting for us outside airport for Hotel Shalini Palace. We non-chalantly ignored it and proceeded to a trendy ape piaggio rickshaw.

Once on-board, another rickshaw approached us, the two drivers exchanged a stream of hindu words, and them directed them towards us. We did not understand what they wanted of course, but we got the gist that they wanted us to get off the rickshaw.

An ageing man ran towards us to shed some light on the events. He explained that his disabled wife could not get into the other rickshawand asked if we could kindly switch rickshaws. Needless to say, we gladly obliged.

hotel pearl, nice business oriented hotel, but with very friendly and helpful staff

lunch, great food, big tip, chewed on paan, the narcotic leaf filled with bethel nuts and various other ingredients

rested our tired bones after early wake up and flight, then went down to reception to ask about valivade and way into town. very helpful, got us trusted taxi for valivade and kolhapur day tour tomorrow

walk around town, much nicer, quieter, better off that what we have seen so far

took fews pics, stopped for a soda in non-english speaking bar, bore the interested stares of the locals through-out town

met reception man in the street, riding a bike, stopped and chatted to us for a few minutes

returned to hotel to recover from heat

dinner, Mutton Kolhapuri and Veg. Pasta