How did we get here? Well, back in Kerala, a German man suggested we visit this beach town, telling us about the beach huts and suggesting the one he stayed in. Before heading here, I looked online and saw a number of places, some nicer than others. I had a place in mind, but when I tried to call, my phone wasn't working. It is low season so we knew we'd find something.
Although we are on sabbatical, we are on teachers' salaries, so rather than take a taxi for $10 to get from the capital to this lovely spot, we got here by public bus for $3. That meant THREE bus stations and THREE buses with THREE suitcases. (Note on buses: the designated spot for luggage is big enough for only one bag so lugging the luggage up the steps into the bus and trying to shove it under seats is a pain because there is usually an old lady in back of you trying to get by.) I now know why public buses are overflowing with bodies. The ticket taker makes more money the more passengers there are! so he literally pushes people onto his bus. We were part of a tussle between two bus ticket takers on the second bus - another ticket taker told us HIS (much cleaner and newer) bus was leaving for our beach destination and to get on his bus. As got off the tattered bus we were on, the ticket taker blocked my path and reassured me OUR bus would leave soon.
When we arrived here, we were dropped at an intersection and immediately surrounded by autorickshaw drivers who told us we shouldn't go to the place I had chosen online: "Too far!" "too expensive!" "Bad road!" We just stood there at an impasse. Then one noticed our luggage tag. "JARDIM!! Oh,you are going to Jardim! Nice place! No need for rickshaw, just right around corner!"
We decided to go with the flow and Philip went off to find the place while I sat on the luggage. During my wait, they asked where we were from. "AH, USA!! OBAMA! O! BA! MA! " and they all laughed. ( BA means father and MA means mother, so OBAMA = Oh! Father! Mother!)
Jardim a Mar is one of the nicest places on the beach. Thanks to the rickshaw driver's mistaken idea that luggage tags show one's destination, we found the perfect spot.
Although we are on sabbatical, we are on teachers' salaries, so rather than take a taxi for $10 to get from the capital to this lovely spot, we got here by public bus for $3. That meant THREE bus stations and THREE buses with THREE suitcases. (Note on buses: the designated spot for luggage is big enough for only one bag so lugging the luggage up the steps into the bus and trying to shove it under seats is a pain because there is usually an old lady in back of you trying to get by.) I now know why public buses are overflowing with bodies. The ticket taker makes more money the more passengers there are! so he literally pushes people onto his bus. We were part of a tussle between two bus ticket takers on the second bus - another ticket taker told us HIS (much cleaner and newer) bus was leaving for our beach destination and to get on his bus. As got off the tattered bus we were on, the ticket taker blocked my path and reassured me OUR bus would leave soon.
When we arrived here, we were dropped at an intersection and immediately surrounded by autorickshaw drivers who told us we shouldn't go to the place I had chosen online: "Too far!" "too expensive!" "Bad road!" We just stood there at an impasse. Then one noticed our luggage tag. "JARDIM!! Oh,you are going to Jardim! Nice place! No need for rickshaw, just right around corner!"
We decided to go with the flow and Philip went off to find the place while I sat on the luggage. During my wait, they asked where we were from. "AH, USA!! OBAMA! O! BA! MA! " and they all laughed. ( BA means father and MA means mother, so OBAMA = Oh! Father! Mother!)
Jardim a Mar is one of the nicest places on the beach. Thanks to the rickshaw driver's mistaken idea that luggage tags show one's destination, we found the perfect spot.
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