Feb 9, 2005 - Day 218 in Candolim, India

Charles writes: We took a train south from Bombay to Goa. It was essentially an all day train ride. Train rides in India is an experience, we shared a berth with an older Indian couple who were heading south to see some family. The amazing thing is all the vendors walking through the train constantly, calling out “masala tea”, “pakoras”, “Nescafe”, “chicken lollipops” … I thought every time I heard it, what the hell is a chicken lollipop. It’s pieces of chicken on a stick, like a chicken nugget on a shish kabob stick. My real estate attorney in New York, Stanley Smith has gone into semi-retirement and now lives with his wife, Marion, 6 months out of the year in Goa. They live in New York City the other half of the year. I called them the day before and let them know mom and I were coming into town. We rolled into Candolim, looking for a hotel, and ran into Stanley and Marion on the street.