I live in the center of Goa, in its capital, Panjim. Over the past week, my friend and I got to visit an area up north and a beach down south as well. The distance between these two areas is 64 km.
The distance between Cleveland, Ohio and Panjim, Goa is approximately 13.222 kilometers. My initial journey was a flight from Cleveland to NY and a long-haul flight from NY to New Delhi. The second flight is 16 hours straight. With the initial flight from Cleveland to NY as well as a few hours of layover, the total journey ends up being a little over 20 hours.
In metropolitan cities across India, Uber and other ride sharing apps are very reasonably priced. However, in Goa, such services are not available due to the strong unions of taxi drivers around the city. Booking a cab, an autorickshaw or a scooter are often exorbitantly priced even when you find a local driver. I live in a pretty central area, so I am able to walk to many restaurants, cafes, ATMs etc; however, my university is a 15 minute drive or an hour bus ride away. Right now, I am getting around by walking or taking the bus; however, the bus timings are not always the most reliable, so waiting can eat up a lot of my time. I hope to soon get a bike so that I can explore more of the state.
