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WEST INDIA

THE WARM WEST

After the lively atmosphere of Bombay, allow the palm-fringed beaches of Goa to warm your spirit in the sun and rest your mind. Or meditate in cool and antique Buddhist caves tunneled out of solid rock on the rocky hillsides - a dramatic difference from the colorful fairs and festivals in pure Gujarat. The choice is once again marvelous in this land that offers everything.

Mumbai - Gateway of India

There is an influential life force at work in this thriving, modern viable city, with its plate-glass skyscrapers and frantic colorful street life. The pace and perplexity is vibrant, with businessmen rushing to work, hooting traffic, fisherwomen in their brilliant sarees and 'tiffinwallahs' hurrying with their metal containers to bring the businessman's lunch direct from his home to his office. After calming on Chowpatty beach under the cold evening sky, sipping refreshing milk from a big green coconut, you would start to love Bombay.

You would feel ready to visit the stylish and world famous Taj Mahal hotel for a tasty snack or drink while watching the sunset over the many boats in the harbors. In the comfort and quiet of a hotel room, sightseeing could be planned.

Consider a visit to the snooty Hanging Gardens next door to the fascinating Towers of Silence; or perhaps win a million at the good-looking Mahalaxmi Racecourse, one of the finest in India. An exciting day visiting the famous Bombay film studios could be arranged and maybe a chat with one of the many film stars. Relive the antique stories of the Hindu gods sculpted on the walls of caves at Elephant. This well known island, where monkeys scurry across your path, is a short and enjoyable boat ride from the well-known landmark in Mumbai - the Gateway of India. When set to leave this city of tycoons, commerce, skyscrapers and film stars, prepare for adventures of a very different kind, which waits at its doorstep.

THE MAGIC AROUND MUMBAI

There is so much choice and so many wonders to observe around Bombay. Northwest lies Gujarat, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation. The region is famous for elite garments and hand made silk saris, and for being the last retreat of the Asian lions, found deep in the Gir Forest. Join in with the village people in their brilliantly colored costume joy in one of the many festivals and fairs that abound in this state.

Ahmadabad, the main textile city of the country, is renowned for the Sabarmati Ashram founded by Mahatma Gandhi, where his principles of peace and non-violence are still promoted; visitors are welcome. As Jawaharlal Nehru experiential, this great man of strong spirit was certainly 'not of the ordinary clay that all of us are made of. Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace could be seen at the fishing village of Porbandar. A greater and even more ancient wonder waits east of Bombay in Maharashtra, where the thirty Buddhist caves at Ajanta which are cut into the sheer face of a deep rock ravine sit in silent contemplation. Feel the aura and power left last by the Buddhist monks living 2000 years ago.

Compare them with the vitality and energy burning from the huge Hindu caves in nearby Ellora. Imagine the workers statue a method at solid rock on the hillside to form the thirty-four Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Caves with the stories of their religions and attitude etched onto the walls. Stay at one of the cool and relaxing hill stations such as Matheran or Mahabaleshwar, well-liked with the inhabitants of Bombay. Take an evening amble around the peaceful Bund Gardens in enjoyable and airy Pune. All these adventures would entertain and fascinate in the magic and beauty around Mumbai.

Goa - Sun, Sand and Sea

Relax and skill the idyllic peace that only India could give in sunny Goa. If you have ever dreamt of a warm land of space and light, where the beaches stretch for silvery miles, where the sparkling sea always beckons you, where the people are forever smiling, where the succulent juice from a bite of ripe pineapples or papaya drips on your hot skin as you enjoy lazily on the white sand, then Goa, a charming blend of Latin and Indian cultures, would be a place where the wish to linger would be overpowering.

Decide when to sit in the shadow under the palm trees sipping the feni, or lemonade, or when to go back to the hot sand to deepen your tan, or when to swim in the cool stimulating water. What a problem.

As well as being a place for recreation, Goa is also lively and modern, with many western method entertainments. There is a choice of comfortable hotels with abundance of night life, or ease and calm in one of the inexpensive, clean and contented rooms with their own charm, right on the beach. The Portuguese prejudiced food is mouthwatering. Choose massive fish steaks fresh from the sea or a wide and tasty choice of both continental and Indian dishes. Panaji, the capital, is an easy-going town with Portuguese styled cafes, beaten churches and overhanging balconies; a enjoyment after your journey. 0ld Goa, east of Panaji, was once the capital of the eastern Portuguese Empire. Now, it is little more than a charming small village surrounded by vast convents and churches dedicated to the zeal of Christianity, counting the Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the famous Basilica of Bom Jesus.

The mortal leftovers of St. Francis Xavier, who spread Christianity among the subjects of the Portuguese colonies, are entombed here. Which beach to choose from along the 100km long coastline of silvery sand, perhaps Colva with its warm turquoise sea and fishermen hauling in their nets by hand in the clear morning light as they sung an ancient sea song; or maybe sophisticated Aguada, with its jet-set beach and sixteenth century fort. Try the experience of full-moon revelry at Anjuna, or mingle with the diversity of people in Calangute selling handicrafts, jewellery and modern fabrics. Enjoy the Old Portuguese fort in Chapora, bounded by private and sandy beaches and dense green coconut palms. Visit all the beaches or just accept one and make it your home. Wild boar and sambar in their normal habitat in the hills of the Western Ghats can be seen in Bondla, one of the Goan wildlife sanctuaries. In addition, the region is fairly famous for its many colorful festivals, as well as Mardi gras, celebrated with Christian fervors.

There are so many delights in Western India and so many magnificent choices; from the vibrant life of profitable Bombay to the home of the unconquerable Mahatma Gandhi then down to the peace and magic of sunny Goa - the choice is yours.

sTATES OF WEST INDIA