e Taj Mahal and Delhi, that almost every tourist visits. In fact, a lot of people come to Goa and don't make it to the rest of India-because Goa is a province made up of beaches and well, more beaches. They are easily the most famous beaches in the country, and many of the tourists we saw there, especially of the Russian variety, probably never get to anywhere else in India. Which really isn't a big deal, because Goa is super convenient, and features gorgeous water and sand (even if there are some cows).I could try to act like the only purpose of traveling to India was to experience the culture and learn more about the second most populous country on earth. But our time in Goa clearly proved that wrong. I had a great time relaxing on the beach chairs, under my umbrella, reading my book, sipping Kingfisher beers or banana smoothies, and taking occasional dips in the super warm and active water. I spent the cash and went parasailing and Danthemanstan took a jet-ski out for spin. We also enjoyed our spacious hotel room, but even more so the sweet English TV channels we got-which itself was almost a reason to get out of China. Add in that the Domino's delivered, and we had a great stay in Goa. When we did make an attempt to see the old Portugese lighthouse, it was considerably less relaxing than the beach. So, when in Goa-stick to the beach.
To see the lighthouse, we asked a auto-rickshaw driver for a ride, but he quoted us a price of 400 Rs (normal ride would've been 40-60 Rs. He clearly is used to dealing with wealthy pensioners that have no idea about prices in the rest of the country. Instead, we took one bus the right way until it turned, quickly got off, then walked back to the main road, got lucky, and road the next bus all the way along the beach to the end of the road. Unfortunately, and much to my chagrin, my brief glimpse at the map in the guidebook did not take the elevation into account. So instead of short quick walk to the shore, we had a long, hot, uphill walk to the lighthouse which (duh) was atop a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea. The views were amazing, but the transportation troubles and long walk made us sure to spend the next two days chilling in the beach or the hotel room with Domino's.
Our last day in India started with a visit to Old Goa. It features the 16th and 17th century architecture of the Portugese settlers that settled in Goa. We visited two cathedrals and some chapels, which were gorgeous, and very well kept. The grounds were immaculately kept, and they really stood out amongst litter strewn India. The big lawns feature tall, old trees that reminded me of college campuses back home, which is pretty crazy for India. My main thought was how much of a pity it was that the ancient palaces and forts we visited in the rest of India weren't kept up half as well as these old churches.
We spent the afternoon flying Kingfisher airlines back to Delhi. The airline is owned by the company behind Kingfisher beer, India's flagship beverage. I lost a bet to Danthemanstan because we weren't provided with free beer-which-as the welcome video explained was due to airlines being dry in India, in line with the country's sober culture. We kept the Bollywood buzz buzzing, and caught Teen Patti-a flick about a math professor and his students getting involved in India's gambling underworld. It wasn't a great film and disappointingly didn't have any big dance numbers, but entertaining enough. It was a fitting end to our time in India.
I'll wrap this last India post up with what were clearly the most striking things about India for me (and I think for Danthemanstan). Always keep in mind that we flew to Delhi not from LAX, ORD, or JFK but from PVG (that's Pudong in Shanghai) so much of how I saw in India reflects having been in China before going there. India shocked me because it was able to do what I thought was impossible, it made China look relatively clean, organized, and calm. China is unequivocally dirty, haphazard, and busy. But India was just so much more so. The litter in India was both voluminous and ubiquitous. It may be cruel to say, but it's true-homeless beggars lining the street really tarnish a city. Indian people pushed just as much as Chinese people, and although they didn't yell and weren't as confrontational as the Chinese, they were just as numerous-which is the real problem. The poverty in India also just makes things look dirtier compared to China. Even though things were in English, the Indian trains and buses were unorganized, lacked proper signage, and often late.
For its dirtiness and poverty, though, India was incredibly colorful. China is generally gray. The clothes people wear, the air in the sky, the buildings-all gray. India was bursting with colors, most conspicuously displayed in the gorgeous, flowing saris and scarves donned by most women. The average men wore hideously tacky, but quite colorful sweaters and track pants while the wealthier wore neatly sown and subtly colored kurtas. Auto-rickshaws were often decorated extensively with stickers and ribbons of all colors. 
not gray
The last thing that was clearly present was religion. Which, really is more of a comment on China than it is on India. Like in Thailand, the continual presence of religious buildings and symbols reminded me how most of the world allows (or even prescribes) religion. When we were out west in Rajasthan, which borders Pakistan and is predominantly Muslim, the religious garb seemed much more foreign to me having spent so much time in China where religion (in its real sense) is prohibited.
I think these three things are very representative of the characteristics and differences of the world's two most populous countries. China's focus on stability and development (at the expense of many other things) have led it to be cleaner and more organized than India. On the other hand, the richness and diversity of India's history and cultures are prominently and colorfully displayed along any street-they haven't been bulldozed over to make things more organized and stable. India's widespread poverty reflects that democracy can take longer to develop a country, but it's mosques and temples also show that it doesn't squash expression the way China's authoritarian government does. Traveling to India was an experience I won't soon forget.
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