|
Mon 2/2/2004 8:21 AM
Goa.... the smallest state in India, more recently reputed for it's party scene. I decided to stay at Baga Beach, where accommodation is easy to find on the fly. BAGA BEACH I am staying at a nice guest cottage run by a young Indian couple... I have two verandas, can see the Arabian sea, and have hot water (yes, this is a luxury place) - $12 a night!! And, they thrust a big Kingfisher into your hands on arrival. I later find out (on my last night there) that I am being overcharged - this English guy is laughing his ass off at me - he has a similar room, more centrally located, and he is paying $5 a night! The beach here is beautiful. There are lots of restaurants with live entertainment - one night I heard Bee Gee's "How Deep Is Your Love" twice (with Indian accent) while I dined by candlelight on the beach. Met up with some people from England - one is here for three months, the other (a 59 y.o. retiree whose wife was somewhere else at the time) for six months. Your money goes pretty far here!! As it turns out, Baga Beach is a major British package vacation destination... Every restaurant serves "english breakfast" and all the spice in the food is watered down to make it more palatable for the British. Not wanting to have steak and kidney pie or watch Manchester United on satellite TV, I rented a scooter and drove about 80kms to Arambol beach... ARAMBOL BEACH This place is fabulous. It is a fishing village with a couple of straw huts for the few people who venture here to stay. Getting there was half the fun. As soon as you get out of range of the tour buses (whatever image you have in your mind for "tour bus", subtract 50 years - think of the model of bus that Rosa Parks was on and you will be close), the local people seem to change.... Instead of "touting" all the kids shout "hello!"; then I toot my horn and they laugh and wave. And on my way back to Baga, this guy who was speaking in Hindi on a PA system paused and said, "good bye"! Every turn on 2 1/2 hour drive to this beach is breathtaking. You go through rice paddy fields and past muslim fishing boats on quiet inlets surrounded by lush vegetation. I enjoyed an afternoon walk along Arambol beach (which I shared with stray dogs and cows, plus maybe 30 other people), then I realized I may run out of daylight before getting back to Baga. So, I grab my scooter and set out. I didn't realize that sundown is the cue for many animals to start moving about, in search of food or a good stretch... First I see a herd of bulls slowly coming at me; they are blocking the whole road. A toothless, thin, old lady swats one on the rump to move it out of my way. She smiles and waves as I make my way around the animals. All the while kids are shouting "hello"!! After that, I dodged goats, dogs, chickens and the occasional speed bump (hit one doing 40 km/h). Also at this time of day, the monkeys are jumping from tree to tree - so I was also dodging these 2 inch wide nuts that were are falling from the trees every time a monkey moves... That night I was headed to a party about 45 minutes drive away. After we took off in the cab, I realized I had paid cash for my domestic airline ticket on "Sahara Air", so I was almost out of Rupees... I told the driver... instead of turning around, he said, "I take you there anyway". This is how it is everywhere you go. Such incredibly nice people. It is really good for the soul. (I wound up giving the cab driver $10 USD, he was embarrassed to take it)... I squeezed in some tourist things too, like visiting the tomb of St Xavier. Please send SASE if you want details. So much for that... next up... Hampi! Steve |