Goa

I have mixed feelings about Goa.  Perhaps it was from the hyped up expectations that it turned out to be quite underwhelming at times.  It wasn't without its moments, so I'll just do my best to share it all.  I want to write these entries while things are still fresh in my mind, but maybe it's too recent and my ambivalence is coloring the experience.

A few notes in general.  Haggling in India wears me out.  It's hard to tell when you're getting taken advantage of, but I realize that I have more dispensable income to throw around.  The problem with going to tourist hotspots is that you hardly ever get a break from it.  You learn to guard yourself and ignore people.  Hello sir.  Sir!  Step into my shop.  I give you good deal.  You like drum?  Taxi?  Sir!  As I mentioned before regarding Delhi, friendly people would approach us to chit chat or offer directions, but quickly try to get us into this shop or that bazaar.  This even happens during cab rides.  It's inescapable.  But then what's more alarming is when people approach us with something legitimate.  I get caught off guard when people ask me for directions (which happened a handful of times in Goa, where the tourist ratio is higher), and my first thought is,"What does this person want from me?"  So the problem for me isn't so much the stress of constantly being targeted, but rather how automatically I seem to ignore everyone.  I hardly even turn or shake my head anymore.  At some point you filter out the noise, but then it becomes increasingly difficult to tune in when necessary.

Anyway, Goa.

We met an older American gentlemen named Gary in our hostel and went with him to the flea market.  Not having much tolerance for the stifling heat, I rent a scooter and hit up the beach for a quick bite and a drink.

The beach at Anjuna is reminiscent of Isla Vista, but with beachside bars/restaurants/clubs (instead of bro-ey house parties) producing irritatingly loud and repetitive dance music.  People appeared to be enjoying themselves though and I imagine alcohol might adjust my mood.

Did you know that there are 12 different species of Kingfisher in India?  Even the Common Kingfisher is beautifully colored and sings a unique birdsong.  How unusual that this bird would symbolize the flagship of the Indian beer market with the cheapest, crappiest beer you can possibly imagine.  And at 80 cents a pop, my imagination takes a backseat as I numb my senses and give in to the college throwback that is Anjuna beach.

The first two nights we stay in a hostel with other travelers.  After a few weeks with only each other in private rooms we were yearning for some social interaction with strangers.  The hostel was indeed a blast, and we made some like-minded friends in our two short nights there.  We also met many unlike-minded people, but I found this to be useful or amusing rather than irritating.

On the first night Nicole and Varun call it an early night while I go out to the beach with about eight or so of my new buddies from England, Australia, Finland, and Holland.  We head to the only place that is still blairing music at 2am.

Admittedly I'm having a blast on the dance floor.  We're all silly-dancing and sweating Gulabs in the humidity of the night.  After about thirty minutes the gang takes a break outside on the beach, but I'm not done yet.  Jussi and I head back upstairs to get this pit started again and we soon meet the coolest Russian couple ever.  George and Julietta are my favorites, and we quickly lock vibes and dance in overdrive.  George moves like an explosion and I try to copy him.  We're both smiling and laughing and dancing up on each other like I would with my close friends.  His wife throws in some more elegant moves and gets us all dancing cohesively in a circle.  This goes on for a while before they tucker out and we all retreat to the beach.

Our group staked out a large table but it was full, so I continue to hang with these two fascinating Russians.  They tell me how they love to dance and hate drugs and drinking.  I really admire that they know how to let loose without something so easily infused in our lives.  I can't deny that I enjoy the taste of alcohol and the temporary euphoria it brings, but it is so dangerous in ways I don't need to spell out for you.  I'm happy that it's further from my life than it used to be, but it can return without much thought.

Fortunately I was feeling pretty lucid again after sweating out a gallon of water, and I got to have what I thought to be a remarkable conversation.  George told me all about the escalating conflict in the Ukraine which I knew very little about.  His English was good, but we felt a language barrier as he was trying to explain such a complicated issue.  I did some supplemental research later and it struck me as one of those things I might hear about in the news at home but glance over before returning to blissful ignorance.  But given George's emotional intensity during our talk, it's difficult to ignore that empathetic connection.  He was clearly distressed about what his government was saying versus how he felt and saw things, even though he is technically safe in Moscow.  From what I've read there is a lot of corruption and clandestine treachery going on, and it might lead to the breakup and annexation of the Ukraine by force.  I still have more reading to do on the subject, but my interest is piqued.  I appreciate having this moment with George and Julietta to bridge not only a cross-cultural gap, but a national one as well.  It slowly breaks down the walls we've erected all over this earth.  In some ways they might protect us... from each other?  I try to imagine an earth without nationalities and what my life might look like if I could do away with such mental impediments.

I'll probably never hear from George and Julietta again but my thoughts gravitate back to them each day.  How long will it take me to forget this fleeting encounter?  That's the beauty of single serving friends: when you realize that time is short and make the most of it.  It leaves a longer lasting impression.  I still enjoyed my time with the other travelers, but it didn't run so deep.

Incidentally Steph from the UK assumed that George and Julietta were on ecstasy.  I also later found out that she thought I was gay, perhaps from the dance floor antics (and making out with all of those dudes!).  I tend to be more physically comfortable around guys and I not entirely sure why.  I did find her attractive but I'm not the type to move in and flirt on the first night.  Or second.  I definitely notice a guys exhibit this sort of behavior to Nicole even within a few hours of meeting here.  I see that she's not really fazed by it and in most cases it's easy to turn them down without any awkward tension.  I have trouble imagining it going so well if I were doing the same, but I also wonder how much I actually want brief sexual encounters.  Would it really enrich my experience here?  Or maybe I'm just saying that because I'm not getting laid.

On Thursday Varun and I find a really lovely stretch of beach comprised of smooth pebbles of all sizes and colors of dark red, yellow, and black across the shore.  It felt so nice to walk over them with a satisfying crunch.  We then hiked straight up a goat path to the top of the hill for a nice view of the land.  India feels big, but then again you can see for miles where ever you are in the world.

On Friday morning we decide we've had enough of Anjuna and decide to head for the quieter beaches in South Goa.  We arrive to Colva to find it's really more of the same, and we're not too enthralled by the beaches in Goa.  The water looks clean enough, but the bacteria count is almost double the "safe" level from fecal matter running off into the ocean.  Even though I never fully went in the water, my feet are itching furiously.  The itching marks the beginning of a few particularly rough days for me.  I must've been so dehydrated from the heat and alcohol that my body decided to retain excess water in my hands and feet, causing a fair amount of itchiness and pain.  On top of that, I broke out with a rash all over my body.  I'm not really sure what attributed to it other than washing my clothes in a bucket with soap and tap water, but I seem to be through the worst of it.  Cochin will be even hotter, though.  Oh boy.