3 of 3900 weekends

the latest weekend getaway was yesterday. a nice long drive to arambol, where iv been before. with anand in town, vc too got enthusiastic to hit the beach. after a good long 9 month hiatus for him. the workaholic in him doesnt let him see enough of the beach. thats life being a bitch -- making you WORK in a place like goa.

anyhoo, armed with the new 10-24mm lens and the beaut that is the 35mm prime, we set off. and here's what happened:

ssupdates

a long week of entertaining and fun and madness has just ended. id re-post here, what i did on my other blog, but its probably one of the LONGEST posts i have ever put out there, so im going to take the easy way out and say it with a link!

so go read about my weekend HERE!

back to the sea

today, i rediscovered the joys of swimming in the sea. and it has to be said, that it is one of the most refreshing feelings in the world. nothing does it for me, like the sea does.

also, toasting in the sunshine and swimming in the sea did wonders for the mild hangover.

also, i love the sea.

also, i hate curlies. its overrated, overpriced and the management sucks. theyre snooty and are racist towards indians.

also, i love hummus.

also, the short hair is such a blessing now that the swimming season is back :D

also, i missed having the husband around as i re-entered the seaside season.

also, shiva valley is soon going to be open! and they now have 2 levels!!

also, i love the sea.

also, i cant believe 6 months of the "off-season" time have whizzed by. its put so many things in perspective.

also, i love the sea.

also, i love living in goa.

best birthday in recent times..

i turned 26 on saturday. and celebrated what was the best birthday in recent times. here's snapshots of the day we spent at anjuna..picture postcards of how i will always remember this day..

i missed amma and anna terribly. but thanks a friggin million ak, pa, g, niyu and vc -- for the most memorable birthday of all time.







now, to go and tick off "beach birthday" from my bucket list.

baga on a good day

baga is not the kind of beach where you go to enjoy a day of peace and quiet. its not the kind of beach you go to with a book in hand, ipod stocked with music, and the aim to indulge in solitude. its not the kind of beach you go to so you can be left alone in peace. its not the kind of beach you go to, to catch a gorgeous sunset. because its too busy. even if the sun were to set beautifully, you'd probably have too much activity distracting your eyes.

its the kind of beach you go to when you want to get a sense of how "happening" the tourist season can get. its the kind of beach you go to when you want to indulge in some pointless water sports. its the kind of beach you go to, when you want to enjoy the festive and tourist-friendly shack atmosphere, get pampered by the wandering masseurs, and let numerous hawkers show you their wares.

but on an odd good day, like we witnessed 2 weeks ago, it can make some pretty beautiful sights...

gratitude

for having witnessed a gorgeous sunset. the most amazing one i have seen in a while. at miramar, a 7 minute walk away from home.

back home again

...and this time around it really feels like home.

we had a whirlwind of a weekend with romi, simran, harsh and ram with us. went to 3 beaches in a day, got terribly sun burnt, had lots of good food, some laughs and a lot of fun. amongst other things we went out into the sea on a speed boat, saw dolphins (yes!), jumped out into the sea surrounded by nothing but water for miles on all sides, did this crazy banana boat ride, got chucked into the sea a few times, bought 2 lowely summer dresses and felt really kicked :D

the most awesome saturday spent at anjuna

its weekends like this that really make me grateful for having got this chance in life.

…why the South beats the North

There is a severely commercial side of Goa geared to the tourists in every way. Mostly in the North. where the beaches are dotted with shacks, with neatly lines up sun beds for as far as your eye can see. Where the shack owners speak perfectly accented English that makes you look twice to see if the words are really coming out from the mouth that is speaking them! Where there are almost as many nude foreign tourists as there are newly wed, chooda-wearing Indian tourists. Where it’s more likely that the Italian and Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food on the menu is authentic, but the tempered down Goan delicacies that you are served are anything but authentic. Where you often see the piles of litter and wonder what can be done to correct the vicious cycle. Where it seems like the beach is a commodity. A carrot, dangled in front of the eyes of the millions of tourists who are lured here year after year.

And then there is the South. More importantly, there are beaches like Palolem. Where the sand is whiter, cleaner and soft on the feet. Where the sea is sea-blue, like it is meant to be. Where the waves lap gently, and don’t bring back garbage on to the shores. Where the beach is dotted with palm trees that lean and reach far towards the water. Where the shacks exist, but are far less crowded than up north. Where the beach is beautiful and inviting. Where you’re more likely to meet the true beach loving tourist, and not the trashy in-a-trance tourist. Where Cafreal, Sorpotel and Vindaloo is the real deal. Where the beach experience is mellow, serene and perfect. Where you can soak up the sun, the sand and sea, or just lie back with a book. Unperturbed by loud music, chattering crowds, the sounds of high speed sea sport, hawkers and sales talk. Where you’d love to go every chance you get.

Palolem is roughly a 2 hour drive from Panjim. And if you bike it down like we did, the drive can be beautiful for the senses but a pain in the ass. But the view of the sea on reaching Palolem, quite makes up for it all.

It’s true, the south and the north are poles apart. Palolem is more like a quaint village, with a shanty market area leading into the beach. Somehow this is more appealing than the drive up to some of the beaches in the north. Firstly, Palolem is a smaller beach, and slightly cut off from the open sea, as it is a little curved. Perhaps this is why the waves are gentler, smaller and make the sea far more suitable for swimming. I found myself quite peacefully swimming far out into the ocean, without really feeling at sea! On a good day, if the sunshine is just right, the rocky edges make for a good snorkeling experience. Otherwise Palolem is the perfect beach to spend a day, alternating between swimming, relaxing in the shade with a chilled drink, and kicking your legs back. Take in the blue view, read a book, listen to music, spend some quality time alone – Palolem is apt for it all!

We stumbled into a shack called The Big Fish, quite by accident, because we happened to enter the beach through their access way. And once we had hit the sea, we were too lazy to move around and find a better shack. Big Fish wasn’t all bad though. Despite lazy, slow service, the food was good. Thankfully the beach and the sea more than made up for the service that really made us feel like the shack owners were doing us a favor by entertaining us!

So it was a day well spent for me. A nice early morning drive, when the sun isn’t fully out as yet. A gorgeous beach. Some great swimming. Decent food. Some much needed peace and quiet. A lovely bowl of fresh fruit and ice cream to end it all. And a peaceful drive back to Panjim. None of which I could have done in the beaches of the North.

To Palolem and back. All in a day. The best way to spend a Sunday.

Beached!

Week 1 in Goa

Agenda - House Hunting


A black swift brought us to Goa in 16 hours. A pile up on Tumkur road put us back by an hour and a half. A road accident further up en route to Hubli put us back by another hour and a half. Dharwad to Londa. What in the world were we driving on? Rubble? Gravel? We were averaging close to 25 kmpl. Oh we also lost a wheel cap and found it when a truck driver handed it to us. We lost a remote to our music system. Haven't found that yet. I think Nijay threw it out the window. Stress has a weird effect on people.


10 pm - Reached Bernado. Oh by the way Bernado is a residential hotel in Dona Paula. Cheap and clean. Checked in, went out for dinner and called it a day.


We were excited about the next day. We had to meet people. We had to look at apartments. Saw apartment no. 1. Fantastic location. Not too expensive. And water problems (something we didn't know then) Saw apartment no 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 over the course of the week. Decided to take apartment no 1. "We'll get the Indian loo replaced with a western one" I said. I did that. But more on that later.


Lets hit the beach. I wanted to celebrate. Baga it was. Captain's Cabin beach shack. Downed a few Tuborgs, braided my hair, watched as Nijay passed through to new heights of physical pleasure with a full body massage. A full body massage? From a guy? I had to snap a few pics.. So I did. And I had to put these up. So I did that too.

Went back to Bangalore with braided hair. Quoting my bald friend G, "What you looking at? That's the way we roll in Goa biaaatch".

Week 2

Agenda - Settling in

Came back the following week and finally realised that the apartment we chose had water problems. We wanted to wash up at 7 in the evening and didnt have a drop of water. To make things worse, our WC wouldn't drain out. Which means that you would see lumps floating around. Disgust. Nowwadddodo? Start house hunting for the 2nd time.

Finally we found a great one. Moved in. Bought a fridge. Stacked it with beer. Sat in the balcony and drank. Cheers to a new beginning.