Arambol, Goa is one of the few beaches on the Arabian coast that does not have a direct tourist bus service. Goa is a tiny state lined with beautiful white sandy beaches. Outside the tourist season Arambol is a tiny fishing village. During peak season the beach front is full of huts and guesthouses and bamboo restaurants. It had everything we needed so we found a flat, negotiated a month’s fee and stayed for six weeks.
We liked it instantly and decided to spend the rest of our time in India there. Our breezy flat is on the third floor. It was shaded by coconut trees and we can see the sea. We are a minute and a half away to our favourite beachside restaurant where we eat 2-3 times a day. From the restaurant it is a 30 seconds stroll to our lounge chairs in front of the sea.
The name of our favourite restaurant is Olive Garden (which makes me giggle because I think that’s where I went to eat for Prom). No matter what time we finally make it to the Olive Garden we are welcomed with a friendly good morning greetings. It could be 9am or 2pm. We are in Goa, no one ever knows the time or care to know. Our lives are contained within a five minute radius.
Parker and I loved our time in the sun in Goa. Goa attracts a lot of long term travellers and hippies. We do not make very good hippies but we blended in just fine. We spent a lot of time learning the guitar and reading. We made some really great friends.
India is a frustrating country to travel but extremely rewarding at the end of the day. It's over populated and there is no sense of personal space. People are constantly trying to sell you stuff or/and scam you. But the Indian people are friendly and have a great since of humor. In India, you've got to go with the flow.
We were lucky enough to be in Mumbai when India won the Cricket World Cup. Cricket is everything to India and they had waited 28 years to reclaim the title. Congratulations India!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Shopping from our lounge chairs in Goa
Goa, India: March
“Sister, I make good price for you, very cheap. Please buy one piece. No business today.”
I am on the beach in Goa slowly baking under the blazing sun. Next to me is a nice young lady with a bundle of sarongs and bags of jewellery. Parker comes out of the sea and laughs when he sees me. Deepa has arranged at least ten pieces of jewellery all the way down my leg: anklets, bracelets, necklaces. I never let it go this far but the heat has paralyzed me. We are always very polite but firm. Someone comes by every five minutes and if you show any interest you are instantly surrounded. We just really don’t want any sarongs, dress, jewellery, fruit, peanuts, pirated cds, pirated movies, drums, ice cream, flowers, stickers or henna tattoos.
Deepa was nice. It was hot and I felt bad for her. But I wanted absolutely nothing. Parker felt bad for her too and told me to buy something small. I found a pair of earrings that I could wear for a few days. She tried to charge me 150 ($3) rupees which was ridiculous. I told her not only were they not worth 150 rupees but I was only buying them because I liked her. She agreed to 50 rupees. So I ended up with a pair of earrings worth 5 rupees (less than a penny) that I didn’t even want in the first place.
This is the craziest beach we’ve visited when it comes to people trying to sell us crap all day. Not only can you shop all day without moving from your lounge chair and you can get your leg shaved (via string method), your ears cleaned, a manicure, a pedicure, a foot massage or full body massage, all while you are sun bathing and drinking your cocktail.
After six weeks we didn’t get bothered as much but they still tried. We grew fond of the beautiful Indian ladies in their colourful saris. Sometimes we pretended to be asleep but the kids would wake you up and the ice cream guy kept ringing his bell until you looked at him. It was a small price to pay to be in Goa.
“Sister, I make good price for you, very cheap. Please buy one piece. No business today.”
I am on the beach in Goa slowly baking under the blazing sun. Next to me is a nice young lady with a bundle of sarongs and bags of jewellery. Parker comes out of the sea and laughs when he sees me. Deepa has arranged at least ten pieces of jewellery all the way down my leg: anklets, bracelets, necklaces. I never let it go this far but the heat has paralyzed me. We are always very polite but firm. Someone comes by every five minutes and if you show any interest you are instantly surrounded. We just really don’t want any sarongs, dress, jewellery, fruit, peanuts, pirated cds, pirated movies, drums, ice cream, flowers, stickers or henna tattoos.
Deepa was nice. It was hot and I felt bad for her. But I wanted absolutely nothing. Parker felt bad for her too and told me to buy something small. I found a pair of earrings that I could wear for a few days. She tried to charge me 150 ($3) rupees which was ridiculous. I told her not only were they not worth 150 rupees but I was only buying them because I liked her. She agreed to 50 rupees. So I ended up with a pair of earrings worth 5 rupees (less than a penny) that I didn’t even want in the first place.
This is the craziest beach we’ve visited when it comes to people trying to sell us crap all day. Not only can you shop all day without moving from your lounge chair and you can get your leg shaved (via string method), your ears cleaned, a manicure, a pedicure, a foot massage or full body massage, all while you are sun bathing and drinking your cocktail.
After six weeks we didn’t get bothered as much but they still tried. We grew fond of the beautiful Indian ladies in their colourful saris. Sometimes we pretended to be asleep but the kids would wake you up and the ice cream guy kept ringing his bell until you looked at him. It was a small price to pay to be in Goa.
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