Our first full non- travel day in India got off to a slow start. It was such a beautiful day, so we decided to start it off with a buffet breakfast at the hotel outside by the pool, overlooking the Arabian Sea. They had such an abundant selection of food; everything from pastries, to any kind of eggs, waffles or french toast with every topping you could want, fruits, veggies, breads and cheeses, fresh juice bar, and tons of Indian dishes too. Of course I had to try everything! Today was the day that we planned to go to the Northern Beaches- starting at Candolim, to Calagunte, Baga then Anjuna. What we did not realize, is that even the Southern most Northern Beach was 30 minutes from our hotel by car. In India, you are expected to bargain for everything, and taxis are no different- and although we might be inclined to feel bad about it, its just part of the culture. Our plan was to get dropped off at Candolim, the southern most beach, then rent a moped (for which I got an International driving permit), to drive up and down the coast. There were tons of European tourists at Candolim, and people hawking goods on the beach. Each sales person that we encountered begged for a sale, saying "you are the first customer of the day, and I have not made a sale in 2 days but you will bring me good luck". I felt bad the first time I heard it. But after the second and third time, I began to wonder... Once we left the beach and found the main road, we began to walk north through the town. We passed resorts and restaurants, stalls of clothes and food and various other things, that seemed to go on forever. We finally found a place to rent a moped, but realized that although it was almost an unbelievable price of 300 Rupees for a 24 hour rental (about $5.50), they would not rent to us because we were not staying at a hotel in town. Little did we know when we booked our hotel at Miramar Beach in Panjim, that not only was it really far from everything that we wanted to see, but it would also mean that we couldn't rent a moped. (Next time we know to stay at the Lemon Tree, or somewhere like it, in Calangute). I was so disappointed but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Goa, like everything else in India, we discovered, is way way bigger than the maps would have you believe. We ended up hiring a really cool taxi driver named Prasad to drive us to each of the beaches and wait for us while we checked them out, then drive us back to our hotel. It ended up being about 4 hours total, for which we paid him 1000 Rupees, about $20, and it saved us from getting lost, because I realized that even with a map, I don't think I could have navigated that state, not to mention the fact that it was such a long drive to the beaches and I've never seen drivers crazier than in India. Not sure I could have got us back in one piece, especially when I saw another young foreigner with bandaged arms and legs, evidence of a bad moped accident. The first beach that Prasad took us to was Calangute, which we fell in love with right away. It reminded me of a Indian version of a Southern California beach. This is where Indians go on vacation, and was it crowded! The most novel discovery, was that women were at the beach in full sari, wrapped head to toe, while men were literally in their underware (in case you want to know- they all wear briefs, apparently). Here we stopped at one of the many beach shack/bars and tried a locally made liquor, Feni, which is a Cashew nut drink that is only found in Goa. Then we stepped onto the beach to get our feet wet, for which I took off one of the three pairs of shoes that I brought on this trip- my favorite flip flops. When I went back to get them, one was gone! Washed away! or taken. Who knows? After a moment of sadness, I realized my only choice was to buy a new pair. Not to worry, there are plently of places to buy flip flops, for about $4. Next stop: Baga Beach. On the way, we passed a town that was celebrating Holi, an Indian holiday which involves people dancing, partying in the street and throwing brightly colored dyes all over anyone that crosses their path. At Baga Beach, we went to a Hindu Temple and checked out the beach which is another beach spot popular with Indian travelers, but with a completely different vibe- and rows upon rows of beach chairs and cabanas. Our last stop was Anjuna beach, which has been known as a hippie and party haven since the 70s, although recently the police started shutting down some nightclubs because of too many drug problems there. Here we got to see a cow on the beach (and the beach parking lot), a sight that I still think is hilarious, and we ran into not one, but two Indian familes on vacation that asked to take pictures with Paul and I. We got to enjoy our 20 seconds of celebrity status at the beach!! After this, it was time to head back to the hotel, another hour drive away. After showering and washing off our Holi dye, we rushed back to the port of Panjim to catch the night river boat cruise that we had booked. It seems that every Indian that goes on vacation in Panjim goes on those cruises. They feature Indian dancing and bumpin' Indian dance music and encourage everyone to dance.. What a funny experience!! After this was dinner time, and the town pretty much shut down at that point- we were almost afraid we wouldn't find a taxi back to our hotel... Off to Mumbai tomorrow.
