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Published: January 20th 2010
We were looking forward to getting to Om beach having heard such good things about it. The 600km journey to get there, as always in India, took a little longer than expected...
First there was a train and stopover in Mangalore. A pleasant relaxed city, with good food, and a good medical system as it turned out.
On the morning of our departure I took a reluctant Lewi down to the hospital. I felt that after the previous evenings discomfort he ought to have his ear checked out. Forms were filled, and patiently we
waited along with 40 others in a partly constructed waiting room. Only 45mins later the doctor called us through. After a brief consultation he selected a hooked implement and, with a wince from Lew, pulled out the biggest clump of wax I have ever seen. Lewi whispered to me, "is it me or is it echoing in here?"
With Lewi able to hear again we caught the rattler of a bus and continued on to Gokarna.
Two breakdowns and tyre changes later we arrived at Namaste Cafe, so late that our rooms had been given away. The only available room was the size of
a cupboard but we all crammed in and vowed to checked out other options first thing tomorrow.
The beautiful Om beach, shaped as it's name describes, had just the right balanced between buzzing beach shack restaurants and peaceful golden sands. It was much more lively than Kannur (there were internet huts on the beach) but thankfully not in a resort kind of way.
Skylark cafe had just nine basic bamboo beach huts centred around a communal sitting area, and seemed a perfect place to spend Christmas. We snapped up the last two huts for a bargain 200rs a night.
The days leading up to christmas consisted of swimming, sunbathing, sports and socialising. With the third cricket bat still going strong we played many an over in the sun.
Quite a few drum, sarong and jewellery sellers walked the shore hopeful of making a sale, one guy almost persuaded us to buy something with his rap skills... "no worry chicken curry, be happy chapatti,
full power no shower 24 hour"... and on and on it went.
When Christmas Eve arrived and we had no presents, drinks, or tennis balls for the boxing day test (since ours
had 'gone missing') we decided we'd have to brave the busy gokarna town.
Gifts were bought, cow pats stepped in (that was me), and beers consumed in a dingy lean-to beside the local wineshop, before we hurried back to join the festivities on the beach.
A delicious dinner at the neighbouring restaurant with our new friends was followed by copious drinking and merry-making around a massive bonfire. The music was playing, whisky flowing and we were all having a great time. Around 3am we all, Durks in particular, began to realise the effects of 'Super Jacks' whisky and we stumbled back across the sand collapsing onto the mosi net draped beds.
Christmas day! After we had recovered from our excesses, and located our abandoned flip flops, our first Christmas away from home could begin in earnest.
This began with the well-travelled stockings Mairi had snuck into Lewi's rucksack three months ago. Freshly filled with the gifts Lewi and I had purchased last night, they were hung bulging by the foot of
our bed. We took them to our favourite breakfast spot and opened them over an Indian attempt at an English breaky.
The sea was
sparkling so invitingly we just had to take a Christmas day dip before we met our Christmas Gokarna family for 'The Lunch'. There was barely space on the table for all our dishes; Tandorri fish
and prawns, spaghetti pomodoro, chips, curries, rice, and naans galore; It wasn't your average Christmas dinner but then again this wasn't your average Christmas!
By the amazing technolgy of Skype we were able to see and speak to our families, wonderful and yet so strange to see them dressed up so warmly while we soaked up the sun.
A relaxed evening was spent on the beach, watching some Finnish guys construct a sauna (bizzare yet true), and listening to kiwi hiphop and drum n bass with the ever present Om bongo's in the background.
Who can resist a trip to Paradise? Evidently none of us! Grace, Evan and Andy joined us on the short boat trip up the coast. Being a public holiday the small cove was bustling with Indian tourists, mainly men
playing raucously in the ocean and staring in amazement at the western women in their bikinis.
The beach was really beautiful though and we whiled away the hours in
our usual fashion.
The cliff path from Paradise back to Om was spectacular; clambering over rocks, taking in stunning views, seeing a school of dolphins and a beautiful sunset.
Om beach was a fantastic place to spend christmas and before we left for Goa and the Party that awaited us we had to gather the photographs from our new (and old) friends as my camera had been out of action since we arrived. So we can't take credit for the photos in this blog!!
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Josho
non-member comment
Yes yes
Glad you liked it - definitely one of my favs - you stayed inthe same huts we were in only a month before! You guys look tanned and happy - amazing.