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Published: July 21st 2015
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In the Clouds
We were on our way to Goa from Delhi. This trip was my fourth time to go to beautiful GOA. I have visited Agra, home of Taj Mahal.....Nainnital, a mountainous region with breathtaking views and of course, Delhi, the country's capital with its many glorious fragrances of Sandalwood and Rose as we passed side streets in the downtown area. After a while, you will become accustomed to the horns blowing and the region's wonderful music playing in the distant as we passed in our rickshaws. But this new venture, Goa, was a whole new ballgame. We flew from Delhi to Goa in a 3 1/2 hour flight. The clouds were awesome as we headed to Goa with turbulence along the way and noisy Indians laughing and blocking the aisles as the flight attendants made their ways to thirsty guests. One thrill that we both had was the person sitting next to me on the flight. It was "Schindler's List" author, Thomas Keneally, an Australian coming to Northern Goa for a literary meeting with other authors. What an interesting and kind man.......one of my highlights in my journey.... It was the beginning of October and I thought that things would begin to cool off a The Flight to Goa
I was privileged to sit next to the man who wrote "Schindler's List", Thomas Keneally. bit.....forget that. As we arrived in the busy airport in Goa, the heat hit our faces as we were shuttle bused into the airport. Sweat began to pour off my forehead and back as we rushed to find a taxi. We weren't sure where to go....Northern Goa where life was very busy with many hotspots to go to......or Southern Goa where life was lazy with rustic and sort of primitive surroundings but a place to go for peace. We chose Southern Goa. The taxi driver knew his way around and took us there. After 3 1/2 hours of driving around the snakelike roads with the Indian Ocean close by, we finally found the place to go.......Agonda Beach. My eyes were opened wide with the beauty of this place. There were colorful flowers along the way with Papaya trees, Cashew trees and Mango trees all around but it wasn't the season for their harvest. One thing I noticed about the village was the colorful buildings and homes in bright colors dotted along the roads. Motorcycles seemed to be the main mode of transportation along with taxis. Unless you knew someone, you would be charged with a hefty charge from the taxi
Goa
What a paradise! This was a view from my balcony. drivers. Luckily a few years back, I met a man in Memphis at a local Mediterranean restaurant who was the chef there. He said, "If you are ever in Goa, please look me up and come to visit us!" Well, I called him and he became our constant companion.
The people of Goa were very laid back in every way. Businesses closed from 11:00 am to 4:00 every day. No one was in a hurry. No one cared if you were in a hurry either. While I was there, I had an little accident on the wet marble floor and fell. It took 1 1/2 hours winding around the snake like mountains to get to a doctor. We had to walk once we were arrived amongst the beauty of the countryside to get to the little house where the doctor resided. As I entered, a rooster and a dog greeted us as they walked around the house. I did have good luck with a good doctor who helped me with my dilemma. The ocean was walking distance from the motel. We saw distant fishing boats fishing for kingfishers. A herd of cows came walking down Goa Doctor
This was the doctor who shared his office with a rooster and a dog. the beach leaving little 'presents' as they walked. The air was salty and breezy and it was hot! The weather doesn't cool down until December and it is only for one month.
People walked from their motels to nearby restaurants. We met many people from Europe and made a good friend with a young man from Russia who frequented Goa every year for his peace and meditation in yoga. We rented a motorcycle for the day and travelled around the village, passing an occasional monkey or two. The view from our balcony was wonderful. I sat watching the bright colored clothes flapping in the breeze as I was hypnotized by the sound of the ocean's surf. My friend who I met in Memphis invited us to come and have dinner with him. Everything was either caught that day from the ocean or bought at the market. He and his lovely wife prepared delicious food that was a little spicy here and there and fragrant dishes that heightened the taste buds. Next to met sat a solid white Asian cat who was believed to be more than 25 years old! Many days Agonda Beach
Women selling their produce on the roadside. were lazy ones....just from the lull of the ocean. The afternoons brought mini tropical rains to cool everything off.....for a minute. This town was a place mostly of Christian churches and on one day, there was a festival where the people came marching from their church, singing in their native tongue, while children followed. Their were many Portuguese people who had settled all along the coast many years ago. As I gazed over the balcony, I saw shades of reds, yellows and purples like I had never seen before. I watched the women hanging up their clothes to dry in the sun and men watering their plants.
The proprietors of this particular villa were very friendly yet they knew how to make money here because employment seemed to be almost non-existent unless you owned a motel, a restaurant or a taxi. They loved the tourists who came from Europe and Asia, as well as the U.S. We were in Goa for about three weeks and felt it was time to go back to Delhi where Ojesh's family lived. We arrived just in time for Diwali, a festival full of joy and a lot of Indian Ocean
Ojesh enjoying the beach for the first time. noisy firecrackers. Every home and business had colored lights, just like Christmas here in the U.S. As we travelled by taxi from the airport, it normally took about 1 1/2 hours to reach his home. This time it was three hours because of the festivals going on outside. I had never seen that many cars, trucks and motorcycles in my whole life in one place, jamming up every intersection along the way. The taxi driver was playing 'dodge car' with pedestrians as they walked right in front of us and I believe every single car in India was honking their horns at the same time. One thing I learned to do was to tune it out. After a few days there, you will learn to 1. tune out the noise....2. sleep at night on mats they call mattresses....and 3. learn to put your body in positions you never thought possible over a hole in the marbled bathroom. If you travel here, please bring a lot of toilet paper and baby wipes. You won't find a lot of this over there.
Ojesh's family was very hospitable. Great food. Interesting customs. Nice conversations. One of the other highlights was going Album Looking
This was Ojesh looking at family photos in Sonny's album. to the other side of Delhi to visit an Essential Oil business. It took forever to find this place, without a marquee in front but once we walked in.....Oh my God!!! The hypnotic fragrance of Jasmine, Rose and Sandalwood overtook me. I was giddy from the different aromas as I walked through the main room where other customers from all walks of life were testing their smells to buy for their businesses. If you like Essential Oils, this is the place to buy them. They are authentic and very, very reasonable.
All in all, this trip was the most memorable. I saw paradise on the southwest coast and experienced a festival in Delhi that I will never forget. It is helpful, if you take this trip, to know someone before you go. Some of these natives can smell a foreigner a mile a way.....and you can be taken advantage of in the pocket. Beautiful Goa.....I won't forget you....
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Travel Tips
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