Goa Jan 5--9, 2013

train station in Mumbai

Arriving late at night does not give a true picture of the surroundings.  Our 12-hour train ride ends at Thivim, and we are transported through the darkness to a hotel where the entrance is lit by tiny candles embedded in the garden wall.  We are instantly enchanted with the Presa di Goa and its stillness and serenity.
That remains true throughout our stay here, but the next morning the town of Calangute wakes up to the tune of hundreds of motorcycles zooming through this small burg that was once a hippie hangout.  We try to pick our way past parked taxis, parked motorcycles, people eating at cafes, vendors covering every inch of the sidewalk, children playing in the mud, and cyclists.

all kinds of swimming outfits

Calangute Beach is a popular hangout for good reason.  The beach is a wide expanse of golden colored sand lined with good-sized beach shacks, as far as the eye can see, that offer food and drink with blaring music thrown in.  The water beckons young and old alike, some in street dress and some in hardly any dress.   It is a menage of humanity but very interesting to people-watch.

We retreat back to our hotel for a quiet dinner and comfortable sleep, and wake up to melodic sounds of birds in the early morning.  Our host Edouard, a Frenchman who came to this part of the world to set up a hotel for his retirement, takes us on daybreak walks through the neighborhood and countryside where we watch the sun rise behind the foggy mist above rice paddies, now vacant, awaiting the new planting.

early morning fog on our walk through the village

flower at Asvam Beach

Another beach we find to be very inviting is the huge Asvam beach about 20 minutes away by taxi.  This beach, even wider than Calangute, is much quieter.  We walk along, disappointed at seeing no shells but then get a glimpse the outline of a starfish just under the sand.  Then, looking harder, we see lots of them.  Here is where the French restaurant Le Plage is located, and we sit down to eat a lovely lunch among oleander, coconut palms, bougainvillea, and a flower I have never seen before.

starfish under the sand

The food is magnificent.  We've had the opportunity to eat at several Indian restaurants, a couple Indo-European, and a very good French one.  We feast on vegetables made in most creative ways with colorful and pungent spices, grilled, in stews that were burning hot, and fresh--all delicious.

stars at Mapusa market

stacks of bangles at Mapusa

Today, right before we board the plane to Kerala, we travel to Mapusa to the local market.  The market in Ajuna, we are told, is just a tourist market, not a "real" one, so we opt for Mapusa.  Mostly I want to find the beautiful Goa star that we see hanging on all the houses, albeit for the Christmas season, but they are still evident on many homes, maybe for the year.  It is really hot and humid, and we peruse the market looking for them.  We see everything else, and beautiful vegetables and fruit.  Finally, with sweat running down our backs, we find a stall that has them--all colors!  We find the ones we like best, and it is a difficult decision, but we pay for them, take a photo of the shop owners, pick our way over the uneven stones of the outdoor bus station, and back to the waiting taxi.

elephant giving a bath to its rider at spice plantation

Back we go to the Presa di Goa one last time, on narrow roads packed with cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses that follow too closely (a motorcycle hit our taxi yesterday, but that's another story and I will include it in another blog).  We have a small lunch, bid farewell to the staff (lovely people) and off we roll to the airport.