This is for you, mom - you wanted to know what I'm doing aside from dodging the sarong salesmen (or failing to dodge them and having to buy another sarong!).
8-ish AM - I wake up to the sound of roosters and the smell of the neighbors' cooking fires. Yeah, seriously, I'm pretty sure people here still cook over an open fire, or at least they sure do like to light fires at mealtimes about 20 minutes before you start smelling food cooking. Unfortunately, 8 is an ungodly hour to try and get anything done because it's when all the locals are having breakfast and doing chores. So I stay in bed and read or putter around my hut. I keep intending to go for an early morning swim, but I'm too lazy.
9:30 or so - breakfast. I've finally discovered a restaurant down the road a piece that serves Indian breakfast (well, North Indian, but hey, paratha with chutney and yogurt is better than a velveeta omelet, right?). So I take a nice morning walk down the beach and have that with a cup of chai. Weirdest thing about my Indian breakfast spot - it's called Little Italy. Well, OK, then. Most meals take a long time, probably because either A) they're cooking my paratha over an open fire, or B) India cricket test matches are on TV and the waiters would way rather watch cricket than bring me anything (honestly, so would I if I was a waiter and understood cricket). This is all OK, though, because I have a stack of good books and I'm in no hurry.
10:30 - I usually take a walk in the village and run any errands I have, like getting more bottled water, buying postcards, checking email. This is also a good time for exploring and people watching. Hilarious thing about Goan village life - even though there are 3 internet cafes, a dozen international phone booths, and everyone who's anyone has a cell phone, you still have to go 10 miles into town to mail a postcard.
11 or noon - swim, because now it's hot and I've worked up a sweat from walking around.
12:30 - the inevitable sarong-wallah ambush. I'm getting better at this.
2-ish - lunch, usually something really simple and light because it's so hot. Sometimes I'm not hungry and just have a sweet lime soda (seltzer with a lime squeezed in) or a lassi. I try to eat a lot of yogurt because rumor has it that it's good for your immune system and helps you acclimate to Indian bacteria. Also, it's one of the few things that's really appetizing in the heat.
3 or 3:30 - reading in the shade and/or more swimming.
5-ish - the sun starts to go down, and the beach fills with people. Tourists doing sunset yoga, fishermen hauling in the day's catch, school kids playing soccer or just goofing off. God help you if you're a cow or a lady in a sari carrying a big bundle, because then the paparazzi will follow you around, trying to get that perfect sunset photo. Usually this is not me, because I would hate it if tourists followed me around in New York or Louisiana trying to capture "authentic" scenes of American life.
7-ish - as it gets dark, I go back to my hut and frantically set up the mosquito net and put on bug spray before the mosquitos get bad. I hate having to do this, and I'm hoping there are less mosquitos when I get up north. It's the most boring chore, ever. Boo, malaria.
7:30 - dinner.
8:30 - walk back along the beach in the dark, silently grumbling about forgetting my flashlight and hoping I don't step in a cow pie.
9:30 or 10 - fall asleep to the sounds of the family next door watching Bollywood movies on TV.
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6 comments:
Love it. I think I could use a few days like this, but without the mosquitoes and sarong throng. You are cautious, yet fearless. Enjoy every moment; you’ll have some amazing memories when you’re 43.
Have you made any friends or met anyone? It sounds very relaxing, but I think I'd be getting a little lonesome by now.
Sara...hide behind a hut...or pitch a sarong tent...I know your embarassed BUT you must get that quintessential photo of the goan beach cow with the sunset backdrop...i need to see it...and no flickr photo from someone else will do!!!! Keep having fun...it sounds amazing!
Hi sara, Glad you are having a good time. tell me more about some of your fish dishes. How's the indian wine??? Geek check.
love dad
Indian wine - heck no. Some yuppie IT types in the big cities are starting to get into wine, so you can sometimes find it in Bombay, Bangalore, etc. but everywhere else wine is still in the Mad Dog 2020 phase.
Fish - good so far, but then this morning I explored around the fish market and saw how it's all covered with flies, which kind of turned me off. But I haven't got sick from it yet, so I guess it's OK.
Sunset photo ops - I will sink to cows, or maybe fishing boats coming in, but not individuals. Especially if I have to follow them down the beach.
Friends and Loneliness - this both is and isn't an issue. The weird thing is that while I haven't joined in with a bunch of other backpackers, as I thought I would, I have started to make friends with the family that runs the hut camp. Which is in certain ways better (why go to India to hang out with a bunch of Australians?), but in certain ways still leaves something to be desired (the Indians I've befriended don't speak English all that fluently, also they're unlikely to want to get together to take a boat trip or visit Old Goa or anything like that).
And Dad, I'm glad you finally found your way here!
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