We arrived to Goa after the trauma of being locked up in Chennai. We found a great guest house, with clean rooms and great rates as the HIGH season was over and done with – “Stick a fork in me Jerry, I’m done.” Its sticky hot here! Phew. But its all good, the beach is a mere 50m from the door, but that distance proved to be blisterfully far one day when I ventured onto the beach in the early morning without my flip flops, only to do the hot sand dance an hour later.

Great meals Indian style. On the beach, squishing the sand between my toes while indulging in a fish feast. Two weeks of eating banana, Nutella, and coconut crepes! Enough said… We decided to stay in Goa for two weeks as Ananda has an old friend who has an Ayurvedic clinic, and has suggested that she undergo a two week regiment of oil baths and back treatments. I ended up going for one session of Ayurvedic treatment. It was nice…

No it was great, besides battling with some male machismo issues, I finally came to terms with the fact that it would be a guy rubbing oil over me, but in the midst of the oils and the message, I decided that “this HAS to be on everyone’s to do list!” The sensations and relaxation was so complete that you really need to look into it if you have the chance.

There were nearby markets on Wednesday and Saturday nights, where all the tourist necessities could be filled. Local and foreign artisans had their wears for sale. In the afternoon heat of the day market, a man approached me saying that I had some soap in my ear. Having almost fallen for the same scheme in Mumbai, I knew that he was offering to clean my ears with a medal scoop, only to demand an exorbitant payment once completed. So I clinched my fist, stared deep into his eyes and threatened to hurt him if he touched me! It was one of the few times that I was able to effectively convey my annoyance. He got the message and backed down.

The town of Arambol is an incredible place, with the most incredible banyan tree. Yogi’s and soul seekers from all over the world come here to meditate and connect with the tree.

I did have one very shocking experience, I saw a guy get run over by a 10 tone truck and the after effects… It really bothered me, and still does. There is ‘something’ about being here in India; I don’t really know how else to describe it other than a “general disconcern for human life.” Now I know that this is not a fair statement, but the feeling has been reciprocated by so many other travelers… For example when Asking people if the guy was in fact dead, people simply said, yes this happens all the time like three times a day here in Candelum… Yes this is it, it is the drivers that simply do not care, be it a private or public bus or taxi, or motorbike, they just go! Blind turn, who cares, “I want to pass.” Argh.

Oh, yeah it is now official, I am a SUDOKU whore! I can’t get enough of these things. Yeah sure they are fun, and they might have mental benefit, but for the most part they suck an hour or so out of every day. And I walk away with the satisfaction that I am edging closer to the “Super Hard” Puzzles. I wonder if all of the mental effort that goes into these puzzles could somehow be harnessed into something more beneficial? Imagine, if for example how fast the human genome could have been resolved had sections been distributed amongst the worlds population as a cross word or sudoku puzzles… hmmm… Food for thought.

Overall, between the beach the food and the scootering around, Goa is a paradise!