This morning I woke up at 10am and decided to go over to the guesthouse to get my room all sorted. Last night the owner had assured me that I could come over in the morning anytime and get my room. So up I get and sure enough, my room is not ready! By the time my room has been cleaned it's already 12 midday!! So much for getting my room in the morning!
Anyway, after I finally settled in I headed out to the beach. On my way I walked past a group of Indian men and one of the men told me I had some soap in my ear. So I said, "soap??" and felt around my ear and he says, "yes, come I'll get it out for you". Then, within 2 seconds, he had pulled out his ear cleaning instrument and started to clean the wax out of my ear! Then he hands me this card that says something like he is a really good and professional ear cleaner! So he starts getting all this wax out of my ear (so much for the soap) and then he does something which kinda hurts and I start telling him I don't want him to do it anymore and he keeps trying cause he wants to finish the job so I will pay him, and then I must have kinda freaked out with him trying to get to my ear and I started to feel like I was going to throw up and/or faint!!!
So my whole body breaks out in a sweat and I had to sit down with my head between my knees and breathe to try to stop myself from fainting!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So many times I almost fainted but I managed to stop myself and I was soooooooooooo pissed off that this was happening!!!!
So finally thank g-d I started to feel better and I walk off with the guy still calling me! Meanwhile, after my swim at the beach a few hrs later when I was walking back he stopped me and tried to get me to pay him!!! I couldn't believe the cheek!! So I told him he had made me sick! And then I continued to walk. Incredible that he could do something so invasive by tricking me, make me almost faint and then ask to be paid for the pleasure!!
So that ended up being a very unexpected drama!! It's making me feel a bit sick now just thinking about it!! It was AWFUL!!!
Anyway, I did make it to the beach (which turned out to be a tropical one with palm tress but not so nice in terms of water and sand - brown water, unexpected rocks to stub your toes and feet on in the water which you couldn't see cause of the brown water, and brown sand with black streaks in it!), but it was still actually a nice place to chill out on. And you couldn't forget your were in India cause there were cows on the sand!!
So now I am back at my guest house and googling the best beaches to swim at in in Goa and I have found that the one I went to and a staying near (Anjuna) is not the best beach you go to for swimming! Of course! I am just reading that apparently it's south goa that has the nice beaches and I am currently in the north...I wonder how long it takes to get to the south...?
Anyway, thats about it from me for now...actually, one thing I've noticed which I think is interesting is that there are many stalls here where the women are working and hassling you - not men as is the usual! And yes, just like the men they are also hassling you to "Just come inside and look madam, just look, very cheap". It's like I have said a million "no thank you's" in India and Asia!!!!!!!!!! And they have all learnt to say exactly the same thing!! And all their stalls sell exactly the same thing! And of course there is the never ending "Madam you want taxi?" Me - "no thank you". Him- "Where you going Madam?" Me - continue walking and ignoring him!
So this is Goa for now...
xxx Orna
