Firstly, apologies for the lack of photos recently - something's up with these computers. Who am I apologising to, anyway? Does any bastard still read this crap?
Anyway, today is the final day of my obnoxiously long stay in Goa. I've been here for a week - first time I've been able to say that for a while - and I've managed to work all the stresses and strains of this mad, mad country out of mind and body. This place is the definition of relaxation.
Well, it depends where you go. Not being as young and crazy as I once was (???) I decided to shun the all-day raves, casual sex and LSD options in Goa for something more vegetative, and came to Colva. This is a place where you can still find empty space on the beach, and watch the fishermen bring in their catch in the morning. And then eat what they caught that same day. Yes, there are plenty of older, leathery Europeans, and there's the compulsory strip of shops selling postcards, beads and "Remember my name, you'll be screaming it later" T-shirts, but relatively speaking it's pretty tranquil. AND I've seen dolphins from the beach! Days are spent waking up early, running on the beach, swimming, sheltering indoors during the middle of the day when it's searingly hot, and eating fantastic seafood.
I've been taking a few day trips to avoid becoming yet another comatosed, leathery European. One day I went to Panaji and Old Goa, the bigger towns of this former Portuguese colony. Wandering around the areas of Sao Tome and Fontainhas in Panaji is like being in some Portuguese town. Whitewashed cottages, flowers, churches, and plenty of shops owned by the Dos Santos' and Perreiras of this world. None of whom, I imagine, speak a jot of Portuguese. In Old Goa I saw some more churches and a cathedral, the remains of St Francis Xavier and a cross used during the Inquisition. Wonderful people, colonists...
On another day I went to Anjuna beach, where there are some hippies and the biggest flea market in Goa, and another trip took me to Palolem, a beautiful curve of sandy beach backed up with more palm trees than you can shake a coconut at.
So, life is good good good. I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect of going back to Mumbai, from where I fly to Rome on the 20th, but I had a nice couple of days there and I know bits of the city well enough so I'm sure I can deal with it. Then from this, to Rome in winter. Jackets, hats, long pants...but good pizza!
