Goa, Goan, Gone!

Me in Goa

So I say goodbye to Goa.  I had so much fun here.

On the Honda….Activa, Away!

I was able to try new things, different things, and to relax and rest and rejuvenate.  I feel good.  Hot and sweaty (as per usual here in India), but good.  Also, I am about 3 shades darker than I was when I got here.  On my shoulders and arms.  And on my hands, it only goes to knuckles  From riding the bike, where my fingers curved around the handles, I got no sun.  So my tan only goes until the tips of my fingers, which have remained their normal color.  It almost looks like I dipped my fingertips in whitener  for a second – I find it quite humorous.  I had seen some women in India driving around with gloves on.  And I’m referring to the kind you would wear with an evening gown – all the way up to your elbows.  I thought it was super-weird and funny-looking.   I thought maybe it was for Muslim women who had their faces covered too, but then noticed it was other other women too, who were wearing western wear (*not cowboy clothes, just American-type clothes).   I couldn’t comprehend why anyone would want to wear something that would make you more HOT in the sun!  But looking at my white finger tips and my brown, brown knuckles, I guess I understand the rationale now….

The Kingfish I ate in Goa – I named him the mighty King George and I couldn’t finish him off…

I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but the last few times I’ve come to India, i wanted to come to Goa, but was basically told that Goa was “Closed”.  I wondered how an entire state could be closed.  Over the last couple of days, however, I kind of got the picture.  Goa thrives on tourism.  Itis their main industry.  From what I understand, the best times to come are November/December or March.  Basically, on April 1, they close up shop and take a couple months vacation.  (and I’m unclear if it’s only one long vacation that goes through the monsoon, or if they have one between Jan and Feb) But As April approached, I could see that the beach resorts were packing up.  They took in their lounge chairs and cleaned them, they cleaned out all the rooms at my hotel, put away all the potted plants etc.  When the heat and rains come, many of these things will be destroyed if left out.  So if someone comes to Goa during “off-season”  many of the hotels are closed for the hot time or the rainy time and many people who normally live and work there are gone on extended vacation.  There aren’t services available, such as tours and adventures and, basically, Goa is Closed!

Empire Beach Resort, Calangute Beach, Goa

Sunset in Goa

So I managed to squeeze my trip in, just under the wire.  And honestly, if it were much hotter, I wouldn’t want to be here either! (It’s pretty darn humid here, too…)  It’s definitely hit 100 F on the thermometer, which doesn’t account for the “feels-like” temperature due to humidity.  But the sunsets were spectacular every night, and I didn’t get stuck in monsoon rains.  The beach was so beautiful, and I loved the attitude of the people here.  I think, because tourism is such an industry here, or perhaps because Goa didn’t join India until after the country had already been formed for some time, Goa is more laid back than most of India.  There are less strict rules, or at least different expectations in general from women and/or foreigners.  I enjoyed it, especially as I know I’ll spend more time in India and in other restrictive countries as I travel during the next year.   Also, I’m glad for the friendships I started and the memories I made.   Goa’s been good and I’m glad I’ve gone.

Ladies through Tree in Goa