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Friday, June 3, 2011
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Sunday, March 20, 2011
A Passage to India - Part 2 - Goa
After landing in Mumbai, I took a flight to Goa the very next day. Traveling by air in India is rather inexpensive. The train is also interesting, but there is a lot to do before getting on the train, special tickets, and so on.The train has seats for foreigners only, separate from others... Don't know if I like this too much, but certainly you can travel among everyone also on the train, but you may find yourself squeezed between six other people bare chested and in loin cloth ! ;o)
I did not try it, so I cannot comment, but I heard it's well worth doing, and some even say that it is the only way to see India. I will try it next time, for sure. However, to be brutally honest there has been quite a bit of small terrorism incidents at train stations in India... this is possibly not what you will read in the newspapers, but it is what the local people say.
Goa was a Portuguese colony from the 16th century until 1987, so there is a lot of the Portuguese culture there. I was rather surprised to hear that Indians living in Goa do not consider themselves as all other Indians. To me, they did not look different as the Indian people whom I met in Mumbai... but this was the beginning for me, and I was eager to know more, and absorb it all.
It's beautiful, and considered the Riviera of India. In the 60's Goa was actually the Hippie Capital... remember when the Beattles started including the sound of the sitar? Their guru was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and they stayed in an ashram with him for a few months, and returned disillusioned with that experience. Goa was the crave in the late 60's.
It's still party time in Goa, any day of the week, and late into the evening, and early hours of the morning. There are still some old hippies hanging around, and parties on the beach... of all kinds. Israelis soldiers go to Goa for some R&R, drugs, sunshine, and easy life, and there are a few Chabad houses around Goa, for those who are interested.
The beaches are beautiful...
And the food... mmm... so good. Lots of fish there, prepared the Portuguese way, but the main staple are curry dishes, which is always fine with me.
Ted and Jacqueline house is in Saligoa, close to beaches, and on a quiet road. Quiet? not so much... At night, lots of dogs, stray dogs... howling, fighting in the night... but you take everything as it comes, and accept that this is another part of the world that you are lucky to experience... and you try to love those dogs howling in the night... On their property, were also a few dogs. One in particular was my little friend: Bindi (because of the black spot on his head) :
and this is where we ate always...outside, listening to the birds, enjoying the peace of the day, the heat, the statue at the end of the pool:
and this where I slept.
The mosquito's nest is a must. Jacqueline had it decorated in the style of the land, with garlands of flowers... jasmine, marigold, the scent of it all grabbed my senses.
... and then she warned me to put sandals on when getting out of bed... snakes! Frankly I never saw any... at least not in the house.
Decorating with garlands of flowers is a tradition all over India, and considered a welcome sign. Flowers are often offered to the Gods at any temple. There are many flowers markets in India, such as this one in Goa.
I did not try it, so I cannot comment, but I heard it's well worth doing, and some even say that it is the only way to see India. I will try it next time, for sure. However, to be brutally honest there has been quite a bit of small terrorism incidents at train stations in India... this is possibly not what you will read in the newspapers, but it is what the local people say.
Goa was a Portuguese colony from the 16th century until 1987, so there is a lot of the Portuguese culture there. I was rather surprised to hear that Indians living in Goa do not consider themselves as all other Indians. To me, they did not look different as the Indian people whom I met in Mumbai... but this was the beginning for me, and I was eager to know more, and absorb it all.
It's beautiful, and considered the Riviera of India. In the 60's Goa was actually the Hippie Capital... remember when the Beattles started including the sound of the sitar? Their guru was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and they stayed in an ashram with him for a few months, and returned disillusioned with that experience. Goa was the crave in the late 60's.
It's still party time in Goa, any day of the week, and late into the evening, and early hours of the morning. There are still some old hippies hanging around, and parties on the beach... of all kinds. Israelis soldiers go to Goa for some R&R, drugs, sunshine, and easy life, and there are a few Chabad houses around Goa, for those who are interested.
The beaches are beautiful...
And the food... mmm... so good. Lots of fish there, prepared the Portuguese way, but the main staple are curry dishes, which is always fine with me.
Ted and Jacqueline house is in Saligoa, close to beaches, and on a quiet road. Quiet? not so much... At night, lots of dogs, stray dogs... howling, fighting in the night... but you take everything as it comes, and accept that this is another part of the world that you are lucky to experience... and you try to love those dogs howling in the night... On their property, were also a few dogs. One in particular was my little friend: Bindi (because of the black spot on his head) :
Bindi
and this is where we ate always...outside, listening to the birds, enjoying the peace of the day, the heat, the statue at the end of the pool:
and this where I slept.
... and then she warned me to put sandals on when getting out of bed... snakes! Frankly I never saw any... at least not in the house.
Here I am behind Jacqueline (Jac)
I had a great time in Goa, bought many things on the beaches, and in the market. The night market in Goa is something to see, where people from all over the world mingle.
You can find Tibetan articraft, Indian made items, unbelieveable jewelry, and just shopping on an outside market in the middle of the night is just a fabulous experience. It was closed last year due to rumors of terrorism, and I believe it is now reopen. A great fun place to be!
The beaches are also a great places to find inexpensive handmade articles. Those are carried by women and their children, and I was happy not only to find great items but to be able to help those women who are often scraping to make ends meet.
I loved all the colorful houses there. Here is one I visited in Goa, looking for a place to hold seminars:
Often houses will have an open courtyard lined with columns and palm trees:
Not only there are beautiful and colorful buildings to look at, but lots of cows as well... EVERYWHERE, on the streets, among the cars, roaming freely, which is sometimes a huge problem in India. Most of the population in India is vegetarian, so animals are regarded as protected and some as sacred. Such is the case for cows that, while littering the streets of India, often get hit by cars and trucks resulting in bleeding horns, and many wounds on their body.
I was told that if you hit a cow you will need to go to court, pay a fine if the cow has a owner (farmer), and THEN you must seek repentance at the temple.
About 500 miles from Goa, is Kerala which is the center for Ayurveda. Ayurveda is possibly the oldest form of medicine known. It is based on the five elements : earth, water, fire, air, and ether - all all of which compose the Universe, including the human body. Ayurveda deals elaborately with measures of healthful living during the entire span of life and its various phases. Ayurveda stresses a balance of three elemental energies: vata (air & space – "wind"), pittha (fire & water – "bile") and kapha (water & earth – "phlegm"). According to ayurveda, these three regulatory principles— doshas are important for health, because when they are in a more balanced state, the body will function to its fullest, and when imbalanced, the body will be affected negatively in certain ways.
Ayurvedic therapies products are plant-based medicines and treatments. Today there are many Ayurvedic centers in the world, where people study and perform Ayurveda... and those who have received an Ayurveda massage will undeniably attest that it is the best thing in the world!
Some wonderful Auyrvedic soaps made in Kerala can be found at: http://www.gopooja.com/index.php?cPath=258_259
they are wonderful and combine an array of natural herbs and spices like patchouli, galangal, turmeric, lavender, tulsi... wonderful scents of nature, all soaps designed
to be healing to the skin. Not one drop of anything artificial. I absolutely like all that is natural, and good for you. I tried some of them, love them, and would recommend them to anyone.
I continued on my journey to Jaipur and met my friends again three days later, but that is another adventure. I hope to see you there in a bit.
Some wonderful Auyrvedic soaps made in Kerala can be found at: http://www.gopooja.com/index.php?cPath=258_259
they are wonderful and combine an array of natural herbs and spices like patchouli, galangal, turmeric, lavender, tulsi... wonderful scents of nature, all soaps designed
to be healing to the skin. Not one drop of anything artificial. I absolutely like all that is natural, and good for you. I tried some of them, love them, and would recommend them to anyone.
I continued on my journey to Jaipur and met my friends again three days later, but that is another adventure. I hope to see you there in a bit.
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