go a goa

so i arrived here in goa yesterday with an ambivalent impression. it's the kind of place i wanted to avoid: a pure tourist trap. it has little, to no indian character at all, and it is just a beach town totally surrendering to all the russian and english tourists that come here for the sun. i mean this in the nicest, non-racist way, but russian tourists ruin almost every one of their destinations. i don't know if it's because they go all out on their vacations and spend a lot, but beach towns will totally cater to them, and since they are never traveling for culture- they travel cuz it's cheap, it really ruins the destination. i've seen this in egypt, at sharm, and now here especially. i would hate it here if it weren't for the perfect beach weather, and the opportunity to get some sun before returning back to both cold and snowy, london and then nyc.

via facebook, i coordinated with that tall drink of water i met in agra, and met him at a hostel in north goa. it was really crappy, and luckily they had no room for me today, so i was forced to find a better place. and rightly so, i wanted to relax on a beach resort, on the beach, not a hike away from a run down hostel. i had my fair share of $12 a night hostels this entire trip, and i was prepared to splurge on an $80 a night resort. by indian standards, this is mega deluxe. but i deserve it after all! i got a huge raise, and i won the lottery. girl deserves a break! god, i had my first shower in like 4 days this morning. the water was grey, i was so dirty!!! haha.

at night, we went to one of the quintessential beach bars that all 20-something vacationers go to. it was the typical kind of place blasting techno that europeans love to dance to, in a terrible, uncoordinated, i'm-so-into-the-music kind of way. we laughed and talked about the progression of change that one experiences in their 20s, from college, partying, working, and "getting old". we realized that we are in the latter stage, for sure, as neither of us were in party mode, and just wanted to relax.

he's a lot of fun and super easy going, and plans to meet me at my hotel in the next day or so (i'm about 30 minutes south of him now). but honestly, my hotel has 2 rooms, and both are big enough to be split into two, so i wouldn't even mind if he came and stayed with me. haven't really been alone much on this trip, why start now?

the beach isnt nice at all, and looks as dirty as any of the ny beaches--- definitely doesn't compare to the pristine waters of thailand. but it's still a beach. the annoying thing is that it's not only crowded with russian tourists, most of whom should not be wearing bikinis (i mean, i brought a one piece for god's sake!) but locals swarm the beach stopping at you every moment to sell whatever crap they're carrying. i eventually caught on that they are territorial about the part of the beach you're in, and since i was the new girl they all hounded me. so i made some conversation, got to know them, and now they respect my desire to relax in exchange for promises to buy things tomorrow or the day after. this morning i had a nice foot massage for $3 right there on the beach! and tomorrow i promised a woman, anita, that she would give me a head and back massage. yay! another crazy thing was that when i had lunch at one of the shacks there, they didn't even make me pay! they said, "don't worry, be happy, relax you are on vacation. you can pay tomorrow." i would've thought this was a scam, but the english bloke i was lunching with, who has been there for 5 weeks!, said that this is just their MO, and i should go with it.

the sun is obviously very strong and i got tired easily. i also felt a little overcome with sadness today, when i realized that i am nearing the end of my amazing travels here in india. i could spend another month here, discovering all of its treasures, most of which i haven't even seen, and i don't know if or when i'd have the chance to come back. i've really grown to appreciate and respect so much about the culture here, and the way it values people, animals, the body, beauty, entertainment, etc. it is such a tremendous land with an extremely rich and diverse history and climate.

it really has earned its slogan, incredible !ndia

maybe i feel a little bad about spending time in this place, when i could have spent more time discovering rajasthan or kashmir.

but before i say goodbye, i have 3 more days on the beach, filled with yoga classes, fresh seafood (yes, i'm going to try this again per my english friends' suggestion), and lots and lots more ayurvedic therapies. there's a special treatment for stress relief called "shirodhara" that involves having a continuous stream of hot oil poured on the head, while being massaged. i canNOT wait for this. i've unfortunately had terrible headaches the entire time i've been traveling, and my doctor's latest headache prescription isn't doing anything to help. and since i love to prove that medicine is NOT always the answer, i'm very excited to go holistic!

as for the handsome kashmiri, he is really pushing to come visit in goa, and i am still as unsure as ever. i have never had anyone be so interested in me in my life, and i dont even know how to deal with it. i'm too cynical to believe in that movie type of love anyway. everyone said that it didnt exist, and now he's ready to jump on a plane and fly to the south of india for me, and i'm saying no. isn't this all silly?