Mumbai revisited

To dream-light dear while yet unseen,
Dear to the common sunshine,
And dearer still, as now I feel,
To memory's shadowy moonshine!

-Yarrow revisited, William Wordsworth

I just finished watching ' Once upon a time in Mumbai'. Though the movie may be called mediocre at best, the city definitely would surpass any adjective, positive or negative that may be given to it.

I have a love-hate relationship with Bombay, or Mumbai as it is now. As a child I had heard of a city of dreams. It was a beautiful land full of beautiful people; of colors and shade; the land where movies were made and the land which had finally tamed the sea. Coming from the plains, just the thought of a metropolis with such a proximity to the sea was what dreams were of! Love!!

My first visit to Mumbai was to catch a flight to Calcutta( No, I can't call it Kolkata). And to be honest, I was devastated. This was not my land of dreams. It was the greatest human tragedy.From the railway tracks to the famous Gateway of India, it was dirty, ugly. Scores and scores of people in a rush to make it through the day. And my beloved sea - well I couldn't see that much of it, but whatever of it's shores I saw wasn't pleasant. This was the beginning of hate.

I visited Mumbai a number of times after that and each time I felt claustrophobic. The only reason I liked Mumbai was for it's shopping and the Mount Mary church in Bandra overlooking the sea. It was only here, that I could stand oblivious to the filth below.

But perhaps like Wordsworth and his famed Yarrow river, revisiting the great Metropolis, not just literally but with an open, uncluttered mind made the biggest difference to me and I fell in love yet again. I have learnt since, that Mumbai welcomes only the ones with an open mind and more so those who are quick to love and slow to judge.

I have seen Mumbai through the eyes of many people- heard a lot, seen a lot, read a lot in the past two years. But I can write about it only as a distant relative and not as her child. Someone once told me, the city is always alive, and once you stop looking beyond the scores of people that throng the local trains and the streets each day, you see her heart.

And the city that runs a monotonous nine-to- five, comes alive in the night. A dialogue in the movie called it, the "city of night". So many unspoken stories are written each night below the glimmering orange lights and each story leaves so much to imagination.

Today, I look forward to each visit to Mumbai. The city never bores me. I can count a dozen stations on the central line, get lost in the smells of cigarette smoke and alcohol mixed with the smell of hot wada pav at 2 am in the morning. And I can dare to travel to Mumbai alone...

So many times, she asks me if I would like to move in. But then like a relationship - I guess I would say, "I don't think we're there yet darling. Maybe soon though :)" ... And she smiles at me and loves me just as much as before..

I don't think I can write what I feel about her in a post and I won't want to try. Each visit opens up so many vistas.So I guess there will be more anecdotes and love notes to follow..

Let me just go back to Wordsworth yet again before I end-

Nor deem that localized Romance
Plays false with our affections;
Unsanctifies our tears-made sport
For fanciful dejections:
Ah, no! the visions of the past
Sustain the heart in feeling
Life as she is-our changeful Life,
With friends and kindred dealing.

The Godly Trip - II

“It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.”

- Ursula K. LeGuin

Yes. I love journeys. So there I was on the 7 o’ clock train to Kolhapur from Tirupati, tired and thoughtful. My profession requires me to cross-reference, so let me recap episode 1 for the uninitiated. I had set off to Tirupati, the abode of Lord Balaji, with 18 unknown marauders and had a perfectly lovely time. Now we were on the second leg of the journey – to see Goddess Mahalakshmi, Lord Balaji’s first wife.

We started the journey off with a fight. Another family had been allotted the same seats as we. We realized only 2 hours into the journey when the ticket checker informed us that 6 of us had been pushed into the AC compartment. So six of the gang packed up and moved, bag and baggage, into the AC compartment few bogies away. That brought the mood down a bit. Everyone was already tired anyway. So I sat by the window and watched the world go by.

At 1.00 in the night, we reached a place called Guntakal. The train halts there for about an hour and a half. My fellow nicotine starved souls jumped off the train, the moment it came to a halt to puff away at the cancer stick. And I followed. I was hungry. It was 1.00 in the morning and I was ravenous. I have never got off the train post midnight before. It was unusually quiet. The shops had exhausted the day’s wares. A few vendors caught their forty winks in the comfort of their tiny shops. At a distance, there was a small crowd and crowds on an empty station generally mean food. And indeed it was – steaming hot idlis and crispy medu wadas, served with spicy green chutney. Like all midnight feasts, this too was delightful.

The government of India has banned smoking in public places. You may invite a fine, if caught smoking in the station. So we took a walk out of the station. Given the group’s previous track record at missing trains, I silently hoped we wouldn’t have to go through the same ordeal again. Soaking in the nighttime calm and the lost in the swirls of smoke we talked and we laughed.

We reached Kolhapur at 5 in the evening the following day, thoroughly exhausted and with no place to lay our heads. Yes, we were booked nowhere and we knew no one in this strange city. I can still look at the humor of the situation and I did then. Our ever resourceful guys went round the city for an hour and finally managed to get us a decent place to stay.

The same night we went to the Mahalakshmi temple. The Mahalakshmi temple in Kolhapur is a huge stone temple and possibly dates back to 700 A.D. There are tall “deepstambhas”( where candles/diyas are lit) even as the temple structure rises higher in the background. It is one of the “shakti peetha”s. The temple was virtually empty as we reached post 8.30. It was a major contrast to the super crowded temples in Tirupati and that somehow rendered serenity to it. Plates of offerings in hand we walked into the temple.

The temple is beautiful. There are intricate carvings everywhere. You can’t help but absorb the sanctity of the place. Even as we walked out, vermillion smeared on our foreheads and the sweet taste of prasad lingering on our palate, we couldn’t but be devout, at least for that time.

After the temple experience, we had to find a place to eat - at 11 in the night, in an unknown city. So we started walking. Lonely, empty streets, aching legs and so many bald heads (at Tirupati most of my fellow comrades donated all the hair on their head). It was extremely painful and yet hilarious with everyone shouting obscenities at each other. But we did finally find a place to fill our stomachs in a nondescript lane in the dark streets of Kolhapur.

I have tendency to push myself to the limit till I can take no more and the group with me was no less. Even though we were exhausted out of our wits we still wanted to keep up. So we started off with “teen patti”, or three card poker. And mind you it was the real deal (with money). With giggles and the occassional flare ups over supposed cheating, it was indeed a memorable experience.

The next day, we were scheduled to catch a train back home. But that was at 9 in the evening. The entire day though had already been planned, or so I found out. We woke up early morning amidst ill-tempered yells and abuses (guys don’t like waking up early) and got dressed. By 9 am we were packed up into two cabs and on our way to Narsobachiwadi.

Narsobachiwadi is a temple not too far from Kolhapur city. It is dedicated to Narsinh Saraswati, an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya, who is believed to have lived here. It is a tiny temple at the confluence of the rivers Krishna and Panchaganga. The tiny stalls outside the temple serve generous proportions of good Maharashtrian and south Indian food. Famished, we dug into whatever came our way.

On the steps outside the temple

The temple itself was again not all that crowded. There were people bathing in the river by the river bank. Water as you know is extremely attractive. So we went and dipped our feet into the water. Just as we posed for a picture, I got this curious sensation on my feet and I was told that the fish nibble at your feet while you’re in the water. It was tickly and fun. No wonder it’s used as therapy.

Panhala fort

After the darshan, we took off for Panhala, a hill station close to Kolhapur. Panhala is home to the Panhala fort, which is a large, imposing structure. We reached the fort close to sunset and the looming structure seemed strangely eerie in the falling light. We didn’t have enough time to actually see the entire place. But we did manage to hit some of the famous lookout spots.

In one of the forlorn chambers of Panhala fort

We sang all the way back from Panhala to Kolhapur, packed up our stuff and boarded the train. Everyone was suitably tired on the last leg of the journey. So the lads put up a faux movie hall in the confines of the AC compartment of the train. With blankets to block the door and cover the lights, and blankets laid out on the aisle, we watched The Texas Chainsaw massacre on a barely 10 inch screen.

The whirlwind trip was over. What a journey it had been.

One of the most vivid memories that I have from that trip was Guntakal, the tiny station on the train ride from Tirupati to Kolhapur. I remember sitting on the cold stone slab surrounded by people I had barely known for a few days and feeling comfortable being me; not having to think about who thought what, liked and disliked, or proving myself (things that I normally tend to do). Like William Hazlitt, a British writer, put forth so well, “The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do, just as one pleases”. And that is what made that trip one of the most memorable of all.

[I would like to dedicate both these posts to the wonderful folks who went with me on this trip. You guys are the best!]

A Godly trip - I

Loneliness inspires a lot of craziness in people. It is not our default state. That said, when we are lonely and troubled we often end up exploring possibilities that we have not previously considered. This could either lead to a complete disaster or give you an insight on all your problems. I’m sure you’re wondering if I am writing in the wrong blog. The cry baby blog is the other one :). No dahlings! All this seeming philosophical horse-crap is leading some place.

I was definitely at a low point in my life in November. Confused out of my wits because of what life was throwing at me, I was definitely quite reckless. In that definite recklessness, I decided to go on a pilgrimage tour to Tirupati and Kolhapur with a bunch of people (eighteen is quite a bunch ;))

Let me now clarify one tiny aspect. I have never been on a religious trip before, especially one that spans a whole week and two states. It’s not as if I have a particular bias against it. It’s just that I am not particularly religious. Anyway, I am always open to try new things and visit new places so that’s quite settled I suppose.

Now the other part. I had barely known Nishant for two months. Two office trips are surely not sufficient to get to know somebody. So to take off on a weeklong trip, that too with another eighteen people who I didn’t even know was out of the question. But then, persistence (on his part) and a sheer devil-may-care attitude (on mine) and I was going to Tirupati ; knowing very well that this could go hopelessly wrong.

I was the only one boarding from Pune (the rest were coming in from Mumbai). So after a restless half day at work, I took a very heavy bag and trudged off to the station. I have travelled alone by train once. But this was an entirely unique experience. As is my usual practice, I reached the station two hours ahead of the scheduled arrival. Alone in the super crowded Pune station with two hours to wile away was not a pleasant prospect. But when everything is on a whim, you somehow tend to accept situations quite beautifully. What’s more, I was actually excited. With a nice sandwich, black coffee and Jeffery Archer I pretty much passed my time quite well.

The train arrived close to 4. It was about 10 minutes behind schedule but I didn’t really notice that too much. I found the coach and Nishant almost as soon as the train came to a standstill. We were going to Tirupati.

Step one was to meet my fellow travelers. Strangely, I felt no apprehension whatever. I was sure that with my books, the ipod and the absolute insanity of what I was doing, I would not get bored, no matter how troublesome the company was. As an absolute antithesis to my expectations, the company turned out to be absolutely fabulous. Almost as soon as I’d gotten introduced, I felt quite at home.

I love train journeys and I definitely don’t like to travel in the AC compartment. I like to feel the wind sweeping across fields and rivers. See the sky as it transitions from blue to yellow and then to orange. I love to see the tiny yellow lights suddenly becoming distinct in the distance as night finally falls. I love to see the dull white light from the train compartments on the adjacent tracks. Then as the cities approach in the night, slowly and steadily the density of the orange lights increases. It’s so beautiful. And train stations. I love them. The chaos. the sounds of “chai garam” and “Kaafi”. And how the food items change with every state you cross.

All of this is definitely enough to keep an idle adventurer’s mind active. But when add to it an extremely enthusiastic company, the fun somehow just intensifies. We played cards and Uno, spoke endlessly, got off at obscure stations so people could smoke, listened to endless stories and experiences. And though we barely slept, fresh I was as a flower in spring early next morning.

We got off at Renigunta junction – a tiny place right before Tirupati, in Andhra Pradesh. From the moment we got off there, the atmosphere had turned distinctly religious. From Renigunta it is a distinct one hour ride to Tirumala, which is in the hills. The famous Lord Balaji temple is in Tirumala.

Lord Balaji is the world’s richest deity. Every day thousands of pilgrims visit the temple. To ensure a good temple experience, the temple trust issues tickets for the “darshan”. There are ticket counters like this in all the major cities. Some of us bought extra tickets so that we could get extra “laddoos”. They are famous and are now patented :). After a slightly painful wait in the heat, we got ourselves cabs to take us to our destination.

The town of Tirumala is located on a hill just beyond Tirupati. Given the security threats and the general holiness of the place, cigarettes, alcohol and any other intoxicating substances and needless to say explosives are banned in the temple town. There are manned and computerized checks at the entrance of the town. Every incoming vehicle is checked. All baggage must go through an x-ray check and people are frisked! But a little ingenuity on the gang’s part and we had managed to smuggle in enough cancer sticks to last us the three days we were supposed to be there. Boys after all will be boys :).

Enroute to Tirumala

The ride up to Tirumala is picturesque. It is evident at every step that the temple trust is the richest in the world. The roads are spic and span. There is a wildlife park along the way and it’s beautifully green everywhere. The entrance is pretty and the town impeccably planned. I was told that the city is truly green and is powered by the windmills on the hills. Along the roads are neat little houses and every here and there are small hotels. These are places of residence allotted to the visiting pilgrims.

We reached there in the afternoon and it was HOT! Very hot and crowded. Once we figured out where we were supposed to be put up (it’s a slightly complex process… lets save that for another time and place maybe). The rooms cost a 100 bucks a day (dirt cheap) but I had no idea what they were like. Given the distinctly adventure mood I was in, I didn’t jump out of my skin in apprehension. But surprise surprise! Like everything else happening on this trip, the rooms were not bad at all. They were spacious and clean. There were camp beds and sufficiently soft mattresses, a clean bath and running water. What else does a wanderer need?

The travel and the fact that we’d eaten hardly anything from morning made us ravenous. I could personally eat a cow. But you don’t get any non-vegetarian food. Imagine that! A totally vegetarian town :) (Strangely I know quite a few people who cannot live without meat and very strangely the most perfect member of that species was with me in Tirupati). So after we’d changed, we found our way out of the curiously complicated building ( with one too many staircases) and went to a small eat out right in front. We ordered a lot of things, most of which I don’t remember. What I remember is- the food was funny. Yes, funny is the word I used. Have you ever tried channa masala cooked the Chinese way garnished with curry leaves? Well, I see you’re getting the picture!

The legend of Lord Balaji goes something like this:

Lord Balaji saw the beautiful Padmavati daughter of Akash raja in garden and fell in love with her. The match was accepted by both parties but Lord Balaji needed funds for a lavish wedding. So he borrowed money from Kubera, God of wealth. He promised to return this money in the Kali yuga. Devotees flock in millions each year and everything donated there is apparently to pay off the loan.

ISKCON temple, Tirupati

By popular custom, you can only enter the house of the Lord once you have taken blessings from both his wives. So we took off to see the Padmavati temple in Tirupati. The temple was comparatively not so crowded. But the architecture and the interiors are lovely. The same evening we went to the ISKCON temple in Tirupati. Like all other ISKCON temples, this too was absolutely gorgeous. I have been to the one in delhi and I like the Hare Rama Hare Krishna feel. It takes me back to my favorite decade- the 60s.

Our darshan was scheduled at 9pm, the very night. By the IST (Indian stretchable time) standards, we went in at 11pm. If you have no watch, you would not know the time of the day. The temple premises have a continuous hustle bustle. The world ‘crowd’ assumes a new meaning when you are there; and they come in all shapes, sizes, types. There are young and old, Lord Ayyappa followers in black, newly-weds in their wedding finery, young couples with newly born kids, college kids, working professionals – oh you can find the widest assortment of people here. It’s a truly unique experience.

Outside the tonsure center

Another unique aspect about Tirupati, I really don’t know the right way to put it; ever hears of a city of gold. Well that’s Tirumala for you. It’s rich, super rich. The yellow lights and the yellow gold, everywhere; shimmer and shine. It’s a treat for the eye. Strange isn’t it. In a country like ours, where the number of people living below poverty line do not seem to reduce, has the city of gold.

A view of the temple

Our darshan was pretty smooth and actually beautiful. Amid all the chaos, you can feel inner peace. We left Tirupati the next day by the evening train. Somehow, it felt too short a time to explore its various facets. And yet, I was amazed at how strangely miraculous it was that I had the good fortune of coming to one of the holiest of places totally unplanned and unintended. Grace…simply grace…

Ganpatipule- a trip to inner peace

My legs are still worn and my face badly burnt from the afternoon heat, and yet within me there is a feeling of serenity and a deep longing for the non-existent rewind button in life. Yes I am back to the cubicle walls, the unfriendly environs of work and the humdrum of routine life. And I have vacation hangover. I spent the last few days in Ganpatipule. Another blog online calls it “Tahiti of the east”. I haven’t been to Tahiti, but I have been to Ganpatipule-twice; and each time come back longing for more. At this time, last Thursday I was jotting down what we’d need for our much anticipated trip and today, here I am trying to revisit a beautiful extended weekend 330 kms away.

Ganpatipule is a small beach town, about an hour drive away from the port city of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. It is famous for the Ganpati temple with the ‘swayambhu’(self-generated) Ganpati and for its 2km long unspoilt beach. The silver sands and the raging sea, the green trees and the peaceful backwaters – the perfect recipe for a weekend away from work.

The violent arabian sea

Travelling to Ganpatipule was a breeze. There’s a sleeper bus that leaves Swargate, Pune at about 10.30 pm. The bus reaches Ratnagiri at about 7 in the morning. From Ratnagiri , a smaller bus or in our case a Maruti van takes you to Ganpatipule. But the hitch is that, this bus is the only luxury bus to Ganpatipule. If you happen to miss this, all you can get is a state transport bus from Swargate to Ganpatipule which I would sincerely not advise. The best way to get there is by driving there yourself even though it is a mighty long drive J. You save about two hours.

We reached Ratnagiri at 7 in the morning. There was a second bus, arriving from Bombay, which would take us to our destination. The Bombay bus brought with it just one more passenger. Hence, we were packed off to Ganpatipule in a cramped Maruti van.

The route to our destination was picturesque to say the least. The hills were surprisingly green at this time of the year, when rest of Maharashtra is dry and devoid of life. The roads were lined with mango and cashew trees(Ratnagiri produces some of the finest mangoes in the country) and the weather extremely pleasant.

The cab dropped us off outside the MTDC resort. We had booked Konkani huts on the internet. At the reception we were told that the Konkani huts had a separate reception area and were half a kilometer away! But thanks to the sheer excitement, we almost hopped, skipped and jumped along pristine backwaters and mango trees and reached the “other” reception area in barely 10 minutes.

A view of the Konkani huts on the beach

There are around 30 odd cottages in the MTDC resort, Ganpatipule. There are Konkani huts( where we set up camp) and sea view cottages. They come in AC and non-AC variants. In my experience, you really do not need an AC room. Yet if you’re too snooty to bear with the Indian summer and would prefer the artificial chill to the sea breeze, better book early – there are very few AC rooms. The cottages are nice, clean and self-contained. Apart from the frequent power cuts there aren’t any other inconveniences. The cottages are located on the beach and from our cottage, we had a nice view of the sea from between the trees. As is customary with us now, we dumped our bags and rushed out for our first glimpse of the sea.

The first glimpse of the sea is always breathtaking. We took a short walk on the beach in the early morning sunshine and went up to the beach restaurant for some much needed breakfast. After feasting on some sumptuous omelletes and ‘poha’ we headed back for some siesta.

The beach cafe

Post slumber we walked to the sea to watch the sunset and splash about a bit. Everywhere on the beach in Ganpatipule, you can find signboards which warn you against swimming in the sea and we found out why!

The sea is violent. Period. Even the smallest wave can knock you off balance, such is the force. And most of the waves are decently gigantic, even near the shore. Besides, the sea bed is uneven and dips quite suddenly. So unless you are contemplating suicide, it is seriously not a good idea to play in the sea. The waves however are stronger towards the fringe areas.( I got knocked down by a large wave :P)

One reason I love visiting beaches on the west coast is because of the traditional Konkani sea food. Surmai( a type of mackerel) masala with roti and rice (luncheon) was absolutely delicious though a tad overpriced. Strangely however, the other branch of the same restaurant, near the main reception, was absolute value for money. The prawns were delicious and fresh from the sea and the bangda curry(which we could not eat) was suitably delicious and ample in quantity. Chilled beer and seafood, while the sea unleashes raw fury on the shores is definitely my idea of a perfect holiday.

Walking on the beach in the moonlight is truly a pleasure, but it is definitely not for the faint-hearted. The beach is absolutely empty after sunset. However, if you do dare to venture out, a treat awaits. Tiny yellow lights dot the horizon and the sea looks magical in the moonlight. Every now and then a crab scuttles by and it’s hilarious to watch dogs trying to make a meal of it. There are guards on the beach after 9pm to keep nuisance makers away which is definitely a nice initiative. Yet the beach is generally deserted in the late evenings.

We took a hike to the temple the next morning. The ‘darshan’ was very smooth. The spiritually inclined may return to the temple after the darshan is over and sit and pray in the temple premises. It definitely gives you inner peace. Once you walk out of the temple doors you are completely floored by the view of the sea. All in all it is a lovely temple experience.

The beach

We treated ourselves to coconut water in the searing heat and went into the village to enquire about our journey back.

Coconaka

Alas, all the buses left only after 8.30 at night. The only bus in the morning was a state transport “lal dabba” and it left at a quarter to seven in the morning. Cut short the stay and leave on the same night vs travelling in the summer heat in total discomfort the next day - what a dilemma. But true wanderers never shy away from some extra time, even though it may mean a lot of discomfort J. Tomorrow it would be.

Oysters on a rock

The sea has a lot of treasures. We had found a lot of them in Goa and strangely, Ganpatipule had a lot more on offer. Apart from the various types of crabs sizes ranging from teeny to gigantic, there were beautiful sea snails, fish and oysters. We even found a pretty breed of sea anemone in a crevice in one of the rocks. The evening brought with it beautiful seagulls in hundreds which were an absolute delight to watch. There were many other bird species along the backwaters and the shores. Sadly, we could not identify any of them. The shallow backwaters during the low tide reveal beautiful animal life. We found hermit crabs in dozens and some other sea creatures. The next time I go the beach I would probably buy a handbook of animal species for ready reference J.

A beautiful flight

Seagulls at dusk

We left the next morning. The trip back was picturesque for the first half and burning hot the second. But all the way back, our eyes were filled with dreams of the golden hues from the land of king Midas as the sun disappeared above the sparkling golden sea; and our hearts filled with longing to live there in the arms of the raging sea, forever…

Unroute to faith

Just got back from a trip.. Not the relaxy, beachy kinds; more like the functional religious ones a lot of us Indians so frequently undertake.

But sometimes, even religious trips do more than justifying your conscience( Yes we are all sinners to the core :)). With an open mind and a strong desire to break the monotony of work life, you can pretty much find green pastures in the most barren lands.

Just a few words to that...

The subtle summer morning chill

The orange gleam from within the trees

A strange calm in utter chaos

Reflecting inner peace

Flowers and incense

An intermingling of fragrance

Thought dissociates

The mind deviates

Evil undone

Fear overcome

A blazing sun that burns the skin

A warm breeze through my hair

Faith draws, from the corners of the earth

Silent wishes in the air

Dry lands as we go by,

A parched earth lets out a solemn cry

Hope runs strong

And faith abounds

For greener tomorrows

An end to sorrows..

Insanity check

The elusive wanderer is getting restless. Goan dream part II is still “Work in progress” and she hasn’t left town in half a century ( read a month and a half). Saint Valentine’s day is right around the corner and EW(as I fondly call the elusive wanderer) is dying to be with her beloved nature.

What a truly sad time to be loaded with work. Should she take off by herself? Convince a long lost friend to accompany her? Or maybe simply take an imaginary trip. Nah!!

I guess insanity is slowly taking over. Here I am, writing on a travel blog because I am not travelling(boo hoo!) enough. Where are those beautiful waters, the scalding sands, the beautiful hills? Why aren’t they calling to me? Or perhaps they are and I am simply not responding ‘coz I am lost in the closed confines of my cubicle. So here’s some nonsense poetry( I know it’s quite a torture) to entice the Gods to lead me out into nature again.

An ode to a wild wandering from inside the cubicle

There’s a chill in the air, but no sign of a breeze,

The air-conditioning is causing my brain to freeze,

Stale air abounds in my claustrophobic cube,

And strong smell of glue from a flattened tube

All the green I see, is the cover of my book

Nothing so pretty to deserve another look

The computer screen is my only friend

Sleeping on the desk, the latest trend

The cubicle wall is the farthest I see

Is this really how life’s gotta be

How I long for the sights of the vast blue ocean

The feel of rain or some such sensation

To get lost in the green of impossibly tall trees

Smell the wet mud as I crawl on my knees

Smile at every squirrel that crosses my path

Have a natural, exfoliating bath

Sleep under a million twinkly stars

Shop in tiny, quaint bazaars

Race with the wind till I can run no more

And come home happier than ever before!

The Goan Dream - I

Big bags, check, sunscreen, check, bus tickets, check. Ready to go Goa? Are you kidding me???

Goa is one place every wanderer worth his salt would want to go to. What was surprising was, inspite of a billion plans, a hundred opportunities and countless invites, I had never been to Goa. So when suddenly this December brought forth an opportunity to visit this tropical paradise, I leapt into it unthinkingly and the experience was nothing short of a 5 day long motion picture festival which I will describe in multiple posts.

Let me introduce the star cast: Our darling J( Jayashree for the world, Jaya for the regular friends), celebrity in her own right. Entertainer to the core. Fun is her middle name. (wheeee!!!)Up next is Kumar. Celebrity name, celebrity attitude – minus the tantrums, workaholic but mega wanderer(Clap clap). Then we have Nish( Nishant ). Super-wanderer , super-resourceful and super crazy to the core and loves pretending to be a monkey(whistle!) and then there’s me, yours truly. Sniffing her way into adventure and fighting her way into nature. And, the set: The beautiful tropical paradise, Goa.

Of the four of us, only Kumar had previously been to Goa( I know, it’s shameful). So for the four of us to go there, with just bus tickets and a Map in hand( No hotel bookings, No set plan, No known people) was quite thrilling. After just a regular working Friday, we took off in a strange bus with beds. We were going to Goa.

I had never traveled by a sleeper bus before. The moment I got on the bus though, I had a fleeting vision of a bright purple bus with beds, a la Harry Potter. Though these beds had no brass bed posts and there wasn’t a crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling, it was still a bus with beds. We had a blast in the bus. We played cards till the lights went out and got down in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, after a furious fight with the driver( nature’s call, grrr)

Act 1 Scene 1: Agonda

After a brief slumber, I woke up to the sound of “ Mapusa to Calangute/Mapusa to Baga”. It was the crack of dawn. I saw nice, clean roads outside the window. From my extensive googling I knew that we were now in North Goa. Goa is primarily divided into North and South Goa. The entire coastline is full of beaches. The beaches in North Goa are more commercial and draw large crowds from across the world. The Southern Goa beaches are more peaceful. The words “pristine” and “peaceful” drew us to the South. We passed the beautiful town of Panjim and reached Madgaon (Margao) just before nine in the morning.

From all our research on the internet, we had decided to make Agonda( a tiny village 37 Km south of Margao) our destination. Cash reserves are always limited, so we decided to take a bus instead of a fancy cab. It was just 37 km. It would take an hour to the most!

What we had not anticipated was that, India has a population of over a billion and we have the best packaging industry in the world J. What took off as an empty bus, was soon bursting from all sides with people. Thankfully we had a place to sit. So our tiny bus(with a very loud conductor) chugged along on the pretty, scenic roads sometimes picking up school children and sometimes tribals from remote villages. It took us over two hours to get to Canacona. After the bus fiasco, we hired a cab to take us to Agonda.

Our Wagon-R took us towards Agonda slowly but surely. Along the way, we saw a number of restaurants painted pink proclaiming a brand called Zinzi, some other overfull buses and a large number of Caucasian tourists, pink in the sun, driving by on Honda Dios and Bullets. The wind through our hair and the smell of the sea told us we were on the right track. It took us about 20 minutes to reach Agonda.

Agonda is a small village, close to the famous Palolem beach in South Goa. The bumpy approach road barely gave us an idea of the treasure trove waiting for us. We passed quaint little roadside shops selling colorful clothes and jewellery, tiny eat outs serving food from around the world and coco huts for rent. After a little searching we found a small “resort” which suited our requirement and more importantly our pockets.

Agonda beach

When I get to a beach, the desire to catch a glimpse of it transcends everything else that needs to be done. So, while the rest were still lugging in their bags I walked out of our beachside resort to catch a view. And it was a million dollar view. Before me was a vast, white sand beach, virtually empty and a stretch of azure blue sea. The Arabian sea is always a gloomy shade of grey and at times a mild silver. So the sudden blue encounter left me speechless and stunned.

After some hurrying, scurrying, form filling( Goan authorities mandate every hotel owner to collect proof of identification of all the lodgers) we ran to the inviting blue sea with our Frisbee and football. The water was crystal clear and shallow, and the ocean was relatively calm. Perfectly swimworthy. There were few tourists on the beach and we the only non-local Indians.

After splashing about like crazy in the water, playing Frisbee we went back to our rooms to have a much needed fresh water bath and more importantly fill our vacant stomachs. Since we were in Goa, we decided to have Goan food – fried fish and goan fish curry rice. The food was scrumptious and we supplemented that with Budweiser.

Goan fish curry rice

We spend the rest of the afternoon playing cards. Some UNO and some Flash. Post lunch stupor and the combined fatigue of a mostly sleepless night in a sleeper bus, made the soft beds in the cool room seem like heaven. Through the open door we could see the sea and sky change color from blue to grey to yellow-orange. Close to sunset, we decided to take a walk to the beach.

Our loveable hermit crabby

Football on the beach is awesome. As the sun sunk lower and lower we kicked around a muddy ball and screamed at each other hoarse. The receding tide had given birth to shallow pools by the sea. Little children played around on the shore building sand castles. In reducing light of the sun, Nish found a curious creature in one of the pools. It was an orange turret shell and once you lift it up, an inquisitive crab peeps out of the shell. Lightening struck my brain like in cartoons, and a name popped out – Hermit Crab. After spending eons trying to photograph the crab, we looked up just in time to catch the sunset. The orange orb slowly drowning in a glowing mass of water was breathtaking.

Kumar, our workaholic celeb had managed to get his slippers torn on the beach. So we needed to buy slippers. So off we went to the tiny marketplace of Agonda. It wasn’t so much of a market place; just some small shops selling a variety of things. We watched the occasional foreigner struggling to bargain with a shop owner and still ending up paying a lot more than the thing was worth, passed self proclaimed peace resorts and saw an over enthusiastic bunch of youngsters, drunk as hell , try to get into an auto. Though we didn’t quite manage to find a pair of slippers, we did go into a friendly restaurant called “My place” and ordered ourselves a sheesha and some cocktails.

Some fruity drinks

Dinner brought with it Calamari. We thought Calamari was just another variety of fish. So when we were served tiny ringlets fried to perfection we were quite curious about what it was. Googling on the only operational cell phone, we found out that it was actually Squid J. It tasted awesome though.

Halfway through dinner there was a power cut. Thanks to a fabulous experience when I was 14 I ran out into the open – I had to look at the sky. What I saw was better than I had expected. You can rarely see so many stars in the sky. It’s like being in a planetarium, only its real. I have no words to describe it. You have to see it to experience it..

After dinner, we picked up a sheet and went out to the beach and the waves put up a fantastic light and sound show for us. Imagine pitch dark, sound of a steady sea and suddenly, many small waves appear, ghostly glowing white with a loud rumble. And then, all the tiny waves join together in one joyous union. Marvellous. Frightening but marvelous. We lay by the sea under the stars till we could no longer keep our eyes open and then went back to our rooms for some much deserved sleep.

Act 1 Scene 2: Cabo de Rama fort

Next morning, our helpful hotel owner helped us hire two Honda Dios which we would go on and ride for the whole day. After a wholesome breakfast, we headed towards the Cabo de Rama fort, armed with a map and some directions from a few locals.

The route to Cabo de Rama was picture perfect. Winding, canopied roads through the hills with an occasional glimpse of the sea was a pleasure to drive on. We drove for about 30 minutes and reached the crumbling fort.

Cabo de Rama fort is so called ‘coz popular legend states that Ram lived in the whereabouts when he was in exile . After that there were provincial rulers and the Portuguese( the fort predates the Portuguese rule in Goa) and what is left of it are crumbling ruins. Inside the fort, we climbed a stone staircase to reach an opening which provides a panoramic view of the sea. It was a revelation of sorts.

Cabo de Rama fort

The endless sea, boats, a small island, a secluded beach, rocks, clear water; what was striking though was the meeting of the sky and the sea. I have never seen such an effortless blending of two elements. It was hard to understand if the sky was bluer or if the sea was!

The fishing camp at Cabo de Rama

Right below the crumbling boundary wall, a narrow mud path led down to the edge of the water. We trekked our way down and found ourselves in a small fishing camp. The fisherman had probably gone for lunch while their empty boats and nets waited. After fooling around on the boats and in the water, we sat down by the water slowly absorbing the magnificence of nature.

Act 1 Scene 3: Palolem Beach

From the fort we drove to Palolem, the most popular beach in south Goa. We had heard a lot about Palolem from some friends but we were a tad disappointed. On entering Palolem, we were greeted with large crowds. Scores of men, women and children on the beach. Water sports, beach beds, shacks and shops; all that and people. After the solitude and serenity of Agonda and Cabo de Rama, this almost seemed like blasphemy. But given the fact that we are true wanderers( and that we were truly hungry) we stayed on.

Palolem beach

We feasted on some really spicy, heavy food in the beachside restaurant and guzzled some of the famous Goan King’s beer. Close to sunset, we decided to take a walk to the slightly less crowded part of the beach. That part of the beach was lurvelyJ. But what was even better was we managed to spot hundreds of hermit crabs rolling back into the sea in their calciferous homes. We also saw a sea anemone on the shore.

Our ride back to Palolem in the dark was uneventful, except for the strange insect that decided to venture into my eye, thus making my eye swell up to twice its size. We went back to the tranquility of Agonda, took a walk on the beach and retired peacefully to bed, as the waves crashed on the shore.

[ As promised this would be a two-part series. So stay tuned for the next Act!]