Half way through the first month of 2011, I am pretty happy with my new year thus far. Relaxed, tan and sufficiently stuffed on enough seafood to last a good while, I am back in the village after quite a vacation. It all began on New Year’s Eve in Surat, the diamond capital of the world...
 |
Zach and I sipping on blue-dyed apple juice |
Immediately after classes ended on December 31st, Zach and I boarded a bus to Surat, the city two hours away where we catch trains out of Gujarat. After checking into our favourite hotel, Hotel Dreamland, we headed to the Great Taj Gateway, the nicest hotel in the city and we got the last table of the evening. In Gujarat, as you know, alcohol is prohibited and meat is also a rarity. But on New Year’s Eve, the Taj Hotel prepared a feast of chicken, fish, sushi and countless other dishes. Zach and I ate as if we hadn’t seen food in weeks, only saving room for a few mini bottles. The hotel served bright blue-dyed apple juice, which we spruced up with a little Everclear and vodka. After sipping a few strong drinks, we headed outside to the main event, DJ Dev, India’s “hottest” dj. We danced and brought in the new year with fireworks. We became celebrities and a handful of Gujarati families requested photos with us. Overall, the night turned out to be surprisingly fun and very entertaining.
Bright and early on January 1st, I boarded a train to Mumbai. I learned a valuable lesson. Do not drink the night before a train ride in India. When I reached Mumbai, feeling a little woozy, I raced across town in a rickshaw to catch my flight to Goa, the south-western coast of India, on the Arabian Sea. When I arrived in Goa, my friend Viren picked me up at the airport and we went back to his condo. His two friends, Brussian and Ryan, Viren and I then headed for dinner on the beach. We ate in the sand, just a few meters from the tide. What a way to end the first day of a new year...cold beer and fresh seafood!
 |
Red and white prawns! |
For the next four days, the three boys and I followed a simple schedule of sleeping in, heading to one of Goa’s 50 beaches, relaxing, swimming and drinking cold Kingfisher beers, then ending the day at a nice seafood restaurant, ordering usually 10 different plates to share. I tasted shark, prawns, crab, snapper, lobster, mussels, calamari, and always the local catch of the day. Incredible food.
 |
My wheels |
On the 4th of January, the boys had to leave and return to work in Mumbai, but Viren was nice enough to give me his condo. Since the condo is in the capital of Goa, I needed to find some transportation to get to the beach every day, so I rented myself a moped. For $6 a day, I was able to drive myself around to different beaches. It took me several days to get used to the motorbike, but somehow I survived. And I only had two crashes- far fewer than I expected! The first crash happened as I was driving up a steep dusty hill. I slipped and fell right off the bike. Two men rushed over, helped me up and proceeded to offer me marijuana. The second crash was a little more painful- I drove right into a rosebush. Ouch. Otherwise, I really enjoyed my driving experience. Each day I set out on new adventures, somehow finding my way. However, driving on Indian roads is not for the faint-hearted. There was an endless stream of curse-words flowing under my helmet as I whizzed through the winding roads.
 |
Typical beach shack |
Goa is unlike any other place I’ve been in India. The people are the friendliest I’ve met yet and so laid-back. Everyone can speak English and the Christian state, once ruled by the Portuguese, is sprinkled with ancient churches and Old Portuguese houses. On the beaches of Goa, you can see it all... old wrinkly men in thongs, women walking topless and of course the local Indian men strutting around the beach in their tighty-whiteys. I definitely saw it all. The beaches I visited were always full of bar shacks and restaurants serving the freshest food I’ve ever had. Indians call people who like tasting new food “foodies.” Many restaurants had special items on the menu for foodies, which I always tried and loved. Calamari was a part of each day for me and each place prepared it differently. My most favourite preparation was in a butter garlic sauce. And the Goan desert of choice is called bebinca, which is a 16-layer cake. Outstanding.
 |
Getting a bath from an elephant |
One day, I decided to take a day off from the beach and I went and toured the Shakari Spice Plantation. I walked around this forest learning about the different spices we eat in every meal. I learned to make an organic hangover cure as we all as herbal Viagra. In case you’re interested, I have the recipe! Also, I learned to climb a palm tree with my bare hands and feet! I only made it a few feet high but I think I’ll keep practicing. After a delicious lunch cooked with the spices, I walked further into the forest to give an elephant a bath. In shallow water, I scrubbed an elephant’s back with a coconut shell. Then, I climbed onto the elephant’s back and he filled his trunk with water and gave me a bath! It was one of my favourite days.
 |
Sunset at Palolem |
After a week in Viren’s condo, I decided to give up my moped and the condo and move to the southern coast, two hours away. I went to Palolem, a smaller quieter white sandy beach and I stayed in a small shack 10 meters from the water. Here, I spent each day reading and lounging on the beach, eating lunch with other travellers, running in the sand at sunset, then finishing my day with another fantastic seafood dinner. I read several books, swam in the crystal clear waters and really enjoyed the simplicity. Being on my own was a little strange at first, but I definitely warmed up to it. I always made friends when I wanted to—friends to lie on the beach with or eat with. I met people from all over the world and had some great conversation. I think everyone needs to take a solo vacation at some point.
Goa relaxed me so much that I gave up my other travel plans of heading to the hills to hike. I just couldn’t leave paradise! But, after 14 days in Goa, I finally made the 18-hour journey back to my village via local transportation. Unfortunately, I got food poisoning about an hour into my trip, which made the experience all the more interesting. Now I am recovering at home before I go back to work tomorrow. I can already hear the comments and criticism I'll get for my bronze skin. Sigh. But, I'm in the homestretch. Just 6 weeks remaining!