Goa

I just booked my ticket to Delhi. With IndiGo Airlines. Tomorrow from Vasco Da Gamma, which is 100kms and one border away.

After a couple of days in Benaulim Benjamin and myself decided to leave for Palolem. I dropped him off at the local bus station, got my backpack and drove off. I used the duct tape to pin the 'map' of Goa from the Lonely Planet on my tank and a cut off water bottle as a cup holder to the side of the bike.

Fishermen I found after taking the wrong way...


My Pulsar near a deserted cliff where I had a lunch break.


In Palolem is a small town with loads of (Israeli) tourists and many bamboo huts just being built up for the main season in December. I got a nice but expensive room 50ms away from the beach and met Benni again. The place really is crowded and soon I decided the go back to Agonda, a huge but empty beach I saw on the way to Palolem.

Sorry my lens is crap for landscapes. Just imagine the sky was blue.
Palolem beach.






Here a map where I noted all the beaches I've been to.



So I went to Agonda, to a small place which was still being built up but the restaurant was open already. There I met Bob from Mumbai, a blues musician who was in charge of the stage there. He hired a Jazz guitarist from Oxford, England for the season and so the had frequent jam sessions and live music. And whenever a tourist came by who could play or sing or recite poems or whatever they were invited to do so on stage. So there was Gann from the U.S. (klick) and many others coming by and playing. The beach was huge and quite empty. After all my favorite place in Goa.

Agonda:









Goan Lifestyle



Then I got a mail from Nikki, see my post from Bundi for reference, that she and her sister are staying in Arambol. So I got on my bike and drove up.
Not much there. Kinda dirty... but they had a bar showing movies every night. Loads of freaky people and rasta hippies around.
The day I wanted to leave to Om beach (Gokarna) there was a lot of rioting going on in Goa. Since there is a lot of Christians Indians there and they built their little cross shrines everywhere. The Hindu fundamentalists tear them down and the police is like: "Whatever..." So the Christians get mad, throw stones, block roads, injure people and stuff like that. When I told the hotel guy: "I'm leaving in 15mins, please get my bill ready." He replied: "No, you can't go. The street is closed." Of course I did not believe him, took my bike and went to have a look. And indeed the road was blocked by huge stones and 200 Indians shouting and discussing. Now way through. So I had to wait 5 hrs til the road was open again and left. Goa was completely empty. No one was on the streets except the police and every, really every, single shop was closed. I couldn't get a bottle of water anywhere. I ran out of fuel 10mtrs away from a fuel station. Which was closed. So I had to push my bike 1km up a hill. At noon. With my backpack on. And no bottle of water. Until I found a place where I got something.
I spent another night with Bob and went down to Gokarna the next morning. At the border to Karnataka I was stopped by the border police. I did not have a helmet. I did not have a driving license and my bike was only permitted for Goa. I had to pay a 'fine' of 500Rps and could go on. I wonder if I have to pay the same amount to the Goan police when I reenter this afternoon.
Gokarna is a small town with several nice beaches near it.

My bike in Gokarna



Kudli beach, can only be reached by walk. (This time it really was clouded)



Street scene, Gokarna



Old women selling flowers in front of a temple




Goa is a nice place to stay if you want to relax on the beaches. And I think even if the flight is more expensive than Turkey, Spain or France, living here is so cheap that it should be considered a good alternative. Additionally there is not much taxes on all the things. Especially on booze, etc. so a bottle of this delicious 'Old Monk' comes to 140Rps and a beer to 30Rps. For a grilled kingfish with chips and salad you have to pay 150Rps and 12 huge Tiger Prawns grilled in garlic and butter with chips and salad come for 300Rps. Whereas you can get rooms with fan and attached bathroom between 250-600Rps a night.





You should come at least once ;-)