dear rolf,

i'm glad you are finding the beauty of goa. it looks as lovely as I remember it. anjuna/vargator is totally intense, i too headed for the quieter beach towns. Up north, in arrambol, i found my sanctuary, but many love pallolem. Remember that India is home of the spirit, and don't get too distracted by the western party crowd. Go easy on yourself, keep heading south, get to the tea plantations of Northern Kerala, in Munnar. There are lovely rooms outside of the gritty city and beautiful treks. Fort Cochin has ancient jewish temple and lovely bike rides. take the boat down past ammachi's ashram--and maybe even spend a couple of nights there.

the major thing in kovalam is yummy ayurvedic treatments. people from goa go down there to clean out. just outside kovalam, which is close to trivandrum, is chowra, where a dr. sanjeevani does a panchakarma service that rocks this world. find him. across the street and down the lane is a private compound to rent.. also in kovalam, try a week or two of ashtanga yoga training under the gentle eyes of lino miele and gwendoline. it's expensive by india standards, but well worth it. you might become an addict. They teach on the top of the peacock hotel in the mornings. Try to get a room at silent valley, or elsewhere in the back of the little beach village. I stayed in kovalam for a month, studying yoga with them. i also learned quite a bit from dr. sanjeevani. kovalam does not party, and doesn't really have bars. it's a very quiet place. nice.

much love, good luck--and don't forget to read lots of ghandi (there's a great book store in fort cochin)

xx rosalie