Wanderlust Heaven!

My final week in Goa (well, for this year at least) was quite odd. It started off with the wedding party/Chinese New Year party at Bean Me Up and preparations for that. Lisa had asked me to go to Mapusa, a half hour’s drive, to pick up the wedding cake and the flowers. I said yes, but expressed some concern that a motorbike might not be the best way to convey a large wedding cake. I had kind of thought she’d want me to go in her car, but no. Lisa said she thought handling this trip on motorbike was feasible, but if I ran into trouble I could call her and she’d come in her car.

At the appointed hour I drove on my motorbike on Mapusa to get these two items. I went to Golden Oven bakery to get the cake – it was pretty big -single-layered, but still big. And the box was a bit flimsy. I got on my bike and realized this wouldn’t be easy – I had to lay the box across my knees and make sure I didn’t move either leg much, which more or less precluded stopping the bike. Still, I got off to a decent start. Stopped at the flower shop – flowers weren’t ready yet. I was not unhappy to hear that – I figured the cake alone would be enough of a challenge. I set off for Vagator and Bean Me Up, praying that the cake wouldn’t shift that much in the box.

I got outside Mapusa easily enough, but then things got hairy. It was around 1 p.m., when the kids get home from school, and I found myself stuck behind several school buses. That necessitated stopping the bike and resting my foot on the ground, all the while trying to keep the cake balanced. There were the usual hills and speed bumps, which I took veeerrrryyyyyy slowly. And it was a windy day – at one point a gust blew by and opened the box right up, revealing a cake that had banged into the side and top cover of the box, and was looking pretty sad. Torture.

I’m not sure I’ve had a rougher bike ride in my life, not even in the mountains of Vietnam in pouring rainstorms. I finally pulled into BMU and got off the bike, cake in hands. Found Lisa and showed her the cake. I verbally warned her first, then opened the box. She said ‘oh no’ and started to tear up. She said something like ‘this is a once in a lifetime event’ (although this was her second marriage). She didn’t break into full cry but seemed distraught – understandably. I felt like the world’s biggest dick.

I explained what had happened…she admitted the bike idea was a bad one, but thought I could have called her for a ride. I told her I thought I could handle the job, and that she was so busy in the morning that I didn’t want to disturb her. In the end, neither of us covered ourselves with glory…but I felt very guilty. I should have pushed back when she suggested the idea initially…then I should have rang her once I had a sense of the challenge.

There wasn’t much I could do to console her. She had Shorty, one of the kitchen guys who’s good with the desserts, work on ‘fixing’ the cake. I decided to go back to Mapusa to get the flowers…and also to see if there was an off-the-shelf cake I could get which would at least yield some good ornaments for the original cake. Flowers made of frosting, that sort of thing.

Found a chocolate cake in Mapusa with very nice ornaments – bought it. Wasn’t going to repeat my mistake, so got a taxi, put the cake in it, and had him follow me to the flower shop. Got the flowers, put those in the taxi too, and had him follow me back to BMU. There, Lisa had calmed down and was engaged in other matters – I showed her the new cake and flowers, and told her I thought the new cake had some nice toppings for cake #1. She agreed, and I gave the new cake to Shorty.

All’s well that ends well. Shorty did such a nice job that the merged cake looked better than did the original. I still felt like a jerk, and felt I had let Lisa down – I need to regain my old consulting habit of always asking (myself or others) that additional question. One thing’s for sure – I’ll never agree to carry anything fragile on a bike again. In Asia you see people carrying steel rods, live pigs, etc. on bikes…but come to think of it, wedding cakes aren’t something you tend to see.

The party itself went off fine. Mike Maguire, a well-known DJ, ran the show, and there were probably a couple hundred people there. Buffet food, good music, fun people – a good party. Lisa and Richard teased me about the cake – I took it in stride. Better than going to confession, I guess. But actually, the entire day’s events wore me out – I don’t like dealing with administrative matters like these. By 11 p.m. I was beat, and went to my room around then to read and sleep.

Here’s a wedding party shot:

The U.S. Presidential race continues to fascinate. John McCain nearly wrapped up the GOP race – as expected. Mitt Romney dropped out earlier than expected, though…for once, he seemed to make a wise decision. He wasn’t going to prevail this time, not with all of his positional reversals and questionable conservative creds. But by quitting ‘early’ he could claim the high ground – he was getting out to avoid splitting the party – and he set himself up for 2012/beyond. By that time he’ll have further burnished his right-wing credentials and people might forget the old Romney by then. At least I think that’s what he’s hoping…

On the Dem side, Obama roared through the Mid-Atlantic state primaries and swept them. I think he’s now on a 10-state winning streak – and Hillary is suddenly on her back foot. It’s hard to pinpoint the cause of the Obama surge – some of it’s due to Clinton fatigue, some of it to the black vote (although he has transcended his initial demographic base and is now winning with all sorts of groups), some of it to his fresh face/message. He certainly has the mo’ these days, and Hillary is now stuck waiting for March 4, when big states like Texas and Ohio vote. She still has a decent chance – I’d never count the Clintons out till the last vote’s counted. But I suspect she’s lost control of this race and that Obama will eventually get the nomination. I just pray this doesn’t drag out till the August convention – I’d rather see the two final candidates face off much sooner, and give Obama the chance to show the nation that he has more energy and better ideas.

In all, the primary season worked pretty well. This was a good display of democracy in action – the people were heard. I have a couple random observations, though, which are:

1. The timing of the primaries was random and probably quite influential. Imagine if states with a heavy Hispanic voting contingent all voted early – Texas, California, etc. Hillary probably would have carried those states solidly and might have locked up the race early. I wonder if there’s a more orderly way of scheduling these primaries.

2. I hate the idea of ‘superdelegates.’ Why are these people necessary? Democrats can’t even agree on their purpose…Clinton (now) says they should vote for the candidate who is most electable…Obama says they should honor the wishes of the public. Reminds me of the Electoral College, a dumb hangover from the late 18^th century. People, let’s make democratic voting as close to 100% democratic and popular as possible…

Made my last rounds in Goa. Ingo’s Saturday Night Bazaar, the gym, etc. Felt that I had done my thing and there wasn’t much new left to do around here. I had been meaning to check out South Goa for a while – hadn’t been down there since 1992. Decided to spend 4 days there, and got on my bike for the 3-4 hour ride.

My destination was the beach town of Palolem, made semi-famous by being featured in the start of the Matt Damon movie The Bourne Identity (I think that was it – the second movie in that series). Palolem has the perfect half-moon beach, and used to be a very quiet place. It’s now gotten popular, and developed, but promised at the very least a change of scenery.

Rode past Panjim, through the large town of Margao. Seemed a fairly orderly and solid place. Took the coastal road through Colva and Benaulim. Caught a ferry near Betul…55 rupees got me and my bike across. Huge boat, was taking cars over too. Rode further south – the Western Ghat mountain range loomed closer to the shore, and you could see the foothills and distant peaks. It got hilly near Agonda, and my bike started to sputter. Ugh. At one point it died going up a big hill, and I had to turn around and coast down to a small shop at the roadside. The guys there tried to help me start the bike…no go…checked the petrol and oil, all OK…we were about to load the bike on a truck they had there, and head to a service station, when I decided to let the bike ‘rest’ and try again in 10 minutes.

Still had trouble starting it, but eventually it did turn over. I told the guys I’d try the hill again, and if I still had trouble I’d be be back. The bike felt weak and I didn’t push it hard up the hill, just enough to make it. I rode on and crossed my fingers. I figured the bike had either gotten overheated, or somehow the engine was flooded. We Jews aren’t exactly world-class mechanics, though, and I had no clue what was wrong.

The rest of the ride was 1) beautiful, with lots of hills and turns, mountain views, and coastal vistas, and 2) a bit worrying, with the bike continue to have trouble struggling up the hills. I found myself praying the hills would flatten out and I’d be able to coast into Palolem. Somehow the bike help up, and I made it to Palolem. Found a little guesthouse called Om Sai and got a room there. The manager told me he’d take me to a mechanic the next day (it was Sunday now) to look at the bike…which was starting OK now and which seemed better. Still, I don’t believe in machines fixing themselves…there was something weird with the bike, and I wanted it fixed before the ride back to Vagator in a few days.

I was happy I hadn’t gotten stuck in the middle of nowhere. Went out to walk around Palolem, specifically the famous beach, which was as fantastic as always. The town is pretty developed now, but still OK. Was hungry, went to a beachside place and had a chicken kiev, which was OK but one piece of chicken seemed undercooked, thereby affording me the opportunity to worry about getting sick. Went for a swim – when nearly submerged, noticed that I had a mefloquine (anti-malarial) pill in my pocket. Swallowed that and then wallowed in the surf for an hour. It was good to be in Palolem, in a fresh place, and to be without a real concern in mind – beyond the raw chicken and the dodgy motorbike, that is.

The beauty of Palolem, ladies & gents:

Took a nap that afternoon – was very tired from the ride. The fan in my room had only one speed – high – and I quickly got cold. Had to don my long pants and shirt to sleep – can’t remember the last time I had to do that, perhaps in the Himalayas last year. I tried to avoid touching the walls of the room…like many places in India, they do a much better job keeping the floors clean than the walls, which tend to be smudged.

My pattern in Palolem and the other beach towns I visited was pretty much the same – reading, meals/drinks, sleeping, beach, emails, in no particular order. These towns are all centered on the beach and it was a good chance from Vagator and BMU, which is set off the beach a bit and there are stretches of days when I don’t get to the beach. This felt like a holiday within a holiday for me – blissful. Not that I’m complaining about my life, mind you.

First night in Palolem, went to Casa Fiesta for some Mexican food. Nachos and enchiladas – neither great, but good enough. I do crave (good) Mexican food, and rarely find it in Asia. That’s high on my list when I get back to the States in April.

Went for a run along Palolem Beach my second evening. Hadn’t gone running on a beach, sans shoes, in memory. Felt great – nice ocean breeze, the feeling of sand against my feet, tunes cranking on my little iPod Shuffle. The beach is about 1.5 km long, so did 4 lengths and was tired after that. The sun was about down – great sunset, should have brought my camera – and I went back to Om Sai to shower and change.

For some reason decided to shave that night. The bathroom was not designed by a human being, it seemed, as the mirror was nowhere near the sink. Had to move between the mirror and sink constantly. At one point I heard a cry and noticed a gecko against the wall, watching me shave. Nice one.

Exchanged emails with Al and Janine, they were off to Mumbai. Gave them a few tips on that city. I wonder what they’ll think of the place. First, of course, they need to find decent accoms – I gave them a couple ideas, but regular readers will already knom my POV on Mumbai hotels…they are crap value. ‘Nuff said. Not sure when I’ll see Al and Janine again, but I’m quite sure our paths will cross. When you’re traveling as we are, it’s nice to have some people and points of continuity – I met them back in the Philippines in March 2007, so it’s been about a year of us corresponding and meeting in odd places. Fun fun fun.

Went to Patnem Beach the next day. This is the next town over, and also has a great beach.

Much less developed than Palolem, but give it time. Found a decent guesthouse back from the beach – didn’t feel like staying in one of the beachside ‘coco-huts,’ which are often not that clean, very stuffy, and with thin walls. Noisy and not that secure. I prefer a place with solid walls – much better for getting some decent sleep, for keeping your stuff safe, etc. I didn’t have much with me, but dislike worrying about these sorts of things.

Rode off to get some petrol and some cash. The petrol station was a few km away…the ATM was too, in the other direction. Still, got both tasks done and then went for lunch on the beach. Found a cool little place called Home, run by a Euro couple (or maybe they’re Goan-Euro). The menu reads: Home – London, Zurich, Patnem. Random. Noticed the books other diners were reading. Patricia Cornwell, John Grisham, Dan Brown. Give me a break…I can understand escapism, wanting to read books that aren’t too demanding as a way to decompress, but if you have limited time wouldn’t you want to read a book that’s more intellectually demanding/rewarding? I have loads of time and still feel pressed to get through my pile of books.

The book I brought along with me (because I’m much cooler than other people, who read Grisham) was In Spite of the Gods by Edward Luce. It’s about the ‘strange rise of modern India.’ He’s a Financial Times correspondent married to an Indian woman, and has lived in the country for some years. Great book…I now have a much better sense of the ‘why’s’ behind what I constantly observe and hear about in India. The book is realistic about India’s chances – there are many factors which present obstacles, e.g. caste and corruption, but his verdict is that the 21^st century is India’s (and China’s) to lose. Anyone who’s interested in India should pick this up, along with Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. Both are extremely helpful as background to India and its people.

Got a call from my father. He had read my recent blog posting and agreed with my political ravings. I was glad to hear that. My father’s a political independent, much more centrist than I am, and I never quite know which way he’s going to vote. I do know he’s gotten progressively more disgusted with the Bush Administration. Anyway, he told me he’s going for Obama – cool.

I was happy to hear that he’d read my recent entry. I know he reads the slog from time to time, not sure if it’s every week. Anyway, for some reason I want him to read it and approve of it…I suppose it’s the usual bit about a son wanting the respect of his father. And I do respect my father’s opinions, so if he reads and likes my blog then it’s positive reinforcement for me.

He also told me that my step-mother is having some health problems. That was bad news. Sounds like they caught it early, and that the prognosis is good. Hopefully everything will turn out OK. My father sounded a bit tired and concerned…I felt a bit guilty for being thousands of miles from home at a time like this…but what can I really do?

After a day and night at Patnem, rode a bit north to Agonda Beach, the final stop in this 4-day beachtown tour. Agonda is still the most undeveloped and pristine beach, and I think it’s my favorite in South Goa. Found a great guesthouse called Maria Paulo, it’s a family-owned place in a solid building just a few steps from the beach. The beach itself is terrific – must be 2 km long, and all the restaurants and ‘coco-huts’ are a ways off the beach, unlike in Palolem and Patnem. Very few people, a few fishermen, super-chilled. I could have spent much more time in Agonda.

Swam a lot, walked the beach – saw some campervans at the south end. What a great idea – just set up camp down there and stay for as long as you like. Agonda really feels like it’s on another planet, it’s that remote and deserted. I’m sure that 15 years ago it was literally deserted except for the fishermen.

A few shots of this brilliant beach:

At sunset I decided to forgo my nightly run and to instead go to the hilltop Sunset Bar to watch the sun go down. I do this all too rarely, but had heard about the view from this place. Brought my book, sank a couple big Kingfisher beers, and chatted with some Euros while the sun set. The sun went down surprisingly quickly, as it does when you’re fairly close to the equator…I looked up from my book at one point and saw that it was gone…oh well. Here’s what I can show you:

That night, after yet another nap, walked down the beach to Sandy Feet bar/resto for a drink or three. Chatted with a Nepalese guy there – mostly about the royal family massacre of a few years back. Like the Nepalese guys at BMU, he’s sure it was all a conspiracy and that the current king, Gyanendra, was behind it. I’m a lot less sure. Anyway, he was a cool fellow – had a strong Tibetan face, whereas the bartender, who was also Nepalese, had a much more Indian face. Despite being a small country, Nepal is a pretty diverse land.

I realized, sitting there at the bar, that this little trip south had helped refresh me and my feelings about Goa. I had probably gotten into a bit of a rut, and it was important for me to change my routine and settings. Next time I come to Goa I will definitely spend much more time in the south, perhaps in Agonda, which would be a great place to do some writing and just think about life.

Had a pizza that night. Chose the ‘four cheese’ version, which came out a bit sloppy. Looked like they had given me every bit of cheese they had in their fridge – if that’s indeed where it had been. It tasted fine…but the next morning I felt like hell and made some ‘deposits’ into the toilet from both ends of the digestive tract. I don’t think I’d ever gotten sick from a pizza before, but there must have been some dodgy cheese in this one. The real issue was that I had to ride back to Vagator that morning…it was the end of my southern swing and I had to get back to BMU to deal with laundry and a few other matters. I had meant to set off around 9 a.m., but given my toilet adventures I didn’t get going till 10.

The ride back wasn’t as bad as expected. I mostly stuck to the highway, which was relatively smooth and flat. En route there, I had to climb some hills, and the bike felt weak going up…oh well, I give the bike back on Saturday and it will hold out till then. I kept a plastic bag in my pocket, in case of a stomach upheaval, and a roll of toilet paper in my backpack. Thankfully neither was needed.

Got back to BMU in 2.5 hours – much faster than anticipated. Did a bunch of errands…saw Lisa, who gave me a nice Valentine’s Day card and a couple pics from the wedding. I had missed her, Richard, and the BMU staff, who welcomed me back as if I’d been gone for month/years. It was good to be back amongst the gang.

That night there was a V-Day party at BMU. Lisa had hired a 5-woman belly-dancing outfit, the dancers were from various countries and it was great fun. There was a bit of rain early on – not something you tend to see in India in Feb. The air was very hot and there must have been a collision of warm and cold fronts that brought about the rain. Weird science…Lisa was stressing but the rain stopped after a few minutes. The place got packed and lots of familiar faces showed up. I saw Meir from Israel, who made me promise to look him up when I finally get to the Promised Land. I was tired from the ride, and my stomach was still weak, but I held out till midnight, then crashed hard.

A shot of one of the bellydancers, and of Bini blowing off some steam:

It’s now Friday morning…in 24 hours I take off for the Karnataka state beach town of Gokarna (literally, ‘cow’s ear’). Hard to believe my season in Goa is coming to an end…lots of great experiences and memories from this winter. And I learned a few things about myself during this stretch…what motivates me and what I need to stay ‘fresh.’ I plan to keep those learnings in mind as my travels continue.

I will miss the Bean Me Up gang – Lisa and Richard, Bini the head-waiter, Deepak/Tupi and Umesh at the bar, Nimala and Preety at the front desk, Geon the security guard, et al. I’ll miss their singing in the morning, their good cheer, and their carefree ways. They have been super-friendly and they make BMU feel like a sanctuary. It’s time to move on and see other sights, but I am fairly certain that there will be points, probably quite soon, when I’ll realize I miss Goa and BMU and how good I had it here. It’s in my nature, as you can probably tell, to constantly worry about where else I could be and whether my path is optimal…and I can’t change that. But I do need to maintain proper perspective and realize I can be both happy/satisfied and yearning simultaneously, and that doing this isn’t a negative. So it’s farewell to Goa, at least for now – I think I may be back in the near/medium-term, perhaps next season, if not then not long afterward.

On a final note – read about Aussie PM Kevin Rudd’s Parliamentary apology to the Aborigines for the insane and awful policy of taking their children away during much of the 20^th century. This has been a long time in the coming…former PM John Howard refused to apologize to the Aborigines, claiming it would open up a huge flood of compensation claims. Whatever. Those people have been treated like rubbish, and it’s hard to believe any civilized government/nation would take children from their mothers. See the movie Rabbit-Proof Fence, about those times…it will break your heart. I don’t think I’ve seen a more powerful movie. I think Rudd is absolutely doing the right thing, and that other governments (including the US’s) should consider doing something similar. What’s done is done, and history can’t be changed – but we should strive to be civilized people with humane governments, and to take care of everyone. Aborigines in Oz mostly live in squalor and it’s a real disgrace. Kudos to Rudd for being a man and taking steps to finally address this problem. Over and out.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 15th, 2008 at 11:31 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.