North Goa; Arambol

We woke up on Sunday morning to the shouts of "Mapusa, Mapusa!" Kate and I looked around at our home for the night (the small sleeper bed on the bus) and realized that we had our stuff scattered all over the place, and our stop was just seconds away. So we jumped down off the bunk found our packs and quickly started shoving everything we owned back into our packs. We finished with barely a time to take a deep breath before we were off the bus and getting attacked by people trying to give us taxi rides and auto rickshaw rides. We didn't really know where we were or what we were doing, so we really just needed a minute to regroup, sit down, open the LP and figure out what the hell to do next. Unfortunately we had the mob of drivers following us halfway down the block, so we ended up just ducking into a hotel to get a minute of silence! It's funny here, because most places you can find solace on a street corner or on a bench or in a park; but here, if you are in the open you're free game!

We figured out that we needed to get a bus, and we headed off to the famous beaches of North Goa! Upon arrival we were shocked that we weren't harrassed by any taxi or rickshaw drivers, and we just assumed that everything must be really close. The irony of it all is that the ONE time we would have enjoyed a taxi ride, no one was around to help! We ended up walking about a mile and a half in the blazing sun...then wandering down the beach till we found our new home! We got a sweet little beach bungalow for $7 a night between the two of us!

We were so excited to get to the beach after crazy Mumbai. I don't know exactly how to explain Goa because it is quite different than any other place I've been before. Not the scenery....it's a nice beach, warm water, little waves. But I guess it's more the people that flock to Goa. It seems to be a sort of winter retreat for all the Euro Burners. The people are just totally whacked out. Kate and I were just constantly people watching, and totally amused by all the different outfits and hairstyles/lifestyle choices of the Goan Vacationers. First off, most people that were there seemed to be staying there on a long term basis. Lot's of Russians, Ukranians....people from all over Europe, looking for an escape. Also, most of India is very conservative; you have to have your shoulders and your knees covered at all times. But it Goa, that flies right out the window....it's hard to tell who is wearing less clothes: the guys, or the girls? Literally there are guys on the beach in leopard print G-strings...it's a little much!

I wish I could go into further detail about Arambol, but it would take a long time, so Kate and I jotted down a list of some of the most memorable things that we saw:

-We saw a guy with a mohawk that was short in the front, but then turned into a dread mullet in the back
-A guy walking down the beach with tight bright blue pants that bell bottomed, with a fanny pack, and blonde dreads down to his butt
-Weird Moon Boots....(who travels with moon boots right?)
-Sack Pack Attack Everywhere (for those of you who aren't familiar with this term, yes, they are speedos....thong ones too)
-Sack Pack with a Fanny Pack
-Trans Euro Hippies EVERYWHERE
-2 guys juggling in speedos
-1 guy juggling butt naked....and yes, he kept dropping the balls and bending over...GROSS
-A group of about 30 people standing in a circle with a "leader" in the middle, doing what Kate and I call 'Kelp Dancing'...very weird
-We saw a bald guy sitting on the beach balancing a crystal ball on his head (I think we was David Bowie's crystal ball double guy from the Labyrinth)

Those were some of the best ones that stick out in our minds! (I have some good pics to prove that we really saw these things...so check back soon; my plan is to edit some of the posts and add some pics in the next few days!) Also, it's pretty crazy trying to walk on the road here. Everyone rents motos, and the streets are so small, but everyone thinks they own them, and it'a a constant movement of cars, rickshaws, and bikes. It's crazy because they literally aim for you, and when you hear the horn you have to jump out of the way as they speed past you only inches from your body. It's hard to get used to!

We spent two nights in Arambol, and decided it was time to move on. We were really hoping that we were going to head somewhere with Indian food (All the restaurants in Arambol had huge menus with every kind of cuisine from Israeli to Italian to English, then a small section for Indian food) but unfortunately that didn't seem to be the case.

Anyways I'll write about our next adventure in the following blog! Thanks for Reading!!!