Good Morning Goa!

I'm catching my breath and chillin' out in Palolem, Goa after 2 weeks in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar and Varanasi. India's big cities are fun for a change of pace but here I'm breathing again - literally - pollution and smog, smoke or fog painted Delhi in sepia tones. But Goa is green! It's 30c! There are palm trees! I can wear shorts, tank tops and sundresses with bare legs and not get stared at too badly! The freedom ....!!

I'm here for 5 days, staying at Wavelet, a beautiful, quiet little guesthouse about 100 meters from the beach. My first choice - Holy Cow Beach Huts - picked mostly for it's name, but not on the beach at all (!?) was a bust. After spending a sleepless nite wrapped like a taco in my mosquito net - I was outta there! I was in a hut, but I pity the backpackers staying in dorms - designed for 4 beds - but now all cots have been pushed together and they're sleeping 7 to a hut - cozy for sure and a big laugh until someone brings a girl back to the shack for some holiday sex! Ha! Even the 20 somethings were unimpressed - as according to the conversation over breakfast (beer, cigarettes, coffee). It was all a hoot when I was backpacking at 20 too - now I just laughed as I walked out the door to my lovely new digs. The beauty of traveling at 50 ... I can always upgrade!

I love the rhythm of these few days - early morning balcony to balcony chats with Havi from Israel over masala chai, a morning yoga class, breakfast at the local health food bakery (I may have developed a wee chocolate croissant addiction), and beach time- floating, reading, watching the men selling fresh fruit, the women in saris, the fishermen hawking boat rides, and the men in business attire checking out the bikinis, and the wonderful bit that makes it uniquely India - the cows that sun themselves on the beach too! (picture attached). I usually take a late afternoon yoga class before catching the amazing sunsets. The beach is perfect for walking - long, not too sloped and hard packed close to the water so I can get a bit of a walk in before a late dinner on the beach.

I'm actually a lot lazier than I thought i'd be - not zooming around to check out all the sites yet - Patnem and Agonda beaches, a waterfall and the butterfly island...oh well!

The food is better in southern India - I've been eating vegetarian for the last 2 weeks, but in the North, that meant lots of heavy, deep-fried vegs, curries, naan bread, chapatti, rice and pakoras with everything. Sounds great, I know, but too much for me. Here in Goa I'm enjoying more fresh fruit, fresh veg and seafood. And Toblerone.

This little interlude ends on Sunday. I'll be heading south by overnite train to Kochi in asleeper car/women and children's compartment - yay! I'll spend 5 days in the hills of Kerala (another state) at a yoga homestay, then will spend a couple of nites in Kochi and Trivandrum before meeting up with Tom, Colleen and Dave in the Maldives!

Don't pinch me - I'm loving this dream...

Here you go- the Beach Cows in Palolem!