Sweet and Salty

Mr. Shiva and I went to breakfast and I loved a good Goan breakfast!

We went to his local spot and he had me try the local breakfast with fresh bread and fresh samosas-wow these Goan samosas with red beets inside(next level).  He was worried that I would not like it-aloo with peas/curry-this is my standard daily eating. We went back to get ready and we stopped to get some fruit as we were taking a walk to the lakeside of Arambol. I wanted to make a stop at the Mount Carmel Church which they said just opened, but that was incorrect information.  

For some reason, every single church I see is closed….

I can’t even recall a church I have seen with an open door or service(In Goa that is yet). I spoke with a man who told me to come back after 5pm, but Shiva had no interest in the church…he did not even want to walk up there with me….he was agnostic.   

 

We took a shortcut walking through the alleys of the Goan houses with people hanging their laundry, cooking, and kids playing outside- the local areas showing how they really live and not the touristy hotels/rentals, but the real heart of Goa with these people are just living their regular lives.  

Shiva and I arrived shortly at the beach with the beach on the left and the lake on the right. Shiva was feeling more comfortable, and he asked me to take some photos of him and he went for a swim while I walked around. It really reminded me of Morocco where you go through the bazars that lead to the water..I think that was Chefchauen….the blue and white….or Like Greece…. 

I meet a nice man from Himachal Pradesh who is working in Goa for tourist season. He is so proud of Himachal Pradesh and says so many nice things about it. He wants me to come visit him and his family. He says that the lake is “sweet” and the water is “salty.” It is a good mix kind of like a sweet peanut. The innocence and the accent are really not conveyed in writing, but I have video for some of these posts so please refer to Youtube smile.  (all these people inviting me to meet their family shows me that I am a good person who does not need this “blood related family.” They do not like my life and I think they are materialistic and capitalists- so what.  

We sit and chat and then I take a trek through the jungle, which is beautiful with the sunlight peaking through the trees. Shiva and watch the sunset walking back through the bazaar, catch some good dj and drums, and then walk to watch some more live music-a girl that sounds something like Amy Winehouse-very talented.  

He heads back and I wonder off to the book store to meet the owner Vishal who has been selling books since 1990-I love buying the spiritual books in India.  

I am randomly walking and end up by the church again….yeah it is still closed… 

I had some Dal fry and rice and moved along to meet Ashwin where we went to watch yet another amazing DJ at a Russian bar. The Russian bartender was shaking drinks like an earthquake and the DJ was so hot he was pouring out lava. He was totally interactive with everyone and Ashwin and I again both ordered some Mocktails-leave it to the Russians to make the best mocktail ever- Ginger, honey, turmeric, lemon agave, pineapple.  

Everyone was really relaxed and just enjoying the music on the beach-chill kind of vibes, which I am now feeling in Arambol…There is this energy that is helping me chill out a bit listen to the music, close my eyes, and just zone out… I really need to zone out most of the time because I am very high strung and as my ex boyfriend said, “animated.” I still do not like that word and never will.  

We end up heading back and as we are walking along the dark road we meet a nice Russian couple shining a flashlight and we exchange some conversation. They are sharing with us the Russian culture and we share the Indian over 400 languages and 5,000 dialects.  

They are quiet entertaining and very sweet.  We were laughing bc his wife was drunk after just 3 beers and I said I am drunk after just 1 as I also have no tolerance. The Russian guy says, “Oh well then you guys are sisters.” I said, “exactly.”  

They are sharing with us how much they enjoy the freedom in Goa and what they like so much about Indian people. He is holding her hand tightly and he looks in her eyes with such love and adoration. It was a nice 15 minute walk or so and then   

Ashwin and I stopped at a Nepalese bakery he had mango cheesecake and I had some coconut bar- very delicious.  
No matter how hard we tried, we just kept making stops until finally it was 11:30 and he wanted to meet up with friends and I was ready for bed. He gave me exact directions for the bike taxi as he was going the opposite direction. 

I highlight again that 90 percent of people rent motorbikes in Goa and if you do not have one you take a bike taxi. Buses only go from big city to city example Mapusa to Arjuna or Mapusa to Arambol. Mapusa is the main bus stop to get to other cities…. So it is either bike taxi or hitch a ride…. 

I would like to highlight that I am not a “hitchhiker” by any means, but do I feel safe riding with most Indian men in India who offer a ride or to help give a life-absolutely yes and it has never failed me once… 

As I was standing there waiting for a bike taxi….that was nowhere in sight… A local on a bike saw me standing there and said, “You should not be alone at night.” 

I told my friend to leave and I would be fine and this guy was like, “Um no. I am taking you where you need to go.”  

He was actually the manager at a local bar who is business partner is from Spain. He says he went to Spain last year and said it was amazing. He says that “Goa is safe overall, but there are some crimes that happen against tourist.” Of course I said, “thinking to myself, not me.”  

He was a true Indian gentlemen like the many I meet-he just wanted to make sure I was in the door and safe-that was it and nothing else except a fist pump. GN.  

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