Goa - always the best place to be in

I always feel a sense of relief to get on a plane and go away from Delhi. I don’t dislike my hometown but it only brings me back because I have friends and family here.

To get on a plane to Goa! ……..is a whole other feeling which I have no words to describe. But this time was different. I was going for more than the usual 3-4 days. I stayed on a total of 8 days and had the most unforgettable time. Not to mention the envious friends back home who let me know over and over again how they felt.

Day 1 to Day 4 my travel companion (Anu) and I were so hassled by the constant badgering by men on the road that we were irritated enough not to leave the hotel at all one day. Only when another male friend joined us we were at ease and felt just a little bit safer. I have been to Goa before and never faced this kind of behavior. Then I chatted up some local shopkeepers and they told me that “these guys” were all from Delhi and Mumbai looking for a “good time” in Goa.

The high concentration of police force told me that there was something wrong and they would be at every crossing, nightclub and business place. And since I did not have any sense of time, date or any other world outside of Goa, my dad told me when I spoke to him that they were looking for a local politian and his son who had raped a German tourist. In the last 2 years crime in Goa seem to have shot up and unfortunately it may not be able to retain its footloose and fancy free image for very long.

There is so much baggage that one carries when going out anywhere on a Metro. Where in the world would you be able to go from sitting at a beach side shack and having the most amazing crabs with the sand under your feet, to walking straight into a nightclub straight from there in your bathroom slippers! No makeup required, not fancy clothing, no cellphone, no bag……just cash will do.

I have never been busted by the cops for anything. Yes. I have tried to be a conscious citizen, but on this particular holiday I was busted twice! Once for riding a scooter without a license and the next night for triple riding! I wouldn’t advocate breaking the law to anyone but it was an extremely filmy experience. Though I must admit I was a little stressed while it was going on. And my two new friends from Mumbai, Misha and Raj, dealt with the stressed out little me and the cops like seasoned actors!

Friends in Goa.

I made friends with a Kashmiri shopkeeper on Baga Beach who runs a little clothes shop with his dad. He was an interesting guy who charges his customers Rs1 extra for everything he sells because that’s his lucky number. I don’t know if that’s a gimmick but when I bought things from him I did not have a one rupee coin and it bothered me so much that I went back after 2 days just to say hello and give him a coin.

Hassan is actually an expedition climber who had to give up his studies to help his dad run the business because his older brother died of an incurable illness. He came across as pleasant, knowledgeable and courteous and had tremendous PR because he remembered out names when we went back.

And there were 4 guys from Mumbai

Misha - well spoken, calm, a ladies man and good company. He also hopes to make it big in Bollywood where he is going to assist his dad in a movie.He says he’s a complete romantic but his girlfriends always leave him......:-(.....thats sad. He and I must never get on a two wheeler together. We got busted together both times!!!

Raj - I could write a book on this happy Sikh from Amritsar who entertains all the time and will make it big in Bollywood someday soon. I hope to visit the Golden temple soon and will be staying with his typical large hearted sardar family!

Siddharth - the brat from Amritsar who would compromise nothing to have a good time

Ashish – I did not get to know this guy so well but I’m sure he’ll find his way through life his way.

Thankfully we met them and that’s what made the holiday memorable. We talked, partied till 5am at Mambo’s and Kamaki.