PATNEM BEACH

I've been silent for a while. Been very busy working on my tan.

It's funny, but when I planned this trip (yes, OK, some would say "over-planned"), I figured that after the crazy train journey through south India, that I might well be exhausted and possibly even sick, and a week on the beach might be perfect. Well, the whole time I was in south India, I was having such a great time and I was so excited about everything I was seeing and experiencing, that I didn't realize how worn out I was.

So now I'm in south Goa, in a place called Patnem Beach, which is how one pictures paradise. I've done nothing all week but lay on the beach, swim in the Arabian Sea, and eat fresh fish.

South Goa is so different from north Goa, where I spent the first three weeks. I'm glad I started my trip up north, as I had find memories of the place and it was quite comfortable for me there. I also have some friends there that I don't see often, so I enjoyed spending time with them.

This area, though, is so much prettier and cleaner and less developed. The sea feels clean and there are no motor boats or jetskis or cargo ships in the water, so swimming is a pleasure. Even the dogs here are much nicer. They obviously get fed a lot at the restaurant right on the beach, by the nice tourists. We are in a jungle here, but unlike north Goa, everything here is centered right on the beach. Most of us are staying in huts either right on the beach or set back in the lush gardens just a few meters from the beach. It is so nice to hear the crash of the waves at night.

There are also some people here in Patnem, who are quite special to me, though I don't get to see them often, so it has been wonderful to be able to hang out with them. I must say, though, that after two weeks of traveling in my own and filling every hour of the day with just myself, it has been a bit overwhelming to have to be social all of a sudden. There is quite a social scene here, with cocktails at sunset and group dinners, often celebrating someone's arrival or departure or birthday or anything else.

As gorgeous as this place is, you are often reminded that this is still India. This morning, as I was running on the quiet main road, after swerving to avoid two pigs crossing the road, I had to stop, as a large family of cows were blocking the road. I don't feel like messing with the cows here. Not only are they sacred, they have REALLY big horns. Then as I was passing a house, I heard a large dog charging down the dirt lane toward me at extremely high rate I speed. This can't be good, I thought. But this dog, big as he was, seriously wanted to play. I stopped and played with him for a bit (I probably shouldn't make it sound as if u had a choice in the matter). He was a beautiful dog, but would absolutely not let me leave. I had to stay and play until some other poor soul came walking along the road and the dog charged toward him. I took this opportunity to run away and heard the other man screaming as I ran. There are also chickens and chicks everywhere. Also on this morning's run, I saw a chicken perched in the top of a coconut palm tree. Allow me to repeat that. A chicken in a palm tree. Apparently this tree is known locally as the chicken tree. I had heard stories of this tree, but had assume they were apocryphal. So imagine my delight to come across it and see a chicken still up top. It seems that the bush is so chock full of chickens, snakes, and other critters, that some of the chickens look for alternate places to roost. But in case some you don't have a palm tree in your back yard, they are REALLY tall. I have no idea how the chicken gets up there or what happens to the eggs she lays up there.

So in all, this has been the perfect place to chill out before the next phase of my trip begins. Tomorrow, after another grueling day on the beach, I take an all-night train to Bombay for the beginning of the urban part of my Indian adventure.

Before I sign off, while I'm thinking about it, I should say a word about the "over-planned" aspect of my trip. Granted, my level of preparation may not be for everyone, and certainly not for those of my friends who come to India every year. Such planning may even be un-Indian. But for me, it has been perfect. First of all, I enjoy the planning part. But more importantly, having everything planned has allowed me to really live in the moment throughout this trip. This is not something that comes easily to me. I'm always thinking five steps ahead. While preparing breakfast, I'll think about what's for dinner and do I need something from the market... But here, I've found that I've been able to experience every experience as it is happening, rather than worrying about what bus will take me to the next destination or how to make train reservations on an Indian Railways website that doesn't really work... Nope. Not me. I just pull out my iPhone once in a while and it tells me when my next train is, and the address of my hotel. Simple.

नमस्ते