My precious Goa trip!

It was the sand, the sun, the waves, the surfs –and there I was in Goa once again – Palolem beach before me! I took a long look at the stretch of the beach before me – the range of shacks along the beach, the other already settled tourists and vacationers enjoying the pleasures of tanning, dining and surfing. Even before i took one step i knew i was gonna have the time of my life...So there I was trudging along with my friends checking out the shacks that would most likely fit our expectations and needs and oh so excited to be out there. As we would later refer to our water escapades ‘to be one with the surfboard’ and ‘to be one with the water’, impatient we were to hit the waters and make use of every bit of the three nights and two and ahalf days we planned to vacation out there (including a birthday celebration of two friends who had been earnestly planning all along to spend their birthday in Goa). And so here begins my long awaited beach vacation I had been looking forward to for so achingly long!!!!

Day 1 March 27, 2008

Shack found what else could we do but hit the waters. There we went trotting with glee along the sand oblivious of the other tourists and vacationers around us towards the big vast expanse of water that seemed to be waiting for us. Now comes the free fall feeling of letting go, letting out, indulging in waves of peace, calm, and at the same time exhilaration and tinges of excitement when u enter the (I would like to call it) beach domain. Sorta transports you into another world that can't be felt anywhere else. There we played so engrossed that I actually forgot to take off some time to watch one of the things one must'nt miss in Goa - the sunset. But I left the waters that evening, grit determined not to miss it the next day . Next moment we found ourselves sitting around a fire (yeah still chilly enuff to manage a small campfire in Goa that time! ;).. more so for the ambience i'd say) waiting to be served a candlelight dinner out on the beach. The live performance set the mood (although the singers were'nt the best u cud ask for-a friend would later say it was like screams from the process of being bitten by an ant - but hey the tabla and guitar strumming was enuff for me) with the stars above and the waves crashing along the shore behind us- there we were spending our first nite in Goa. Later I sat on the beach till 2 a.m with my friend who had just turned 26, each contemplating and I guess each lost in our own thoughts but grateful for every precious moment.

Day 2 March 28, 2008

Yeah got up kinda late but excited for what I consider the best meal of the day – breakfast. Toast, bacon, beans , eggs , coffee and banana pancakes and big smiles on all our faces. Now skipping the siesta moments under the big umbrella with the flowing wine glasses that never seemed to end ;), here comes the best part of my day. The big surprise entry of a new special friend of mine ;). (Even the damper of losing my phone in the water while climbing the rocks wouldn’t be able to shake off the anticipated joy)Boy if I could capture the look and shock on my friends face when she saw the surprise visitor come all the way from Nagaland! I tell you, Goa is the best place for reunions long awaited for. Not forgetting how very romantic it is too ;). And of course we all hit the waters later together - this time with the surf boards. Also, that day I got to walk along the beach and watch the sunset. The dining, wining and downing began way after the sun went down and the stars came out... till the wee hours of the morn ;)

Day 3 March 29, 2009

Woke up early for the boat ride to Butterfly Island. And what else did we see besides butterflies? Dolphins! Along the waters, we were able to catch sight of two dolphins, swimming alongside each other with their shiny and glistening fins out of the water. It was a beautiful sight no doubt with the occasional screams and yelps of joy every time someone spotted a tiny sight of the water creatures ,even as distant as they were. Now the best part of this last day- I learned how to ride the waves! And there was nothing like the exhilarating feeling of being on top of the waves and letting it carry me all the way till the sandy beach. It kinda felt like a roller coaster ride actually. Though it was difficult to catch the perfect timing of jumping along with the wave, me and a friend would jump with every signal given by the surfer boy named Loren (yeah –strange coincidence that its pronounced same as my surname? ;)) as he said ‘Go now’ or ‘jump, jump’! it was a blast man and we cudnt stop ourselves. And the most breathtaking sight was seen in the evening - the sun ready to go down, streaks of red along the skyline,few clouds like cotton, the waves bopping up and down and me and my friend lying flat on our stomachs on the surf boards,looking towards the vast expanse of unending water that lay before us, with no desire to see anything else, but that for the moment - it was bliss! :) I will never forget that moment. Its been captured on camera..but hey there is nothing, nothing like the real thing. ;)

And well I could go on and on giving descriptions about the last day we all spent together. Despite me losing my phone(ouch!), our lost treasure of money(small ouch!) and the periodical hiccups, I’d say- we always come out happier, stronger and ready for more ;) and as usual I had an amazing, fascinating and breathtaking time with my friends thatll never be forgotten. We did it once again! We did Goa! We did Palolem Beach…and I just cant wait for more. :)

* Well this section is called making up for the 'erred unmentioned presence of a special friend' above (as Penny Lane so reminds me...and shucks to my memory.. geez!) that we made out there in Palolem Beach and who made our stay in Kinky Reggae as comfy as possible. His name is Ramu... definitely a beach lover and keeper of the shack, as well as apparent party lover with his constant beckoning of 'Go Party', 'U want to go to Party' calls. He seems to enjoy the simple beach life near the waters and is content with the constant beach tourists he meets everyday. It's always nice to meet people like him , ever-ready to help and be of assistance totally minus the outright cheeky sleazy guys one meets once in a while who constantly set our moods on raging fire. So thanks Ramu :) for nice guys like you and hope the shirt Penny Lane got for u fits. :P .