I clearly haven't been on holiday for a long time. It's taken me about 2 days to get over the home sickness if anyone can believe. I organically missed London and my life balance that I've finally managed to obtain. And here I was in India, in a tropical paradise, not being able to sleep at night...
I've clearly forgotten how it is being away learning to trust a new environment. Everything seemed threathening and the usual London background noise that I've grown so accustomed to suddenly has been replaced with scary bird cries, dogs howling at the moon and helicopters (random, I know!). All these in a wet and mucky night where mosquitoes and strange night creatures rule.
We are in Patnem in South Goa, an area known for being the quieter sister of North Goa. It's also the beginning of the season when shacks are still being built and the beach looks almost deserted. It takes time to adjust to this quiteness, it's almost like a rehab retreat. It took us a couple of days to discover Palolem beach and realize that relative civilisation was in fact only about 10 minutes away.
It's nice though. Probably the best time to come. Prices are still lower and there are very few rowdy people to spoil your mood.
What I really like about this part of the world is that people are not just nice, they're absolutely hillarious. Shopkeepers are pushy and yet so funny that you're happy to buy what they're selling, take their picture and learn their names. The tuk tuk drivers are having a laugh when they see how scared you are that they might run over the cow parked in the middle of the street. The yoga teacher is happy to do some free meditation as it helps him practice too. And the 'resort' people are all running inside the bungalow to catch the frog that scared the pants out of me when I was in the shower. It's the little things that suddenly made me feel like home in Goa. And now I can sleep well and wake up early tomorow morning for my yoga class and who knows what else tomorrow brings...
I've clearly forgotten how it is being away learning to trust a new environment. Everything seemed threathening and the usual London background noise that I've grown so accustomed to suddenly has been replaced with scary bird cries, dogs howling at the moon and helicopters (random, I know!). All these in a wet and mucky night where mosquitoes and strange night creatures rule.
We are in Patnem in South Goa, an area known for being the quieter sister of North Goa. It's also the beginning of the season when shacks are still being built and the beach looks almost deserted. It takes time to adjust to this quiteness, it's almost like a rehab retreat. It took us a couple of days to discover Palolem beach and realize that relative civilisation was in fact only about 10 minutes away.
It's nice though. Probably the best time to come. Prices are still lower and there are very few rowdy people to spoil your mood.
What I really like about this part of the world is that people are not just nice, they're absolutely hillarious. Shopkeepers are pushy and yet so funny that you're happy to buy what they're selling, take their picture and learn their names. The tuk tuk drivers are having a laugh when they see how scared you are that they might run over the cow parked in the middle of the street. The yoga teacher is happy to do some free meditation as it helps him practice too. And the 'resort' people are all running inside the bungalow to catch the frog that scared the pants out of me when I was in the shower. It's the little things that suddenly made me feel like home in Goa. And now I can sleep well and wake up early tomorow morning for my yoga class and who knows what else tomorrow brings...
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