On the Hippy Trail in Goa

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  Goa, India
Sunday, August 31, 2008

That's the funny thing about Goa. I was expecting the hippy drop outs, the Palm fringed beaches, the kaleidescopic sunsets even the timeless colonial architecture. But the strange thing, which almost struck me immediately, was now intimately familiar everything seemed. Odd and all as it sounds (and I hadn't even succumed to the sunstroke yet!) the landscape and even the whole character of the place curiously reminded me of home in the West of Ireland. Now there are not many places parched by thirty degrees of unrelenting heat that could be mistaken for East Clare yet somehow I was transported back accross the Shannon river. (It didn't help that the first person I met, naturally, was a girl from Ennis. Backpacking is the new set dancing it seems!!!!)
I was staying at Anjuna beach, one of the first areas of Goa frequented by European tourists and the orginial hippy hangout. As I strolled from the guest house to the beach I was caught between the thrill of the new and the embrace of the familiar.....the vivid splash of greenery, the tiny patchwork fields bounded by overgrown hedgegrows, the narrow winding country roads, the constant smell of cow shit......yes this place did have a connection to the place of my upbringing!

Church of the Immaculate Conception Panjim

! I was struck again by similar thoughts a few days later on a visit to the state's quaint administrative capital Panjim, which on first impressions looked as if it was transported from South America thanks to the legacy of its Portugese colonial heritage. Goa it seems is everything and nothing at the same time or maybe it just exists in the imagination? Either way it's a unique and spellbinding place!
   After Mumbai, Goa was a welcome change of pace. This is place where time crawls on its belly. Even though it was still Monsoon season, I had timed my visit well. Every day I was greeted by cloudless blue skies and a searing heat the likes of which I'd never experienced before (trust me - bring the high factor sunbock!) I'm still missing 'the boy' and having more time to relax and ponder doesn't help matters but the daily chats and messages means he's always with me. 
   Anjuna beach might not be one of Goa's finest, there's practically no shade, a nasty undertow and an almost constant stream of hawkers to pester you on the beach. These ladies have the subtlely and insistence of crack addled whores and there were many times I longed for a Hindi translation of "Back off bitch, or the cow gets it!" 
   But if your nerves are beginning to fray, Baga beach further down shore offers a welcome respite and boasts an incredible shoreline with a host of facilities. It's a short hop away, especially if you hire a scooter - the most efficent and cheap way to get around Goa. Though watch out for the potholes. And the cows. I can't emphasise that enough!
   The capital Panjim and the old colonial capital, cleverly named Old Goa, are a must do if you visit Goa. The Portugese have left behind a fascinating slice of mediterranean life in this part of India, in particular the many churches which dot the towns and countryside

Colonial Building Panjim

. In Panjim, the whitewashed Church of the Immaculate Conception towers over the town like a silent sentinel and is a fitting ambassador for the charming acrhitecutre that makes this the most un-Indian of urban settings imaginable. Likewise, what little remains of Old Goa (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site) makes you feel as if you've been transported thousands of miles from the sub-continent. The beautiful churches which still stand, such as the Bascilica of Bom Jesus, offer a fascinating glimpse of a city that once was larger and most important than London or Paris. If you are in Goa and decide to visit the towns (and you should) there's no shortage of buses ferrying between them and the various resorts. The two buses I took to get there and back set me back less than 20 cent. The transfer between buses was so efficent it would put Bus Eireann to shame, taking little under a minute. Just remember, on the way back if you need to get the bus driver to stop, just whistle loudly. Its cheap and it seems to work a treat!
   The other great legacy of the Portugese conquest of these parts, of course, is the food. It largely seemed to have involved the colonisers arriving over with bags of chillies and garlic and then riddling everthing with both. The local speciality is Goan Fish Curry, honestly one of the weirdest things I've ever tasted. It tastes like the marriage of two distinct culinary traditions, where the bride and groom had zero love for each other. Safer (though distincltly hotter) is Vindaloo that staple of North English haute cuisine. It's another Goan original and - while it certainly packs a punch - it thankfully bears little relation to its bastard English cousin!
  So that's Goa..... It's India via Portugal with a sharp right turn to Co. Clare.

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Another beautiful building	Immaculate Concpetion Church again	Bascillica Dom Jesus Old Goa	More Old Goa
Baga Beach	The other side of Baga	Local fishermen	Evening time
Goa's Leisurely Ladies	And on the beach	Anjuna Beach	More of Anjuna

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