Goa- Anjuna and Panjim

(We were here December 5-12). Goa is famous for its beaches, and we couldn't wait to see them! There are so many to choose from, but we chose the city of Anjuna for our first stop. It is known for its nice beaches and has great opportunties for viewing the alternative scence of hippies and ravers.



Sitting alone on the beach is difficult for more than five minutes, as there are quite a few ladies selling pineapple and other fruit. With a big fruit basket balanced on their heads and a large knife swinging in their hands as they move down the beach, they look a bit scary from a distance as they approach. "Hello! Pineapple? Maybe later?" and they are off down to the next sitting victim. I snuck a picture of a few of them here.







We were also approached by a man claiming to be an ear cleaner. After a cursory glance, he verified that Dean's inner ears were "very dirty!" If Dean ever wanted to be healthy again with such filthy ears, this man would give a free demo and he even had a little book of written recommendations. This technique is billed as a cleansing health experience to help heal the whole body. Hmmmm....



Luckily, Dean passed on the ear business, as we suspected the going rate was around $10 based on the comments book which advised one to negotiate first, while others simply had written "interesting." Dean also had to brush away a back rub demo and a lady who wanted us to "just look" at her shop. "No charge for looking" is a well-known phrase in India.



In other observations, the dogs in Goa seemed fat and well cared for, and the locals also seemed well off from the tourist business. The famous Wednesday market was nearly impossible to negotiate good bargains as most foreigners here are willing to pay anything because they don't know the real rates. But we still got some good finds, so many that we had to mail home another box. Below, a view of all the colorful junk you can buy- bags, purses, hippy blouses, metal work, spices, jewelry...







We had our first meal of fish in a long time, and it was so great! Dean found a nice French restaurant and we even had wine (which was not available in most of the other "dry" states or either billed to you as orange juice to avoid the law).



As for the hippy scene, we did see a few of them, lying naked or topless, much to the amusement of the local teenage boys strolling by for a glimpse of flesh. Others were playing raquetball on the beach, just keeping the ball going between the paddles. And we had fun watching the Western man who was extremely fascinated with his hands as he moved them slowly in front of his face. His girlfriend was crashed out in the sand next to him.



We also saw some ravers leaving a club, some dressed in these ridiculous elf costumes or wacky shirts. The best part was that the parties must end at 10 pm due to the local noise restrictions. I can't imagine even starting a party before 10, but they seemed to manage and moved on to the next hip spot I'm sure.



After Anjuna, we headed south to Panjim (also called Panaji), the capital of the state. We had meant to only stay for a day before heading to another beach further south, but liked the town so much that we stayed for three. It had a cute harbor, colorful buildings, and old Catholic churches. There was even the last bit of their international film festival and we were able to see some of the carnival type events and art shows.







Once again, Dean needed some time for the grad school applications, so I headed out to Candolim beach. Here, a big ore ship (the River Princess from Moscow) had run aground during a monsoon in June, and it created quite a change in the nearby sand. It made some nice tidepools and was good for wading. Apparently the locals have nearly stripped the boat clean and Greenpeace is trying to get someone to move the mess.







I rented a lovely cushioned lounge chair complete with shading umbrella. It was nice to read and sip some fresh lime soda in relative peace. This beach only had a few map sellers and was mostly full of aging European tourists who should have rethought those speedos. Dean joined me on another trip out to Candolim beach and we had a great time body surfing in the waves.



Another day we went to Old Goa to wait in line to see the body of St. Xavier, shown only once every 10 years. Dean discussed this in his post. We couldn't take pictures of his shriveled body, which I am certain must be embalmed even though they claim it is a "miracle of preservation." Below is a picture of a different Goan church.