Fear and Loathing in Goa
When I bought my train ticket to Goa, i realised that i had no idea where to go. a guy i met in Mumbai told me he had a friend in Baga, so i thought i’d spend the night there. it didn’t look too bad on the way in and the hotel was not as bad as some,so i checked in and decided to head for a quiet sit on the beach. this is when i had a slight lightbulb moment that this place wasn’t for me. the sight that greeted me when i walked down the narrow sandy path to the beach can only be described as horrific. line after line of tacky sunbeds covered with fat poms in various shades of white and red. i had walked into hell on earth. think of everything you hate about the gold coast, ibiza, hawaii and anywhere that has a club med and roll it into one giant, fleshy, sunburned, loud obnoxious, heaving mass of package tour filth and you have Baga, Goa.
Needless to say, i barricaded myself in my room and prayed for sleep so i could get the fuck out of there at the crack of dawn. my next stop was a quieter town about 10km up the beach called Vagator. It was nice and peaceful but still a bit too touristy.
after a quick sos to people who i knew had gone togoa, i decided to head to my current stop Arambol. Arambol is one of the most beautiful, serene, friendly places i have seen. the trappings of a tourist economy are still here, but most of the locals are as happy for a bit of chat as they are to sell you stuff you don’t need (nahi chieea - ‘i dont need that’ very useful.). i’m staying in a bamboo hut just off the beach. rows of restaurants (bamboo huts) line the beach with a canopy of green stretching above them. Everything here costs about a third what it did in baga and is twice as good! anyway i’ve got a beach to sit on and do nothing, so i’m off.
PS i’ll try and get some photos up, but the internet cafes here are a little slow.
September 20th, 2007 at 1:25 am
hallo my wee friend, how in the world art tho? update your blogg goddamn you. sendin some love,
courtney.
xox