Goa is Absolutely Beautiful

It was not originally in my plan to visit Goa, but I am so glad I did. Amit, my guide for most of India insisted that I take the time away from the Ashram and Delhi and spend a week in Goa. What a great suggestion. So glad I did.

Now, for most people, Goa is a big party capital of the earth. It's known for trance dance parties on the beaches that last all night with every kind of drug and any other concoction you can imagine like Ibisa. Many of the popular beaches here like Anjuna, Callengute, Baga, Aranbole have little shops and restaurants all playing Bob Marley music and displaying the flag of Jamaica - and you know what that means - ganga!

You know that's not really my scene, but since I have been here, I've actually had some decent local wine and local beer. What a treat after a dry month. The tourists here are mostly Russian, Israeli, British and then there are very many Indians here too. Lots of tattoos, piercings and dredlocks all around. And absolute nudity on the beach is permitted in some areas or topless. All this after experiencing the total coverd-up-ness of the women everywhere else in this country.
The Portuguese introduced Catholicism to this part of the country and all of a sudden, the concept of Sin arrived (by the way it's the name of a bar here). So, people play it out to endth degree - churches, crosses and anything goes. No so in the rest of India.

The restaurants are excellent and many are right on the beach. It's a full moon now so I cannot tell you how beautiful it is to dine on the beach here and just check out the ocean, very unspoiled (at least in the part where I am - Morjim.) Yes, I am staying in much quieter area than those I mentioned and of that, I am glad. Most of my life, I never missed a party and now I could care less.

I motorcycled (that's right Marilyn!) around these spots yesterday with a friend, met Amit for lunch and quite, frankly, I was glad to get back to my hotel with it's excellent home cooking and it's peace and quiet.

The great part about yesterday was that my hotel hosts (who I mentioned are Osho Sannayasans) took me to their new house they have just finished building to check it out for a possible workshop site and, yes, my friends, it passes my test. What a fantastic place to hold a retreat here in India! They have a great hall for doing courses, a sound studio and various sleeping arrangements for any taste and pocketbook. Plus, they are right next door to a beautiful yoga retreat where people can go for early morning classes before we get started with our various acitivites.

And then of course, there's the fantastic almost deserted beach for a swim or a stroll before or after the coursework, anytime.

So, it seems fairly certain that I will bring a tour of people back here with me to expereince India and then I will hold something in the way of Bliss/Ecstasy combination here in Goa for maybe ten days. This is definitely the place to be for that.

I will be returning to the States in a few days and all I know is that I will be leaving a big piece of my heart here in India. And in exchange, India will be in my heart forever. I will return as soon as possible and I will return over and over again. As I write this, tears are streamimg down my face. I feel I have found a home in the hearts of these people and in the magnificence of this vast country. I have melted into Mother India just as she has embedded herself in me.

I am permanently altered as a person and I sense it will make a huge difference in anything to come from me in the future especially as a teacher and a writer, etc. I am returning in a whole new paradigm.

Stay tuned, of course, to the next chapter - Argentina. That will be happening in a just a few weeks. I will continue to blog and share about the Tantric dance - Tango.

Love to you all,
Laurie