Goa, India

 
(Gita)

After a few days in Anjuna, Goa, we found another area called Morjim. We rode on the scooter to try to find a more quiet beach and stopped to ask someone where to go. A nice Russian couple told us about Morjim and we followed them to a hotel they recommended, named Targulla, where we would spend the next week. Here we had a little hut made out of palm leaves and bamboo complete with a shower and western toilette! Yay! And they even supplied the toilette paper and towels. Definitely 5 stars for India! This week ended up being our favorite part of the trip as we enjoyed lazy days on the beach and relaxing evenings at different restaurants on the beach. For anyone going to India, I would definitely recommend this quiet little town. Our hotel even came equipped with it's own little puppy named Gita who belonged to the hotel owner. She was very sweet but also liked to bite-- alot!! 

(our little hut)

On Saturday night, we headed to the famous Saturday Night Market in Arpora which I would also recommend. The market is made up of about 1000 vendors selling a variety of hand-made and non hand-made crafts and items such as clothes, jewelry, CD’s, tapestries, etc., along with food stands serving things like Belgian waffles, pizza and Tibetan food. They also had live music with performers such as a belly dancer and a man who did acrobatics while balancing glass balls on his body. The best part, for me, though, was getting to dance to good dance music under the night’s sky.
It’s definitely something I will always remember doing with Lucas.

Dancing queen...

 
(Saturday night Market, Arpora)

Of course, a trip to India wouldn’t be complete without some funny stories… For us this included, during our week in Morjim, my trying to learn to drive a scooter and almost crashing into a shop, discovering a monstrous spider in our bathroom, a small frog that appeared each night in our toilette, and learning yoga, meditation and pranayamic breathing from a very smelly Indian man who we couldn’t understand. Also, a word to the wise for those ever considering traveling to Goa, be aware that you will feel as if you are in Russia since it’s almost entirely Russian tourists there. Also, I was informed that women tourists swimming in the ocean need to be careful because the local Indian men will grope women under the water. Yes, assholes exist everywhere in the world.

 
(Bogmalo beach)

After a week in Morjim, we headed back towards the Goa airport and stayed overnight in a little village called Bogmalo. Unfortunately, we couldn’t swim in the ocean because too many men were on the beach and wouldn’t stop staring at us. As a tourist in India, you can definitely feel like a reluctant rock star. Indian people have no issue with staring constantly and trying to take pictures of you. At times, I felt like an animal in a zoo, but after some time, you get used to this and ignore it. We ended up buying a few things for the apartment from a local female vendor who told us a little bit about her life in India. At one point she began to cry because of the hardships she has faced in her life. She informed us that she was married at the age of 14 and was the sole bread-winner in her family because her husband had no skills. She supported not only her husband and four children, but her husband’s family as well. She didn’t complete school but was sending her children to private school to make sure they got a good education since the public system is bad in India. She also said that she was beaten by her husband and his family for the three daughters she had since they blamed her for not having boys instead, as if she had a choice. She agreed that the women of India have a very difficult and sometimes unfair life, but continued to smile even through her tears. It reminded me to be thankful for the privileges I have as a woman in Western culture, even though we still struggle to have equal rights with men. Going to a country like India, you are definitely reminded of the advantages of being born in a Western society.