Road To Mysore

After all the hassle and bussle on where to go for the shala closing, we decided to head for Goa. A few days before we were suppose to leave, we were deciding whether to go to Goa or Kovalam. Kovalam seemed exciting and at one point I actually committed to Russell about going with him. Then Russell said that he may stay longer than a week because his friend Noami was only suppose to stay a week but decided to stay for 3 weeks. I later found out that Lino charges 150 euros a week(about $200 US) which was way more than I was willing to pay anyone for a week. For that amount, I expect to be levitating at the end of the week. It's actually more than the shala here. The 12 hour car ride to Kovalam did not seem like something I felt like doing too. I think at the end of a 12 hour car ride, I maybe strangling Russell. So it was Goa.

Phil, Geraldine and I were all set to go to Goa. Unfortunately the day before leaving, Phil got sick so he ended up staying in Mysore. We left Mysore right after practice last Tuesday and took a car to Bangalore so we could catch the 2PM flight to Goa. Everything went smoothly and we arrived in Goa around 5PM, the same day. Geraldine arranged for us to stay at the Purple Valley Retreat Center since she personally knew Roger and Annie who helped us settle in quite nicely.

Goa is nothing like Mysore. We got our first shock when we arranged transportation the following day to go from the retreat center to the yoga drop in center and back(about 10 minute ride one way). The taxi charged us 250 ruppees for such a short distance. I don't remember ever paying that much for such a short distance here in Mysore. We solved that problem quickly that day by getting a scooter which cost us 200 ruppees a day. To put things in proper perspective, I pay about 50 to 60 ruppees a day to rent a scooter here.

Once we got over the price shock, it was time to go about our business. We first checked out the weekly Anjuna Market, which is every Wednesday. It is a must see market. I was pretty impressed with the size of the market, the amount of people and the variety of merchandise being sold. It was also very chaotic and in your face type of a market. Unlike Mysore, Goa is really hot. Something like Philippines hot. Two hours into the market scene, I was just dying to get out of Anjuna. We checked out Anjuna beach but it wasn't too inviting. We decided to join Mia and Jody(from the retreat) in Asvam Beach.

Asvam is about 30 minutes from Anjuna. The beach there was a lot better. There was less people and the beach almost seemed endless. I'd like to say that the beach was great but I grew up in the Philippines so I'm a little spoiled. I'm used to cyrstal clear blue waters which I'm sure Goa didn't have since it's an open sea. Considering that I've been in Mysore for over 3 months, it was nice to be in the beach. I particularly enjoyed the scooter ride from Anjuna to Asvam because it was so scenic and I had a new scooter which had all the power I needed. Maybe one day, I'll get a real motorcycle.

The following days were pretty much the same with a few variation. Yoga at 7AM at the Purple Valley drop in center. Two hour buffet breakfast at the Purple Valley retreat center. Relax and maybe a quick nap. Head to Asvam beach for the day. Scoot home while the sun was setting. Buffet dinner at the Purple Valley Retreat Center. A little socializing with people from the retreat(one night I joined them for drinks at the German Bakery and another night we had a tango dance party). In bed around 10 or 11 and at it again the following day.

I think I enjoyed scootering around Goa the most. Everything in Goa is far apart and there are a lot of scenic stretches. Driving along the beach was my favorite part. The roads are better and there was less traffic. I miss my powerful brand new scooter too. It was worth the 200 ruppees a day I paid.

Since the Purple Valley Drop-in Center was closed yesterday, we decided to drive to Asvam beach around 7AM and walk on the beach. I enjoy walking on the beach as much as I enjoy swimming in it. We were tempted to jump in the water but didn't bring any clothes. We saw some fishing boats come in and watch them pulled the fish from the nets. They were all small fishes. By 9AM, I was ready for breakfast so we headed back to the retreat center.

We headed to the Goa airport around 1:30PM yesterday, left Goa around 5PM(our flight was delayed), got to Bangalore around 6:30PM and got home around 11:30 last night. I enjoyed Goa but I missed Mysore. I'm glad to be home.