Sabbehi me piyehi manāpehi

I don’t always miss you.

Lost in dreamless sleep, I long for nothing and no one.

When I’m busy and focused,

I don’t notice that a part of me is elsewhere, miles and miles away.

When I’m aware

Of the sound of silence, my breath, or the birds in the trees

I’m not drifting, lost, a sail without wind on an endless sea.

But otherwise…

When night approaches quietly, and emptiness creeps in like something slithering,

When memories come crashing in like waves, leaving an ebb of regret,

When the rest of the day goes on,

Your face tugs at the sleeve of my mind

Over and over

Reminding me of all I’ve left behind,

And all that I could lose.

Goan nowhere?

I’ve been in Northern Goa for several days now, and am in a quandary of sorts.

Visiting various places for a few days at a time, plus extended travel schedules, has worn this body and mind out a bit.

So visiting the beaches of Goa sounds like the perfect place to relax, right? It’s a town along the coast with old Portuguese architecture, a laid back feel, and miles of beaches. The perfect place to take a break.

Not so much.

While walking along the beach has been soothing, and having nowhere specific to go has been restful, it’s certainly not what I expected. 

Goa has the reputation in India as being a place to party, and now I understand why. As a single older traveler, I am invisible to those who are here to get high, drunk, or engage in other such activities. Which is fine, since I do not. But in my two months of being a solo traveler, I have never felt as alone as I have here in the crowds of vacationers.

And the trance/club/”uncha-uncha” music that is still playing after 11 at night is not exactly restful.

So I find myself still a bit worn out, and losing momentum. I want to head further south, but can’t get excited for any particular place. Yet staying here is not as appealing as I thought it might be.

So for those who haven’t been here, I’ll share some of the more beautiful aspects of the town through pictures. There have been some beautiful places, and I don’t mean to whinge about a lovely vacation spot. But perhaps my followers in India or those that have been here may understand.

I’ll welcome suggestions of somewhere to go to rejuvenate energy for the trip.

Preferably without trance music.

Arambol beach

Returning the boat

It takes a village: pulling in the catch of the day