Death of the High Season

Namaste from Goa! The state known for white sand, clear water and laid back living. After the horrendous train ride that Rudy last posted about, we've found Patnem Beach (near Palolem) to be the perfect spot to recoup before heading to Mumbai, our last stop in India. We found it so relaxing that we have stayed here 8 nights, our longest stay anywhere in India. Restaurants are right on the beach and also provide lounge chairs and umbrellas for free during the day. Around 5pm the waiters remove the loungers and replace them with tables so you can eat under the stars.

There are many other beaches nearby and it is very popular to rent a scooter for the day to visit them. Rudy and I have taken full advantage for the low season price of $5/day. My compliments to the India government because all these back roads are PAVED! This is not something we're used to seeing in Costa Rica. The countryside is really breathtaking. Palm trees towering over fields of wheat and rice. Amazing vistas from white sand beaches. Traffic hazards being of course cows, monkeys, dogs and the fact that most of these roads are really only the width of one lane in the U.S.

Now you may be wondering about the title to this blog. The normal tourist season in India goes from September - March. Come April it just gets too hot (we're talking over 100 degrees) and then the monsoons start in June. Sweating it out in the heat has had its advantages in that there are less people around and most hotels will give you deals (aka we can get an AC room for the price of a non AC room). We've visited 6 beaches since we've been here and all but ours, and the popular Palolem, were completely empty. Lodging here mostly consists of bamboo huts on the beach. While visiting nearby Agonda Beach, we saw the shells of such huts as just cement squares pretty close to each other with a big cement rectangle on top to lay a mattress on and a square in the back for the shower. The bamboo walls and palm tree roofs had been taken down already and will probably be rebuilt after the rainy season for the next high season.

As we begin May, we've noticed fewer and fewer tourist at our beach. Shopkeepers literally packing up all their merchandise and dismantling the plywood walls and tin roofs of their shops. Our favorite restaurant, serving the best salads, pastas and brownie sundaes that we've had in India informed us today when we arrived for lunch that they were closing for the season.

The normal shopkeeper bargaining tactics are now also including how many more days they will have their shop open (so you better buy today!) One shopkeeper mentioned he is from the Northern state of Kashmir and brings down his Tibetan trinkets during the high season. We've found that some other people in the tourist industry here have migrated from other parts of India to take advantage of the tourism business here.

Rudy and I have really enjoyed our time in the southern states of Kerala and Goa. The more relaxed nature of the South is certainly apparent and we have taken full advantage and even fallen pray to the common "I was only going to be here a few days and stayed a week!" syndrome. But it was totally worth it as you will see on our latest upload of pictures to Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.604141179229.2113266.15805500&l=1a2c318720

Our next blog will be from the "Land of Dragons" as we explore China's big cities with our friends Bill and Robin!

Cheers,

Lisa and Rudy