What’s Goan on:

I’m staying at Arambol beach in the north of Goa with our buddies from the Darjeeling trek. We’ve been relaxing and spending time on the beach. It doesn’t feel like India, save for the hawkers cruising the beach up and down, selling fruit, sarongs, bracelets, and massages.

The food here is superb, with fresh fish and Portuguese-influenced dishes like carfreal, peri-peri, and xacuti. Yesterday I found a family-run eatery only serving only fish thali, or lunch. I was treated with fiery, tangy fish curry, spicy salad, marinated cauliflower, and a flatfish fillet battered in cornmeal--with Indian pickle on the side. My face was burning from the spice afterwards, but it was by far the best food I’ve had in Goa(/India?). It was a nice change from the overpriced, oversized touristy restaurants that try to cater to the tastes of every nationality.

A coupe days back we went down to Vagator and Arambol beaches to try out the electronica concert offerings. Goa was once famous for its enormous trance parties; since then it’s withered into a sunny tourist place with only a whisper of its former nightlife glory. The all-day trance and electro-house party at one of the bars was populated but the atmosphere was dead, and the music got a little repetitive. We went up to Nine Bar to wait around for 5 hours for Dub FX to show up. He performed dub, hip-hop, and dubstep numbers using only distorted and looped sound effects from his mouth. He was joined onstage by his future wife and Mr. Mahesh, an extremely talented traditional South Indian singer. The show was an incredible fusion of cultures and musical styles.

 Ben, Dub FX

 The Talented Mr. Mahesh

Yesterday we got together, rented scooters, and buzzed down to Candolim beach to check out a shipwreck. The hull turned out to be too far offshore to inspect on our own. The beach was overrun with Russian tourists. It got to the point where restaurant owners and beach masseurs greeted us with ‘Privyet!’ and then launched into heavily accented Russian. We visited Goa’s largest fort, Aguada, before heading back north to home base Arambol.

Fort Aguada

The Skidmarks

Lest I rot in Goa, I’ve purchased all of my bus, plane, and train tickets to get out of here. The plan is to go down to Palolem in South Goa to check out another recommended beach, recreate the scenes from The Bourne Supremacy and rent some Royal Enfields. Then off to Hampi, then Keralan backwaters, then Delhi, then gone. I’m out of here in less than 2 weeks!