Gokarna happened. That was my first solo trip..and it was a huge achievement for a socially awkward person like myself.
Now I embarked upon my second trip to the land of more beaches and tranquility - GOA. This was the first place that I wanted to go to but couldn't due to a few external hindrances (read: people).
While our Goa plan was set, we were still uncertain as to how we would travel to South Goa, which was roughly 90 kms from Gokarna. Aman, a Zosteller we met towards the end, also joined our plan, but he already had a bike, so it was so sorted for him. For us, there were buses, trains and private cabs that plied between the two places. Since we planned this last minute, trains were going full, and there were local buses from the Gokarna Bus stop that dropped you to Ankola from where you take a bus to Palolem and an auto to wherever you want to go. This plan did seem economical, but we decided to take a taxi from the bus stop that dropped us in front of our hostel (which we booked through hostelworld.com).
We chose convenience over money, and at that point, it was so hot that I was ready to pay double the price for me to reach Goa comfortably! The cab ride was exhilarating for two reasons - 1) I witnessed beautiful roads lined with seashores, especially near Karwar, a small town at the Karnataka Border. The roads were so empty; I did not sleep even a bit.
2) The music played in the cab reminded me of how I was living the best that I could and that I was lucky to have come on this trip. Priyank, Karan, and I were huge fans of retro songs, so the whole ride to Goa, we grooved to Lucky Ali, Sukhwinder Singh, and Daler Mehendi.
This was not my first long road drive with friends, but this one hit differently. I was going to a place I did not know anything about, with people I met just three days ago, and my happiness was at a new level. You might think it was a risky move, and I don't deny it one bit. Yes, it was risky for me even to attempt this, but I trusted my intuitions and knew what I was doing. When you come on a solo trip as a female traveler, one always has to be aware of people's movements around them, and I was too. There were instances where I had doubts whether my Goa plan was the right move, but when I looked at the two friends I made, I knew I was doing the right thing.
Sometimes, you come across people who make it seem easy for you. Those people are the reason you can think of being the most adventurous and the most carefree. You know you can be yourself in front of them. For me, I found my people in just a short span of time, because not even for a bit, did I feel awkward while cracking the lamest of the jokes or narrating creepy stories from back when I was in Law School. The reaction I got from them was exactly what I had hoped for, so I knew I couldn't go wrong with this plan.
After a smooth cab ride, we had to run for cash here and there to pay the driver Rs. 2400, but we had finally made it. {PLEASE CARRY CASH, shops and people don't accept online payments.}
It took us 1.5 hours to reach Palolem, where we stayed at The Lost Hostel. (Fun fact - Goa doesn't have a Zostel, so one has to make peace with other hostels where a few of them DO match Zostels!). When I entered the hostel, I don't exactly know what I was thinking because I was still getting myself to believe that I was in Goa. I glanced through the property and saw a few other travelers chilling by the common area, a few sipping beers served inside the hostel premises. This gave me chills because I still couldn't believe I was in Goa.
We checked in and went to our dorms, which was nothing compared to the place we had come from. I am very fussy about many things, very particular about cleanliness, so the hostel was something that I wasn't hoping for, if I am honest. Although considering the Pandemic situation, the hostel did not give me dirty vibes. I was unhappy that even though we paid for AC dorms, the AC was affixed in another room, which led to ours. SO technically, not an AC room! For the person I was, living there would've been very difficult, but the traveller in me made peace with whatever was available because I couldn't spend time in the room anyway.
We reached Goa post-lunch, so that evening, we met Aman, our friend from Gokarna, and all four of us decided to explore Palolem beach, which was a five-minute walk away from the hostel. The walk was so soothing for the soul; let me tell you why. The roads were empty, open, and beautiful, with old constructions on both sides. Seeing the coconut and mango trees, feeling the cool breeze from the ocean, and looking at colourful houses was the highlight of our walk. Every second house had a small cafe, or a shop inside it that made it so quaint. The four of us walked but didn't talk much because I am guessing all of us were lost, after coming to The Lost
One might think about how all beaches are the same, but if you are beach person, you will know that each beach has a different vibe. I always heard people say that South Goa is for those who like the calmness and the peace, and I could sense why they said so. Even though the beach was full-er than that in Gokarna, I could sense a different vibe from here. A vibe that said, "Breathe, you're in Goa!" As soon as I reached the beach, I forgot that I had come with people; I ran towards the waves. They high-fived me. I could hear them say, "HEYY" in their wave voice (yes I've personified them, because they seemed as lively as us humans!) I didn't care about the water ruining my dress, or sand getting in my hair, I just did not care.
Aman and Priyank went to for Kayaking by the sea and I chose to just soak everything in with my eyes and ears. Mentally, I clicked with Goa, I was so happy and out of every misery I had ever faced. After a while, I was hungry, and so were the others, so we headed to find a nice cafe that could cater to my pizza cravings and Aman's seafood cravings. The other two guys were basically hungry and could eat anything. We tried finding a place on Zomato, but there were so many cafes around the beach, that we couldn't narrow down to a decent place. We finally went to a place called "Baba Italy" which a localite told us about. It was fairly empty, but the place smelt of food and so, we entered.
It was my first dinner in Goa, with just the four of us. We caught up on our lives over food and took a long walk, back to the hostel. It had gotten dark, it was post 10 afterall, but I was not tired even one bit. I had heard about how Goa was unsafe and while I am not denying it, I did not feel that way. Maybe, it had to do with the fact that the three guys I was with, from Gokarna, started addressing me as BOSS and no way, they would let anything happen to their Boss. Haha!
What was our plan for the next day? Nothing major.
We decided to wake up and head for a dip-dip at the beach. The beach was fun in the morning. Karan and Aman went Kayaking while I stayed back and rested in the water. I am petrified of drowning in the sea (who isn't?), so I decided to play with the waves, near the shore. I had forgotten to apply sunscreen, so I was in for very, very bad skin, but I had better things to worry about at that moment.
They were kayaking for almost an hour, so I had an hour of me-time interrupted by a stranger. He walked up to me and asked me to hold his hand and walk further towards the sea, as he assumed I was scared of the water. I declined the offer and told him how I was waiting for my friends to be back. He left; however, I could see him staring at me from a distance. But could I be bothered? As sad as it sounds, it's common to encounter people making random passes at girls, so I didn't care, and I wasn't scared. Even though I was alone, I had the pepper spray that I could always use to get rid of creeps. There were many people on the beach, so I was anyway, a scream away from getting creeps into trouble.
That morning started on a lovely note, where after a two-hour-long beach dip, we headed to a shack called The Nest for our breakfast. It was a random choice but turned out decent since all of us were very hungry. The cherry on the cake was the beach view and an adorable doggo, who was by my side till I left the vicinity.
I wanted to get braids to welcome myself to the hippy mode officially, and it was right in time that I came across an aunty who said she would do my braids. Even though I knew I could get a better deal somewhere outside the beach, I gave in and got myself two cute colorful braids that changed the way I looked (or that's what I felt!).
While Karan and Aman decided to head back to the hostel, Priyank and I decided to explore the market. I was short of clothes since I had not packed a lot, thinking I'd chill inside Zostel in Gokarna, which I was so wrong about. The market behind the shacks was so colorful; there were so many choices to choose from, again, enough for me to get excited. I hopped from one shop to the other, bargained like crazy, and got myself a few souvenirs and some dresses that could sustain me for some days. If you have good bargaining skills, always slash the price they quote into half and get things started. They will come down to a lower price only if you fight back, else, get ready to get your pockets emptied. Also, I had a tough time convincing them to accept Google Pay because I had no cash, so PLEASE carry cash while shopping in local markets in Goa.
The second day here was a very unplanned one. The previous day, we came across a foreign troop roaming around the beach selling passes for a party at a Resort at Agonda. While a few of us wanted to go, my mind replayed Crime Patrol episodes where I remembered people going crazy after having sniffed something, so I backed out. I knew that this party would have loud music and many people (WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PANDEMIC?), so I didn't even think twice before saying a NO.
This day, followed by a few days, was declared as a Dry Day in Palolem due to elections, so think of the crowd that would come to the party, just for the alcohol. I googled "Things to do in South Goa" but didn't know how exactly to follow up, so we all rented scooters from a nearby shop (again in 350 Rupees per day) and simply decided to go to Butterfly beach, that I had heard a lot about. The four of us were accompanied by two more people we met in the hostel, Nikhil and Arth. Yes, the Boss had two more people joining the clan! We all put on Google maps and rode to the empty roads, only to find ourselves in front of a place that said we had to trek to the beach. Now, no one told us that! :/
The sun had already set, so we asked a local person how to get to the butterfly beach. He said it was too dark for us to get there, and since it was a long trek, we could attempt it tomorrow morning. I was relieved that we didn't have to trek because I was not in the trekking mood, so YAY for me. But we got out of our hostel for the butterfly beach, and we didn't go where else to go. A couple of us dodged off the Resort Party idea again and navigated our way to Agonda Beach, which was SO BEAUTIFUL that I am in short of words to describe it.
The sea was a tad downhill from the shore, so the view from here was very different from all the sunsets I had seen in the past couple of days. Again, I walked towards the sea without thinking any further, leaving my friends behind because I wanted to soak everything in. Each place I had visited in the past couple of days took me to a different zone, which was no different this time as well. I could not hear people talking. I couldn't see dogs and humans taking a dip in the sea. All I saw was the sun setting and reminding me of the fact that it would all be okay. I don't know what exactly it meant, but I felt better each day that I witnessed the sunset.
I got back to my senses only to see that my friends were standing behind, taking videos and a couple of photos here and there. I was sure I was clicked too. I went back, told them I was hungry, so we all decided to have some chai by the beach. Yes, we decided to have some hot pakoras and hot chai on a sweltering day because WHY NOT!?
While the six of us sat, I couldn't help but notice how I had changed in just the past couple of days. On my first day in Gokarna, I thought I would be a loner since I had zero trust in my social skills, and here I was, with five people in front of me in another place altogether, happily cracking those lame PJs. I wasn't afraid of being myself even in front of people I met just two hours ago. I could sense the excitement in my voice each time I narrated a story. This was not who I was before my trip. I was reserved, or rather, I pretended to be reserved because I didn't know what it was to be carefree. It took me two locations, meeting close to 15 solo travelers in the past 9 days to realize that I was not a loser of any sort. No one is!
So did any of us go to the Resort Party at Agonda? Yes, three of the guys did and I along with two others decided to just head back to the hostel. I wanted to go there so bad, but my conscience was on an alert mode and replayed Crime Patrol episodes in my head. I couldn't afford any negligence from my end, else this would be my last solo trip! So, I was back in the hostel with two of my friends, one of who I met a few hours back. We decided to chill in the common area with other travelers so that we could interact with others. As much as I wanted to, I don't really know what had happened to me that night. I got homesick suddenly, and I wanted to go back.
I started missing everything, and I remember getting almost teary-eyed because a traveler asked me how Gokarna was. Yes, that's right. I didn't get homesick exactly for home, but Zostel Gokarna. I did not know I would miss it so much, but there I was, ranting to Karan about how bad I wanted to go back to Zostel. There was a brief period of time where I literally had to go back to my dorm room, talk some sense to myself and come back in the common area because I was getting emotional as hell. I was fine after the little pep talk that Karan and I collectively gave to myself. I didn't talk much for some time and just ended up playing a lot of songs for the people who were present there, in the hostel.
So prior to my trip, music acted as a trigger to my anxiety. I was afraid to listen to songs because I hated being anxious. In this trip, I somehow didn't avert from music and heard a lot of it. It was only in the past couple of days that I realized how subtly I overcame my trigger without even thinking about it. From a person who hated listening to songs, there I was, playing songs on Spotify as they came, and to my surprise, people liked what I played. It somehow restored my confidence, a little bit that wandered away some time back.
The night after a little emotional turmoil was smooth as butter. I talked to many people and met a lot of people, two of whom had just flown from Delhi, one guy who was traveling with his dog, a group coming from Chennai, Kerala, solo travelers from Gujarat, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. It was a mini India right there, and it was lovely to know everyone's stories. I talked a lot to two friends, Rimona and Sid. While Rimona and I bonded over a creepy uncle who had suddenly made a presence in the hostel, Sid was tripping on the songs that I was playing.
The vibe in the hostel was really nice at that point, but Karan, Nikhil, and I decided to take a stroll on the beach at 1 AM. It was safe since the police were patrolling the whole area very actively. When we got to the beach, all I could hear was the sound of the waves. No people, no music, no lights even! Just the waves. We found good seats right on the shore, so the three of us just stared at the beach, until we heard some noises and saw a couple doing what they do, in the dark, right on the beach! It was an amusing moment for us because we got to see quite some things there, so we decided to walk away and give them a little privacy in a public place for obvious reasons. LOL!
Karan and I were hoping that our guys from the resort party came back in one piece, all fine, and they did. (On your face, crime patrol episodes!)
We were supposed to head to North Goa from Palolem on Saturday and back to Bangalore on Sunday night. All this, because we had no plans to extend our trip. Saturday morning started late for me since I was catching up on my 8 hours a night sleep schedule. We were to head to North Goa, but we had no idea about how we could get there. There were many local bus options, but it was getting hotter, and I could not exhaust myself. Cabs from South to North Goa were charging nothing less than 3000, so we were in a fix.
Aman had his bike, but we were still clueless. If only there was a way for the four of us to sit on Aman's bike and go! :P We had to reach there by evening, since we had our booking at Bucketlist, Vagator but how were we supposed to get there? We enquired in a couple of places, and got a taxi that agreed to take us to Vagator, provided we got three more people with us, since it was a 6 seater!
How did we really reach North Goa? Full story on the next blog.
PS: This blog has significantly fewer pictures because I forgot to click pictures. Maybe because here, I understood what it was to travel and not to be on a trip. (Yes, they're different things. I deciphered it here in Goa!)
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