Palolem is considered to be the most beautiful beach in Goa, and truly it is a wonderful place, but the half-life of beach towns is growing smaller for me, there is only so much relaxation one can have, and even the nicest ways one can spend a day-- awakening near dawn, swimming in the sea, having curds and fruit for breakfast, philosophical conversation, playing guitar to the whole place at around sunset, then superb and cheap healthy food for dinner, and finally maybe a little conversation and retiring to bed under the mosquito net with the ceiling fan humming-- yes, even this idyllic seeming lifestyle can fade into routine, it's very edge dulled by the sheer repetition of it all each day. There is only so much "full power" one can take. .

There is an intrinsic lonliness among long-term travelers, they seek each other out for conversation, and sometimes, if there is a spark, a bit of physical comfort, but ties and bonds are made however strongly, and quickly broken as scheduling and itineraries come to the fore . People come and go, some stay in contact by e-mail from time to time, and though it comforting to commune with kindred souls, there is not much continuity at the end of the day as people move on to other sights, other places. . .

A bit of a metaphor for life itself, I suppose, people travel in and out of our lives, sometimes we catch back up with them in some other place, whether a physical locale or a mental/spiritual one.

All is well here, though there is much yet to see for me, and my travelling bone is starting to itch a bit. Rocinante needs a chain tightening and perhaps an air filter, but otherwise seems to be running fine. Yesterday I took a young Norwegian lass on a quick run about the general neighborhood, and the reaction is all the same for those I give a ride to, the exhilaration, the whoops and hollers, and the invitations to come up to the girl's next destination (inevitably some place far in the north) and go for a longer rideabout .
Though tempting, these offers, I think I am pretty much a bit of a lone wolf, and in that respect, I like the freedom of the open road, the wind in my hair, the feeling of going only where the road leads, and not really caring where. This is a freedom that I believe all should experience--to know that although there is a home for one somewhere half a world away, all of that can be thrown completely to the four winds to do with as they please. I believe there is a muslim expression for this, "En shah allah" or some such, meaning, what god wills. .

More on the details of palolem later, it is getting time for a late afternoon snack. There is much to report, how I became a Goan fisherman, I have a possible role in a Bollywood movie, How I became the arm-wrestling champion of Palolem, how in the evenings I play my guitar and people sit and listen on the beach, so many sunsets, so many stars. I think the family who runs the rainbow cafe wants to adopt me.

But for now I am just doing a little reflection, a bit of contemplation, and waxing once again toward the spiritual/philosophical.

For Peach, Dad's beloved companion, who has just passed away to doggy heaven, where you can pee on the rugs anytime, and not get scolded. .