Time for Relaxation!

Sunday, November 04, 2007
Goa, India
I went into Goa with no plan and no hotel reservations. No problem! I met a guy at the prepaid taxi stand at the airport who said he could arrange a hotel for me. I was a little worried, but he ended up being legit. After about an hour long taxi ride, I wound up at a beautiful air-conditioned hotel in Calangute, with a TV, refrigerator and hot water, just walking distance to the beach, for only $45/night.

What did I do in Goa? To be honest, not much. I received an ayurvedic massage at this place by the beach, which was a very interesting experience. Ayurvedic must be Hindi for "oily." The massage involved getting naked, putting on a make shift loin cloth of string and toilet paper, and having every square inch of your body covered in oil. The part at the end where the masseur removes the oil is significantly less thorough than the part where he applies it. He recommended I take a warm shower soon afterward to complete the beneficial aspects of the massage--like what the hell else am I going to do soaked in oil? Between the oil coating and the Goan heat, I felt like I was going to turn into a fried drumstick just walking back to my hotel. I ended up taking three showers to get it all off!

I visited the beach several times, but I never went in the water or even lay down on the sand. Too dang hot. I did manage to hit up a different restaurant for lunch and dinner every day, having fish every time. The giant prawns in curry at the place by my hotel were spectacular. I had been craving fish for a couple weeks, and this really hit the spot.

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