panjim

i left anjuna beach yesterday and i am now in the town of panjim. it was pretty sad to leave my new friends behind as we had the best time doing nothing together, but it's time to move on. i had a bit of a lump in my throat as i was leaving as i had become so used to their company. everything we did, absolutely everything, was about having fun. back home i think i had forgotten how good it felt to be happy all the time, but it turns out i'm still really good at it. the prospect of being on my own again filled me with dread as i looked out of the taxi window at the beach getting further and further away but i know that i will be ok. whilst i'm pretty certain i will see kim and hannah again (in fact, we're meeting in mumbai on april 6th) it will never be the same. goa was special and i'll remember it for ever :D i also met two wonderful canadian girls, karen and jaclyn. they got hit by some nasty food poisoning for one of the days but they were always happy and smiling and full of life despite this.

our second day in anjuna was about as perfect as a day can get. we spent all of the daylight hours in the little cafe next to the rocks with the floor mats and low tables alternating between reading, talking, laughing, eating, listening to music, reading, talking, eating... as the sun moved so did we move, deeper and deeper into the shade. that evening we went to one of the beach-shack bars that we liked and sat looking at the sea lapping the shore only 4 or 5 feet away from where we were sat. we had a beautiful meal and agreed that the day had been perfect. as soon as we said that fireworks started going off right next to us... ok.... now it was perfect.

so... panjim. for those of you that aren't india buffs, goa was first colonised by the portuguese. as such there is a wealth of old portuguese and christian architecture. churches, little town houses, tree-lined squares with old men sitting and playing chess. you can see the portuguese influence in the faces of the locals - there's a definite iberian look to most of the people here. i have been for a wander this morning and seen half a dozen churches, cool little backstreet markets and beautiful pastel-coloured houses. my room is sent directly from heaven. after 4 nights in what can only be called "basic" accommodation i now have a huge 4-poster bed, sitting room and separate cool, fully tiled bathroom. oh... and AC... hehe. i'm off to hampi tomorrow, apparently i'll be completely sucked in and it will be more difficult for me to leave there than it was to leave goa. i like the sound of that.