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Goa India.

We have heard the name for years.  Everyone says, “If you go to India, you have to go to Goa.”  So we did.
We aren’t big fans of over developed resort areas and were afraid that Goa would be too touristy for our liking.  Luckily we met a couple in Alleppey that told us about Patnem beach in the south of Goa.

It is not overly popular…yet.

The Lonely Planet only dedicated a couple of paragraphs to Patnem Beach so it sounded like our cup of tea.

About Patnem Beach

It is an easy place to spend time in.  Calm waters flow into fine white sand. The beach is nearly deserted and the breeze is balmy.
It is a little slice of paradise.  Vendors won’t bother you here at Patnem Beach. You can lay on a beach chair all day without being approached to by a single item.  The water is warm, the surf is mellow and the sunsets are to die for.
By 10:00 pm the music stops and the few bar and restaurant patrons turn in.

Goa’s Wildlife?

All that is left are the howling dogs and the lazy cows that roam the beach all night long.
The dogs are healthy, friendly and welcome.  The cows, though healthy, not so welcome.
There is actually a cow patrol on the beach.  The patrols one and only job is to shoo the cows away from the tourists and keep them off the beach.  I have to admit, I don’t mind having this patrol.  It is cool to see cows gazing out over the Arabian Sea like the rest of us, but their dung is everywhere and it can be a chore to watch out for it with every step.
Since the patrol started after a few days of our arrival, we can walk free and clear of cow dung.

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Speaking of walks…

Our daily walks are fantastic here.  At low tide, beaches are connected and we can walk to another beach the spans the massive and decadent Intercontintental Hotel Resort.
Dave and I snuck into use their pool.  We just pretend that we belong there, say hello to all the staff and order a seriously overpriced beer.
Just in case we look too much like poor backpackers, we whip out our iPhone to try to look important. Nobody gives us a second glance.
Each day is the same.  We awake for yoga with Swami Shiva Nand Jee (I can’t wait to tell you about him) who would have thought that we would find the real deal in Goa.  If you believe in the way of the Yogi, I think that we were meant to come here and meet him.

But that is another story that I will tell you soon.

After class and discussion, we enjoy our fresh fruit with yogurt and muesli and then it is time for our walk.
It takes almost an hour to walk from one end of our beach to the Intercontinental and back.  We stop for swimming and photographs, fun and sun.
This takes us to the afternoon where we go to Pavarti Huts to work on the Internet.  The have been so gracious and kind to us.  We chat and enjoy tea as we use their free Wifi.
At night we choose from one of the many restaurants that line the beach.
Tables are set up in the sand and seafood in on display as an ecclectic mix of music booms from each establishment.
With the smell of inscense in the cool night breeze, it is a welcome change from the stifling hot days.
It is off to bed where we are lulled (if you would like to call it that) to sleep by barking dogs and crashing waves.

Information.
Patnem Beach is in the South of Goa
Train Stop is Canacoa along the Konkan Line connecting Mumbrai to Trivandrum
50 rupees to nearby town Chaudi with ATM, Vodaphone and Internet cafés
50 Rupees to Palolem Beach, the larger and more built up beach for a good party.

50 Rupees equal 1 USD
If you are a light sleeper, get a room back from the beach, the dogs sometimes bark all night long.

There is wifi on Patnem at Pavarti Hut, Papayas and Laguna Beach one beach north of Patnem

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We were going to wait to study Yoga in the North at an Ashram.

It was supposed to just be a drop in class when we visited Swami Shiva Nand Jee’s class on Patnem Beach.  We followed the painted fabric yoga signs to a tranquil hut behind Mountain Palms Restaurant.  Three and a half bamboo thatched walls enclose a yoga studio.  Large beach mats lay over the sand with rows of yoga mats facing centre.

Swami Shivan Nand Jee

Many people are intimidated by the photos of our instructor pasted on the walls.  His body is contorted in all directions.  Legs over his head, postures where he is shaped like a pretzel.  He’s not going to make us do that is he?
Swami Shivanand is a master of yoga.  We has won national competitions, he is a high priest and his Guru has sent him away to share is knowledge and message of peace.
Yoga is something that I have practiced on and off at home.  I always went to class for the workout though.  Bikrim (hot) Yoga has been my practice of choice.
The west has adopted and accepted yoga with open arms, but we have lost the spirituality along the way.   This is something that we are learning from Shivanand Jee.

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What we do

We are still getting a workout, our aching shoulders, backs and slimming waste lines as proof.  But now we are gaining insight into the meaning of Yoga.
Each class begins with a mantra.  The Swami’s voice resonates as he chants Om followed by a song.  I don’t know what he is saying, but he explains that it is a mantra to centre our bodies and relax our minds.
It certainly works.  Even when I haven’t felt like attending class, the minute his mantra is over, my mind is clear and I am ready to work.
It didn’t feel as if we did much during our first class, but the next day our muscles were certainly feeling the burn.
Each day we perfrom our poses in sequence and each day he adds more advance asanas (postures) increasing the difficulty.
Within one week, we are already feeling limber and calm.
We are performing shoulder stands and dropping our feet over our heads to the ground.  We can touch our toes and rest our heads almost to our knees and we can balance and pose with certain stability.
For two people that really neglected to take care of their bodies this past year, we are starting to see a semblance of our old selves again.

Western Yoga Teachers

There are other yoga studios nearby. They are all led by European and American instructors.  The are a great workout I am sure, but why would you come to India to learn from someone that you could see at home?
We are taking classes from a genuine Swami.  He talks to us about how meditation can  improve life.  He says that while Yoga is important to keep your body fit and flexible, it is really used as preparation for meditation.

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Meditation is more important than the Yoga itself.

However, without yoga making a strong and healthy body, one will not be able to truly meditate.  The stronger you are, the deeper your meditation will become.
I have a long way to go with the meditation and breathing.  My personality is prone to worry and stress which has made my breathing tense and shallow.   I have a hard time letting go and not forcing out the air.  I try too hard and think too much.
Swami is working on this with me.  He tells me to follow Dave.  Dave is doing the breathing so well and relaxed.  I must take it slow making baby steps.  Dave is already following along to perfection.
It is his laid back personality that has made him a master meditator in a short time.

Dave wasn’t keen on practicing Yoga in India.  Yoga is not exactly adventure travel after all.  But now that we have taken our classes with the Swami, he suggests that we continue with practice all the way through India.

I think that is a splendid idea.

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It is 5:00 am when we stepped off the train in Goa. The morning is still dark and nobody is around.  We seem to be the only people getting off at this stop.

A guy approaches us to see if we need a rickshaw.

We need to get to Patnem beach 5 km away.
We follow him and he quotes an astronomical 150 Rupees.  No way, 50 Rs tops.  We settle on 80Rs and off we go with our packs shoved behind our heads and our day packs resting on our laps.
I always have a few nerves when entering a new town.  We are at the mercy of our taxi.  The driver could always pull off onto a road with some thugs laying in wait to rob us.  We wouldn’t know what hit us.  It is dark and nobody is around.  Nobody would see a thing and we would be left sitting on the side of the road without our belongings.

Yes, I am Paranoid.  I am working on trying to be less paranoid. Really.

We try to pay attention to signs and make sure that he goes the right way but there aren’t always signs pointing in the direction of our destination. Inevitably, we must give in and trust that our driver is a good guy.  They always are.  Most people in this world are good people. That is the truth.
This journey is a short one.  It is even less than 5km to the beach and before we know it, we are getting out of our rickshaw and I make Dave tip our driver 10Rs for the fact that he got us to our destination without turning down a back alley as my imagination led me to worry about.

Balance can be good

Dave is the opposite of me. He hasn’t a care in the world. He says that my paranoia can be a good thing though sometimes, because even he thinks he is far too laid back at times and could easily walk into a bad situation.  So our opposite personalities even each other out.  I step out of my comfort zone and he takes a few less risks.

The Beach

The beach is deserted.  Nobody is up meditating at the crack of dawn here.  So we pull up a chair at one of the empty beach bars and wait in the dark.
It is calm and tranquil.  Dogs are sleeping at our feet and we look out towards the sunrise to see large mounds in the sand.
Are those cows?
Yes, the cows own the beach in the morning and they are sleeping along with everyone else.

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The Hunt for a Hut

People slowly start to stir, so we decide to take a look for a place to stay.  A man offers to lead us to a hotel.
We walk down the beach, tired from the lack of restful sleep on the train, tired from the early morning (we awoke at 4:00 am) and tired from the weight of our packs.  He scurries ahead as we try to keep up.
The tired manager is caught off guard by our arrival.  He asks our names and if we have a reservation as he wipes the sleep from his eyes.
We say that we just arrived from Kerala and he says that they only take bookings from Europe at 50 Euros per night!

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We hightail it out of there.

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We don’t make it very far. Another man approaches us to see if we need a room.  It is right next door to the 50 Euro place.
These shacks don’t look all that great, but we will be polite and take a look.  He leads us to a little hut on the beach.
Inside is a clean bed, a mosquito net, tile floors, ceiling fan and our own bath with western toilet and shower.
Let’s see the price.  It is high season in Goa after all.
400 rupees and it is a deal.   We can’t believe our luck.  We are staying right on the beach beside a hotel that charges 50 Euro and all we have to do is fork out 10 bucks a night.
Yoga is right next door and we are thrilled to discover free wifi at a Pavarti Hut’s restaurant down the beach.
At night we hear the waves crash thunderously right outside front door.  Morning crows awake us and each day when we step our onto our veranda, the dogs that inhabit the beach run up to greet us and give us a friendly wag of their tail.
I think I’m gonna like it here!