From old portuguese remnants to beaches and hippies!

From around 1510 until India's independence, the state of Goa was under Portuguese control. As such, Panaji (the state's capital) and old Goa (former state capital) are nothing like the rest of India! Influenced by Portuguese culture, architecture and religion, these places are filled with small lanes and winding street roads, crumbling colonial mansions and buildings, churches and chapels, and definitely a different feel than other places in India...possibly, it's even more laid-back!

The people are so laid back, that my rickshaw driver had no problem letting me drive his vehicle just for the fun of it! That's right, after coming out of the train station (which I've discovered is the best way to travel in India), I met Leonardo, a friendly rickshaw driver, who agreed to take me to Panaji for a fair price.

After we were on the road for about 10 minutes, he asked me, "Do you drive?" To which I replied,"Sure, I drive can drive a car, but never a rickshaw before!". He immediately proposed that I try it out and of course, I couldn't resist! It was fun but a little scary since driving in India amounts to: No road rules! Drive as fast as possible and always try to pass the vehicle in front of you...oh yes, and hope that you can make it without crashing onto opposing traffic!

After spending the day strolling around Panaji and Old Goa, I decided to experience some local entertainment by going on a river cruise with other Indian tourists and locals. As I embarked on the Santa Monica ship with its booming dance and techno music and saw the "entertainment stage", I wondered, "What did I get myself into".

Although the cruise was super cheesy and the entertainment consisted of different groups of people dancing on the stage (the "entertainer" would say and now all the ladies, all the men, all the couples and so on), I got to see how Bollywood culture influences dance styles: people, who don't know each other, often knew the same moves!! I promised myself that I will learn some Bollywood moves so that when I return to Montreal, I can incorporate them in my dance repertoire! I know you can't wait!

From Panaji, the extreme heat made me change my plans...I decided to make my way to Gokarna, a small sized town with temples and nearby beaches. And yes, I've been relaxing, reading, eating and getting my beach on ever since.

Gokarna is a really interesting place to visit. In the morning, you can watch offerings and Hindu rituals in front of the temples and then go for long walks from one beach to the next. Most tourists here seem to stay for long time and this has created a sort of hippie/tourist scene: International menus that are all the same no matter what restaurant you go to, lots of dreadlocks and people seeking to re-create the hippie exploration of India from the 60's, tons of weed smokers who puff from morning to night, spiritual seekers on the beach doing yoga and meditation.

  

            
This scene definitely contrasts with the conservative and much more traditional ways of the town and nearby temples. But hey, I'm in India, the land of contrasts!

I'm happy that I came here and got to relax, get some sun, see beautiful coastlines and watch amazing sunsets, but I feel that the hippy/tourist scene is not the one I love the most right now...no offence to anyone. I just can't get into the same groove... or maybe I just need to get some dreadlocks and patchouli??

What I do love however is that everywhere you go in India, there are cows...in the streets rooming and on the beach just chilling with the rest of us!