Om Beach, Gokarna

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  Gokarna, India
Monday, February 4, 2008

I arrived in Gokarna around 7pm and only found one other woman who also disembarked from the train. We looked at each other and said "Om Beach?". That's when I met Anette from Israel. She's a jovial 45 yr. old woman who's laugh is as big as her heart.  Her energy was wonderful to be around and her laugh contagious. She was half way through her 6 mos. journey around India, and she said she's never felt happier and more connected with herself. As trying as India can be, it's definitely brought out the best in her.   After a long taxi ride to Om Beach, Anette and I walked in the dark (along with our heavy backpacks) down the coast of the beach, going from one bungalow to the next until we finally found a room to share at "Ganesh Cafe."  I firmly believe God puts people in your life at the perfect moments, as I couldn't imagine making that trek alone. Esp. when Anette had a flashlight (I quickly bought my own).  

Gokarna is known for it's unspoiled beaches, which means accommodations are as basic as you can imagine. Bungalows are literally straw huts in the jungle, and while most people share an outhouse and communal showers, Anette and I lived large and paid extra to have our own bathroom. When I winced at the knowledge that I had to shower with a bucket (of cold water mind you) Anette laughed at me and said "you want to experience all of India don't you? Well, you better get used to washing yourself with a bucket! You may even end up preferring it." So here's princess Marla washing her clothes and body using the same bucket. And Anette was right, I did end up bonding with that bucket. As for your clothes, you wouldn't believe how murky the water gets from hand washing them, and you can only get a fraction of dirt out of hand washing. It's no wonder i still feel filthy after showers.  

Electricity is also scarce at most beaches in India and gets cut off sporadically. You could have a black out in the middle of dinner (candles on tables isn't just for decoration). There's also no lights anywhere (on pathways, etc) at night to guide you, so having a flash light is essential. With all the law suits that could ensue from people tripping and falling, there's no way the Sates could ever get away with that. It's just one example of many that make India a 3rd world country i guess.   Sometimes I couldn't believe I was in India. Like there would be moments where I'd completely forget I was even there. Then I'd lay on a beach and see a whole family of cows parading across me, and hear a rooster crowing from the porch of the restaurant and then remember, oh yes- I'm in India!  Om beach was literally like being on Old McDonald's farm. Animals seemed to be everywhere, which means so was their poop and pee. The beach, of course, was like a gigantic litter box and here we all were laying and playing on it- but that's India for you. You just have to accept things as they are and hope you don't catch anything.  

Since Om Beach is very rural and not popular with the tourists, it was very empty and peaceful. Anette and I were fortunate enough to meet a lovely couple in our bungalows: Jim, a 29 yr. old retired prize boxer from London, and Christine, a world traveler heading home to Australia finally to be a teacher. Jim and Christine met weeks prior and became best friends, and even fell in love along the way. They sadly realized their love for each other though the day before Christine had to leave for home. Tragic how love is one thing in life you can't time.   

We had a lot of fun with Jim and Christine for a few nights- at good food, had great conversations and stayed up late listening to my ipod and laughing. I downloaded my music the night before I left and was disappointed with my song list. I was even reluctant to share it with Jim in fear he'd tease me, but here- he and Christine flipped over some of the artists I had. They couldn't get enough! Go figure.  

Jim's in India using his prize fighting money to build India's first "Earth Ship"'- an eco friendly house that uses the earth's natural resources to run it. Every element of water and sun is used to heat, wash, drink- everything. So a person could literally live off the land and save thousands a year on energy bills while improving the planet. Your only bills would be taxes and a mortgage. The house will be Jim's flagship and he just built the frame to see if it could withstand the monsoon season. Since it did, he and his cousin are now going to finish building the project and hope to sell the concept throughout India and eventually, around the world. I told him when it starts taking off, I want to be head of marketing for him since I can't imagine a better project to work on.   

After 3 nights at Om Beach, Anette and I decided to head north and go back to Goa. Since I only had a few nights left in India, I wanted to go back to the state that I most adored. About 30 states comprise India, and Goa is the smallest. It's a tiny coastal state that was ruled by the Portuguese for 450 years, and their influence is still highly present. Beautiful architecture and cathedrals surround Goa, not to mention 80% of the population is Catholic. It's really weird going into shops and walking around town and seeing pictures of Mary and Jesus and crucifixes everywhere. Also, the Goan Indians have Christian names, like Martha, John and Andrew. It's kinda funny.  

Anette and I landed in a nice guest house in Calangute, a beach where Anette spent a few weeks prior and had friends. Calangute beach was completely different from Palolem, as it had way more tourists and they were older at that. One night while in an Irish bar (for their live music night) I looked around the room and only saw a bunch of old faces from the UK and actually didn't like it. I felt like I was in London or Belfast and it just didn't sit right and I finally got why people seek out the more "pure" Indian beaches like in Gokarna. Though there were plenty of nice rooms in our guest house, Anette and I still wanted to be roommmates and we continued to share a lot of laughs and have funny encounters. I knew it would be hard to leave her... but I'm holding out hope I'll see her again when she visits her cousin in New Jersey this spring. Small world, huh?

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more neighbors	sunrise	Om Beach	1
11	11-1	12-1	view from Ganesh Cafe
Jim and Christine	1	1	2-1
13-1	1	14-1	5-1
6-1	1	1	front door
Jim checking out our tile	our room- Jim had to kill a spider	1	Om Beach, Gokarna
1	1	16-1	1
walkway	Cow trying to get her pineapple	visiting Jim and Christine	1
woman selling fresh fruit	she refused to take Jim's banana skin

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