#SwipeRightToTravel- 'The Beach' Revisited- The One where the Movies and Reality Converge at Goa

In half hour, I realized that AB would miss joining at Madgaon too, since his bus was about 10 minutes behind. Half hour later the train halted at the scenic Verna station, and halted for close to half an hour. In Goa the roadways and the railways run parallel but never quite converge. I noticed that AB had gone past me, and since there are no on demand taxi’s in Goa, he could not get off his bus, and catch me at Verna.

We now had a race of sorts, and I told him, that he should just find his own way on road to get to the rural hinterland of Keri Village from Madgaon, which is about 75 kilometres.It was 9 am when I arrived, on the back of a bike taxi. It was 9:01 am when AB arrived. I had beaten him to the race that we just had on who would reach first. We were to actually travel together from Karwar this morning, but as luck would have it we ended up travelling parallel through rail and road, updating our locations on Whatsapp, discovering that our paths actually could converge only at the end point,which was Kerim Beach.

I laid my head back on the lounging chair, that sat on the sand, stretched my legs, ordering for a watermelon juice, while AB got busy on a call. AB was in the process of starting up, and had to be on regular calls with his co-founders. So he would lounge from the shack, back to the road into Keri village, and would repeat this action a couple of times, until I got my watermelon juice. I was alone, and staring into the blueness of the sea, from the shade of the bamboo roof. The beach beds were laid out, and there were very less people on the beach, and it was a pleasant sight to have the complete beach to have very little people to share with. To add to the lesser number was the Demonetization saga, which meant lesser tourists would wander to remote outposts like Keri which did not have an ATM near the beach. Either a 10 kilometre road jaunt to Arambol or a 5km jaunt to Pedne, was the only option. But since our shack owner accepted NEFT transfers, we were relaxed and completely focused on the menu and the alluring sea. Scanty mobile signals, no wifi and data, meant that I had to spend my time reading all the books bought on my kindle, that I did not bother year long to complete.

2 Watermelon juices later, AB was still talking on the phone, near the Ajooba Temple that leads to the village, and I thought we were together on a trip to relax from our busy lives. I turned my attention back to the colour of the beach umbrellas kept by the beach beds, and something in black and white disturbed my attention. A figurine white lady in a black bikini strode out to the coast against the water. My mind immediately recalled the scene in ‘The Beach’ where Virginie Ledoyen walks out of the waters in Koh Samui, prompting the hero Leonardo Di Caprio to take notice. The reggae soundtrack playing in the background was muted by my mind. The audio from Moby’s Porcelain from ‘The Beach’ was slowly beginning to sensorily play, as she walked step by step confidently from the sea, and made her way straight to where I was. She had left her book on the beach bed, near our chair and proceeded to dry herself, while I stood there wonderstruck by her beauty.

I went over to the reception of the shack, to ask him about what happened to our rooms that he said he would get us when we came here at 9 am. It was almost 11:30 am now, but in Goa no one sees times, do they? My body clock has always had brunch at 4 pm, and Lunch at 11 pm, and Dinner at 4 am the next day. So I really was not in anyway feeling out of place, with the lazy pace of 2 juices in 2 hours. The Nepali receptionist-Abhishek told us that “Abhi Dus Minute Mein Ho Jayega”, and I went back to reading my kindle on the beach. Somewhere in between, AB had come and we had an early brunch at 1 pm, and we were allotted rooms finally at 2 pm. The rooms were beach front huts but half a kilometer away from Fish Tail shack, which was our point of call for food.

We chose not to go out anywhere nearby, since we were satiated by the sea, but if you are in Kerim, you should do the following

KERIM MUST SEE PLACES

Visit the Tiracol Fort after crossing the 'free-ferry' from Kerry to Terekhol. Beautiful fort overlooking the Arabian Sea, which is now operated as a heritage hotel.

Check out the bridge that connects Goa and Maharashtra at Sunset. Most beautiful spot to lounge around the evening hues

Walk around Ganpati Temple and Ajooba Temple. The place is unspoilt with a rural charm that the original Goa of the 60's would exude. No Banana boats, No Hotels, No Noise. Your Goa of the 60's served on a platter!

We went back and crashed only to be woken up in darkness. We had missed the sunset, and our tiring journeys to reach Kerim had taken toll on our energies. It was probably 8 pm, and both of us were still sleep deprived, and walked across the beach to reach our Fishtail shack. We had to traverse through a few empty shacks before we reached Fishtail.

We transitioned from Mohammed Rafi to Kumar Sanu to Bob Marley in a 45 second walk across the beach, as the music continued to blare in a bid to attract people. But all of the travelers were on the Fish Tail shack, and we were staring at the Menu card for close to 10 minutes, without clearly knowing what to order for our ‘lunch’ at 8 pm.

The waiter, was nowhere to be seen, when we wanted to order our food, so I waited at the reception waiting for him with an angry look. I saw a girl dancing alone, near the reception, coming over to the table every now and then to operate the laptop to change the music. She seemed lively and seemed to be in a state of wakeful trance listening to reggae music. I looked closer, and the face seemed familiar. She was the same girl that I had seen emerge from the sea this morning. I went ahead and asked her if she saw Abhishek, the Nepali waiter, and she replied that she could probably call Tai, who was in the kitchen. She called out Tai, and I see Abhishek coming out, asking our order for the night.Abhishek came out sheepishly smiling with his dual existence, the uber cool 'Tai' for the Firangs and the desi "Abhishek" for the Indians on the shack! But thanks to her, 'Tai' atleast came to take our order [They make great cream of mushroom soups]

I thanked her, and asked her where she was from. She smiled and shook hands introducing herself as 'Ale' from Moscow. I introduced myself and told her about some interesting places that she could go nearby in case she was not knowing about the place. It turns out that “Tai” had told her, about the lake and she asked me, if I wanted to join her on a sunrise trek to the adjacent Sweet Lake beach. I was anyway planning to head out to the beach at 5 in the morning to shoot long exposure shots of the rocks by the beach, so I agreed. In the 5 minutes that I spoke, it seemed like that she was a traveler and not a tourist, and she surprised me with her keenness to explore places nearby that not many people would know. She went back to dancing alone at the reception to the reggae music. AB and I went to bed early, while I went back to the beach to keep my Camera and Tripod ready for the next morning while focusing on the night sky for some test shots.

I woke up as planned at 5 am. It was extremely chill and the high tide was on. I experimented a few shots of the rocks against the morning twilight for an hour, before I saw AB who came and sat on a rock near me, staring into the sea. We wanted to cross over some of the rocks to the other side of the hill, but were not quite able to because of a raging sea that was spewing water on to the rocks.

I saw 2 people at the far end of the beach walking, and it was 'Ale' and Tai. They waved at us, and asked us if we were coming along, and since AB and I had not planned anything, we decided to join them on the trek. Alexa came across as an athletic person, given her slim frame, and only on certain slippery parts of the trail, did she need our help to balance herself. She was an artist in Russia, and had a life where she was madly busy in making art for clients, and she had a busy lifestyle, and this trip was her ‘slow-down-life’ travel trip. She was able to converse in English, but had a strong native accent that meant we would have to talk slowly and not hurry through conversations.

She was here for a week, and then she would choose her next destination. She was already done with Greece, Vietnam, Thailand and North India. She had no plan on what she would do the next day, or the next week. She was travelling to take life slow, and soak in experiences. I was impressed, since that’s exactly how AB and I travel once a year atleast. We pick a place on the map, and don’t worry about accommodation, and keep minimal items in our bags and just set off on the next train/bus available, trusting the world and people around it. For the movie buff in me, I was reminded of another of Leanardo Di Caprio’s dialogue from cult classic made in 1998-THE TITANIC-

Leo-“ Well right now, my address is the RMS Titanic, and after that I am on God’s Good Humor”

Kate’s mother- “And you find that rootless existence appealing do you?”

Leo-“Yes Maam, I do, I mean I got everything I need right here with me, Some Air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper. I love waking up in the morning, not knowing what’s going to happen, who I am going to meet, Where I am going to wind up. Just the other night, I was sleeping under a bridge, and NOW, here I am on the grandest ship in the world, having champagne with you fine people.

It was a bit like nature conspired to hand us over a traveler to spend this trip with exploring our stories and worlds. Nature was playing Tinder in a 'Wifi-Less and No 2G/3G/4G zone in connecting travelers.

And as if the moment needed a little drama to soak in the moment, the sun rose up in all its glory, while we were at the edge of a cliff. An alluring crescent shaped sun kissed beach emerged as mountains guarded the beach from prying eyes. The beach had just the right warmth for a morning sun, cutting through the morning winter.

This beach too, had no one in the morning at 7:30 am. I wanted to stretch out a bit, and re-arrange some of my lenses, so I excused myself to 'Ale', as she and Tai went over to see the sweet lake from the mouth of the lake.

AB and I went to the lake from the other side to our usual hotspot by the lake where we camped a few years back.

He helped me re-arrange my lens, and keep the camera inside, as it really was not safe for the camera, slinging around my neck, during trekking on a rough terrain. AB and I spoke about coming here in the night, and do a night trek to the Banyan Tree, deep in the forests where a bunch of travelers sit, meditate and tell travel stories. A small merry band of travelers, who exchange tales, while trusting nature with moonlight through the trees chaperoning us. This was 'THE BEACH' for travellers who hated crowds! Having to discover the path, along the Sweet Lake, and then walking 15 minutes into the forest on the trail is not meant for everybody! Exactly like they show in the movie 'The Beach'

WHEN IN ARAMBOL

Do make time for swimming in the sea and then washing off your salt deposits in the sweet water lake. Rinse and Repeat this whole day

Walk over the hills above the sweet water lake, and jump off the cliff into the sunset with the paragliders.

By that time, 'Ale' was back and she asked us, if we could take her in the night to the place we were talking about. We said sure, and started back on our trek back to Keri after she requested us for a couple of photographs with the background as the lake and the beautiful Keri beach from the hills. With an iphone 7 Plus and 2 Nikon Cameras, we obviously had her feel very happy with her pictures.

She asked us what we planned to do in the afternoon, and we said our plan was simple-We just planned to be in and out of the sea, and relaxing at the shack, and maybe walk over to each end of the beach while walking in water. She smiled at us, and asked us if we would want to join some of her friends who were on the beach and playing some instruments. Alexa introduced us and went on her morning run across the expanse of the beach and said she would be back on the beach in a couple of hours. We ordered tea from our beach hut owner to be brought on the beach, as we joined the travelers who were gathering for some music jamming by the beach.

The travelers in the group were from Israel, Kerala(India), USA and Russia and they started to jam some music on the beach. An interesting day laid ahead, while AB and I watched them go about their guitars on the beach.

What was endearing was them welcoming us in their group and allowing us to also listen in to the music. The music being experimental in nature, was different to listen to, and when you closed your eyes for a while and opened it to the sight of the blue sea, with every shimmer of the sea your heart would feel relaxed. The music and the scenery together could transcend your anxiety and worries.

They shared with us some of their biscuits and I noticed they had some tea bags with them. Precisely the signs of backpack travellers, who keep all of this handy with a couple of cookies and fruits to go with it. One of the people decided to blow into a conical iron form, and produced lovely sounds out of it. He did this being almost breathless for close to 20 minutes. It was an amazing performance. The morning sun shining on our bodies did not seem to cause much consternation, as the feeling was good, and each of us were telling tales of where we come from and what we do in our lives. Every of them were seasoned long term travellers, while AB and I were on a 3 day break from our families. We were to go back to our families for another holiday in a couple of days till New Year. Once in a couple of years, we usually plan these trips, where we dont over-plan anything and go with the flow! This was one of those trips, and it was going brilliantly so far!

Then a lady and the bearded person, showed up a set of Tarot Cards, and they invited AB and I to pick one. The Mallu guy in the group, was the one who would infer the cards and give us the definition of what the card was and stood for. I distinctly remember taking a while to pick a card after shuffling them well, when he told me that dont worry so much about picking a card. Your vibes and energy levels at this instant of time, would pick the right card for you now, and how right he was in the cards that AB and I picked. We would follow a routine where each of us would tell what they inferred from the card we picked, and this where the session got intense in terms of the meaning each of draws from a tarot. It was a beautiful discussion that lasted for a couple of hours, which had just the right cards for AB and I.

Some of them were staying in a hostel, deep into the village, and they invited us to spend the day with them in the afternoon. They were running an organic farm and were cooking their meals from the vegetables in their farm. For somebody who was here in India on a short trip, but a long stay, I thought it showed a lot of concern and interest to be part of the local culture, instead of coming here to India, staying in a hotel and clicking selfies and going back. I was impressed with them and told them, I plan to do some more beach bumming and I would then decide if I was okay to come over, since I enjoyed their company. We did not exchange phones or numbers, since neither phones or email worked here except for a few places. We decided that we will get to the Ganapathy Temple and ask for these guys and the hostel. The old school way of travel without getting worried over a Google Map, or a Phone. I was quite loving this trip. Nature was connecting us to the right people, who were making us love the old-school of travelling, meeting up people and exchanging good vibes.

AB and I rested a bit more on the beach, caught up with each other on the year that went by and slept our way through multiple 'Sweet Lassi" sessions on our beach beds. It was magical, just waking up to the sounds of the sea, and taking a jump along with the waves.

On one such instance at 4 pm, where we were trying to jump along with the wave hitting the coast, we bumped into 'Ale' and we tried a little game, where we would time our jump when the wave neared us, to get under the wave and swim the farthest along with the wave, till our bodies were above the water. Ale was easily the more athletic of the 3 of us, though AB and I enjoyed multiple rounds of head-butting into the wave. This was getting addictive, and beyond a point, Ale asked us, if we wanted to get to the other side to a 'secret' beach that needed a minor cave to get ahead to if you managed to lower your head down. We agreed to meet up near a flag in 30 minutes. 'Ale' was looking extremely pretty in a skirt for the evening, and had a silky pink shawl, if it got a little too chill post sunset. AB and I had no specific attire for the evening, except a 'Hare-Krishna' T shirt and shorts. I lugged around my camera bag though.

The evening sun was beginning to colour up the place. The greens on the periphery of the beach were shining and looked like a good place to sit for a while. I was showing Ale some maps of some good places around, in case she wanted to travel later on her trip. I asked her, how did she discover Keri as a place. Her answer quite surprised me.

She was not too much an internet person. Her email checking was once in a couple of days, and she didnt quite bother about social networks or updates. She was here on a time-off to slow down from life and had no goals as such on the trip. She said she does not do much research and depends on the locals to find the hidden gems to stay. She came into Delhi, and from there heard about Fort Tiracol in Kerim, but decided to stay in another place opposite the fort, and from there, she moved to the beach we were on.

As the evening sun, illuminated the borders of her golden hairs, she asked if we were up for a trek across to the sweet lake again so that we could walk through the forests to get to the Banyan Tree. I knew that once the tides become high, it could be very tough to come back in the dark on the route back. The road route was 10 kilometres by road, and 20 minutes by the mountain. We also did not have bikes.

Alexa said that her owner had a bike and he could probably rent it out for 200 rupees a night. It seemed like a good deal. Alexa also said that she would take us to a nice spot in the night, which she thought was a beautiful place under a moon lit evening.

We discovered a beautiful little cove to watch the sun set and spend some time in silence. The sea was calm near this part of the 'secret beach' so we lounged in the waters, upside down and also tried jumping from the rock into the water bed by the sand. So a few more dips into the sea later, we went to the village and took the bike and bought some Goan Cashews, Chips and a few snacks, and went to the place suggested by Ale who was looking quite excited in driving a scooty in Goa. [The secret beach is not visible for if you just land up at Keri. It needs a little de tour into the forest to find the path from the mountains into a couple of caves. If you need to find the beach, do let me know. I will privately send you directions Such beaches are better being a secret :-) ]

This was the bridge that connects Maharashtra to Goa, and we went right to the middle of the bridge, parked our bike by the corners, sat on the footpath and started talking about places. Ale started with describing Greece and her experience in Amsterdam. She had us in splits with her description of how she had fun there. I started off by talking about how AB and I manage to squeeze in a trip and how it always has some kind of adventure and mis-adventure thrown in. Maybe our vibes attract that kind of energies on a trip from the environment. AB seemed to be finishing the cashews quicker than both of, given his craze for them and we later decided that unless each of us tells a story, we could not lay our hand on the limited booty of cashews :-)

I spoke about how I discovered Gili Islands on a random de tour away from Bali, and I learnt that keeping 40% of your trip time with no plans/hotel bookings helps you discover new gems. I was following most of what Ale was doing, but I seemed to be addicted to the internet for research.Ale was being brave to venture out without a plan. We learnt a little on travel that night from her.

It was already 10 in the night, and we decided that instead of going to a single hotel for dinner, we shall look at some street side dhabas, and treat Ale to the Tandoor. We stopped near the HDFC ATM in Arambol, and saw a roadside eatery making Roti's in the Tandoor. She went and spoke with the cook/chef and even managed to bake a few Tandoors, and graciously thanked the cook by a friendly hug. The cook was pleasantly suprised. Maybe this hug meant more than a review on Tripadvisor :-) 11 pm in the night, and our energy levels are quite high, given that back in the city life, this is usually bed time for me.

We walk over the Cliffside from Arambol to the Sweet Lake and we attempt to cross over to the Sweet Lake beach, but we have a couple of rocks and a sea that's spilling over with the rising high tide. Even as we walk, the sea is rough and I lose my slippers, as I lose balance while crossing a series of rocks. I give up and walk over to the side of the beach, and the sea thrusts one more wave and also deposits my slipper, which I still need to do a little running behind and catching it. AB and my shorts are wet, so we rest a bit on the empty beach beds trying to dry ourselves in the chill and moist air. Its then that I realise, when Ale points to the stars and the clear skies, that I have probably not seen such stars in a while against the night skies. Its beautiful and lights up the beach in a small way. There are just the three of us in this beach, which leads to a forest after the sweet water lake dries up. I hold up the mobile phone torch and illuminate the path and we slowly start walking. Sounds of crickets dominate our little trek in the woods, but having done this before with AB and with a bunch of other friends, I am confident that I should be able to find the place. Before we reach, I stop at a place, which I remember used to be the place where the lake ends below the trail. This place has 'Multani Mitti' deposits, and when applied on our body we starts to look like green monsters in the moon light. AB and I jumped down, while Ale was happy seeing us from a distance of living up to this madness at applying Multani Mitti close to midnight, dressed up as green goblins, braving the winter chill.

We then walked over to the 'Banyan Tree' after a bit of getting lost briefly on which turn to take in the forest. We saw that the place was beautifully lit up by whatever little moonlight came into the top of the forest, and there were a bunch of people by the fire, some with multani mitti on them too! So we had company!

They asked us if we were hungry, and if he had done our dinner. Looking at our faces, they made out that we had not had our dinner. So a few of them asked us if we could help them make dinner and also have it. So we helped them cut some onions and made Tomato Chutney. It was the most blissful tomato chutney I have had in my life ever, along the rotis made by holding the dough against the fire. I just loved the hospitality the folks showed by sharing whatever of their food remained. We were blown over and engaged in a series of conversations with people but in a low tone, since people usually came here to meditate. At about some point mid way between mid-night and day break, we chose to thank our hosts and trekked down back to the sweet lake, and made our way to the Arambol Beach parking lot. In a few hours from now, the early morning twilight would light up the forest.

Here's an image of how it would look early morning from an earlier trip in 2013.

Once at the Parking lot, we felt our tummy could do with some desserts, and we decided to not end the madness, and keep the manic evening on to eat.Alexa said, she could do with some cakes at the still open German Bakery, and as soon as both of us ordered our desserts, AB captured both us almost sleepily drooping down tired by all the adventure and madness.