Andras’ personal page

I am back at this place again. This camp-style table in a little gazebo in Gillman Barracks somehow keeps calling me. Any time I feel exhausted and need a quite moment I think of here. Any time the onslaught of thoughts catches me at the strangest moments in my life, I think of wanting to come here to sit with those thoughts, and to write as many of them as I can into my fledgling story collection I dream of calling a blog someday. 

I did not come alone this time. Boo and I came together. He is sitting across from me, seemingly just looking at me with his big eyes wanting to ask: “Do we plan to stay here long”? In my mind I answer :“Not long, Boo, not long. Soon we will get back on the road again”, and I turn my focus back to the serenity of this place and the thoughts I so eagerly wish you put in words.

On this occasion, my story will be about a recent trip I made to India. As I mentioned, it is strange how one comes to the realization that certain thoughts and experiences he has in his mind are now ready to come to light and be committed to eternity, or at least as far into the future as the limitations of the Internet and a website allow. The following thoughts came to me with a force I could not resist after I got out of the shower at my muay thai gym yesterday. I was still mostly wet, with a towel on my shoulder, when the urge came for me to reach for my phone and to start scribbling down the torrent of words that flowed from my mind, steadily molding into shape the feelings and experiences I collected during my visit to Goa earlier this week. Those scribbled thoughts have been my precious possessions for the last 24 hours or so, me going back into my phone multiple times to check if they are still safe, mulling over what they may mean and dreaming about coming to Gillman fast to write them in a frame they deserve. 

Goa, Western India. On the shores of the Arabian see, a city and area with rich history and wonderful tapestry of culture. I have heard about this part of India before. I have been dreaming about coming to this part to India for some time. And finally an opportunity presented itself to visit the city for a work trip. As close as the location is to Singapore, it took me an overnight flight one way and a 3 am start on the way back to get there in time for my event. Even so, time on the ground was very limited and mostly taken up by long hours of planning meetings. My focus in this story is not the event itself, but some day I may write a bit more about the magical evening I had with my colleagues, with amazing re-enactments of Bollywood characters, not just in looks but in actual acting as well. That evening of one of joy, laughter, limitless sense of freedom and a kaleidoscope of color one can only experience around celebrations organized by folks from Indian cultures. I am truly privileged to have many friends with Indian heritage from around the world and to have opportunities to travel to join them in their moments of joy. 

What I wanted to elaborate on more today was the beauty and uniqueness of Goa’s nature and built environments. The perception I had of this area was that it was essentially an Indian beach holiday destination. After visiting there, I would like to venture as far as calling that part of the world “an undiscovered and pristine version of how I imagine Bali would have been 20-30 years ago”. I will let my pictures below do most of the talking..

My inner narrator: 

STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HAVEN’T YOU JUST READ A QUOTE LAST WEEK, SAYING: “REMEMBER, THE EASIEST WAY TO DESTROY SOMETHING TRULY UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL IS BY STARTING TO COMPARE IT TO SOMETHING ELSE.” WHAT ARE YOU DOING ANDRAS? AREN’T YOU SEEING YOU ARE FALLING INTO THE SAME TRAP? 

My self-conscience: 

YOU ARE RIGHT! WHY CAN’T I JUST SHARE MY PICTURES BELOW TO LET THEM DO MOST OF THE TALKING? AND JUST ADD SOME COLOR HERE AND THERE TO HOW I FELT WHEN I SAW A PICTURE OR DID SOMETHING WONDERFUL THERE? LET ME GIVE THIS ANOTHER GO PLEASE!

My inner narrator: 

NEVER MIND ME, JUST WRITE….

After reflecting on what just happened, I decided to allow my memories to flow freely and to let them do most of the talking. 

I had a free afternoon after the event. The hotel was in a rural area and I felt walking around here will give me the best opportunity to immerse myself into local life and to experience interacting with the place and the people living there. The humming of motorcycles passing by in the bright sunlight, just trying to stay ahead enough of the scorching heat emanating from the asphalt. How can they carry so much load and still navigate potholes in the road? How can they still have time to look at the strange man walking on the side of the road in black leather shows and knee high socks? How can the cows sit so peacefully in the shade by the side of the road or in the sunlight in the middle of the road, depending on their divine choosing and preference? How can the large slabs of stone they use to build things there look like they are oat candy bars I just so desperately wish to lick or bite into? 

Back in the hotel now, a short break to cool down and to make my plans for the rest of the afternoon. I have a single destination in mind: The Beach! But which one? There are so many on the map. Internet coverage a bit spotty here, I better make sure I save the walking instructions to the beach on my phone. Take some screenshots of the route as well, just in case. Oh and before you leave, pack swim shorts and a hotel towel in a plastic bag. You never know, maybe there is a chance to jump in the sea. 

Off I go finally. I have a 60 minute walk ahead of me next to some main roads with not much pedestrian infrastructure. What adventures and dangers may await me? I can’t wait to go and see!

The walk is nice. Lush greenery and small creeks and lakes spot the landscape on both sides of the road. An occasional small settlement of a few simple buildings. Some intersections which are not easy to cross. Cars, buses, motorcycles. Everywhere. And honking. A seeming tangle of traffic that may never be possible to resolve. But somehow everything still flows. 

A town. I must be getting closer to the beach. A possession of seemingly Christan devotes enter the road from a side street. Walking along, spreading flower petals in their steps, paving the way for the relic they care in a large wooden case. There must be a church somewhere. Wonder if it is a special day or just something they do every day to nurture the beliefs that unite them into a community. I ask if I can make a video. Something I wish to keep as a memory. They smile and say okay (well, they didn’t say it but held up their thumbs so I figured it is as good as an okay). Video made, memories saved. I am happy. 

I continue my walk and clearly sense I am getting closer to the beach. I pass a group of men clearly having a great time just by sitting by the side of the road. “Wow, what a great picture they’d make. Shall I sneakily take one of them? Nah, maybe not.” I decide to keep going instead and I arrive at a W Hotel. I know the beach is close, but where is it? I ask the attendants, they give me the directions. “Really, that way?”, I ask myself. “There is nothing but houses that way, no road, no path. But let’s try!”. SoI proceed, meandering on a narrow path between old houses thrown on the ground in no obvious order or structure. I see how folks live there, I hear sounds of their lives from inside. I keep going, the beach is close, I can hear the waves. One more corner to pass. But then I hear barking. Loud and deep barking. And I meet a new friend, a large dog with no leash or chain anywhere in sight. I say friend, he says not so fast… He wins, I turn back. The beach is vast, I will just find another one.

Now I have to walk back a bit the same way I came. I pass those men by the side of the road. I realize that taking a picture of them is something I really feel I should do. So I stop, in a respectful distance from them, and ask: “Photo?”. And to my excitement they say “thumbs up…” You all can see them below, they are cool. 

I don’t know if it is because of the big smile on my face after the interaction with the men, but from there on I felt like saying hi to everyone passing by. And to my surprise everyone (really everyone) returned the hi! Some even asked how my visit was going. At that moment I felt a small twinge in my body and mind: “Should I stay here forever? Is this the place I have been looking for to settle during the many times I traversed this planet back and forth and during the many new starts in a new city I made over my life?”. That may be another chapter some day, but for now Singapore is home and I am happy here. So might as well just resume my story at the point where I arrived at the cliff overlooking a beautiful seaside landscape I have only dreamt of before. 

The Arabian sea. Smooth waters, the play of sunlight on the surface. A few people walking around or playing on the beach. Some hugging, some kissing, some preparing their wedding photoshoot. Some much love and peace here. And cows! Two beautiful creatures sitting in the sand, seemingly part of the eternal  momentum of tides, the change of day and night and the limitless flow of sunshine and energy our Sun provides. I named this type of cow “beach cow”, since I felt that they were happy and at peace there. Somehow they just made the whole place feel more zen-like. Can a cow surf or play in the waves? I think yes! What a fun mental image to behold!

A beach bar. Great place to sit, to rest, to drink a beer, to watch the people and to await the sunset. Pictures, pictures, pictures. Better than a thousand words….

It is now dark. I still need to walk home on the same roads I came. No street lights, cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, cows everywhere. A little stray puppy in the bushes. How I wish I could feed him, take him with me. I hope he survives and has a happy life. 

I am now close to the hotel. It is dark, I am hungry, I need a drink. But I am happy. So many memories I made in just a few hours. Time to prepare to go home. Life is great. Goa is beautiful.