Hello World.
Take a deep breath first. (No, seriously do it. I'm waiting.)
I need to stop sleeping during the day and sleeping late at night. It's so scary here at night I must tell you, not for the faint-hearted (like me). I'm currently living in a not-so-urban part of Goa right now, urban enough to have malls and eateries (You can order from Zomato here, but it is a challenge, truth be told. It's better to go to a good restaurant and eat.), but rural enough for its roads to look like 'the roads not(to be)taken' ( ha-ha, cracked a literary joke there, did you get it?) or better, the ones straight out of a horror movie, where you know you are NOT supposed to choose that road, but the protagonist is foolish enough to choose that road because they will reach their destination (the final one, yeah.) faster.
GUYS AND GALS AND MY NON-BINARY PALS, ITS SEPTEMBER ALREADY?
I am still stuck in March 2020. I know it sounds extremely cliché, but I cannot find any accountability for these two years! (As if I have a dedicated ledger dictating every movement of mine for the past 16 years.) I mean I could make an excuse for my raison d'etre till my school life as schooling. Now that I have finished my schooling, I wonder if this rigid system should be compulsory?
Kids get homeschooled, although I doubt how would they compete with their academic counterparts who have attended school. Now, I am not here to tell you to not send your kids/future kids to school, because you have a whole bunch of people dedicated to fighting against all odds and ensuring every kid gets to go to school.
I've been seeing the news a lot, it is hard not to when there's so much going around the world, countries reversing democracy, disasters, natural calamities, distrust in governments, war over resources, protests, trafficking, and whatnot.
It's like we are making progress, just backward. I don't feel nice as I list these things. I feel sad. Wait let me put aside this sadness or I'll begin crying like a baby and will not finish this entry.
Let's just, move on to not-so-important things yes?
OU I JUST REMEMBERED. I want to tell you guys all about living here!
This place is like my second home (3rd or 4th technically since school is supposed to be your second, I guess, and my native place isn't Goa) So let me tell you how a usual Goan day for me is!
anytime- wake up
before 12pm- breakfast or else Mumma will be angry
anytime- shower, or don't, it is not sweaty here, though you might want to shower for obvious hygiene reasons.
1pm to 2pm-ish- lunch usually depends on my classes. (Yes, I attend them, you clowns.)
usually 4pm to 8pm-sleep
sharp 8pm- tell Appa how the day went (my father, of course being disappointed that I'm not hoisting flags on the moon during the day. )
8 to 9pm- dinner time/news time/Netflix tv time.
9pm onwards- social recluse time, return to your chambers and study (doing whatever you want)
During this entire period, my sister is still in her room. Mostly drawing, finishing her assignments, sketching, you know all that artistic stuff.
Okay, let me just tell you everything I can about coming here.
Arrival- Flights or train, whichever rows your boat. I did experience the perils of not being punctual when we were to board the train and we reached the platform 4 minutes before the departure. It was a touch-and-go moment honestly. I have run marathons, short distances, and all but I've never run with such fear. (Okay once, when 2 big black doggies were chasing me, one of the phobias I have inherited from mother dearest. I like dogs but I am an itty bit scared of them. Like when they scare you or come and lick you or something unexpectedly or chew your hair.)
just heard a weird sound in the hall. It's 3 am-ish.
Swear to God that font changed on its own. This site is funny.
(Changes my wallpaper to hanuman ji and plays Hanuman Chalisa on loop.)
I like the flight journeys though, faster, and less tiring than train ones. If you wish to see stewards, I would suggest SpiceJet (wink, please don't judge me for this.), but mom usually prefers Indigo. The Goa airport is nice, but none beats the one we have in Mumbai, I swear. It's so beautiful I do not wish to exit it at all. Oh, I do remember forgetting my Aadhar card (identity proof) at home and after last-minute scrambling, remembered I had an image of it on my phone.
You will need to do your COVID tests for both ways of transportation, the scary nose, and throat swab. No matter how many times I go through it, it never gets normalized for me. It's like those vaccination days where you go in the clinic all high and mighty, thinking it is just a needle, but the moment you see the doctor flicking the needle ( preparing the shot, imagine hitting a carrom striker) you become an athlete and run around the whole clinic and at last, they manage to grab you and, in goes the syringe.
For trains, only certain states require it, Goa did, so we had to do it. By flights, there is no exclusion for any state, and I still had to get it done for all the places I went. (Not many, just my native and Goa.)
Just ensure you have double/triple-checked all your documents and you should be good to go. Please for god's sake, leave your house early. Being early is certainly better than running in tears. Also, please wear a mask. I have seen people slinging it on their arms as if it's a sling bag.
Oh, funny story interruption-
A person and I were walking on the road, and this person had their mask dangling from their bag. I got agitated and requested them to wear it. They said '' It's okay, nothing is wrong here.'' To which, I gave a very prompt reply being ''Can you see the virus?'' Result- it qualified as good wit and the person agreed to wear the mask.
I've been back answered with all sorts of replies from'' I feel breathless'' to '' It makes my glasses foggy''. I have also seen people say things like ''It will ruin my lipstick'' and '' God created us, it will be His will if he wants to kill us.''
Yes, let us just leave it at that.
Transport once you are in Goa- Most good hotels can arrange for your pickups and drop-offs. But auto is really really really really expensive I kid you not. I once got charged one hundred rupees for 3kms. (He asked for two hundred but luckily enough my mom can speak fluent Konkani) Drawing comparison to Mumbai, the same distance would have cost me 40-50 and the worst would be sixty rupees with heavy traffic in the mix. You better hire a car for the entire day. Thanks to Covid, you will meet dozens of drivers just asking you upfront if you need a car. The economy is picking up, but it is bad here.
Okay, my door began making weird knocking noises, so I switched on the lights, locked the door, and showed the finger through the keyhole. Asserting my dominance pfft. Okay, it happened again, I am keeping the lights on. Energy conservation champions I am sorry but spare me this one night. I have been getting a good number of bad dreams here.
Food- If you are adventurous, try the Goan thalis (don't order an individual plate. learn to share and not waste your food) If you're a vegetarian you may have a challenging time finding variety, but for non-vegetarians, the ocean is the limit! Also, a small tip, do ask if a certain dish has meat cuts you do not eat (as beef and pork and other cuts are common here). Try searching for restaurants that have live singing! The people who sing here are the sweetest people ever and they take requests and somehow, they know all the songs. Such talented people, I tell you. But some restaurants close early/ open late so do check the timings! Also, enquire before entering if the place is pet-friendly/ smoking allowed.
Since the places are losing out on business, they're becoming laid back with their restrictions. I went to a beach shack, and it was so hard to eat my food with all the heavy smoke. I don't mind doggies, but this one cute Shih Tzu came with a lady and all the 5-6 big dogs ganged up on that dog. (or were being friendly, I don't know dog language woof woof.) The dogs were okay, the smoking was pressing my buttons.
Also, you get vada pav here, so relax.
A general thing- It's okay to pack your leftover food. No one will judge you or think you are cheap for doing it. Get rid of such a mindset, for real.
I have a question- If you saw a cute person in a restaurant would you approach them/ write on a tissue and pass it to them for a picture together?
Never mind.
Traveling- North has more touristy places, the South has more beaches, and the middle has, well the railway station, I guess? Most tourist things are closed, but some casinos are open. Do check the timings beforehand. For example, the Bom Jesus basilica closes by 4pm and there is also a requirement for your attire to be modest. Even if you do go late and don't get to enter, don't be disheartened, there's always this old man outside who will tell you all the stories about St. Xavier and the being of the place. If you're lucky you will get to see the photos as well!
Clothes- wear whatever you very well damn please to do so. (not where there is restriction like I mentioned above though. ) I did see a woman wearing a woolen black sweater on the beach, but okay I am not judging her.
Shopping- Things here are golly well expensive I must tell you that. Don't pay any more than 140 rupees (2 USD ish?) for hair braiding on the beach. Prices may be higher, but that is probably because of Covid. Then again, decide where to be generous and where to be a miser, it is your money. Do buy cashews but check them properly. I have seen a few people being cheated. I don't know much about alcohol shopping, but the Northside has more shops. You'll find cute accessories shops near the beach. The shopkeepers here can speak Russian and other languages as well!
I got a temporary cool scorpion tattoo. I was against getting tatted all my life but, just maybe when I grow up, I might get a small scorpion or a puzzling tattoo.
Water- Sad news, you don't get BMC water here. Opt for bottled sweet water. (You get saline ones too.)
clubbing- I have seen a few clubs open, usually after 8 pm, but I honestly do not have much information on these as 1) I am a minor, so no clubbing for me. 2) Haven't seen many clubs open.
I think I have covered everything, haven't I?
Back to my life now.
I have been re-exploring things around, in my personal life. Both in terms of self and career growth. A lot of releasing things/people who do not serve to help my purpose of being anymore. I found a frog on the road while walking to the grocery store. I am hopeful that I will be able to get some message from my spirit guide (yes I believe in spirituality, but my spirit guide is on hiatus as of now.) I should do a separate entry on all I know about the spiritualism topic!
I also realized I felt quite empty. Things that were supposed to make me happy weren't making me. For example, going to a restaurant. But when someone else would go to the same restaurant and post about it on their story, I would get jealous? For what?
I found out that staring at the mirror makes me happy. I looked at myself and I said ''Oh what a cutie, but wait why am I looking like a monkey, ki ki ki.'' and then replied '' But no monkey has such pretty hair and pretty looks like you do girl.'' So now every time I look at myself in the mirror I giggle. Hehe.
I did not really realize August is over until I remembered that August end was the last date for the US troops to withdraw from Afghan soil. I won't spill political opinions, it's troubled times. One of my nightmares had a similar theme, which still didn't stop me from watching the news.
Anyway, I hope this entry of mine helps you travel safely or has helped you change your thinking in some aspect. I think I will end this entry here.
Goan government, please sponsor me. Thank you.
Ah, I wish this world were a utopia. I can make it one. Silly me.
Here's a quote to end it for this day-
Note- By the way, I absolutely hate error or lack of flair in my writings so if you do come across a 'petty' spelling error, poor choice of words, a misspelled word, or a wrongly placed period or a comma, do let me know as I would highly appreciate it! If you have suggestions on how I could do better, keep them to yourself because this wouldn't be a nutcase's musing then, would it?
No comments:
Post a Comment
what do you think?