In Between Beaches

Went to Goa and back via 12 hour sleeper bus over the weekend.. Shirin and I Left Thursday night and spent the entire weekend on the sand. This photo of Palm trees and clear lagoons was taken just a short hike up from the commercialized beach, over the cliffs on the north side of Calangute, before reaching Anjuna. Calangute in feburary is packed with european vacationers, an entirely different feel from the last time I had stayed here, months earlier at the end of Monsoon, with the Golden Age group from the JCC.

The streets of Goa at this time of the year are even a bit more crowded and colorful, as Indians and tourists gather to celebrate Carnival in Goa. I missed most of the action, as it was in the nearby town on Panjim, but caught a couple of the floats on their way as they drove past my balcony mid morning on friday.

One day after finding my way back down from 'between the beaches', I picked up some shells near the waters edge, without realizing there were still teeny crabs inside! quickly dropped those ones back into the sea. Also helped some Goan fishermen push their boat back into deeper water before sunset. We worked while an elderly man watched the waves and yelled when a large ones were coming that would help us push the boat along. A group of Goan guys ( and me!) shoved the boat full of fishing nets and silvery fish on his command until it was no longer stuck...

The weekend away was refreshing, and even though I slept on the bus sunday night, rolling from side to side as the bus turned on the highway, I felt invigorated monday back at work in muggy Mumbai. This upcoming week will be busy, planning some upcoming community events and organizing volunteers for our own Purim carnival we'll be having in the center.