After settling down in our budget accommodation and a long required shower, we were ready for a good chill out session. 13kms north of Panaji (along National Highway 17), Anjuna is famous for the quintessential Goan experience because of the flea market. Held every Wednesday, it offers endless stalls selling all sorts of touristy items like T-shirts, beachwear, second hand books and cosmetic jewellery. It was a pity that we were not able to stay till then; our silly work commitments await us in the city of traffic jams.
We got into 1 typical pub (complete with Bob Marley posters and a flag with a marijuana leaf in the center) for beach hippies and got ourselves a couple of Kingfishers before dinner. Deciding what's going to be on the table that evening wasn't difficult as well. Coming from the landlocked Bangalore, seafood would definitely play the leading role. Cheaper and fresher, I had a seafood (with lots of fish, shrimps and squid) spaghetti for Rs100/S$3.70. Coupled with another Kingfisher (that was my third large for the day), it certainly made this harsh world slightly better to live in.
Woke up at 8am and went (after my first Kingfisher) for a swim in the Arabian Sea. Robbie Sir offered to share his breakfast (typical farang style) of eggs/potatoes/mushrooms and I kindly obliged. Next was the dreadful checkout (we didn't even know that we spent an entire morning in that pub!) where we reluctantly packed our bags and dumped it back to the car. Although we tried to explore the surroundings; the weather was so unforgiving that we went back to the pub for another beer. Afterall, we were just a bunch of unappreciated workaholic starving for a good rest.
Good times flies (and bad times don't). Got back to the car and began the long and winding journey back. We knew we were in shitty land when the Karnataka state border police grunted if we had brought alcohol back. "No, sir", I replied coldly (you can only save Rs10 per bottle). He walked away in disgust; thinking about his inability to squeeze a couple of rupees out from these rich tourists while we drove off giggling (silently) with our bottle of cashew fenny (Rs150) intact in the car boot. |
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Although the sun had set, it left a charming glow that was captured by my camera.
- Impressions of Anjuna, Goa, India. |
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Watching Austin Powers III Goldmember and drinking a Kingfisher (Rs70/S$2.59) is the most perfect way to waste a Goan evening.
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I watched with horror (just gotg back from my swim) as the cow pee on the beach!
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Spending a perfect Goan morning with my Kingfisher (Rs60/S$2.22) and a cigarette (Marlboro Light, free from Alfredo Sir) in Shore Bar, Anjuna. |
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A group photo for touristy memories; the gang in front of Ocean Pearl Guesthouse (Rs200/S$7.40 for a room with shared toilets), Anjuna.
From left: wyattwang.com, Alfredo Sir and Robbie Sir |
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A makeshift market selling typical tourists stuff along Anjuna beach.
p.s.: Note that this is not the famous Wed flea market. |
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wyattwang.com doing it on Anjuna beach.
p.s.: If you look carefully, you may be able to spot a little beer belly on my waist! |
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The silhouette of a man (caused by the glaring afternoon sun) walking along the beach.
- Impressions of Anjuna, 6 Apr 08, 1650hrs |
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"Politicians would say that it is just the plate that had got larger, not the fish that had got smaller".
This picture reminded me of a WWF or World Wildlife Fund (not World Wrestling Federation) advertisement that I once saw in Newsweek magazine. Anyway, this is just our painfully small (and expensive) pomfret tandoori (Rs70/S$2.59) taken in Shalimar (a restaurant in Margao, Goa).
When questioned, the attendant told us that the size of the fish was "medium" and was sufficient (?!?) for 4 people.
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Along the Arsikere-Tumkur highway. The sunrise offers such a welcoming relief from an exciting journey we just had. Try negotiating blind corners at 60-80kms/hr in the middle of the night along the road to Jog Falls in Karnataka; maybe I value my life too much or I simply have no balls. |
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