DEC 2, 11.. GOA

By Cap Chastain December 2, 2011 FRIENDS & OTHERS, Goa, INDIA, PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy about reading a book ..

In the east .. the ZEN MIND .. concludes .. read a book forty (40) times ..

In the west.. the WESTERN MIND .. concludes .. read forty (40) books one time each ..

I ‘ tend ‘ toward the ZEN MIND .. I would add with discernment .. there certainly are many books I would NOT read forty times .. maybe I will say that  most books I would not read forty times .. but there certainly are some  that .. for me .. require much more than a quick .. once over ..

IF you need to brush up on who Bert and who Trudi are.. go back to FWIW.. 70.. November 15, 2011 ..

Bert  gave to me a book .. so I sit .. with my one book .. I have NO other books with me to read or to even look over  .. and so .. off and on.. for over two weeks .. I have continued to read and pause and look over and (if not forty times MANY times) re-read my one book ..

And now.. I know my ONE book pretty well ..

My ONE little book has a title  .. it reads ..

G O A

PEARL OF THE ORIENT

Tourist Guide and Map (this word actually is  capitalized .. MAP)

Indian Map Service .. Jodhpur

Editors: Dr. R.P. Arya, Jitender Arya, Dr. Gayatri Arya  and Anshuman Arya..

Ah.. do you think all of these Arya folks might just be related ..

So by now.. after a lot of times through the book and after a lot of times studying the MAP .. because of this book and MAP ..

AND .. as the result of TALKING with a lot of people I have met here in Arambol Beach..

I do have some knowledge of Goa ..coupled with eleven (11) LOCAL bus rides.. as far south of me as Mapusa (Mapuca) and Panjim (Panaji) and Margao (Madgaon) .. the THREE largest cities in Goa.. and all the villages inbetwixt and inbetween .. don’t forget the bus-ride-from-hell back to Arambol Beach from Pernem .. not to brag.. but I have a pretty fair idea of what Goa is about and what is where and what it is I think I need to see ..

(Zilla.. this little book was written just for you and just for me .. because the little book will say .. DON’T MISS THIS..)

(the little book just said to me .. “Dad.. tell them I have sixty four (64) pages and my MAP that folds out four times wide and four times high  IS huge and I have a lot of little MAPS within my pages and a lot of nice colored photos.. and Bert only paid fifty (50) Rupees for me..)

SO ..  (with drums rolling) .. THANK YOU BERT FOR THE GIFT OF THIS WONDERFUL TOURIST GUIDE.. (you are D’ MAN BERT) ..

Now.. subject to me changing my plan(s) .. I have a PLAN..

Early next week.. maybe Monday.. I plan to pack my backpack with two or three  days worth of stuff .. and to do a few overnights away from my apartment here in Arambol Beach .. to explore some of  northern  Goa and the northern  ocean beaches here in  Goa ..

My PLAN is ..

Ride a local bus south from Arambol through Mapusa to PANJIM .. this should put me into Panjim about 9AM .. then riding a local bus go east from Panjim about five miles and explore OLD GOA ..  I have no clear idea of the time this will take..but I do NOT plan to make it a through and intense exploration visit.. I want to see the forest NOT each and NOT every tree.. (read Churches) .. after I ‘do’ Old Goa..

I will return to Panjim and get myself over to the following BEACH area(s)  on the ocean ..  and working North.. explore Sinquerim.. Candolim.. Calangute.. and Baga Beaches .. maybe even Anjuna Beach also..

Then grab a bus and head for Mapusa and back home to Arambol ..

Then I will decide .. do I need to do more exploration of the above area(s) or go further South past Margao .. or just sit tight and relax here in Arambol Beach ..

I could ALSO (this whole trip is a fifty-fifty.. flip a coin and call it deal) do the following.. go to Mapusa .. and from Mapusa .. NOT GO TO PANJIM BUT cut over to Anjuna Beach and work South down to Baga Beach .. Calangute Beach .. Candolim Beach .. and Sinquerim Beach .. and then Panjim and Old Goa ..

I do plan a few (read not more than two) nights away from Arambol on this outing ..

IF I want more time in the above area(s) .. then I will seriously consider re-locating South from Arambol Beach to stay in and to further study these other areas of Goa ..

I do not think this will be the case however.. THANKS to Lisa and to Bert and to Trudi.. I think I am where I need to be in Goa..

I just want to ‘ PAD my GOA Portfolio a tad’ .. 

OK.. over and out for now.. much love.. cap.