Om Beach and Goa

Nov 26-28 and Dec 2–11
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkSNewell/HampiTheBeachesAgondaOm#
Originally we weren't planning to stop in Goa, but it was just too convenient a stop on our way to Hampi (see below) to say no to the white sand, warm water, and relaxing beach life style. We decided to steer clear of the super touristy parts of Goa, and made a bee line to the quite beaches of Agonda and Om Beach (named so because the beach line is shaped like the Om symbol). Did you know that the Goa of the late 90's – the all night techno parties under the full moon – is all but gone? Yup – the government cracked down big time, as the hippy/drug/party organizing crowd couldn't afford the steep bribes the government was asking, and in the end high-end tourism had the bigger wallet. Most of Goa is now more like Cancun than India. What a shame. Some towns even have bans on loud music after 10pm, and some clubs now offer "silent discos" where all the dancers wear wireless headsets and groove to a silent beat.

We managed to find two idyllic out-of-the-way beaches to relax, eat lots of fish, and swim for countless hours a day. We were horrified to realize that we hadn't been swimming in nature since last December when we went to Belize! (Yes, we did spend a month ON the water this August kayaking, but the water was so cold we only bathed – no swimming). I had not been feeling well since we were in Gujarat – low energy, no appetite, nauseous at times – and finally, three days ago, came down with my first real tummy bug of the trip. Om Beach was a good place to recover and eat bland tourist food for a few days.