I went on a week-long vacation after an important project. I felt lost. Sought calmness, time to think, and restore my artistry. And did I find it?
Starting with Cabo De Rama. It felt like a place to run to on noisy days. This had a rustic essence. The orange land surrounded by deep blue water felt Persian during the golden hour.
This stretch made me appear small.
Up next was Cola. This was hard to reach. 17km drive and a 2-3km downhill hike. But I never loved a beach this much. The water hit the shore strongly. The beach huts were built royally. A lagoon felt like a pool the beach has reserved for herself. Got 100mbps wifi with good food. But no network. Had a skin burn by this time. Felt superior for a reason.
Butterfly Beach was on my bucket list for long. Checked it off. It’s not very accessible on foot if you don’t take a ferry. My hands got red driving off-road. The 3km man-made trail went amidst the forest. Slipped twice during the hike. Got cuts on my feet. School track nostalgia hit hard.
Climbed up a big rock for the sunset. The setting sun added a yellow accent to the water surface. The dark sedimented rocks contained the sea in a jar.
Camped till 1 am with strangers. It felt risky, I intended to be careless. No lights, just a fire. The sound of the waves from the high tides was felt, never seen. It hit a chord. One hard to explain. I felt untroubled.
Next day a local told us about a waterfall nearby. It ended up being a 40 km scenic drive and a 2km downhill hike. Was called Saavri. Waterfall wasn’t worth it though.
In the last 2 days, I kept coming back to a spot in the middle of Patnem & Palolem.
And gazed into the abyss as it gazed back into me.
Was shown this spot by another local on day 1. This was in the middle of a settlement of Indians and others. Met an Israeli man with his 4 beautiful children. He told it has been 15 years for him here and runs a restaurant in Palolem. Met a girl from Greece. We shared a drink and talked about the view, life, and what we seek. Quietly sat for a while. Then parted ways. I came back to my hotel and prepared to go back to where I come from the next day.