Fly @ Goa

Life is very busy. Lots to achieve and lots to conquer; lots of time is required in targets to meet and relatives to meet. Most of the time, energy and effort are spent in juggling for work life balance. A week’s break with your spouse and kids or friends is inevitable to bring the enormous energy needed for keeping this balance. Me and my husband believe that everyone should take a week’s off, pack their bags and set off to a new destination at least once a year. And this year our destination was Goa.

As we speak of “Goa”, the first pictures that most people visualize are beaches, drinks, casinos, pubs, camp fires at beach and party. And yes, Goa is exactly that and more to that. It will soothe you and intoxicate you by either the ‘Flower power’ available there or by the exotic beaches and groves. Goa is heaven for sea food lovers. I being vegetarian was also not condemned. Apart from vegetarian even Gujarati food was available cueing the omnipresence of the Gujaratis. Amusing or not, the streets were empty, shops closed at the day time, but the city is breathing at nights with lots of music and luminosity. Tito’s is the most famous pub at Baga beach and Condolim beach in the north Goa is my favorite beach. It is a little stretch of paradise which is much quieter and cleaner. The scrub covered dunes at the back of the beach adds to the beauty of the sands and the waters.

What intoxicated me in Goa is parasailing. My husband is fond of water sport and I ridicule them. Heights scare me. But he was stubborn and wanted to take me for para-sailing ignoring my reluctance and fears. Wearing the life jacket, the water bike was ready to take us at the steamer for parasailing. The waters of the Arabian Sea are tempestuous making the bike ride nothing short of the roller coaster ride. Here the tides rose to 5 to 7 ft or more at times making three of us vertical in poster giving more enjoyment to my husband and the rider. My scream and fears became their background music and reasons to laugh. Finally we reached the steamer but it gave me no relief as it was equally thrilling. The steamer was big that can occupy 10 to 12 people. A big colorful parachute lay at the forecastle. It was tied to the thick rope that went into a steel pipe. The water bikers were bringing 2 people at a time and we have to wait till the steamer is occupied. It was more embarrassing when I found that kids of the age 10 to 15 came for parasailing with full confidence. I was still denying going but my husband was too stubborn to listen. Harnessing ourselves, we climbed the forecastle where parachute was appended to the harness. Me and my husband were together in one parachute. The steamer increased the speed leaving us in the air. Just as when we fly kites we keep releasing rope slowly from string spool, the rope was released slowly increasing our height and my fears. In few minutes the altitude rose to 100 to 150 feet. The roars of the waters and the steamer elude leaving both of us mesmerized by the altitude and serenity. The panic and the multimillions thoughts that were passing through my head stopped, as if I am meditating. At the top, I can see the curve at the horizon the blue sea getting darker into the deep, the green dunces at the far end and the Western Ghats at the other side.  Except for the light sound of the wind, it was silent and captivating. Time has stopped and the though in constant motion i did not feel a single move. I could not do more but thank for this enthralling experience. I missed my camera, as I could have the best clicks from this angle. Time up and we started descending towards the steamer.

For me Goa was best remembered for the 10 minutes when I was at the top, serene and accomplished and the world was down there, bustling and strident.

Yatra