Patnem, Goa

The gentle waves of the Arabian Sea roll onto the fine grain sand in front of our thatched bungalow. The sea view is framed by the rustic wood rail of the porch below and the fringe of the thatched roof above. Today is slightly overcast with a light breeze that tempers the humidity and prevents the heat from becoming oppressive. The sea is darker today from the overcast yet is still warm and inviting.

Deb peers from the window of our bungalow in paradise

We started our morning with a yoga session on the beach followed by a swim in the 85 degree water. After a quick rinse, we walked up the beach to a little restaurant for a breakfast of fruit filled crepes and strong black tea. After a leisurely walk back to our bungalow, we enjoy the slowly warming day.

View from our window

Patnem Beach is a mile long stretch of pristine sand. Its pristine nature is maintained by daily cleaning courtesy of sari clad ladies with stick brooms that rakec the sand clean. The wide crescent bay is bracketed at either end by rocky headlands capped by the fringe of coco palms.


Along the shore, numerous bamboo huts and open air restaurants offer shelter and food to a diverse group of international travelers. There is a virtual babble of languages as one passes the huts and tables along the beach. The restaurants, which are little more then shacks, offer an incredibly diverse international menu for the hungry tourists. Yet this is a temporary paradise.


Each May, due to government regulations, every hut, shack, table and chair must be removed from the sand. Each October, everything is rebuilt anew for the coming tourist season. No one wants to be here from June to September as the heat becomes oppressive and the monsoon drenches everything; flooding the streets and making travel by road nearly impossible at times.

Our four days here have passed much too quickly as we while away the time swimming, sunning, reading, eating and sleeping. There is not much else to do here and it has suited us just fine.

Self portrait on the beach

We did have the strange fortune of landing in the only place that celebrates Carnivale. Once a Portuguese enclave, Goa has a large catholic population. However, Mardi Gras has only been celebrated here recently at the behest of a hotelier who read about Carnival in Rio and thought it might boost the local tourism. As a result many of the towns in Goa have elaborate festivities complete with floats, parades, and raucous parties. We were away from any population centers on our beach but we did get treated to a sporadic fireworks show as we sat on the beach enjoying the warm night air.

A view of the next beach to the south

Paradise, however, is never perfect. In a nearby town, Islamist terrorists bombed a local tourist hangout killing 10 innocent workers and patrons. The Indian Mujahadeen are targeting tourist areas especially those patronized by Americans or their allies. It is sad that the world has come to this but at the same time we can not allow ourselves to live in fear or they win. Not surprisingly, we have met very few Americans on this trip. In that regard the terrorists are winning. Now there are increased travel advisories from the American consulate that stop just short of telling us we should leave the country. We will stay and keep a low profile as we always do and try to enjoy our moments in paradise.

Goan sunset

As I write this, we are enroute to Kolkata for the wedding of our friends, Simran and Ale. We are looking forward not only to the wedding but to our stay with our gracious hosts, the parents of Simran, the bride in question. It promises to be an interesting several days and I will report on the festivities as soon as I can. In the meantime think of us lounging in the bosom of Mother India.