Goa, India 8/13/07

Saligao (Goa), India 8/13/07

This will be a short entry. I only have a few pages left in this book but also because I'm just killing time before my massage therapist is available. I'm spending this morning at the Ayurvedic Natural Health Centre, just outside of Calangute, and I am about half way though my planned activities.

I started here at 7:30 this morning with a yoga class. A small class of about 5 people. Most of them appeared to be about the same level of experience as me which is just better than novice. The instructor was good but far from an old, mystic, yoga guru, wearing a white sheet and sitting like a pretzel in a cave on some mountain. I need to work up to that level. This was still yoga in India though, it's birthplace, so I feel like I've crossed something off my "1,000 Things To Do Before You Die" list.

After my yoga class there was a herbal breakfast which turned out to be a lot of fruits, rice dishes, chick peas, etc. I enjoyed it but my Dad and Brother would still be confused on how it could be called breakfast. There wasn't even coffee.

Following breakfast I had my Body Constitution Evaluation where I sat with an Ayurvedic Doctor and she determined what my body type was. The evaluation begins with a simple description of what the word Ayurvedic even means which is "Life Knowledge". It was a very interesting explanation. It seemed to me that what Wellness practices are to Western medicines, Ayurvedic is to homeopathic medicine. Essentially; know what determines good health, and the best ways to stay healthy, so you can prevent major illnesses and injuries.

Of course that is just my rough opinion of it based on one 90 minute consultation. Many of the things she explained seemed very logical and therefor true in my mind. Other aspects seemed a little general, unfounded, and more of a correlation rather than an actual direct cause for something. While I saw the logic in most of it I'm sticking to my balance philosophy. Too much of any one thing is bad for you....whether it's red meat or yogurt.

Ayurvedi medicine defines three body constitutions; Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The Doc determined that I was Pitta dominant with some minor Kapha. Based on the description that she gave me of all three I would say she was 90% accurate. She then went through some eating habits and other exercises that are good for a person like me.

They were generally all things I was already doing except for cutting back on spicy foods. She said I'm already a "fire person" so I shouldn't eat things that could overheat me. A few times a week was OK but not everyday. I let out an audible "Doh!" that I think she understood without probably ever seeing an episode of the Simpson's.

Also during my consultation I explained my hatred for tomatoes and my indifference to red meat. She smiled. "You probably don't like red wine much either do you?" she asked.
"I don't. How did you know that?!"
"Because Pitta people should not eat a lot of red things."


Wow! That explains a lot! If only my Mother would have had me tested as a child! We could have avoided so many dinner table fights. Then again I don't think there were many Ayurvedic Doctors in Philo, Illinois so I suppose it wasn't a case of parental neglect.

Up next is my Kitzi massage, a procedure they described as best for joint or back pains. Even though my joints feel pretty good it seemed like the best massage option for me based on what they offered. The other descriptions highlighted the use of oil and that just doesn't sound real appealing to me.

My back is still a little tender at times though. A new affliction from sleeping in Jillian's extra soft bed while back in the States in June. A problem I fear will be worse when I return in October. I've gotten quite used to sleeping on hard surfaces; cheap dorm beds, Asian futons, floor mats, airport benches, overnight trains and buses, even the ground now and then. A return to a normal mattress will take time to get used to.

I have been in this area of Goa for about 5 days and in general like it much more than Mumbai. It is still a very poor area but it's out of the big city so not everything is in your face as much. I passed through the town of Pananji for a few nights on the way here and really liked that spot also.

Pananji is a small city with lots of character. I rented a bike for one of the days there and covered most of the town including a ride to the nearby beach of Mirmar about 3km away. I stayed in Pananji for a few nights and was finally able to get the running shoes out and use them for the purpose that I brought them, actual running. It was insanely hot but it still felt great. I love running in a new spot and the route I took along the Mandovi River was one of the cleanest spots I have found in India so far.

Beach Front Housing

Now I am staying in the beach area of Baga but with the scooter I rented for a couple days I have hit many of the other areas like Calangute, Fort Aguada, and Candulim. This whole area reminds me of L.A.; a string of beach towns running along the coast. Of course the actual landscape and amenities are totally different than L.A. so it's a very rough similarity and probably only exists in my mind.

Filling up my scooter...with 1 liter of gas.

Good thing I pulled up next to the pump!

I'll save my insights, thoughts, and opinions as well as new travel stories for another entry. Right now I'll just say I'm having a great time and I have finally settled back into my travelling groove. It usually only takes me a day or two but for some reason it took almost a week this time. It's hard to describe what I mean. It's just a feeling. I'm not sure how it clicks into gear. It probably helps that I've been able to get in some exercise. I don't know how it happens but I know what if feels like when it has. It's a moment when I stop feeling internally overwhelmed by everything new around me and I just feel comfortable. I let the guard down some, not enough that I could find myself in trouble but enough so that I don't feel like everyone is trying to rip me off or danger is lurking around the corner.

I'm not sure why I always feel like this when I first start out, especially the financial fear. I know there are as just as many rip offs, or more, in the States. There price is not even negotiable. Here when a guy gives you a price he's just trying to make a living. If the price he gives is double what he actually would have accepted, and you agree to it, well then that's just good business. It's not done with malice. Just like when Tommy Bahama charges me $100 for a shirt they probably bought for $1 or I pay $10 for a concert beer that actually cost them about 50 cents. They are not evil for overcharging. It's just business. I'm the stupid one for paying it in any case foreign or domestic.

Anyway, my babbling point is I'm feeling good; happy, excited, curious, anxious. All that and I haven't even had my massage yet!

MJF