Goa Diaries: A first look

As we dipped from the clouds, from a land above to a land beyond, lush green land space captured my eyes. For miles and miles there were big bright trees, shimmering emerald green under thin rays of sunlight in the otherwise overcast landscape; with thick undergrowth of fauna around them. The sight of small houses proved to be a great relief from the otherwise accustomed but inherently alien sights of concrete societies. As we moved along a jet speed and sharply curved about a point, planning to land; there presented itself the enchanting sea, in its majestic beauty, incomprehensible to men. The waves of dull blue ocean frolicked before breaking in white manes on the white sandy beaches running all along where I could steal a look. It was just like my dream; and I promised myself to go to the beach as often as possible.

Goa: The tourist destination of India. The land of palm trees, luscious beaches and inebriated night outs for college crowd.

The first opportunity to go to the beach presented itself at the end of the day when the night was still young; and the moon was hid behind the dark clouds hovering over the entire landscape. At night the wind was in full flow as if determined to seduce the weary people resting on the beach to the sea; bringing forth its smell and tales of the magical waves and tides. The water was calm, but as the case often is: it looked dark and magical; calling so strongly that it was better to stay away.

The sea of morning was much more serene and calm in appearance. Thick black clouds still hung in the sky, but in any case the day gradually dawned and it looked as if the world had woken up from a dream. The water of the sea was dark green, and it had already rolled back to a great extent from the previous night.



The entire sand was filled with crabs and the beach had eagles hunting for them, crows beaking them, locals digging them up and we picturing them disappearing fast into the sand as the water tried to wash them back into the sea. There were enormous amounts of star fish washed away at the shore, some covered in mud and presented themselves with a distinct outline of a star, while those which could be seen were white, and had a brown line running over all there star-legs, as if stitched with brown thread. There were also shells, and it was the first time I saw shell which actually contained an oyster in them, and there were several shells which had just been emptied, and were still slimy. For no particular reason, I washed them in the gush of water and kept them in my pocket.