Goa. Part 1

At the end of October last year we, a small company of four people went to rest in Goa. We went just for a week, but during that time managed to visit quite a few places to mingle with the locals and a little to feel the atmosphere of life in Goa. But let's order.

Goa is a small state in India. First was a Portuguese colony, and then English. The status of the state of India got only in 1987. Christianity in India is common among the 2.3% of the total population, and the majority of Christians live just in Goa. Here is the large number of Catholic temples and churches. They say in Goa for Konkani (a variation of Hindi) and English. All the Indians speak English very well, except that with her accent.

India though a developing, but still a very poor country. 25% of the population live below the poverty line, receiving approximately 50 rupees per day (35 Russian rubles. To get the price in rubles, the price in rupiah has to be multiplied by 0.7). However, it doesn't really bother the Indians, because the American dream no one here is being chased, and people are glad that they have. Goa is very well developed manual work: people will embroider pictures on t-shirts, cut figurines and boxes of wood...

Traditions, customs

The left hand is the dirty hand. Can she eat and touch other people – is an insult. The thing is that toilet paper the Indians do not enjoy, and with the left hand wipe butt. Of course, in the hotels and restaurants in tourist areas have toilet paper, but in the archaeological Museum in Old Goa I have not found her. Only the tap to wash his dirty left hand.

Pretty hard to live here women. To give his daughter in marriage – the parents give ads in Newspapers. At the wedding the parents of the bride must give the groom a gift which he will choose. When the wife dies the husband she selected all the property and children. In General, to live to her remains no need, so early in her husband's death, his wife burned themselves. Abolished this tradition a few years ago, however, over the last two years were 42 cases of self-immolation, said the guide.
Road, movement, stories
The roads in Goa are just amazing. For them to drive motorcycles, mopeds, cars. People walk over them, dogs, cows and sometimes even elephants. Typical road width as half of our two-lane. The seizure of India by the British brought here drive on the left. Rule right of interference. However, there are no rules nobody observes: who first drove it.

Водителям автобусов помогают специальные мальчики («свистуны»), которые свистят перед поворотами, предупреждая других водителей о том, что едет автобус.

Наибольший интерес представляют именно двухколесные транспортные средства (мопеды и мотоциклы). Ехать на байке, когда вокруг растут пальмы, и обдувает теплый морской ветер, - несомненно, лучшее времяпрепровождение в Гоа. Конечно, тем, кто никогда не водил скутер или мотоцикл, будет очень сложно влиться в хаотичное движение, поэтому лучше сначала потренироваться на родине. Я и перед отъездом читал, что в Гоа много гоняют на байках, но, честно сказать, я не думал, что настолько много. Мотоциклов и мопедов здесь больше, чем машин. Парковка, специально размеченная под мотоциклы, на пляже или около магазина – типичное явление.

Но и без всяких парковок скутеры ставят везде. Говорят, что проблем с этим нет, потому что их обычно не воруют. В любом случае, документы на скутер лучше взять с собой.

Tourists
Unfortunately, we met a lot of tourists who come here to guzzle beer and hang out at the hotel and on the beach. Simply put, they are looking for in Goa instead of Turkey or Egypt. If you do not want to meet such characters, it is best to go as far to the North (Morjim, Arambol).

Hippie
Goa – the last refuge of the hippies. People who have long recognized the falsity of the Western lifestyle, chose Goa the ideal place for frozen because of this little piece of land "civilized" world.

However, the real hippies here there are very few. "There are no hippies", "No hippies, they are finish" - that's what we have heard, asking questions of the Indians about where they live hippie.

However, the answer we eventually found. All the remaining hippies migrated to the North. You can try to look for them in cities such as Vagator, Morjim, Arambol and surrounding. Farther North is the more likely to find a hippie and less likely to meet tourists.

This guy (of course, if you could call him a guy) name is Stevie. We met him at the flea market in Anjuna. Stevie is originally from England but now lives in Goa. On Wednesdays he comes to the market and reads Tarot cards for everyone. And it is free. Or you can pay as much as you wish. Quite amusing the fact that Stevie has its own web site, Skype and Facebook account.

30 years ago Stevie arrived from England and stayed in Goa. In the morning when still sleep, he goes to the sea and playing the guitar. He says that for him a better life. It can be understood...