OM Beach, Golkarna, December 23 2008

I'm having a great time in OM beach. I'm now in a better guest house. The food is also good and many people come to eat. It is called Sangang. If you are local to the guest shop. You don't need money. They write down what you take and you can pay all together.
OM is the 2nd beach after the Gokarna village and Kuttle beach. From the village
you walk over the a rocky hill (15-20 minutes) and you get to Kuttle beach. This is a wider beach with more guest houses and more bars/restaurants. From Kuttle you walk another 15-20 minutes over a rocky hill and you get to OM. You can keep going and get to paradise beach. I haven't been there yet. OM is a small bay with about 10 guest houses. In each there is a restaurant. Most guest houses have a few rooms and a few huts. Most rooms don't have a shower/toiled inside. They are shared. Some do. Nirvana Guest house seems to be the best in OM with beautiful rooms with hammocks, great garden, etc.
I'm happy in the Sangan where I'm staying. Shared bathroom (western style) and shared shower (cold only) but at least you don't need to use a bucket.
For the last two days I've been walking at 7:00 AM to the village. The village has a few temples and is quite sacred to the Hindu. The walk is about 35-40 minutes.
I'm meeting tons of people. I'm putting my shyness aside and talking to everybody. I'm surprised on how good I can smalltalk with whoever. I'm also using all the languages I know.
I'm meeting many people, of special notice is Ivana. She is 52 and bit older than the crowds, like me. She has been coming to OM for the last 15 years. An interesting woman Serbian/Croatian which has been married with a dutch guy and to a greek guy 15 younger than her. She lived for 12 years in Greece. She speaks many languages. She and a group of people are staying in the neighbor guest house Nirvana. She is kind of the Mon of the group which has two Norwegian girls, an Israeli, a Canadian, two Indians, a few British, etc.
I became good friends with her and now she is kind of getting me in the group.
She likes to drink a bit (and smoke good stuff) so the mood is always fun.
So I've been hanging around with them sometimes.
Yesterday after 20 years I played soccer on the beach. This 26 year old Norwegian girl comes with this ball which I though was a volleyball, but not, it was a soccer ball. Inga this girl is like a bull. Very strong and incredible good in playing soccer. So we played. Two by two. Me and the Italian against her and another Turkish guy. I feel great that I'm not falling behind in my shape from people 20 years younger than me. Surprisingly I still can play OK soccer.
So we stay in the beach until sunset. The water is calm, few waves. I'm doing body surfing which I used to do when I was young. I feel in great shape. I think I lost some more weight. I don't even have a mirror in the room, so I don't know how I look.
Today I went to a Yoga class in the neighbor beach. OK but not amazing. There are other yoga places around.
Tomorrow is Christmas and I think the Nirvana group will organize something.
I'm sitting in the evening with all kinds of people. And everybody smokes joints here.
You really don't belong if you don't. Another set of guys tried to teach me to smoke.
I'm trying but I don't feel anything. Anyway I can fake :-).
Alcohol is much more expensive than in Goa, but readily available. Beers are all around and more. So towards evening everybody is happy.
There are lots of cows in the beach and also many dogs, puppies. There are gangs of one female and many male dogs and they kind of protect their territory. Sometimes they bite the female.
The cows are very friendly, but many people had their books eaten by the cows. So you can easily be cow hassled, or they can eat your stuff or book.
I love the dogs. They are dirty and ugly but friendly. In the morning I pet them and they come with me wherever I go.
Paradise !!!!!!!!!!