Jan. 6 : Palolem, India

Friday, January 6 :: Palolem, India :: 99km today / 1864km total

Last night during dinner I met a Saskatoonian who was interested in cycling out to Old Goa, to see the churches, 9km away... sounded good, so in the morning off we went, me on my bike, her on a rental. Fun for the morning.

Back in Panaji I put the war paint on and set out for Palolem, 75km away. It was very hot under the midday Sun but the tailwind was strong, the road flat, and I blew away the first 35km to Margao. In Margao something strange caught the corner of my eye, something in a shop window... Gatorade! Drink options in India have been minimal (water or pop), but apparently I will be able to find Gatorade on and off from now on. Unbelievably good luck.

Feeling quite cocky and very positive I left Margao for the final 40km to Palolem. Figuring the road would be flat and easy I cut loose, hammering along... then the Ghats appeared again and all went to hell. A final brutal, winding climb left me dizzy and weak, but it was all downhill for the last 8km to Palolem.

Palolem is bigger and busier than I expected, to my dismay. The beach is a beautiful crescent, bounded by headlands, about 1km long. Its wall-to-wall bamboo beach huts, restaurants, little shops, etc. Everything is geared towards backpackers, marginally, but you get the feel that in 10-15 years it will all be Hiltons and Marriots. Kind of a last gasp at being under-the-radar. Still, the food is fantastically varied, the Indians are laid-back, the tourists all have smiles, the rooming is cheap ($7.50 hut on stilts), the beer is cheap, the beach is clean... but it's no Thailand/Ko Pha Ngan.