City Feet - Dirty feet in Goa. Part 1.

Released on 2006-04-29. Dirty feet in Goa. Part 1.
26-03-06 (IMG_0511 - IMG_0563): We left Moscow in the evening. The fly seemed to be very long ? 7,5 hours. At night it became quite cold and we put on our socks from time to time. We arrrived to India early in the morning. The air was extremely hot and wet and first we thought, that it would be impossible to breathe. When we made pics of getting our luggage in the airport, the security-guard told us, that we shouldn' take pics in the airport. As it was overcrouded in the street, we were afraid first time even to make a step we feared that our defendless feet would be hurt at once. We took a taxi and went to Baga ? a small district in Goa, where was our hotel. We were gassed, that the dust on the streets was as soft as a carpet. There were no places in the hotel and we went to another one. When we took pics of our bare feet near reception desk, the waiter brought us cool drinks.
People in the hotel took our bare dusty feet as something habitual and natural. Though, for the locals it was not a usual thing ? to walk without shoes themselves. But they traditionally took off their shoes at entrance of a room or shop, to say nothing of a shrine. Our room was quite a pretty one with a view on a swimming-pool. But the room was so dirty, that we couldn't even find a place to put our luggage. We hard;y found a house-keeper, who immediately took off his shoes and began to clean the room. After the breakfast we went to the beach - Baga Beach. There we found out, that we could live in one of the cute cottages near the sea and in the evening we settled there. The day was too long and we went to bed only at 4 o'clock in the morning.
28-03-06 (IMG_0642 - IMG_0894): We got up late ? at 10.30 a.m., took some pics in our cottage village, that was a very picturesque place. Then we went shopping and bought pretty indian skirts, that were very useful in such hot climate. We took a walk in the city, found a great amount of beautiful places, yards, Buddah's statue and local dwellers, who were begging for money. The day was very dense ? first we had breakfast in a pretty cafe for tourists, then we saw an elephant in the street and managed to take some photos with it, then Toma made a call to her relatives in Germany and to her boyfriend.
Then we went to a mandir. We were lucky ? there was a ceremony there and all the territory was covered with flowers. People could feel free in the mandir ? they could everything. Near the mandir there was a store, where the guests could get a temporary tattoo. I made a pretty tattoo with fish on my right ankle. As a bonus the tattoo master drew a mystical sign on my hand. To say more, we didn't find any sharp objects in sand and dust in the streets. The only uncomfortable thing was ? terribly hot asphalt and sand in the noon. But in general we enjoyed our barefoot walk on a soft carpet of sand and dust.
29-03-06 (IMG_0905 - IMG_1107): At least we got to the sea and laid in the sun. The local masseur ? Sheila ? made me the complete massage of body, spread me all over with coconut oil. In the restaurant, where we had dinner and shot our feet, a group of tourists looked at us with unflagging interest. First they cast glances at us, then ? at our feet. After the dinner we went on with our walk to the non-tourist part of the town. It was very dark and soon we began to feel glass and other sharp things with our bare soles. In other not to be hurt, we put on our shoes. At least we faced a catholic temple. On the territory of the temple there was a funeral with several tombs. We explored every inch of the saint place with our bare feet. And on our way from the funeral we got acquainted with some children on the scooters. They took us to a beautiful beach with palm trees - Anjuna Beach. All the night we spend on the coast with the cottage hosts and I even swam in the night sea.