Sitting opposite us at breakfast, the German woman had piercing blue eyes and skin more sun weathered than mine.  When she went to New Zealand to see her daughter; the landscape was spectacular but compared with India, she found it boring after a few days. As an anesthesiologist, she comforts her patients during the last two minutes of their consciousness with tales of the Mystic East.

We used to go to Goa until too many tourists and development diminshed the charm. What has saved Gokarna thus far is that it’s a temple town and the city fathers have regulated development along the beach. But as surely as the sun rises in the east, financial pressure will prevail. We’re grateful that so far it hasn’t changed that much.

Unbeknownst to us our last hike turned out to be the best.

Marina led us through the shady jungle to Half Moon Beach. You can only get there by foot so there’s just two cafes and no accommodations. 

After a swim and lunch, we continued via a narrow path high up above the sea

…to Om Beach which in comparison was a let down –  too crowded.

Another swim, and we took a rickshaw back to town toward evening.  A full day’s outing, and I slept soundly.  But poor Gerard was bothered by his numerous bites –sand fleas, or spiders… He’s a shield for me from any crawling or flying invaders. Not surprisingly, he’s ready to move on, and after six weeks even I’m ready for a change of scene. But I’ll always love the beach.