Toward the end of our stay, Gerard asked three locals that we knew quite well a question. All three were born and raised in Varanasi, more or less the same age, mid-40s, and more or less the same status.

“In your opinion what is the biggest change in Varanasi since you were a child?”

Without hesitation, all three gave virtually the same answer.

“There is a great change in the mentality.”

“In what way?”

“Most people are only interested in making money these days. And many don’t care how they do it. Sense of morality has eroded. People used to be more caring and not just for their own family. And there was more interest in our culture.”

“How do you mean?”

“As a child, we had classical Indian music concerts all the time, and people came to Varanasi to learn that music. Now it barely survives.”

“But the Dhrupad Mela was very popular?”

“Yes, but these festivals only happen twice a year.”

All three of them had expressed the same opinion in a slightly different way. When Gerard raised the question of pollution —

“Pollution is pollution and it’s coming from everywhere, not just Varanasi. It’s the mind of the people who have changed.”

It certainly was not the answer we expected — pollution, corruption, overcrowding, broken infrastructure etc. –not what we heard. Of course, we only have a nine-year perspective on change in Varanasi. But our experience with the people here would not elicit such a response. Even the merchants have greeted us with warmth and friendliness. You could think that it’s just based on making another sale but then why would they invite us to their family wedding, anniversary, and Holi party — have lunch with us, give us lunch and endless clay cups of chai. After thinking about what we heard, our reaction was: we like the city now, but it really must have been wonderful 25/30 years ago.

We’d had brief conversations with people in both Gokarna and Guljibagha that forewarned us of what’s happened in Agonda. Each year we’ve watched it lose its original charm. This it sounded really bad.

Urick and Joana accompanied us on the bus ride to Chaudi (our good luck because Gerard had put his back out and we needed help with the ‘small cases’). Then a short rickshaw ride to the guesthouse where we’ve been staying for at least six years, primarily because it’s all the way at the southern end of the beach where it’s much less developed. But what we hadn’t foreseen was that the open space was prime for building. More beach huts, more restaurants, more souvenir shops…and now great Heineken and Kingfisher banners flapping in the sea breeze.

Six years ago

Our guesthouse owners, Rita and Dominic, were very pleased to see us, hugs and kisses all around. Tatiana, our friend from Russia, was the only familiar guest. Then we asked how much for our usual room. They quoted a 25% increase. Gerard grabbed his heart and said, “Rita, what are you trying to do to us?” Of course, their response was, “Oh, we can get so much more. And you’re only staying two weeks.” “Rita, please what can you do for us?” “Ok…Ok…” and she dropped the increase down to 12%.” Now, after being here for a week and learning about the exorbitant prices of the glorified beach huts, we realize that maybe the price is not so bad after all.

Six years ago

Today

Walking up the street, our first evening, we saw maybe 15 people we casually knew from years past. That didn’t include all of the shopkeepers who greeted us with a smile and “welcome back.” But Gerard lamented that our close friends, Frederick, Jonny, Michael, Richard and Jane were not here this year. OMG, does this mean less conversation, more beach?? The next shock came when we got to the restaurant and saw the menu prices. A good thing, we only eat out in the evening.

Walking up the street, our first evening, we saw maybe 15 people we casually knew from years past. That didn’t include all of the shopkeepers who greeted us with a smile and “welcome back.” But Gerard lamented that our close friends, Frederick, Jonny, Michael, and Jane were not here this year. OMG, does this mean less conversation, more beach?? The next shock came when we got to the restaurant and saw the menu prices. A good thing, we only eat out in the evening.

Seven years ago

Today

We resumed our usual routine –breakfast and lunch on the balcony; swimming in between; the birds still sing sweetly in the trees — all of this hasn’t changed. It’s that the town has become one of the most sought after beaches in Goa. Not helped by the reference to Agonda as ‘the best beach in India” on Trip Advisor and a write up in Conde Naste. We do our best to ignore the ongoing construction of every possible square inch of this little strip of land beside the sea, and enjoy the warm water, friendly chats over chai and good baingen dahiwalla cooked by Babu at Little Plantain.

Our friends Russ and Caroline from Wells, England had “very good news.” After a series of family tragedies they decided to take up early retirement and hit the road. Once they’d made the decision, everything miraculously fell into place. An ad for the large American RV they wanted appeared, Russ got a notice in the mail allowing him to cash in a pension fund early, then he managed to sell his window cleaning business enabling him to pay off his mortgage and buy the RV. Renting their house will provide enough income for them to take to the road and travel indefinitely through Europe and perhaps beyond.

Besides Russ and Caroline and Tatiana there’s a dearth of interesting characters in Agonda this year. Then Gerard met a family on the beach from Moscow who had decided not to go back because it was too depressing. “No one in Moscow smiles.” This matched Tatiana’s remark of last year that everyone’s depressed because it’s always raining. “The only day the sun comes out is when there’s a national parade. The weather’s controlled by the government,” she concluded.

And that evening we had planned to meet for dinner six meter Peter, the violinist from Switzerland. Much to our surprise Krystyna and her mother from Poland had just arrived. They’ve all been coming for as long as we have. Mother has Alzheimer’s but each year she seems to get a little better from the sunshine and swimming in the sea. Krystyna lives in Prague and makes Czech documentaries on political issues that she translates into Polish. This year she’s accompanied by a Czech man the same age as Gerard. Karel had left what was then Czechoslovakia in 1968, just before the Soviet occupation, the same year Gerard left the U.S. With the assassinations of MLK and RJK, the last straw was the democratic convention in Chicago. Even Gerard’s mother encouraged leaving the country. A pivotal year in both Gerard and Karel’s lives. They had a lot in common. Karel stayed away for 20 years, only returning and seeing his family again after the Communist Regime collapsed. Gerard was only gone for 5 years; being in foreign cultures, especially North Africa, had an indelible impact on him. Returning during Watergate hearings was perfect timing. His wife to be witnessed the undoing of a President. Not grasping the full gravity of the situation, her allegiance was with the beleaguered Nixon!

Both us needed more dental work. Gerard had to go back to redo a crown, made a year ago, that never fit. Obviously he was not excited at the prospect of having them in his mouth again. On the other hand, I had a good experience last year, and had no qualms in returning. You might have guessed. Gerard goes back a week later to have the new crown put on, and that wasn’t made properly either. The dentist said come back in a week. I told him we wouldn’t be here that long. So he suggested going to his main practice, next to the lab, in north Goa two hours away. And how much will the taxi cost? Gerard asked. “Oh, 2 or 3,000 Rs.” “That’s not acceptable.” After much discussion between all parties involved, the specialist agreed to send his car and driver to pick him up. A much better solution but still a waste of one of our last days in Agonda. And it was a successful trip.

It’s harder for me to say goodbye to Agonda than Gerard. I loved this town from our first visit. There was little between the sea and me and I felt a freedom I don’t have for the most part traveling in India. But on the other hand there’s very little adventure or sense of discovery here. Each year, toward fall, we’d start planning our next India trip and foremost in my thoughts was returning to Agonda. On each visit the town became more familiar, more comfortable and we’d pick up with friends again. I understand others who say, it’s like coming home. I was in denial of the advance of commercialism, the inability to deal with trash, noise, and too many motor scooters roaring up and down the street. But this year, even I have to admit it’s gone too far. The seduction of sea and sand is no longer enough. So I come to this conclusion with a heavy heart (as LBJ would say), I say goodbye to Agonda for the last time. We’ve talked to a number of people in the same mindset and already have an idea for next year north of Goa in Maharastra.

We left Gokarna by bus first thing in the morning. Quite simple — we wheeled our cases out of the guesthouse round the corner to the bus station, stopping on the way for chai and banana buns at the little corner restaurant, open early by Indian standards. The bus pulled in and we hauled on our “small” cases and backpacks and left right at 8.15 as scheduled. A cool breeze wafted in through the open window. So far, it was a lot easier than we’d speculated.

We told the conductor we wanted to get down at Mashem. He had to consult his list of stops, asking us three times. I guess tourists don’t get off at Mashem, The conventional way to get to Guljibagha, our next destination, would be to stay on the bus and go to the market town of Chaudi, and then backtrack in a rickshaw to Guljibagha. But Gerard had noticed on Google maps a much more direct route: get down at Mashem before the highway turns inland and follows the river away from the coast. On the map, there was a broken line indicating something going across the river from Mashem to Guljibagha. “That must be a ferry crossing,” he said. “How do you know?” “I don’t but let’s give it a try.”

Gerard noticed the tell tale landscape of Guljibagha across the river and asked the conductor, “Mashem?” His response was, “Oh!” And he blew his ear-piercing whistle for the bus to stop. Leaving us at a tiny intersection with no signage, we backtracked down the road assuming we’d overshot the ferry stop. After a while, we asked and old woman and her daughter-in-law standing in their front garden. We were strangers at the door. They actually seemed glad to see us, pointing back the way we’d come and saying just go straight. But what is straight in India? Staying on the main road or literally going straight down a dirt track? We chose the main road. After walking for some time, Gerard says, “This doesn’t feel right. Let’s ask again.” Another woman was more than happy to help us. “Go back the way you came and take the right turn on to the dirt road. The boat rests on each side for 15 minutes.” So here we are back where we started.

Just around the corner, there was the river and on the other side we saw a broken down old boat…that must be our ferry! We waited 15 minutes and the boat arrived. We rolled up our pants, took off our shoes and waded across to it, hoisting our cases and backpacks into the boat. The boatman pushed off from shore and we slowly made the short crossing to the other side. But what about the fare? The boatman strode away without looking back. The government pays, a fellow passenger told us. Another surprise.

We had arrived in a construction site. We’d heard about the interstate highway development that would go right through Guljibagh. Here it was! Again we didn’t know where to go. Out of a house alongside, a boy appeared. “ My mother woke me, saying there’s tourists coming and they may be in trouble. Go talk to them.” He was bright and alert for having just woken up. “Let me show you the way to your guesthouse.” We pointed to the construction and asked him how he felt about it. He said, “I hate it. Everybody in the whole town hates it. Pointing to the midst of the rubble, he told us his family used to have a guesthouse there. “My father bought the land 30 years ago and the government is now paying him only 3 Rs per meter compensation.” Another sad story of public works schemes in India that has little consideration for the locals. Arundhati Roy (‘God of Small Things’) has written in depth about just such bullying by the government, in her case, regarding dams.

He pointed us down a lane — you’ll find your guesthouse there. The spacious room we had booked in Telly and his wife’s home was perfect. The tiled roof extended over a small porch, facing the sea just a few feet away, through a thin line of tall skinny trees. Almost perfect, save for the puppy that barked and whined outside our room half the night.

Unlike other Goan beaches, Guljibagha was not first discovered by the hippies thirty years ago, and then developed commercially for tourism. A fishing village, it remained undiscovered until a few years ago. Today, there is very little accommodation; ours is virtually the sole guesthouse, along with one pricey accommodation, a collection of fancy huts. Also some very basic shacks and a few rooms for rent in private homes on the back lane, the “available” signs indicating few takers. A couple of out door restaurants sit facing the sea. Their prices exorbitant with a heavy emphasis on fish. We made arrangements with our landlady to prepare breakfast and dinner for us. She cooked a great fresh coconut veg curry!

The locals have their sights set on the high-end tourist. There are already beach sweepers and lifeguards, even though the beach is almost empty. So we have an arrangement with Telly’s wife who makes us breakfast and dinner. Making your own meals is not an option; there’s little available in the couple of village stores; you have to go to the nearby market town for fruit and vegetables. No entertainment, no loss to us…just the sea, beach and each other. We swim daily and walk the beach, watch crabs dart across the sand laying their eggs, scurrying sand pipers, and strutting egrets. Flocks of birds fly in long lines of formation; a sole bird breaks out, flies around as if confused and then regains his senses and returns, closing the break.

Even in Guljibagha we make friends – a Swiss man, Urick, with his Brazilian girlfriend, Joana,  who have been staying here for several months. (pictured above with our landlady). Urick is suffering from over-exposure to microwaves. i.e. cellphones, WiFi, computer screens etc. He was in hi-tech for many years until he realized the cause of his ailments. Guljibagha is perfect for him because there’s no wireless service at all.  The last afternoon, Johanna took me for a walk through the north side of the village. Down a long sandy path beside the beach, over hung with palm trees, flowering bushes and scrub, we walked past a row of simple houses and huts. Sleepy activity in the afternoon sun. Finally, we emerged at the far end of the beach. Joana insisted I clamber over the rocks to view a neighboring beach, another long virtually empty stretch of sand and blue water.

Returning back through the shady lane, we came across a large gathering of women and children in the front yard of one of the houses.

Recognizing Johanna, they called out, “Come and join us. Eat and drink!”  Everyone was dressed in their best colorful clothes – one woman wearing brightly colored headdress appeared briefly and then disappeared into the house. “What is the celebration?” we asked. It was a party for a seven-month pregnant woman, a Goan tradition. The guest of honour with her elaborate headdress had now disappeared to my photographic disappointment.  But the other women insisted we come in the house, and sit in the dark interior of their kitchen in the rear –  a single naked lightbulb hanging from the tin roof ceiling.  Husband and children joined us; it was all very jolly with plenty of laughter, reminiscent of days gone by.

As the highway nears completion the sun will set on this tranquil place.