My Israeli friends left for Hampi. I told them what a nice time I'd had at Gopi's Guesthouse and said my friend Shelley was staying there, to keep an eye out for her. I would be funny if they met. Over lunch, Neta had asked about the Hindu/Buddhist Swastika compared to the Nazi one, how to tell them apart. I think the only main difference is that the Nazi one is tilted, and the Buddhists Swastika turns clockwise. She drew them in her notebook to get an idea of how they looked beside each other then, when we were done, quickly buried them in a complex pattern of lines. Even the Buddhist one was too painful to look at to leave one the page, especially if someone else were to see it. It's amazing how deeply suffering can take root in people. Especially those torn by war. At the Jewish House, they told me there is a saying that one life saved during the Holocaust makes one hundred. The Rabbi's wife explained that One of her great-uncles had been rescued, then had a very large family. Sixty years later, at a holiday gathering, with all his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, there were a hundred people gathered.
I was getting the urge to get out of Goa, myself, and head north to see the things I'd originally planned. Nadine was going back to Mumbai in a few days and asked if I'd go with her. She'd had a traumatic experience in an Old Delhi market, when the owner of a clothing shop offered to show her how to wrap her sari then proceeded to grab her crotch. She wanted to scream but looked around and saw nothing but men staring at her. She made a B-line to Mumbai to meet Pascal and came to Palolem with no intention of going anywhere else. Her flight to Bangkok was leaving from Mumbai and she planned to spend a couple days in Mumbai before flying out. When I heard her story, I decided I wouldn't hesitate to go with any female traveller who wanted the company.
That afternoon, we swam close to the little island on the northern end of the beach and a small family of dolphins came by to feed. I thought it was one of the most amazing things in the world, I'd always wanted to swim with the dolphins at Virgina beach, but it made Nadine really nervous so we came in.
After drying of lying in the hot afternoon sun, I went down to visit Geeta and her friends again. All the children were there playing and having fun, it was nice.
The sky had clouded over just before sunset and I wasn't expecting much from it but right at the last minute, the horizon exploded into color. It was a beautiful end to a nice day...
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