Goa

Ahhhh, Goa.  It was awesome.  I've heard from several other people that they didn't like Goa because it was so touristy, but I ended up on a nice, quiet beach and just enjoyed the sun and surf.  I'm glad I didn't book a hotel online for the two days before the conference, because I would have ended up at a beach that I thought was quiet but turned out to be party central.  The taxi driver at the airport suggested Agonda beach, so I ended up spending more on a taxi since it was further away, but the guest house, run by Inacio and Maria Fernandes and family (Goa was a Portuguese colony), was only $12 per night.  There are about five similar guest houses along Agonda beach, but not too many people.  It seemed to be a popular spot for middle-aged and older European tourists, so there was no problem wearing a bikini and being harrassed by local men, as I've read happens at the busier beaches.  We spent an entire day on the beach.  Oliver loved crawling around in the sand naked, and tasting the sand once in awhile.  He was all smiles when we sat in the water, giggling when the waves hit him.  He only sat still for two minutes to eat his supper, so I had to chase him around with a spoon...after playing on the beach all day he was still too excited to sit still.  That night, he was out as soon as I laid him down in his crib, didn't even roll over.

Goa was a lot like I imagine the Dominican Republic to be...beaches, coconut trees, narrow winding roads, colorful houses, crucifixes and rosaries, men wearing soccer jerseys, women dressed in knee-length dresses and skirts.  The conference was good-nice hotel, great food, and fun to see and talk with other Fulbrighters.  There was a family there with their 9-month old daughter, so she and Oliver had a few playdates.

Oliver's First Birthday

Oliver celebrated his first birthday on March 1st with lots of chocolate (we helped out too).  He's grown considerably in the last few weeks; every couple of days he looks taller and feels heavier.  He likes to say "no no no no no no no" and "ma ma ma ma mom."  We (Oliver, myself and my mom) recently returned from a trip to the Ellora and Ajanta caves near Aurangabad.  The caves date between about 1300 and 2000+ years old and are carved out of solid rock cliffs.  Before going there, I held my first focus group discussions in two of the ICRISAT villages near Sholapur.  We traveled on local buses, which was bumpier and longer than the train but a good, cheap last minute option.  Mom left last night, having been here with us for seven weeks, and Sinclair returned the night before Oliver's birthday.  Research is speeding ahead and going well, and I'm starting to feel the time crunch as I'm coming home on April 21 and still have four more villages to visit, more numbers to crunch, a final presentation to prepare and a report to write.  Tomorrow, Oliver and I are headed to Goa (tropical paradise, here we come!) for the South Asia Fulbright Conference.  All-expenses paid:)  We're going two days early so that we can relax on a beach by ourselves for a good day and a half before the conference starts. 

I bought Oliver an ethnic outfit and my mom bought a sari in preparation to go to an Indian wedding, but we decided not to go because it was during violent protests in Hyderabad and was located near the epicenter...so we took pictures anyway.

Oliver on his first birthday, with a tree just his size.

Inside one of the Ellora Caves



Buddha, buddha, buddha, buddha, buddha call...



Temple at Ellora Caves, carved from the top down.

After the first focus group discussion in the village of Shirapur