Lanterns in the air
An unforgettable sight.
“Be the beacon that shares its light with the world, for in illuminating the paths of others, we brighten the collective journey towards peace, love, and understanding.”
As I wait at the bus stop, I anticipate how the lantern festival is going to be. I have wanted to go to the festival of lanterns in Thailand and Bali, but it never materialized, so today I am on my way to something a bit closer and eventful. The Goa Sky Lantern Festival. It’s been a while since I traveled by bus and I’m hoping the journey won’t be too bumpy and annoying. At the age of 36, I have very less tolerance for discomfort. It makes me feel like I should travel as much as I can before 45 so I can enjoy the journey more, in spite of the aches and pains we get as adults.
The bus journey was quite fun. We started off with some dancing. The bus corridor was transformed into a disco of sorts, with flashy colorful lights and a DJ who was taking care of the playlist. It felt like college all over again. Other buses that passed had passengers who were curious to know what was going on. I bet they wanted to be on our ‘trending’ bus. After a whole lot of attempted dancing in a cramped space, a few falls during breaks and the ride over flyovers (yes, we were saved by our festival peers on the bus during our slips and slides while grooving, this was the epitome of trust!), we landed in Gokarna, after a 14-hour ride. Our butts hurt, our heads hurt, and our backs hurt! And we were hungry as hell!
We entered quite a tranquil cafe called ‘Meraki’, with the view of what looked like a completely unmanned beach. We had our few cups of tea to wake us up and a hearty breakfast of poha, poori bhaaji and aloo paratha. The food was surprisingly tasty! I had the ocean in front of me and I was way too excited to jump in. I ran in and felt the waves against me! They were quite powerful! I dove right in; I couldn’t wait another moment to get completely submerged in the salty sea! After a few hours riding the waves, I got back to my room to freshen up. My room was quite an interesting one. It was a large tent about 10 feet tall, with a double bed in it and a toilet attached! It was quite an idea! And it came at an affordable price too! The best part about the stay was the spirited owner who was quite friendly and made sure I felt comfortable.
I also found another backpacker's hostel right next to it, Revibe, where I met people from all over the world. I had read about these hostels and heard about them, but I never stayed in one where the people were so diverse. Turkey, Netherlands, Ireland, UK, Germany, and different countries from around India. These were the natives of the travelers. We played games, got to know more about each other, and the best part is that we got very comfortable and would meet at the common community area for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was very easy to make friends here and have them around whenever you wanted some company. It literally felt like another home.
As I was roaming on the beach, I realized that towards the evening the sand in some spots was extra smooth and gentle. I hadn’t got my paints this time, so I decided to use the seaside as my canvas. I found a few sticks of different sizes and experimented with a large sand mandala. Here are the results! There were a few people who spotted it and were in awe. Many took photos and a German woman even danced around my mandala in excitement.
I was really excited for the nighttime as that was when we all were to release the lanterns! I heard something morbid from the owner of the place I was staying at. He told me that the last time they released the lanterns, they fell into the sea and the remains got stuck around a turtle's neck. It wasn’t a good feeling to hear that. I prayed our lanterns were biodegradable.
Soon nighttime came and we were ready! Holes were dug up in the sand and candles were placed in them. We lit the lanterns given to us and sent them across the sky. It wasn’t such an easy task though. It was a 2–3-person job, to make sure the lantern was lit right, held right and filled up right, before we sent it to float away. It took us around three tries to get it right. But we did it! And I don’t think any turtles were harmed in the process.
I decided to head to Om beach the next day, just to reminiscent the last time I had been there. I remember I had sat at the cafe on the beach and had Nutella pancakes. I did the exact same thing this time, and luckily, I sat in the exact same spot! But the beach didn’t seem as amazing as it used to be. The water was beautiful but I guess the main beach I was staying at was a lot better and less crowded. I felt like I had that whole stretch of beach to myself. But this one, Om beach, just seemed to be commercialized. After buying some trinkets, I returned to the main beach as soon as I could, to jump back into the water. After a nice, warm swim, I went back to my tent and got ready to leave to Bangalore.
I made sure I went back to the Meraki Cafe to have a few cups of their tea before I left, sitting in my favorite spot facing the sea! I loved their tea. They put just the right amount of ginger and cardamom in it! I even had Bourn Vita during my stay after a really long time! Definitely a home away from home, or maybe more of a home lol I will be back, Gokarna! Next time, for a bit longer! This was a great vacation to take though, I feel so refreshed and I’m back home with renewed energy. It was a good breather to take post my Doctorate studies. I think I deserved it after all that hard work!
Now that I am back home, I feel the aftereffects of the vacationing though, the grief period as to why I came back and the fact that I have to set back into my routine here. It’s going to take me some time to get used to Bangalore again. No one to make tea for me when I want it on a whim here. If I want Nutella pancakes and fries, I have to make it myself! But I guess coming back home does have the perks of a lot of other comforts. I will definitely be traveling again, though. It doesn’t feel nice to be stagnant at one spot anymore. It doesn’t feel right. So next stop…Mysore baby!
For more pictures from my trip, you can follow me on Instagram at sierrashine2023.