Day 3: I want to dedicate this song to….

the check out time of our beach shack was * drumroll please* 10 in the morning. we’ve no idea what time we went to bed the night before, i’d say it was around 3 or 4 in the morning and to get up at 10 for check-out was torture for me. that’s just harsh!

anyway, after a really heavy breakfast we started our way back towards baga beach. i must say that the ride back to baga was kind of a refreshment that we badly need after a long night – the fresh breeze against your sleepy face, the green fields as a scenery and a naked, drunk/high guy walking along the road… wait! what? well yes, there was a naked drunk/high guy walking along the road. seriously! no idea where he came from or what his plans for the day was, he was just there. walking. naked. carefree. NICE!

as soon as we’ve arrived at baga, Troy was nice enough to drive me to the market to get some souvenirs. i’m never really good with my bargaining skills (i usually get the tourist price when i was in boracay, PHILIPPINES!!! my very own countrymen looted me. WTF?) but well, i thought i should be smarter this time:

ME: how much for this dress?
SALESMAN: 380
ME: nahhhhh, don’t think so
SALESMAN: how much do you think it is?
ME: why are you asking me? you own the store.
SALESMAN: no, how much do you want?
ME: 150 each i’ll take two
SALESMAN: ok!

wow! i’m good!

at another market:

SALESMAN: this, this. very nice material. very good!
ME: do you have an ashtray?
SALESMAN: yes! yes! here, many many things here.
ME: well, something which says goa or india on it? you have any?
SALESMAN: see… look here.
ME: this is a skeleton smoking a pipe. i don’t want this, i like something which says india or goa.
SALESMAN: ok here, kama sutra ashtray

(and then he gave me this ashtray made of wood with an elaborate carvings all around it of different sexual positions that a kama sutra book might have, it was actually funny)

ME: this is all you have?
SALESMAN: yes, good price for you my friend
ME: how much?
SALESMAN: 300
ME: 150
SALESMAN: ok!

now, how to get it through the dubai customs without getting it confiscated???? hmmmmm….. 🙂

anyway, after much bargaining and walking around, we went back to our favorite beach shack – shining star to get some beer. we stayed there for about an hour or two then went back to the house that we’re staying at. after packing my bag, i fell asleep on the couch which was like a recharge for a full night ahead of me. my flight leaves at 4 in the morning and needed to get myself at the airport by around 2.

by 8 in the evening, we went back to (where else?) shining star for dinner. they were having this karaoke night and ladies get a stem of red rose in lieu of the valentine’s day. i’m not really a fan of valentine’s day, i believe it’s just a commercialized holiday made big by the flower shops and hallmark. but well, a stem of rose from time to time couldn’t hurt.

anyway, of course i sang my hear out at the karaoke! why are you even wondering if i did or did not sing? but well, i had to tame myself as i’m in a completely different environment and well frankly, i just did not want to put the people that i’m with in an embarrassing situation – so my signature songs to which i’m very popular of never failing to sing when i’m with my filipino friends were not sung (eg. Time and Tide, Piano in the Dark and Better Days just to name a few). instead, i chose a really safe song: I’m Yours by Jason Mraz. 🙂

anyway, the highlight of the evening was when we heard this:

SINGER: i want to dedicate this song to JESUS because everything that i have right now is from Him and everything i do, i dedicate it to Him.

and then she sang EVERYTHING I DO, I DO IT FOR YOU by bryan adams. that just made my night right there, i was laughing so hard but had to keep it down. i don’t know what’s worst, dedicating a song to JESUS while singing in a karaoke place with a glass of beer waiting for you at your table? or dedicating EVERYTHING I DO, I DO IT FOR YOU to JESUS? well, you tell me. all i know is, i had a really good laugh that night.

anyway, i decided to go to the airport by midnight (although my flight departs by 4am) as i don’t want to further inconvenience the great Troy. i’ve managed to keep him busy driving me around the place and i could tell from the dark circles under his eyes that he needed to go get some sleep – URGENTLY. with herculian efforts that only i could manage, i bid goodbye to Troy, Christine, Drew, Cole and the great times in Goa and went straight to the airport without looking back, as it’ll just break my heart if i did. LOL.

i arrived at Goa airport at around 1am and waited for 3 long hours for the flight. fast forward 3 hours more, i arrived at sharjah airport which had the worst duty free shops in the world. 1. the shop was too small and 2. it doesn’t sell alcohol. CRAP! the only place where we could get 4 bottles of alcoholic drinks legally in the UAE doesn’t sell it. BOOHOO! well i managed to buy cigars for the boyfriend though.

i took an airport cab which was incredulously expensive – i thought sharjah is much cheaper than dubai? the airport taxi’s flag down to any points in sharjah was AED20 (normal taxi flag down fare in dubai is AED3.00, you do the freaking math!) BUT if you’re going to Dubai, the flag down rate starts at AED40.00!!!!! worst part of it all was, you can’t use your bargaining skills anymore. that one skill that i’ve been so very good at while in India. so yeah, i paid AED135 for a taxi ride from sharjah airport to my place which i believe was the same amount that i spent for 2 days in goa. BOO!

well, to say that i had a great time in goa will be the understatement of the year. all those good times i owe to the people that i was with the entire trip. since they’re all full time travelers anyway, i may just follow them around to whichever part of the world they would go to next.

Rwanda? anyone?