As usual, many things have happened since my last post.

I'm currently in North Goa, in Arambol, and I'll focus more on my experience here than on the other places I've visited, because this part of the country has become another of my favourite places in India, together with Dharamshala.

Before coming to Goa, you might remember that I was supposed to take a long train journey from Kolkata to Pune. That train was cancelled. We got the confirmation after waiting around 2 hours for it to arrive. It was already late evening, so I had to decide what to do - stay an extra night in Kolkata and look for another accommodation, or look for an alternative means of transport. It was not guaranteed I could find either of them, because it was late. But I didn't feel like staying another night in Kolkata, so I ended up buying a flight ticket to Mumbai - it was cheaper than flying to Pune. I shared a taxi with an Indian guy who was also going to the airport. The flight was scheduled for after midnight.

I had high expectations for Mumbai. It was probably the most recommended place by many people for me to visit. And having too high expectations is usually not the best, because it's easy to get disappointed... which I did. It's much better than Kolkata though - not as chaotic, but still chaotic enough. It has one big advantage, which is the fact that it’s located by the coast, so there are some beaches to explore and walk along them (not to swim in though, as the quality of the water looked very suspicious). There, the beaches are not typical beaches you see in other parts of the world. Most Indians don't sunbathe, and they even go into the water with their clothes on. At least in this part of the country, one doesn't see women in bikinis, and only a few men in swimming shorts. There are many sellers as well, making the beaches look like markets. Apart from walking by the Marine Drive -  by the coast - and along the beaches, I spent most of the time in parks, where I could find some more nature and peace. Later I did the same in Pune, but not in Kolkata, as I couldn't find any parks near the area where I was staying.

After Mumbai, I travelled to Pune, and I found it just the same as any other big city I visited in India - chaotic. I didn't feel this in Delhi, but back then I had just arrived in India. Everything was new to me, so I was fascinated by it, I guess. I’ve always preferred more relaxing places to big cities, and this journey is definitely confirming this tendency of mine. The highlight of my visit to Pune was the day I spent at the Osho Meditation Centre, where I participated in the full-day activities they organised there.

From Pune, I came to Goa by a night bus. I was sleeping in an upper berth. I had never heard of buses with berths before, so this was a surprise for me, but it was actually quite comfortable to sleep there - especially compared to sleeping on the train.

And here I am, enjoying Goa. I have to admit that before coming to India, I thought that Goa was a city, and a big one. But it's actually a state - and not such a big one when compared to most states in India.

I'm in the northern part of Goa, by the coast. I spent the first two weeks in Mandrem, right in front of the local beach. And what a lovely place to be. It's a completely different vibe. It's a village surrounded by jungles, with nice beaches where people actually sunbathe, even Indian tourists coming from other parts of the country. The weather was amazing during those 2 weeks. Every day I went to the beach, both in the morning and evening. During the rest of the day, it's just too hot to be under the sun. Being in the water is like being in a nice, warm, infinite swimming pool - with the advantage of having waves to make it more fun. There are many lifeguards asking people not to go far, but being from Porto, I can say there is no possible comparison between the strength of the ocean there and the one here. It was really relaxing to be in the water. Every day, I watched the sunset at the beach, and almost every day I went for a run there — the beach is long, and it goes all the way to Arambol, another village next to Mandrem, where I'm now staying.

I came to Arambol because of the contact improvisation course I registered for. I'm staying a bit far from the beach now, but my days are usually filled with dance classes and gatherings with my colleagues and teachers, so I don't mind. Anyway, many of them are renting scooters, so I can always take a ride if needed. A few days ago, we went to a beach bar to celebrate the end of the first part of the course, and there is always someone who can take me along on their scooter.

I only registered for part 1 (out of 4 parts), but because I was enjoying it so much, I asked one of the organisers if there were still free seats for part 2. He told me that all seats were taken for all parts of the course, but there was this one girl who got sick, missed part 1, and was going to let him know that day if she would come for part 2 or not - exactly on the same day I asked the organiser. The following day, I got the confirmation I could join, as she was not coming. More incredible than this coincidence was the following one. And now comes the big news (for most of you) - I decided to book my flight back to Portugal. It's booked for the 18th of November. I'll explain this decision of mine in my next post; otherwise, this one would be even longer than it already is. I booked it before I had the idea to do part 2. When I thought about doing it, I checked the dates, and it ends precisely on the 17th - one day before my flight. Then I knew I was supposed to take this course, and I went to the organiser to see if that was possible. Asking him on the exact same day the girl was supposed to give him a final confirmation makes this story of coincidences even more interesting.

It's a bit hard for me to explain what contact improvisation is (you can always check YouTube videos to get an idea). It's definitely not a "normal" or typical kind of dance. There’s no need to learn any choreography. It's all improvised. There can be music or even silence. And it can be danced alone, with a partner (regardless of gender), or in groups. I think the main principle is weight sharing, and based on this principle, the movement - the dance - starts to take shape.

For most of my life, I had never been into dancing. I felt uncomfortable dancing in front of other people, and even nowadays (though much less), I can still feel uncomfortable in some situations if I'm dancing next to people who have known me for many years, and know how uncomfortable I used to be while dancing. A few years ago, I started to feel drawn to dancing, influenced by some people who told me about dances I had never heard of before. Apart from contact improvisation, I also tried (and enjoyed very much) dancing 5Rhythms. It's also based on improvisation. I came into contact with these dances while living in Budapest, between October 2022 and January 2025. Dancing has been helping me a lot in loosen up, being more authentic, and connecting more with other people.

Doing this course is both nurturing and challenging. There are many experienced dancers (not necessarily experienced in this type of dance), and that sometimes makes me feel a bit shy about dancing with or next to them. But the more I practice, the better it feels, and the more I enjoy it. Plus, there are other colleagues in the same shoes as me, so we can all enjoy and laugh together about it.

Dancing has been helping me to be more in touch with my wild side, which has been hidden for most of my life. Through dancing, we learn to express emotions through movement (and therefore release those emotions in a healthy way), to be more authentic (by dancing in whichever way feels alive in us, not by copying other people's movements), and to connect with others through non-verbal communication.

I feel I will come back to India on another trip, and Goa is now one of the places I'd love to return to.