B-Day In Goa

I had a really nice time relaxing in Goa for a few days. It was a little intimidating going alone but I had got a lot of recommendations from friends on what to do, where to stay, etc that really helped me out. The beaches were every bit as beautiful as advertised, huge, many empty and most surrounded by stunning cliffs and mountains. You are often reminded you are in India though by the cows that are hanging out on most beaches and the local children constantly coming up to you trying to sell stuff.

Friday night was Diwali, one of the biggest festivals in India. It is celebrated all over and is often referred to as the festival of lights because everyone lights candles and lamps and there are fireworks everywhere. One part of the celebration is unique to Goa though. They build these huge demons and fill them with flammable things and firecrackers, and parade them around all night during Diwali and then burn them at sunrise. It was a really cool celebration to witness and a great leadup to my b-day.

I went down to a southern beach after Diwali to a place called Palolem and rented a ‘beach shack’ for less than 15 bucks a night. It is basically a little hut that just contains a bed and a mosquito net but it was a great deal to be in the jungle right on the beach for that price!

As for my actually b-day celebrations, it was absolutely amazing but not anything like I expected it to be- I shoulda figured though, that’s totally how India is (amazing but unexpected). There was a Diwali party at my group of beach shacks on the 17^th and I was sitting at a table by myself having a beer and some finger foods (I hadn’t met any friends yet). The guys and gals at the table next to me started chatting with me and it soon came out that they’d been staying in Goa for several years. We ended up trading India experiences most of the night and I had a great time. About an hour before midnight, which was going to be my b-day proper, they suggested we take a trip down to a nearby truck stop (literally) on the national highway that had really good Goan ‘country liquor’ and Indian food. So, I rang in my 30^th in a little truck stop full of Indian truckers eating dhal fry and drinking country liquor- AMAZING but totally bizarre. The following day I just lazed around the beach and that night the friends I made the night before invited me over to their place for a home cooked meal. I have only had a couple home cooked meals during my time in India so a nice chicken meal and red wine was a great way to finish off my 30^th. It was a great trip and just reminds me how incredible this country is and how generous and great some people can be to total strangers.

Early Birthday

So none of the guys I’m working with will be around for my birthday. This weekend is Diwali, a yearly festival and everyone is going home to be with their families. They totally surprised me and pretended we were going out tonight to celebrate Diwali together but after dinner a cake was brought out.

It says ‘Happy Birthday Greg’ in Tamil.

I was totally surprised. What came next was even more surprising- we were at one of the fanciest restaurants in all of Coimbatore and they took the cake and shoved it in my face! It’s the tradition over here for birthdays (or at least they tell me it is). It was a lot of fun actually and a cool way to celebrate. I didn’t mind getting icing all over the place. None of my guys wanted a hug from me afterwards though, I don’t know why. Anyways, it was fun and hilarious and so my birthday celebrations are already going well before it’s even my b-day!!!

Goin to Goa!

I decided to go to the smallest state in India, Goa, for my 30^th. It’s on the Arabian Sea and supposed to have some of the best beaches in India. I’m going alone which isn’t ideal but I’ve heard that Goa is a great place to make friends so I’m sure I’ll have some people to hang with on my Bday. I’m also trying a new strategy for this trip- I’m wingin it. I have my first night’s hotel but after that I’m just going to see what’s what and probably rent a bike and travel around until I find another beach and hotel to my liking, probably several over my time there. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of adventures for my next blog post! Also, if you want to get in touch with me, I lost my cell so my new number is

+91 98408 57919

Love, "Old Man" Greg

Dil Se Soundtrack/ Neemrana Fort

I got turned on to this soundtrack a couple months ago, at 530 AM, on my way to the Chennai Central Train Station. Our cab was late for the butt-early train we were taking and I was in a serious rush. The music that accompanied the insane driving our cabbie was doing seemed to fit- just as hectic and crazy as the driving. By the way, that accordion type thing you hear in the song is called the harmonium and it’s a traditional Indian instrument.



The movie became relevant again recently when I got to spend the night in a location they shot some of the movie in. It’s called the Neemrana Fort in the state of Rajashtan and it’s an old fort from the 1400’s that’s been renovated and turned into a hotel- it was the coolest place I’ve spent the night since I’ve been in India.





Also, the rest of the soundtrack is great- it has to be my favorite. The producer is a guy named A R Rahman, he is probably the most famous musician in all of India. He produced about all of the most famous soundtracks in India in the last 10 years and I really dig his style- a mix of traditional Indian music and new beats and influences (he also did the Delhi 6 soundtrack that I blogged about a couple months ago). Plus, he’s from Tamil Nadu, which I have a special affinity toward so that just sweetens the deal! Here are two more of my faves from Dil Se.

Dum Dums

So, the last day before I moved back to Coimbatore I gave out Dum Dum lollipops. It’s a tradition at the IT company that I share office space with that when you travel abroad you bring back sweets for the office. It’s a cool tradition and I’ve scored some candy from Singapore and Korea because of it. I figured since I went back to the US for a visit it was my turn. I bought a 250 pack of them and gave them out- I liked the idea that there’s something like 20 flavors, at least one for everyone’s taste. About 5 minutes after handing them out, my coworker tapped me on the shoulder and told me to stand up from my cubicle. I did and saw that just about every person in the office of 60+ had a lollipop sticking out of their mouth. Needless to say, they were a hit. Maybe you had to be there, but I’ll have a mental image from now on of an office full of people with lollipop sticks in their mouth- it was adorable!

Three of my favorite names for a business.

Punjabi By Nature- I don't know if this is a nod to the 90's hiphop group Naughty by Nature but I'd like to think it is, all I could think when I was in there was 'Punjabi by Natecha, not cause I hate cha'...
Okay, so this is a men's clothing/accessory store in Chennai. Not only is it called Sperm but do you notice the little sperm logo? It seems very out of place in conservative Chennai. Naturally, I had to go in an check it out for myself, lots of trendy clothes. Weird but hilarious, I don't know what else to say. I did buy a shirt there though, which I guess makes it a (store namesake) shirt.


Burger Man is a chain of these little shacks set up throughout Chennai. By burger they mean chicken burger as you can imagine but I like to think it's a take off of Pac-Man. It's more adoreable than anything and I thought Andrew in particular would like this since he is steadfast in saying that Ms. Pac-Man is the greatest game of all time.