It’s inevitable that you make friends while traveling, especially when you’re by yourself. Some are just brief encounters where you learn their name and where they’re from and perhaps have a few conversations while others become your traveling companions for days, weeks or perhaps even months.
Jon hails from England and he spent over a month in Arambol, staying in the same set of huts where I’ve been. I immediately hit is off with this 23 year old who is well mature beyond his young age. I admired his constantly happy disposition and his philosophy of always having a “sunset beer”. We discovered a sports bar that shows Premier League football matches and serves up a really good beef burger which in a country where the cow is sacred, it is difficult to find. Jon taught me a lot about football as I was not aware of many of the nuances of the sport. For me, I was just trying to satiate my thirst for pro ice hockey which I do miss.
Jon with one of his favourite Olive Garden workers Ashish:
My next door neighbours for a few weeks were a pair of young New Zealand ladies (well, not as young as Jon), Rewa and Mallory. Rewa works in costume design for television shows back in her home country while Mallory is making her way to London to see what work she can find there to continue her travels.
The lovely Kiwis:
Jon ended up staying much longer than he expected to in Arambol and I think the ladies extended their stay a bit too...this place has that effect on people. Finally they decided that it was time to move on with their destination being Hampi, a place with many temples and interesting rock formations. We had a bit of a party for their last night which began outside of our huts and continued on in the Olive Garden.
The four of us shared many dinners, card games and laughs together. I wish them the best in their future travels and hopefully our paths will cross again someday.
A rousing game of "Presidency" (aka A*%hole):
Jon suffering from one of Mallory's rules...having to drink beer through a straw:
The front line men at the Olive Garden: Ram and Pinku...great guys...not terribly relevant to this post but I love the pic!
Rewa, Mallory, Me and Jon on the beach in front of the Olive Garden:
The last night party outside our huts:
The girls decided to prank Robby by purchasing the same "It's Better in Goa" t-shirts that he's been wearing:
The final goodbyes:
Happy travels guys!
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