Cavalla- Segment 1

Cavalla- Where old friends came together

Like Steel Nails on Fridge Magnets Reversed

Inhibitions first disappeared under influence

And stayed away long after the got sober

Sleep deprived and hammered ever morning

How could it be that they appeared so relaxed?

Within 2 days of such inane conversation

Lay a lifetime of relief knowing they have our backs

Cavalla was a resort on Baga beach about a 3 minute walk from Britto's - the nearest shack restaurant which is a mainstay of Goa's variegated coastline- alternating between rocky and sandy stretches. We showed up in batches- with the fantastic four from Dubai showing up first. It was still the wee hours of the morning when we arrived. We had 2 rooms upstairs and 3 on the ground floor. The rooms were basic, but there was a large pool in the courtyard which was mostly empty. We seemed to be the main party inhabiting the property- but it was too early to tell. Atul ad I checked in to a room. Pedro ( Rajneesh)  had another room that he would share with Nishith, who arrived from Doha shortly after us. . Sha and Niru arrived together from Gurgaon and had one room upstairs. The other room was for Roopa and Ana.Kb Rajesh and Asad  had a  room across from the road but also part of the same property. So did Olivia- who stayed solo.

By 8.30 AM we had all arrived- after nibbling on some biscuits and tea at a corner shop, we thought it best to go to the beach. We found a shack to sit down at- cannot remember which one- but it was the one next to Brittos. There was no one there that early. And the sun was pounding down on us- was a warm day. The guy at the shack was open for business though, and as we settled into the beach chairs- we got ourselves some cold ones- bright and early.

We were in shorts and sandals and had our shades on and all in all, were very relaxed. I don't know why but that first 2 hours on the beach set the scene for me for the rest of the weekend. I cannot remember what we talked about but it was definitely not about solving world hunger- there was a lot of laughter and a gradual but steady realisation that it was all going to be good. There were no indications of any of the usual pitfalls of reunions that were showing up.

A lot of beer meant using the bathroom which was a bit terrifying. You had to walk around to the back of the shack and climb a contrived staircase to reach a tiny toilet precariously poised on some metallic platform-with a door that didnt work and it felt like the floor might collapse at any minute. We took turns and it worked out in the end

The beer had made us slightly gregarious and on the way back to the resort there were some mini photo sessions- exhorted by the fashionable ladies - with various permutations of partners