(65) Om Beach

Om Beach is a place that has been described as “a less expensive and more relaxed alternative to the party beaches of Goa.” We had opted to skip Goa because it had become known as a non-stop techno-trance party. I’m sure it would be a lot of fun for the newly free ex-military kids from Israel needing a blowout release. Not so much for us. Not our thing. With its crystal clear water and relaxed vibe, Om Beach looked perfect for us. The beach is named so due to taking the shape of an ‘Om,’ a Hindu spiritual symbol.

Chai

We made a small tour of the five or so chai shops that were spread along the beach. Each offered the same thing, chai, samosas, and a basic “thali,” an Indian-style meal of various dishes served on a platter. Chai is black tea with milk mixed with strong spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and black peppercorns. It’s a pleasant drink.

Carrom

Every chai shop had a carrom board. Carrom is kind of like pool but played with checker like pieces on a card table-sized board with pockets in each corner. A game is of 25 points or eight boards, whichever comes first. The winner is the player who reaches 25 points first or leads after the eighth board. A turn consists of one or more strikes. A player wins by pocketing the pieces of their chosen color first. However, neither player can win until one player has “covered the Queen.” To cover the Queen, a player must pocket one of her own pieces immediately after pocketing the Queen.

Charas

The other thing these shops offered was “Charas.” Charas is another name for hand-made hashish. The hemp flowers are rubbed between the hands. Gently massaging them until the cannabis resin sticks to the palm of the hand. The hemp flowers are used to harvest the sacred resin 2-3 weeks before they are ready for harvest. This is when the THC content in the plant is highest. Charas is traditionally smoked in a pipe made of clay called a “chillum.” Traditional chillums are still made by hand and vary in size, shape, and quality.

So, the days on Om Beach slipped one into another, drinking chai, smoking chillums, swimming in the crystal clear waters, and playing carrom. It was a pleasantly lazy existence. We did manage to hike across the next big hill around the beach to the even more secluded “Half Moon Beach.” It was lovely, but we weren’t prepared to stay without camping gear and returned to Om. 

Leaving and Returning to Om Beach

After a week or so, we decided to leave Om Beach and see more of India. We packed our bags, said our goodbyes, and trekked back through the brush and rocks over the hill to Gokarna. As we searched for transport out, we ran into our old friend from Israel, Runar. A very cosmically connected individual, you may remember he was always at the right place to deliver a much-needed message or advice. He took one look at us and, in his thick Swiss-Italian accent, said, “You are still tired. India can be intense. You must return to Om Beach and rest before your journey.”

He was right. We were still tired. We turned around and hiked back over the hill and through the brush and rocks to return to the beach. Perhaps some people were surprised to see our return, perhaps not. Life on the beach continued without a hiccup as we checked back into our little hut with cow-dung flooring. Soon we were back at the chai shop playing carrom and smoking chillum.

Hut in the Jungle

We met a lovely young man that was soon moving out of the little hut behind the beach he rented from a family in the jungle. It would be a significant upgrade for us to move out of the beach hut. He invited us to see the hut and meet the family. To get to the hut, we walked around the tail of the Om, past “the cows that ate everything,” and into the jungle. We found our friend sitting beside a small fire outside the hut in a small clearing. He greeted us and offered chai. 

The lady of the couple he was renting from joined us. She was a dark, tiny woman dressed in a lungi. Motioning that she would like a smoke, our friend handed her a “beedie.” Donna had also discovered her enjoyment of beedies, tobacco wrapped in a tendu or temburni leaf secured with a colorful string at one or both ends. Beedies immediately cemented the connection between Donna and the woman as they smiled and smoked. We were approved to move in after he left.

Tour

Our friend gave us a tour of the “facilities,” i.e., where the well was, the field area in which to defecate, and where to get some firewood. We were informed about a rat that would visit nightly and eat our food unless we left a piece of peanut brittle as an offering up in the rafter of the hut. Whereas the hut on the beach had mud, straw, and dung floor, the new lodgings were made entirely of the same materials with a palm leaf thatched roof. 

Back at the chai shop, we met some of the new people to come to the beach. One young man had brought a bag full of photocopied “Zapp!” comic books, featuring Robert Crumb’s Mr. Natural. His idea was that he would sell them along the way, to tourists, as a way to finance his travels. He also had other items for sale, including some charas for a slightly lower price than the chai shops offered. 

“Bum bolenath”

Whenever a mix of tobacco and charas was made and loaded into a chillum, a safi cloth was wrapped around the bottom of the chillum as a filter from ash. It is held by cupping your hand over the end and placing it between your ring and pinky finger.  The chillum is then lifted to the forehead as a blessing, and one would exclaim, “Bum bolenath,” in praise of Shiva. 

The chillum is then placed to the mouth over your cupped hand, using your fist to create a smoke chamber. Another person would light the chillum with a couple of matches. It is usually expected to inhale the entire mix deep into the lungs and exhale it. Holding it in would result in coughs, but directly exhaling it slowly made for a smooth experience. The “high” was different than smoking a joint and quite pleasant!

Beach Life

This was repeated often on Om Beach. Carrom, chillums, swimming, chai, making music, etc., repeat. It was easy to fall into the pattern as the days and nights slipped into each other. Everything was very relaxed. Even though there was no electricity on the beach, nobody seemed to care. We made music and could see every star in the sky at night. We ate our evening meals by candlelight. The sound of the gentle waves caressing the shore. We were all so happy and couldn’t ask for more.

Next: Raid on Om Beach