Raj and Clare's Homestay

Hi everyone!

Wow I can't believe it's been so long since my last post! 18 months at least! Looking back on some of my blog posts over the past 6-7 years or so, I'm so glad I have persevered in following my dream, even when it's felt that it's carried me to all manner of places in the world (from Swaziland and Brighton to Catalunya and British Columbia and many trips to India in between) without offering up somewhere called home where I felt I could start the 'Place to Meditate'.

Finally when I gave up looking, I found Arambol. Much like Brighton with its big open heart, full of esoteric workshops and people who talk about permaculture, and decorated in many of the sub-tropical flora that feels so familiar to me from my childhood in Zambia and Zimbabwe (hibiscus and bougainvillea, frangipani, plumbago and morning glory). People call Goa 'India Light'. I'll take it: There's just enough chaos and heat (from May onwards that's anything but light!) and the ocean is perfect until the monsoon season.  

I also met Raj and we are happy together, planning to run a guesthouse on the outskirts of Arambol from next season. The search for a place and the negotiations have taken us the best part of 6 months. We've made a spoken agreement to rent a 7 bedroom place which we hope to call Raj and Clare's Homestay. I plan to make it the subject of my Permaculture Diploma Portfolio for which I still need to produce 8 designs. As I progress with these, I hope to share my processes and designs with people coming to our place. 

We have a small garden and a restaurant (which we hope to sublet to a chef who wishes to spend a season or more with us, offering a menu of something a little different). We also have space for a yoga and meditation room, where I would like to display art by local artists. If you know anyone who might be interested, pass on my details. I'm also looking for volunteers who'd like to work with me on implementing some of my designs in the garden/ space.

The next few months, I'll be completing the next part of my yoga teacher training, learning how to market our place and our brand and researching treks and activities in Kashmir, where Raj and I will also lead trips and host visitors during the summer (June to September).