Summary

Dr. Preeti Singh recounts a humorous and mystical adventure in Goa, India, searching for the elusive Mystic Topaz gemstone.

Abstract

In an engaging travelogue, Dr. Preeti Singh shares her quest for the Mystic Topaz in the enchanting Indian town of Goa, renowned for its beaches and vibrant culture. Initially unsuccessful, her search leads to comical encounters with a theatrical hermit and a guide who labels her as crazy for her obsession with the stone. Despite the setbacks, including a dramatic performance by the hermit meant to hypnotize her, she ultimately finds the gemstone at the airport on her departure day. The narrative highlights the irony of not recognizing the stone earlier due to its unfamiliarity and emphasizes the importance of caution when dealing with guides and mystics abroad to avoid being deceived.

Opinions

The author expresses a keen personal interest in acquiring unique jewelry, particularly the Mystic Topaz, which she considers the "king of gems" for its attractive color-changing properties.
Dr. Singh conveys a sense of frustration and skepticism towards the mystical man's antics, dismissing them as "rubbish" and questioning the authenticity of his services.
The author reflects on the irony of the situation, humorously noting that the sought-after stone was readily available at the airport, contrasting with the previous difficulties in finding it.
She advises readers to be cautious and self-reliant when traveling, suggesting that one should not blindly trust guides or engage with mystics without proper knowledge to avoid being fooled.

HUMOR|SELF|TRAVEL

Finding Mystic Topaz In Mystical Goa

The mystical man does theatrical tricks on me

A Little About Goa

Goa is a town in India that is famous for beaches. We see people lazing about the entire day just daydreaming over there. There is plenty to do in the day and night.

There are exciting places to visit to watch the sunrise and sunset. There are pubs where you can enjoy a drink with dancing and music and you can also go to exclusive places and to five-star hotels for your romantic meals.

I went on a vacation to Goa with my friends. We sat at the beach all day and just loved the hotel that we stayed in because it had its own private beach and we loved to be there before and after breakfast.

We were there for a week and three days had already passed in the place's beauty.

Looking For A Special Gem Stone

I love wearing nice accessories and I know Goa to have beautiful precious and semi-precious stones set in silver or gold.

I wanted a special stone which I was very keen to possess. I knew it changed color, and it was attractive. Some people called it the king of gems. It had a myriad of colors shining in it and I was told that plenty of these are available in Goa. From shop to shop I went, and I asked to see jewelry. I bought some jade, topaz, pearls but what I wanted to buy I could not find.

I told the guide who was with us I wanted the mysterious stone. The guide finally thought I was crazy.

I did not know the name of the stone and I had seen an acquaintance wearing this stone at a party. From the time I set my eyes on it, and I knew it was from Goa, I was very keen to buy it.

Meeting The Mystical Man With His Theatrical Feats

Do you know what he did? He took me to a strange-looking hermit like the picture above. He had a long beard. He wore big beads bracelets on his arms. His forehead and part of his bald head were smeared with paint. He wore big beads on his neck as well. He was wearing big rings on each finger.

The moment I saw him I cried out “ I don't want to meet a mystery man but a mystery stone to wear as jewelry.” The mystery hermit laughed loudly. “This is the right place you have come to”, he exclaimed.

The hermit got hold of me and did some mumbo jumbo and took a broom and started going around me and put a fire on in which there was a lot of smoke and recited some verses in Sanskrit and who knew if it was correct or made-up details. He kept dancing around me trying to hypnotize me but I stuck on and loudly said enough! Stop it! I do not want any of this now! Move and let me go.

My guide had disappeared and was nowhere to be seen. He came running, hearing me shout and calling for help. “Let us go,” I said. The mystery man wanted to be paid for his services and I said why should I pay for this rubbish.

A crowd collected over there. To avoid any more problems, I quickly came him Rs100IN, but he asked for Rs2000 IN about $40 I paid him and left and dismissed the services of the guide soon after I reached the hotel and met my friends.

They excitedly asked me if I found the mystery stone which I liked so much. I was aghast and told them what had happened. They were shocked listening to my tale of woe.

At The Airport - Returning To Delhi

The next day, we went to the airport as it was our day of departure. We reached a little early and browsed through the shops that were so many. Guess what, the mystery stone that I was looking for in Goa was lying in plenty and I was told that the name of this stone was MYSTIC TOPAZ

My friends and I loved it at first sight and the above piece I bought in gold. My other friends also bought the beautiful stone which has a kaleidoscopic effect of colors.

To Conclude

See the irony of it. We did not find the stone because we did not know its name, nor did we know how it looked because I had seen it only once. So this find was actually a needle on a haystack and then plenty of them were available.

At a vacation never trust guides completely and do not go to the mystic guys unless you know about them or they can fool you completely. Be careful how you tread. People can cheat on you. Observe always and take care of yourself.