DEATHS in Arambol

anandi

Has anybody heard about the 5 foreigner deaths in Arambol in the past 4 weeks? I just heard about it, and apparently it's from some bad Heroin...does anybody have any more info? I'm going to Arambol in a couple of weeks and I'm kind of worried...not that I'm going there for any drugs...just worried about the general vibe of the place...seems so sad. I'm going there to the yoga school... and was looking forward to sunshine, health, and happiness...not death.

bijapuri

"Good" heroin will kill you just as fast as "Bad."
Especially if combined with alcohol. You'll stop breathing, and not know it, cuz you're passed out.
Happens all the time

__________________
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Tomi

Could a forum leader please move this thread from Yak-Yak to Goa?
Anandi's question is potentially very important stuff and it should be in the right place.
Sorry, Anandi, I'm not trying to diss you; it's just that when I'm ready to go to Goa next year and do a search of the forum, I'd like to be reminded of this post.


Are you still in Arambol, Mike2?

Anders

m2 has already posted about it in the
Postcards from Arambol thread.
Anandi: Stay away from heroin and chances are you that you will
have "sunshine, health, and happiness".

-m2-

yes, still in Arambol, and have been mulling over this situation since the deaths began last month. The known facts are sketchy -- what is reported in papers, rumours and speculation, and what is known about the individuals involved don't lead to a definitive conclusion as to what is going on.

I haven't yet responded to picklepack's reply in the postcards thread and there has been the new death since I wrote the last update so, as I say, I'm trying to get a decent picture of what is going on before commenting. Arambol has never been a drug hotspot, in fact enforcement was fairly strict until a couple of years ago -- even with cannibis. To be honest, I must be careful with any speculation in an open forum as I am not exactly anonymous here and must tread carefully commenting as to why this apparent change may have come about.

Of the first four Arambol deaths, drugs of some kind were involved, but may or may not have been heroin overdoses as there were odd circumstances in at least a couple of the cases although all were apparently found dead in their rooms. The the most recent death was of a middle-aged Brit who had a fairly unhealthy lifestyle that involved alcohol and smoking -- he died in the market area, possibly when trying to get to a doctor. No proper chemical analysis or difinitive autopsies have been or will be done and it is not known if any drugs found on site have been given any kind of analysis. Adulterated drugs is what is suspected locally -- possibly 'party' drugs rather than supposed heroin. In the Anjuna death, a young tourist collapsed at a restaurant and died on the way to hospital. In the Benaulim death the news report mentioned that 'acid powders' were found in his room along with the body.

A perhaps relevant detail is that none of the now 9 tourist deaths that I am aware of have been Israelis who while conspicuous drug users, probably only buy from each other. I would therefore conclude that the bad drugs are being supplied by Indian/Goan dealers, and that there is/was a particularly unscrupulous one here in Arambol. It is also possible that these 'drug coctails' of various ingredients affect people in different ways, particularly if alcohol or some other prescription drug is involved.

I'll keep following developments, but I don't think buying and taking mystery drugs from strangers is a ever a very good idea and I'm frankly appalled at the whole rave-party/drug scene that has developed lately and the eagerness with which so many jump into it. There is so much positive here in Goa, yet there is certainly a dark side.

m2

anandi

thanks so much for the replies...I wasn't planning on partaking in the drug scene myself, but the situation is slightly worrying and saddening in general. m2...maybe we'll meet some day for a chat if you'd like...I don't know anybody in Arambol and will be there around the 27-28th of Jan and staying for a couple of weeks.

-m2-

On re-reading your original post, I now realize that I didn't address your principal concern, anandi. No there is no heavy drug vibe in Arambol, the village and main beach are rather wholesome, in fact. While there is a fair amount of open charis smoking this year, (which is kind of a recent development) I think you have to be looking to find the heavy drug scene. I was not even aware of it and I have been coming here for years. Also, the holidays have come and gone and things fairly quiet now.

The Yoga school is in a quiet place, but I think that the area is now being impacted somewhat by a couple of new bar/music venues that have been set up in the general area -- it is probably just a problem at night, but you should be able to find accommodations near the school that won't be disturbed. I don't get down that way at night, so don't know how bad it is and which guesthouses may be affected, but Arambol isn't that far anyway.

I'll be here for a while, and will look forward to meeting you for a chai; feel free to pm me. Have a good trip over.

m2

Inity & Iditation

hi,

I am very sorry to hear about these MANY deaths in Goa this holiday season. It makes me feel a bit like I lucked out by avoiding Goa this Christmas / New Year, as such events certainly cast a cloud over an otherwise beautiful area.

here is my 'harm reduction' blurb:

Kids: don't do heroin, "brown sugar", opium or whathave you.... its not something to "try" while you are in India or Thailand OR anywhere for that matter. They suck, its not clever or fun or adventurous... its stupid.

also... keep in mind that people who are claiming to sell pills of "E" "Ecstacy" "MDMA" or such, are likely not. It is much easier and likely for them to be selling some cheaply produced form of crappy adulturated crystal meth or even easier for them to be mixing or selling hard pharmaceuticals which are cheaply obtained from chemists shops. EITHER of which are easy to kill yourself with.


however, keeping in mind what M2 said about possible speculations and such... I don't know if this year is representative of past years or what. But while I was in Himachal Pradesh this fall, at least one person was found dead in their guesthouse in Manikiran and one found dead in the river in Manali. Also, an older British lady has gone missing on the train from Mumbai to Delhi, and less suspiciously, a young Israeli had his throat slit on the boat from Chennai to the Andaman Islands. Making this (when adding in these Goa deaths) a terrible year for tourist deaths. These events also don't make really big news in the papers, so there may have been more deaths than I have mentioned.

As most of us know, the Parvati-Kullu valley has had a recurrent problem with mysterious tourist deaths for a number of years now. and as many Kashmiris have reminded me, that makes visiting Shrinigar much safer than visiting Himachal as the last tourist casualty up there was long ago.

anyways,
be careful out there.

bijapuri

no tourists=no tourist casualties

and this doesn't include the corpses along the road to Amarnath each year, isn't it? although this year it was due only to natural causes, I heard

Inity & Iditation

ok Bij,

thanks for the comeback I can use on the Dal Lake houseboat touts

the point I was trying to allude to however, is that I hope the "mysterious" deaths of foreign tourists in Himachal Pradesh are not spilling over into "mysterious" deaths of foreign tourists in Goa.

Live Long and Prosper

Alan D

Many tourist deaths in the Kullu valley have been drug related. If you're not going there for that purpose then you should be OK.

We've stayed there 4 or 5 times in recent years and hopefully will be there again this summer.

Kashmir, I'm leaving till it becomes less of an army camp. Someday soon?

__________________
What a long strange trip it's been!

kiranlal

Goa has suffered a major blow after a new police report pointed to at least 59 "mysterious deaths" of foreign tourists in the past 15 months.

http://www.washtimes.com/world/20040...3652-1618r.htm

i like to know more
Kiran

kiranlal

kiranlal

ttoobbiiaass

First of all I like to say that I am very sad to hear that so many people died this year (already) in Arambol. Then I would like to agree with Anders, Anandi: Stay away from heroin (and other bad substances) and chances are you that you willhave "sunshine, health, and happiness".

But people (locals, western tourists and indian tourists) dying in Arambol - (and othe places in Goa and India of course) is sad to say - not an exception. I remember both last year and the year before, at least a couple of people died, and rumors was talking about some bad heroin. Also last year - or the year before an Indian tourist drowned.

My (not so bold) guess is that many of the deaths are drug related in one way or another. And to be frank, generally many people(travellers/tourists) are quite drug liberal in Goa, and while on the influence of diffirent substances, strange, and sometimes really bad things do happen. So in many cases, stay away from bad substances and you will just as Anders pointed out, have "sunshine, health, and happiness".

I would like to agree with M2, I´ve also been going to Arambol for a couple of years - and I would like to say that there is not a big drug scene. It is very nice, and pretty quiet place (except around christmas when the whole of goa seems to be filled of motorcycles). People do smoke a joint every here and there - but I cannot see that that would affect the general vibe in a bad way.

And regarding the general vibe, and drugs and such. Goa has really exploded in interst in Yoga and similar activeties, which I reccon reduces the amount of people going more for the drugs (at least it sort of balances it up). About 10 years ago, the only yoga place I knew of was in Vagator, but now there are a number of diffirent yoga places - and also beauty parlors, reiki, massage etc - in Arambol!

Have a great vacation anandi - I will not have a chance to meet you anandi, I wil be there in November and Deceber this year
All the best

Tobi

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May all beings be happy