RIGA - There are times when the noise, lights and flurry of Riga are enough to drive me off to a serene Buddhist commune, (the closest of which, I discovered, is in Moscow... Idaho.) But such extremities are no longer of need.
It just so happened that on one particularly distressing Riga evening, while I was searching for a shortcut home to escape the jarring rush-hour chaos, I happened upon a secret garden. Well not really, but that would have been the best outcome. What I did discover, mind you, was almost as inspiring.
On a small road just off Elizabete's St. I came across a cozy Asian teahouse. Goija's foggy windows and warm glow beckoned me inside. I opened the door and stepped into a dimly lit room. At last, I thought, refuge.
Over the next few hours I slipped into meditative peace, except for a few text-message buzzes every so often, and an annoying phone call from my neurotic landlord demanding that I pay the downstairs neighbor's plumbing bill due to my leaky toilet. But besides those brief interruptions and a sudden panic that I had left the iron on before leaving for work earlier that morning (which I then quickly subdued with the recollection that my state-of-the-art iron had a "safety off" button), I came close to attaining nirvana.
My tea of choice was Darjeeling, a rather common option given Goija's exotic samplings. The teahouse offers every root and flower from China's Anxi Mountains to the plains of North Africa: Lizhi Hong Cha, Keemun, Pu-Erh Mini Tuo-Cha, Dahongpao, take your pick.
For those with a passion for botany, dozens of herbal specimens can be examined under magnifying glasses built conveniently into the front counter.
"Hmmmm," I mused, peering into the glass marked 'Guihua Hung Cha.' "I never realized that bancha leaves could infuse so perfectly with husked grains of roasted brown rice," I said to the Latvian behind the counter, my eyes gleaming with joy. He just stared at me in return.
But tea is not the only answer Goija has for its haggard Riga refugees. The urban recluse offers water pipes, Eastern treats, ice-cream cocktails, musli, Jenga, chess, "meditation for dummies" books and more. If I ordered a small mortar of opium, I wouldn't be surprised if they said yes.
A den in the back of the teahouse is adorned with pillows and silk-embroidered curtains, so that guests can enjoy the hookah either sitting cross-legged or lounging across the opulent cushions. I, however, chose the more conventional seating area, which looked something like my Moroccan-obsessed brother's living room. The wallpaper is African-inspired, and the room's wooden shelves craddle artifacts I've only seen in National Geographic. All in all I got an ethnic feel.
I could go on, but few words can capture the purity of true spiritual escapism. Still glowing from my herbal tea, I set off to continue my meditation at home, and was even able to check my e-mail at the computer near Goija's front door to make sure I hadn't missed any pressing work memos.
Goija
Strelnieku St. 1a
Hours: 11:00-02:00 except
Fri, Sat: 11:00-05:00
Tel: 703 33 70
