Without a doubt, the best part of our trip to date has been our stay in Goa. Not only were we near the ocean (where I feel my soul should always be…), but you can’t help but relax in Goa. The palm trees, beautful sunny weather and soft sand always makes you feel like you’re in a bit of a dream. The sales people aren’t as pushy, the beach is prestine and well maintained and the food is fantastic! Of course, our stay in Goa didn’t exactly start idealy….
We had dinner on the beach and enjoyed some truely fantastic continental food on Patnem beach. We watched some fire throwers perform and we enjoyed a walk in the water. Our first night and even the first day weren’t too eventful…actually they were quite enjoyable! Other than the fact that I couldn’t hear anything out of my right ear, of course….
Honking in India is prolific. It’s worse than it had been in Guiyang and when you’re walking down the street, that’s bad news for your ears. It’s especially bad news when you’re walking through a tunnel and someone decides to honk right as they’re passing you…
This happened to us while we were in Jaisalmer. I felt a lot of pain in my ear for about a day and then forgot about it…until we had to fly. Flying when you have a messed up ear is not fun! As the week in Goa progressed though, my ear started to pop a little bit and my hearing returned. It’s still incredibly sensitive but Dave doesn’t have to shout for me to be able to hear him anymore, so that’s nice!
We also had some difficulties at our first hotel (I woke up with 30 mosquito bites on 1 arm alone….), so we transferred to a resort. We’ve decided that this trip is already costing us more than expected…we may as well pay a little more and save my sanity!! The idea of beach huts is great…until you’re actually in one and the mosquito net above your bed doesn’t do a thing!!!
We spent most of our trip doing 2 things: scooting around the countryside and sitting on the beach. Both were highly enjoyable! You wouldn’t believe the colours in India! Bright colours are very popular here, both in terms of clothing and in terms of paint!
There is a lot of wealth in Goa and nothing shows that more than their houses! We saw aquamarine mansions…purple mansions…even yellow mansions! I wish I could have gotten pictures of all of them, but that would have meant pulling over every few minutes for photos, so I just took what I could from the back of our moving scooter.
The nice thing about renting a scooter is that you can go out anytime, and go wherever you want. Because we weren’t at the mercy of a driver, we got to see way more local life in Goa than we did in Rajesthan. I always say that it isn’t really a vacation until Dave and I rent a scooter!!
My favourite thing about Goa though was the beaches. It was so great relaxing in the sun and watching the sun go down over the water. I swear I belong near the ocean…I can’t think of a sound I find more relaxing that waves on the shore.
And of course, it’s always fun playing in the sun too…
Our second last night in Goa was spent at a fantastic little restaurant on a the beach called Pedros. As we were finishing our meal, one of the musicians from the live band came over and asked us if either of us wanted to perform. Dave quickly volunteered me…I played Mr Jones and then sang while he played Summer of 69! Great fun!!!
So that was our week in Goa. We are now in Varanasi…the holy sight of the River Ganges. There’s a very different vibe here and I find myself missing the smell of saltwater…
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