From Ahmedebad we flew to Goa. This was something we had both been really looking forward to. Following the hustle and bustle and the dirt of the cities and towns and the almost monotonous desert landscape of Rajasthan , the lush greenery, dense palm tree forests and beautiful beaches of Goa was exactly what we needed. On top of this we were halfway through our trip, with another 3 months ahead of us. After wearing the same 6 pairs of boxers for the last 90 days it was nice knowing all I needed was a pair of swim shorts for the next week!
Our first stop was on Palolem beach. The big tourist hot spot in the south of Goa. We had a really nice bungalow and the beach itself is incredible. A huge sweeping cove with a palm tree forest and mountain backdrop. During the day the various resorts and restaurants lay out sun beds and at about 6 they replace them with small intimate candle lit tables on the beach overlooking the sunset. There are enough people and places there to make friends but it is also secluded enough to relax and enjoy privately. It was perfect!
To make things even better (if that was possible) they sold 2 things we had barely had in India, meat and beer! (and wine, and gin, and vodka...!!)
Each day we would lie on the beach, reading, swimming, kayaking and relaxing until the evening when we would watch the sunset with a cold drink and the freshly grilled catch of the day. I never imagined such luxury would be available on a small budget but am so glad it was. It was incredible!
By this point we had seen enough temples, palaces and museums to last us a while so, after a few days on Palolem, we headed to another spot of paradise, Patnem beach! Much the same as Palolem we spent another couple of days relaxing and enjoying ourselves in the sun.
Aside from being lazy, eating and drinking well we had another plan in mind when we headed to Goa. We wanted to do some diving. Having researched various dive shops in the area we discovered the one on Palolem beach had closed down and the nearest location was north in an area called Vasco De Gama. So that's where we headed. After the last few days in the south we naively imagined all of Goa to be a tropical paradise full of helpful people with cocktails in coconuts. We were wrong. Vasco is a cesspit! The description of the hotel said we were a mere 600 metres from a beautiful beach (lies) surrounded by exciting and vibrant shopping and eating districts (lies) and staying in a room with friendly staff and a coastal view (more lies)! However we did manage to find a diving shopping. Only to be told that this particular diving shop (called Aquatic Diving Shop) doesn't actually do diving! Oh well! Not to be disheartened we found another place a few kilometers away and decided to head there the following day. Sadly we were to be out of luck again! The shop itself didn't exist and the kindly bar staff who offered to take us out seemed as safe as a nest of vipers! I still wonder what they would have done if we had said yes. Fashioned oxygen tanks from some of the rubbish on the streets?
However, we were back on a beautiful beach with delicious restaurants and cheap beer for 2 more days in paradise, before heading to Mumbai.
