Goa = Paradise

I spent last weekend with a few friends in a little Indian paradise called Goa, which is located on the Arabian Sea in southwest India. Absolutely Amazing.

Surprisingly, my flight was very smooth although the plane came equipped with a set of propellers, which raised alarm. I turned green as I boarded the plane, but woke up an hour later unharmed and with a lovely view of a tropical landscape bordered by the ocean.

We arrived around 7:30 am on Friday, leaving us the entire day to soak up the sun and relax. As we drove from the airport to our resort, we passed palm tree after palm tree, beach hut after beach hut. Straight out of a magazine.

Our resort, which was located in south Goa was equipped with a casino, two restaurants, a huge pool including a swim up bar, a beach side bar, and of course direct access to the beach and ocean. Money, Food, Booze, Water. Basically, everything you could ever need.

We spent most of the day Friday poolside and bar side. I managed to get so burnt that I am still nursing my back and shoulders. Being in the sun and relaxing by the pool felt so great, that I neglected to use sunscreen appropriately. My poor little skin is used to 30 degree weather, and was thrown into a tail spin when it came into contact with that much sun. I can say I learned my lesson.

Friday night, we stayed around the resort, watched the sunset on the beach, ate a late dinner, and had two for one doubles at one of the restaurant bars. Having numerous rounds of vodka/sodas or vodka/OJs, which I have decide is my tropical drink of choice, made me feel at home.

We also decided to check out the hotel’s famous dance club, which was supposed to be one of the most happening bars in Goa. There were four people at the club, which was made up completely by our group. It was hysterical. This time of year is actually considered the “off-season” in Goa because of how hot it gets, so that likely contributed to the lack of attendance at our dance party.

The next day, we woke up to enjoy an early morning Dolphin cruise. I was pretty sure we weren’t actually going to see any dolphins, but to my surprise we did. I was also very certain that the boat we were on was going to sink considering it had six unsteady seats, was steered from the back, and the gas tank was filled with a gas can while we were on the boat. Fortunately, the boat made it back to shore after we spotted some dolphins, so in my book it was a successful venture.

The rest of Saturday we lounged around again soaking in the relaxing vibe of Goa. That evening, we headed to Baja Beach in north Goa, to check out the famous party scene. We had about an hour and half drive, but north Goa is known for it’s wild bars, and popular restaurants, so we had to check it out.

When we arrived we immediately went to the beach, which was packed with people and beach side huts. We ate dinner at Tito’s Bar, which had delicious Goan seafood. We called it an earlier night than expected, but were still able to enjoy a few drinks first.

The weekend was just what I needed. I was absolutely dreading heading back to Bangalore. It’s hard to leave such warm, laid-back, beautiful beach where you have not a care in the world.

It’s funny though, because on my drive from the airport in Bangalore, I thought to myself how nice it was to be home. Then I realized that was the first time I truly felt like I had a home in Bangalore.