Beaches, Buses and Beauty

With 10 whole days in Goa and absolutely zero plans, I took a taxi from the airport to Palolem Beach, which is known as one of Goa’s finest beaches. Situated in the very southern part of Goa, it’s supposed to be calm and serene, so I spent a few days sleeping on the beach. Palolem is beautiful, no question about it, but as I found it a bit too crowded during peak season, I made my way some 40 km north to a small beach called Varca Beach. This is where I found what I was looking for. With just a couple of beach shacks I could doze off in the sun totally undisturbed (except for the occasional vendor).

Palolem Beach

The beaches in this part of Goa are really just part of one long beach, so I hired a bike and went biking on the beach, and I tell you, it was absolutely beautiful! The Arabian Sea on one side, the white sand on the other, above me only blue skies and a golden sun. I think I love this country! After about two hours of biking I reached Majorda Beach, about 12 km from Varca. I spent the day there and started making my way back, only to find out my tires were all but empty. Now let me tell you, biking on the beach is pretty tough as it is, but biking on the beach with a flat tire… By the time I made it back to Varca Beach, I fell asleep and slept for about 12 hours. Woops! :)

Varca Beach

I also biked up to Margao, a town in Goa with a great Friday market. People everywhere, total chaos, absolutely hilarious! This was also the first time I tasted The Sausage… Salty, chewy, the sausage they make in Goa is absolutely delish! And now that I mentioned food, the cuisine alone would be reason enough to make a trip to Goa! I tasted everything from shark and chicken livers to spicy fish curry, paying close to nothing for it. Have I mentioned yet that I love this country? As for the rest of my stay, I visited the market in Colva, which was held outside in a field and was absolutely amazing with local music, people dancing and colorful fabrics, spices and handicrafts everywhere. I also visited some other beaches and during my last day I made my way up to Panji, the capital of Goa. The walk along the main shopping street all the way to the river and up the river back to Panji Church took about 3 hours (including stopping every 5 minutes to take a pictures and every 10 minutes to get something to eat) and was a superb way to get a feeling for the town. In the evening I took the bus from Panji to the airport, and I can tell you, this was an experience! Once getting on the right bus, which was pretty much a miracle, the bus felt like it was gonna tip over every time it turned. I also had no idea were I was supposed to get off, as I realized while riding the bus, it would not take me all the way to the airport. But friendly people would gently tell me to get off the bus and then some friendly people would tell me which bus to take next and then some friendly people would tell me when to get off again and after about an hour or so I found myself safely on the airport again. Basically, with no idea of how I actually made it there...

So, now I’ve been back in freezing Delhi for a few days and I love it! Every time I step outside my door, I see something that makes me smile. Peacocks, traffic, beautiful monuments, food, super sweet chai, and people, people, people. So much to see, so much to do, so many people to meet and I’ll tell you all about it, but for now, you’ll have to endure with some pics. :) From Goa with love!

Palolem Beach

I opened a restaurant while in Goa

And bought a house made of lollipops.

Margao

Panji church