A slice of heaven...

It's better to travel well than to arrive -

                                                                  Buddha

And hence comes this article! Every journey is always so enticing! Getting to see different places, meeting new people, experiencing new adventures, tasting new cuisines; all these makes a tour worth remembering forever! And when the destination is Goa, the travel is worth every penny!

The western India's state of Goa has it's west side guarded by the grand Arabian Sea itself. This small state is making it's money from mining, tourism and pharmaceuticals! Economic survey showed a dip in tourism growth rate in 2016 which was mere 19.55%, as compared to 2015 when it was 30.55%. However, the number of tourist visiting this place every year never sees a diminution! Such is the furor of this place that people cannot keep themselves away from it!

We too are no different of course! So we headed to this fascinating place when we had a long weekend. The journey I have already described in another article. So here is just the stay!

The resort we booked was excellent. It had a private beach which was the added charm. Located in the southern part of Goa, this pristine beach is clean and not at all thronged! We spent hours by the beach. My toddler had much fun battling the waves, building sand castles, shapes, collecting shells, and running around. Exhausted, we spent the afternoon taking some power nap. We had our lunch at a small shack "The Joe's". It had the best sea food, I ever had. The setup of the shack was also very appealing. Situated just in the border of a river, it had such cool air blowing all the while that we didn't feel the need of even the fan at such high temperatures of Goa!

The evening, we spent by the beach, lazing around. Had a sumptuous dinner in the beach side restaurant of the resort. The sound of waves and the gushing wind made a very lovely semblance. The soothing music being played in the background added to our mood to just take to beds. And so we did.

The next day, we had the magnificent breakfast at the resort and then quickly got ready for the beaches. But one look outside our balcony was enough to make us change our plans! It was scorching heat and the reflection in the white sand just made it too febrile. We decided we needed to go shopping somewhere! And off we went.

There's not much of shopping places in South Goa so we had to head towards Panjim. Panjim being around 45 kms from our resort, we had a long one hour drive. However to our dismay, the shops were mostly closed. We moved around the blocks and found ourselves some of the smaller shops which were open. They had beautiful collections of shells, artifacts, hats, conch, etc etc. Some other had beach dresses, knickers, hats! All in all the markets look colorful with all the angelic display.

We got ourselves a few stuff and by the time our tummies were starting to give us calls! So we looked out for restaurants and checked into one serving delicious biryanis. We had our heart full of food. Now with the full feeling we started back to the resort. By the time we were back, it was dusk. Again, we had a walk by the beach. My daughter collecting shells and me and my hubby walking hand in hand through the salty water. It was nice!

That night we again had dinner at the Joe's. Coincidentally, there was a Goan party going on there with full dj and all. Turned out real fun. Tired, we retired to bed early.

We thought we would wake up early the next morning to catch the sunrise. But trying to leave the folds of the bed sheet and the warm cozy comforter behind is a real struggle early at 5am! So, no sunrise for us! Woke up at seven thirty, had a quick shower and the amazing breakfast offered by the resort. Dressed up real soon and made a move out. Reaching Bangalore would be a task on a Monday evening!

With fond memories of the Arabian Sea, the Goan food, the shells and the soft people, in our hearts we moved fast onto the highway. The journey back home was going to be long. But we were so fuelled up after this four day stay that we were ready for it.

The breathtaking tour was now over and we were back to where we started. However with renewed vigour and joy! Till we tour more places, the travel continues....