I love Goa. I love the somnolent mood... the relaxed, friendly, faces... the sleep inducing meals...the cheap beer and the port wine...the balmy ocean breeze. It is just the place to unwind.
My routine at Goa reads - wake up, have a lazy breakfast, curl up on a deck chair on the beach with a book, sleep, eat, go to the hotel room and sleep, wake up, coffee, amble down the streets, eat, sleep. Repeat. To me Goa is the ideal mix of a sleep holiday with great food.
My idea of water sports is lying on a beach bed looking dreamily at the distant horizons. That's how we spent our holidays for the last four to five years at Baga, Goa.
Cut to 2009 when my brother and mom joined us.
I started telling them about the food at Goa, good places to eat, the Churches tour, the hotels ... when my little brother (he wants to be called that) cut me short and said "what about water sports", and went on to announce his plans to para sail and jet around.
And then we begun on a very different holiday. He went para sailing. So did Kainaz (see picture below). We had operators who went up with us.
I did too. Yes you heard me right! I went against my better judgment. I won't deny that it was quite an experience sailing through the skies as the boat tugged you along. I did look at the green sea and the coconut forests...it was amazing... only problem was that I opened my eye for just about two seconds!
But that didn't deter junior who went into the water jetting in a water scooter (he enjoyed this the most), he went parasailing again without an operator, waded deep into the sea and flopped into the waves.
My Mom would keep fretting about my brother but he would jet back into the sea leaving us oldies together (don't know if Kainaz would agree to being called that). I think my mom even gave my brother a dressing down on the beach, on his twenty seventh birthday!
We went in a 'slow motor' boat where we had a short ride into the sea which was really nice. The sea water was just below us. The coast looked really pretty. The ride lasted for about ten minutes. Mom joined us for the boat ride. Turned out that she was quite keen on this.
Next year? I will be back to my favourite water sport for sure.
Travel notes:
- We were at Baga beach and water sports are available in season (November - March)
- Average prices of the rides ranged from Rs 600 - 300 (12 - 6 USD), the boat ride was Rs 100 (2 USD)
- Prices vary by operator. Guys in the middle of the stretch, which was less crowded, would charge Rs 600. The guys at the crowded end would charge Rs 300 for the same ride
- Prices were depressed with the recession this year but bargaining seems to be the norm
- You don't need to know how to swim for most of these
- The dog in the picture is called 'Brownie' and belongs to Love Shack
3 comments:
I have never been to Goa but have always fantasises about it. You sound like you had a great trip. I hope I can pack Goa into my itinerary whenever I head to India next.
I currently live in a city that is a lot like Goa because of the sea and the tourist appeal. However...I imagine Goa to be a place to relax and get away from city hustle-bustle and the Gold Coast is too much of a city for that.
Excellent blog! I see, you love water sports. Check out my blog dedicated to scuba diving, maybe you will become another addict of this wonderful hobby? In fact, scuba diving is what anyony can do regardless of the age. Surfing, yachting, boating are all fun, but not even half compared to what you can experience beneath the waves.
The post is actually the freshest on this laudable subject. We have one of the Deluxe Hotel Dalhousie.
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