Goa with Vishakha

Walking, talking, eating, drinking, chilling....and more, all on the beach.

That's what we did. Once we entered the resort, we stepped out only three days later, only to head back to the airport. 

All time was by the sea.....on the beach or by the beach or in a shack on the beach. 

In process, I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said we explored deeper nuances of our relationship with the sea.....and more significantly, our own. Captured by "it's interesting how each trip we seem to open up newer areas of the relationship....who'd think a space as deep as we share can even go further".

That was as beautiful as it gets.

Catching dawn and dusk...... waves just lapping  the feet, experiencing the softness of the sand, the wind in the hair, the sun on the face....... we walked about fifteen kms each day.... her fitbit being hard evidence......and my calf muscles telling their own story today :)

Interspersed were the coffees and teas......... the pina coladas and wines....the snails and shells......the samosas and bhels......also some rather interesting people we chanced upon.

Rest through pics:

This is an uninterrupted stretch of beach, right from Aguada fort to Baga, and while it's the most touristy stretch of beaches, it was yet beautiful. It's funny how the crowds stay together in specific spots, and you move beyond and you have as much beach to yourself as you want.

The stretch of beach

Raman Cottages is wonderful, in terms of ambience and location....this is from the dining area, where we spent the hotter part of day....even the ac in the room couldn't drag us away from here. (ma and vijji aunty, I'm sure you recognize it :)

Us, post what we thought was a simple dal chaawal lunch. Until I sent diksha this picture and she says "pretty ....  must also say you two have a good appetite" :)

While it looks like I took a picture of the dog, it's actually Vishakha deeper in that I was getting a long shot off

that's a closer one, with her looking all happy standing at the sangam, the spot where the river meets the sea

From further away......always partial to the spot where the river meets the sea

What it takes to bring the boat back to shore against the flow

Pretty shades of blue

We saw this elderly couple sitting in the water for over three hours..... and I recalled my home stay host of five years back, telling me about this ritual that traditional Goans do. It's an yearly ritual of immersing themselves in the salt water as a healing process. This looked like that.

So when I saw the man walk up the beach, it was nice opportunity to chat up.......and that was one fascinating conversation.

Tulsidas used to work with the first chief minister of Goa after it became a state. A little into the chat he says there were only two things he used to find very difficult.....one was how much food they would order, and how much got wasted. (forgot the second, but it was an equally interesting perspective).

And yes, we spoke of the ritual too; two times a year they spend a few hours in the sea and come out and cover themselves with sand, and then go back in, and he said it prevents aches and pains and any wounds or illnesses they may potentially have, heal on their own. So plausible and so interesting.

He now drives a taxi.

One of the beautiful sunsets of the trip

What we did post sunset.....chill at a beach side shack

That's night life just starting on a crowded stretch of beach

Back to the resort, the jaadu standing all proud after half the grounds were done :)

In the resort....a cat, fully pregnant and so trusting that it jumped onto my lap, even without invite. And vishakha in a splash of colour between the beautiful bounganvillae and the intoxicatingly fragrant firangipani

Mohammed Ansari and Anand who went out of their way to make our experience so comfortable and wonderful

A final picture

A closing thought; what was hopeful when we began in 2017.....what we wondered why we'd never done before........what we wanted to keep going......hoped to atleast, was a trip by ourselves each year. We've done it third year in a row. So happy.....and what a wonderful one !