GOA

Last summer, my family and I were visiting relatives in India after four years. Since all of us were very familiar with the sights, smells, and hotspots of Ahmedabad, Gujurat, my grandparents planned a surprise, "mini-trip", to Goa. Goa is one of India's tourist hotspots because of it's significant Portuguese history, and it's beachy environment. Basically, it's India's version of a tropical destination.

DAY 1

We arrived in Goa the same day it was pouring outside. If I was at home in the U.S., I would have been annoyed, but in India, it was an outright blessing to see it rain because it had been so hot and dry in general. The rain was very much well needed. On this hour and a half long ride from the airport to the hotel, our cab driver showed us what to look for outside the windows. We saw the sea, and because of the rain, it was overflowing and tumultuous. The cab brushed past dense tropical trees, and small, colorful houses scattered along the way, sometimes adorning a religious cross. The tires bumped over rocky roads which happened to be on an iron ore mining site. The site was empty due to the rain, and the rusty red iron ore made reddish-brown puddles in the potholes. It was a fascinating car ride because although India may seem like a homogenous country to others, every state seems to have an individual personality and appearance.

Thanks to my amazing Nana, we got to stay in a beautiful, five-star hotel that truly made me feel like a tourist. For starters, it was quite amazing waking up and going to the lobby to see an entire continental buffet that stretched as long as the dining room, ready to dig in to. Besides the extravagant free breakfast, there was an open pool at the very top of the hotel that would've been perfect to swim in had it not been monsoon season, and at the very bottom of the hotel was a spa and gym. Of course, we weren't there to pamper ourselves as tourists, but we wanted to explore Goa and see what really defines it as a state.

DAY 2

Day 2 started fresh in the morning after a hearty breakfast of idli, sambar, and motion sickness pills for me! See, we took a car with a hired driver to take us to some touristy spots in Goa, the first of them being Fort Aguada, and the ride was loooong and bumpy. Trust me, the motion sickness meds were well-needed. Fort Aguada is notable in Goan history because it once was a Portuguese fortress and lighthouse, and to this day is still very well preserved. The fun that came with exploring the Fort was climbing up an especially steep and wet path to walk around the edges of the Fort and look out on to the murky sea. I wouldn't say it was beautiful because the weather was cloudy, the sea was reddish-brown, and it was wet and icky everywhere, but it was an interesting sight-seeing spot. I love historical ruins; it leaves so much to the imagination to ponder what it was like for the Portuguese traders walking on the same cobbled path as myself.

Shortly after descending from the Fort, it began to trickle, and so we quickly climbed into the car and decided to make our way to the next location; the beach. There were three beaches we were supposed to visit, but surprisingly sitting in a car for extended periods of time really takes the energy out of you, so my brother and I insisted on making a trip to only one beach. By the time we arrived, the rain has disappeared, and there was even a little bit of sun. Don't be fooled; the beaches in Goa are not necessarily like the beaches in Florida and California. There was litter on the sand, but you could see little shells that got washed onshore from the ocean. The water was reddish-brown, and it was very rough and fast because of the rain. Even then, crowds of people stood close to the water's edge so that when the tide came in everyone's feet got wet from the cool water, including my family. It was so exhilarating when the tide did come in, and it was too irresistible not to inch a little closer and closer towards the water despite my Nana's warnings. It was an incredible start to our first real day in Goa.

DAY 3

Today's agenda was to visit Old Goa and specifically the church, the Basilica of Bom Jesus. The church is also famous for holding the dead body of St. Francis Xavier which is shown to the public a few times throughout the year. Directly across from the Basilica is the newer Church of St. Francis of Assisi which is what we went into. That day the sun was up and shining which was nice because it wasn't wet and cloudy out, but it was very hot and humid. Literally walking around outside was painful because of how hot it was. We took the usual car ride to Old Goa and walked around the newer church. It was simple but beautiful on the inside, and we took a million pictures by this giant church. Then, we walked across to the Old Goa church which held the body of St. Francis Xavier. The building was obviously much older and more like a historical ruin. Its architecture was definitely one of a kind, but soon after walking around the entrance, we hopped in the car to head to our next destination. We decided to take a trip to a small temple for prayers, and it was located where the roads were too small for cars. We walked to the temple once the car could no longer take us further and along the way passed by many small little shops trying to sell touristy items of course. After we had entered the temple and prayed, we made the same journey back to the car, but this time we stopped at some of the shops. My brother as usual picked up a little toy rickshaw, and I got an ear of well-roasted corn that was made on the spot for me. It was delicious, and the perfect snack for such a long day, and a memorable trip.