Goin' to Goa

Getting around India was a lot easier than I thought! A few of us took a 14-hour bus ride from Hyderabad to the beautiful beaches of Goa. Sleeper buses are another option (where there are bunk beds in the bus). There are also a lot of options in flying, as most major cities (and more minor cities) have airports.

It was such a relief to get a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. The area of Goa we stayed in was Anjuna, also known as "Hippie's Paradise." LOL Anjuna is very friendly toward ex-pats and tourists: lots of English-speakers, lovely guesthouses/hostels, and diverse restaurants. There also wasn't any expectation for tourists to dress conservatively, so I felt pretty comfortable wearing whatever I would wear at a beach back in the states. And lots of bikini's and speedo's on the beach! (But I think this might also depend on the beach you go to. We were at Anjuna beach, which is a very Western touristy beach area. A more Indian-tourist beach area might have been different.)

This was the guesthouse we stayed at. It's called Anjunapalms Guesthouse. It had a lot of great reviews on hostelworld. Though the rooms were pretty basic, we requested a room with a/c and a private bath. And the Goan family who owned the guesthouse were WONDERFUL. They gave us a lot of tips on what to do, where to eat, and they even arranged transportation for us. The guesthouse was only a 10-minute walk from the beach!

Cows on the beach! What a life!

What was unique about the beach in Goa from other beaches I've been to are the ladies who carried baskets of fruit on their head. They sold you fresh fruit and cut it up for you, so it's ready to eat. There's nothing like eating fresh mangoes and pineapple while sunbathing next to the Arabian Sea!

- Amy '12