Goa

Our first year teaching abroad we got some good advice from an unlikely source. Our principal, whom I affectionately call PP Fartos, told us that the best way to save money is to travel in-country the first year and then branch out after that. We followed his advice in Colombia, which not only saved us a little money, but also helped us learn a lot about our host country. When we found out we were to have a week off in October it wasn't hard to decide on an Indian destination, Goa's beaches were first on our list.
For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to stay in Baga beach in north Goa, but almost as soon as we got there I realized just how not good of an idea it was. Baga beach is gross. It's packed with people and is so loud. Brad and I tried to make the most of it, but my bathing suit was the cause of a lot of unwanted attention and swimming in the ocean meant cramming in between two flags that marked the designated swimming area with hundreds of Indian tourists. After one day in Baga beach I told Brad that the place got its name because it makes you pull your hair and yell, "Bah! Gah! Get me out of here!" like some Indian Ebeneezer Scrooge. I was depressed, thinking we'd have to spend a whole week there, but we soon discovered that the Goa of our imagination: quiet beaches, cold beers, and other bikini-clad sunbathers, existed just a few minutes north in Anjuna.
We made two great discoveries in Anjuna, the hotel Laguna Anjuna and the place where we spent most of the rest of our vacation, the Shore Bar. Spending almost an entire week in a bar might sound to you like a problem, not a vacation, but it was more than a bar, really. It was an open air hangout/restaurant with steps going straight down to the beach. They had great food, the best I've had in India, good music and a huge wine list. Needless to say, once we found the place and knowing the alternative, we thought it best to just stay put.
We strayed from the beach a few times to take scooter rides around the countryside and go shopping in the famous Wednesday market. And one time we went to Curly's, a little ways up the beach from the Shore Bar, but that place was a little too seedy for our taste.
I think that we may not be able to follow PP's advice for a whole year. Traveling in India can be kind of a headache. But even with the rough start, it was an altogether excellent vacation.
Shore Bar









Scootering







Shopping