Goa

The past week has been so relaxing.. We arrived to Margao Station in Goa last Tuesday, and have enjoyed the slower pace of life and tropical beaches since. Our first two nights in Goa were spent in Palolem, a quiet little beach town with its fair share of tourists and beach shacks. Our reunion with Steph and Pete was a nice way to kick off our beach lounging week. Palolem and nearby Patnem offer long white sandy beaches and cute little beachside huts to escape the busy city life. According to the guidebooks, Palolem is where the tourists go to booze and relax, but we were happy to see lots of families and a variety of people rather than the closer-than-sardine packed beach I had envisioned... We didn't see that kind of beach until we headed up to North Goa, and luckily we were only there for half an hour!

After we departed Palolem, we got a taxi to Dona Paula, which is close to Goa's capital, Panjim. Here we had another reunion, with my Uncle Ian and Aunt Celia.. They were staying in a resort with all the amenities.. sun beds, pools, restaurants, a gym, a spa.. the works. They have been coming to Goa for years now and have stayed at the same place each time, so they know the area very well. We escaped  our usual airbnb and hostels, and opted for a nearby hotel that we got a killer deal on thanks to booking.com. The daily 15 minute walk to the fancy resort was totally worth it, as we got to hang out with my awesome family in another country!

So, needless to say, our last week has been spent reading books beachside, yoga on the beach, having tea in the room, using the nice resort amenities (yay! a gym!), and hanging with the fam. It was nice to have a "holiday" after our ashram stay.. It actually took me a couple of days to readjust to regular life.. You get so used to being regimented and having a full, active day, so when I had down time I just felt really tired. The beach was very hot too, and the Indian sun can definitely take it out of you.

We did venture out a few times from the resort... Paul and I had our first Indian bus ride experience. We headed into Panjim to see some of the historic sights and walk around.. The first time we used the bus we were able to get a seat, and it was pretty fun bouncing around and the driver hauled through the villages and over bumps at great speed. Our other bus experience to North Goa was not as comfortable, as we spent a whole 30 minute journey standing and I had to battle against an older gentleman who no matter how far I inched away from him, he kept rubbing his backside on me. I think he thought it was funny... He was one of the smallest people on the bus and somehow took up the most space.. If there's one thing I've learned about India, it's check your personal space at the door....a "bubble" doesn't exist here, especially in busy buses.

We have also been eating lots of yummy Goan food, like vindaloo (which I learned tastes very different from the imposter they sell back home), tandoori mushrooms/fish, spicy curries, and I've enjoyed having garlic and onion again, which was forbidden at the ashram! Today I had my last Indian breakfast, which keeps you full until about dinner time. Who knew curry for breakfast would be such a good idea after all? No more chana, or puri, or other flavorful vegetable concoction for breakfast in my forseeable future.. I wonder what breakfast entails in Thailand? All I know is I am about riced out and we are about to be in rice central for about 2 months! 

In other news, I am no longer ashamed to be a yoga teacher who can't get into a headstand. It took me a while to get the courage to try again without the fear of smashing my back again (which is still tender, ugh!) but the grass at the resort was a perfect place to try again. Yesterday I managed, to slowly and carefully, ease into a perfect headstand, with no help except from the watchful eye of Paul. (I did have him stand close in case I did start falling.. :) ) I was so happy! Now as long as I have a safe space with a cushy surface, I can stand on my head as much as I please.. Woohoo!