Confession time! I have always been a bit skeptical of adventure sports in general and water sports in particular. I have been to Goa a few times and seen almost all the churches, the Dudhsagar Waterfalls, Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary and major beaches like Calangute, Baga, Anjuna and Aquada. This time my trip was a little different. All of us friends had decided to take a chill pill and go to Goa to take a break from the dirt, grime and stress of city life. This was the first time I went to Goa sans family or cousins.
We had booked a Goa tour packages that included our hotel stay and three square meals a day in addition to boat cruises, freebies and water sports (I was not too happy about this initially, but it was okay since it wasn’t mandatory). The best thing about the Goa package was that the hotel was just 2 minutes away from the beach. That’s my favourite kind. I really don’t understand why people go to a coastal destination and choose to stay anywhere other than a beach hotel or a resort!
Anyhow, my friends had vowed to make me try some water sports coz’ they didn’t want me to get bored while they were being adventurous. They literally dragged me to sit on the water scooter at the Baga Beach and I was a bundle of nerves! It took me quite a while to get the hang of the crazy machine even though the instructor was very patient (that’s his job I guess). But I must say, after a while it felt great and LIBERATING! I felt like a bird set free! I knew when I would go home I would miss having the beach a stone’s throw away. And no water scooter! I had grown so fond of the “crazy machine” I abhorred earlier that I spent quite a lot of money on water scooters for the rest of my trip.
By the end of the trip my pals had coaxed me into trying some other stuff too. All these were part of the Goa packages we had booked. I had tried my hands at parasailing, water skiing, and catamaran sailing (which I found very relaxing). But the water scooter was still my favorite. And will always be!
Friday, May 16, 2008
An Unforgettable Goa Trip!
A Whirlwind Trip to India
India never fails to amaze me. Every visit is new and makes me feel alive. This time we decided to give a shot to South India tours. Since South India is so huge, it was rather difficult to soak in all of it in the few days we had at hand. So I approached my regular india travel agent who organizes excellent India tours. He advised us to go for a South India Odyssey tour and we took the advice gladly. In 9 days we covered 4 cities and enjoyed every bit of it. And Randy fell in love with the cuisine. So did I, but not as much as Randy.
We first went to Bangalore, the garden city of India. Despite the traffic, I’d have to say, I loved Bangalore, or Bengaluru as it is now called. The Lalbagh Botanical Gardens were the best and the glass house inside was… what can I say, it was fabulously romantic and serene. Mysore was no eye sore. Hehehe. On the contrary, Mysore was quite a treat. The Mysore Palace is something no tourist enjoying an India tour should miss and I would really recommend that you visit it by day and by night. It’s spectacular during both!
Ooty was our next destination. Studded with rolling tea plantations, it was a haven. It is rightfully known as the “Queen of Hills”. Randy went mad clicking pictures. Ooty was very claming and so was Kodaikanal, which was our next destination. It is also called Kodai btw. There’s quite a bit of student crowd here. By far this was one of the best India tours I have ever embarked on. As usual, my travel agent was right. It had a bit of everything – nature, excitement, architecture, great food, and good shopping. Did I forget to mention I shopped like crazy in Bangalore and Mysore? Well I did!
