George and Deborah's Great Adventures: 03/20/13

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Goa, Going, Gone!

Goa Going Gone

We are just packing up to close our stay in Goa. Goa is a region much like Puerto Vallarta with many beach villages and resorts making up the larger region. The region sits at approximately 15 degrees N latitude, on the Arabian Sea. By comparison, Puerto Vallarta is at 20 degrees N. Our hotel was in the most southerly Goa village called Salcete.

The Goa area has a long history reaching back thousands of years but most recently was Portuguese controlled until 1961. The Portuguese influence can in seen in the abundance of catholic churches.

This tour stop has been all about rest, relaxation, and recreation. If someone were parachuted into Salcete from Canada they would likely believe they had landed in Mexico. The resorts are built following the same type of pattern and the beach hut bars and restaurants could be found anywhere in Mexico. Even the natives are similar in appearance. As you move from north to south in India the people become smaller in stature and darker in appearance. The majority language in the resort was Russian and the male bathing suit of choice was dental floss and a pouch, usually worn by older men with considerable investments in abdominal fat.

We only left our village for part of one day when we rented motor scooters and travelled to the well-known Agonda Beach. Agonda is the place folks go to really “get away”. No cell phone coverage and no resorts, just kilometers of white sandy beaches with no one around except the occasional shack and fishing boats.

Costs here are similarly inexpensive as Mexico. 650 ml ice cold beers for 120 rupees (about $2.40 Canadian). Cooked seafood lunch and beers for two on the beach, about $12. Scooter rentals were $6 per day.

I’ll let the pictures tell the story of our three-day experience.