Goa

Last weekend 6 of us went to Goa for the weekend. Goa is an absolutely gorgeous little state on the West coast of India. It is incredibly lush and is full of beaches on the Arabian Sea. We had a great time. We spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach working on our tans. One day we even found a completely deserted beach and were able to have some quiet time to ourselves. It was nice to be in an atmosphere where we could relax in bathing suits and not worry about offending anyone. Although one old Indian man did videotape us, but there’s always one who causes a nuisance. The water was surprisingly warm and very salty. I’ve never really been to an ocean where you can swim. I had a lot of fun splashing in the waves and trying to walk against the undercurrent, which was very strong.
We also spent a morning hiking up the cliffs behind the beach to an old fort. The view from the top of the fort was amazing. Climbing over the ruins of the old fort was a nice adventure too. It felt good to get some exercise considering how much excellent seafood we ate during the weekend! One night we went to an organic restaurant where I was able to get homemade pesto! You can imagine how happy I was.
One day we went to the Sahakari Spice Plantation. We took a tour of the plantation and had lunch. The food was tasty and in abundance. We also got to try firewater (cashew fenni), which packed quite the punch. It was very cool to walk through the jungle and see all of the spices growing. It was my first time in the real jungle and I loved it. Our guide was very informative and taught us lots about how spices grow and how they can be used. She let us taste these tiny chilies that were the hottest thing I have ever tasted in my life. They put habañeros to shame. There were also two baby elephants at the spice farm that we were allowed to pet and play with. They didn’t feel like I thought they would – their skin was very soft, but covered with long bristly hairs. The plantation was actually incredibly environment friendly. They had cows that they milk and they also collect the methane from the cows to fuel all of their cooking. Additionally, they have huge compost piles that they use as all of the fertilizer for the spices. The people at the farm were so hospitable. They kept giving us fruit, food, drinks & even gave us free t-shirts when we left.