Glorious Goa

From Mangalore and Goa

From Mangalore and Goa

From Mangalore and Goa

From Mangalore and Goa

Finally made it to the tropical paradise of Goa, and it's everything people said it would be: tropical, lush, laid-back, and an absolute paradise. It was great to travel with the guys Udo and Marco back to their "homebase" while in India, and especially back to Luku's actual homebase.
Our first day we found 2 amazing huts on the beach that opened up directly facing the water (with no obstructions). At 600 Rs ($13) each, it was a little more than we normally spend on a room but it was worth it and still WELL under the price of the shitiest hotel in the worst hovel of LA. We walked around, did some fun shopping, and laid on the beach a bit.
Part of the strange thing about Goa (for a backpacker) is that it's not really anything like the rest of India - which of course can be a good and a bad thing. Good because it's Westernized to a point where it's safe to walk around at night, you can drink alcohol anywhere and everywhere, and the nice array of Western food is a welcome break from dahl fry and dum aloo. We're really loving the fact that you can get mojitos and other drinks with ice because it's safe to drink here. Bad because, well, it's India and part of the fun of traveling to the other side of the planet is because it will feel different from home, and aside from the locals hawking their wares on the beach, this rarely does. But every part of me is still loving it and wishing we had quadruple the amount of time here than we actually do.
Luku, Marco, and Udo took us to one of their favorite beaches in Goa - a beach outside of town about 20 minutes and unknown to most passersby. It's called Turtle Beach, and I think Marco says it best "God had a really good day when he made this beach". Luku arranged for us to have a freshly caught meal of crab, mussels, shrimp, and fish - and along with several kingfishers, we were happy as can be.
We had to say goodbye to our beloved travel partners tonight and cried like babies. I assure you we will all be in Berlin shortly to visit you and you better get out to LA soon! Verhobenlassens, we love you!