Ah Goa. Where else in the world do you get to share the beach with a cow?

Goa was settled by the Portuguese in the 1600s and remained a colony until the 1940s when the Indian army marched in. It became known to the world in the 60s as the place where the Beatles sought a bit spiritual enlightenment. Hippies, beach bums, pot heads, yoga students, and backpackers have been flocking here ever since. Although a bit touristy in some places, we welcomed the somewhat western standard of infrastructure. We spent the first couple days relaxing on the beach near us. Once recharged, we rented a motorbike and ventured out to explore the quieter beaches and villages around us.

We decided to drive up the coast a bit and picked a little beach side restaraunt called the Blue Whale Shack as our destination. It was about a few hours away and our guide book said it had the best spot in all of Goa. It was a really nice drive north on a road that hugged the beach. With the major highway inland, the beach road was free of big trucks and cars ans was instead the domain of motor bikes and cows.

Our map mentioned an old portugese fort along the way, so we stopped to have a look.

The fort was located at the top of a cliff over looking the Arabian sea and provided a breathtaking view.

To get to the peninsula where the Blue Whale was located, we had to cross a river using a charming old ferry.

Once on the peninsula, we followed the road all the way to the end. By the time we got off the bike, we'd been thirsty and hungry for hours but were sure holding out would be worth it. We made our way down a long hot path, a little delirious, feeling like Clark W Griswold in the desert.

We finally reached the blue whale shack, and this is what we found:

We had to laugh. While we stood trying to figure out if we were in the wrong place or if the guide book was screwing with us, a man emerged from the shack. He told us that the shack had burned to the ground three days earlier when a gas canister had caught fire. The shack pictured was what they had already rebuilt. He told us that they would be open again within a few days. The owner, a sweet Indian woman, arrived shortly after and told us more of the story. We talked with them for a few minutes then walked down to the beach to have a look around. It was a beautiful spot where a river met the ocean. Unfortunately we were due to leave Goa before they would reopen; we'll have to visit the next we come to India.

On our way back to our guesthouse, we were treated to a beautiful sight as the sun set behind the rice paddies.

We spent our last day in Goa relaxing on the nearby Patnem beach.

Goa turned out to be the perfect place to rest up and recharge before we headed to the great Indian megacity of Mumbai.