So I guess there’s a reason why Goa shuts down during monsoon season.
It rains – a lot. Huge, dumping storm clouds swirl over India’s southern coast, alternating between long light rains and epic bursts that manage to soak us to the skin within seconds of their unanticipated arrival.
Nonetheless, we’ve enjoyed having a few days here to relax and road trip around, taking in many of Goa’s gorgeous sites, including a multitude of Portuguese cathedrals and old colonial structures. The famous beach shacks may be closed down, we can’t swim in the ocean due to rip tides and we’ve found approximately three restaurants in our usually bustling little neighborhood still regularly serving food, but there’s something nice about having this town much to ourselves.
We also managed to snag ourselves an apartment here to stay in, which means having a kitchen and the rare opportunity to cook up some of our own meals! There are a couple grocery stores in town, and we’re relishing our long morning brunches of French toast, eggs and cold-brewed coffee with sweetened condensed milk – a favorite sinfully delicious takeaway from Cambodia. It’s hard to describe how truly enjoyable a home-cooked meal is after seven months away.
Thankfully the sun usually comes out long enough each day for a good several hours of motor biking, meaning we haven’t become complete shut-ins.
It’s off to Hampi via seven-hour train ride tomorrow. Crossing fingers, wishing and hoping, and wishing again that the rain gives us a couple day reprieve to allow for a few more motorcycle adventures.
