Goa Too
South Goa – another beach!
First, I went to Arossim Beach, and stayed at a different Hyatt, using points…
This was a really really nice beach… sand sooo soft, waves, breezy, plenty of restaurant shacks, and the sunset was😍
arossim beach😍
windy palm trees
sunset
beach view
hyatt grounds
sunset
pond
bathtub!
After Arossim, I went further south to Benaulim Beach. Laid-back, chill place with… ahem… lots of older westerners tanning themselves a nice hue of orange-brown during the day and drinking themselves into a tizzy during the night. I liken South Goa tourists to what you would see in some of the Florida panhandle (some call it the Redneck Riviera… but I prefer the Emerald Coast) : 50-somethings with orange skin, platinum hair, and Walmart yoga pants. Either way, both places are beauuutiful❤️
benaulim beach😍
sun-bathing
lovely cottage
benaulim beach
flowers @ my hotel
nighttime benaulim
benaulim
beach restaurant
lifeguard shack / boat!
My hotel showed Bollywood movies on a projector screen at night!
bollywood night!
Cutest lime soda I’ve had…
lime soda man
Then I went to Kerala – the prettiest of India! I had to fly to Kochi, and I stayed a night there before I left the next morning for Munnar.
My flight was at 4:45am!!! Which meant that I had to leave my hotel at 2:30am! I decided to stay awake and just not sleep until the next day when I got to my hotel in Kochi. But I had a nice surprise on my Jet Airways flight – I was randomly upgraded to Business Class (I have no idea why).
upgrade row
airplane breakfast food
I had a THREE HOUR layover in Mumbai, but it was perfect because my gate was right next to the Amex Lounge🙆🏼
free lounge food
I arrived in Kochi and just wanted to sleeeeeep! I was staying at an SPG hotel, so they let me check in early, and I went straight to the room to crash. Unfortunately, at the Goa Airport, the security did bag check by putting zip ties on the bags and actually locking them😧 This I didn’t realize until I was in my room and tried to unzip my bag and couldn’t😤 So, I had to go downstairs and have the hotel cut off the zip tie so I could get in my bag. Not a great system, buuuut I survived😆
thanks a lot, India airport security
Kochi Le Meridien view…
le meridien Kochi
Kochi hotel view
After one night in Kochi, I left for Munnar! Soooooooooooo beautiful.
Next up: Beautiful Kerala – Western Ghats & Munnar Tea Plantations 😍🇮🇳☕️
Halfway Point
100 days down, 105 more to go
Much more fun and enlightenment to be had. I’ve compiled some stats & insights that I have thus far…
my journey on this planet, since November
Unexpected discoveries & perks:
- I’ve discovered tons of new music (as I listen to Vince Guaraldi: Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise – not new, but I’m obsessed) and great Podcasts to listen to (such as: Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin, Love + Radio, Criminal, The Dinner Party Download… This American Life is still my favorite though)
- I NEVER know what day of the week it is; I have to look at my watch to find out. And I really love love love that.
- I have had a really good tan most of the time😄
- I’ve used a lot of new modes of transportation that I had never used before…
- tuk-tuk
- catamaran
- sea kayak
- hot air balloon
- eBike
- I have a new appreciation for free stuff… and I’ve gotten a lot of free stuff. I’ve also thought a lot about how much excess there is in America, and the level of waste, in terms of buying things that we don’t need. The things I spend $ on when I get home will be different than before, and I’m excited about that.
- I like having one carry-on bag to fit all of my possessions in
- I miss having a job, feeling challenged mentally, and feeling accomplished doing work
- MASALA TEA addiction
- I love not drinking any alcohol at all and being sober
- The amount of gratitude I feel every day for what I already have in my life and how truly lucky I am is much more than I expected
- Time really does help with gaining the perspective that is needed and what everyone else saw except you
- I am just learning how to decide what I want to do and doing it… through most of the trip until recently, I’ve made decisions based on ‘the best thing’ to do or ‘what I should’ see and experience. That’s the same way I’ve been living my life, and it’s a major reason why I took this trip – to stop living for everyone else and what they want / expect and start living for myself. It’s a hard thing to break yourself of, but at this halfway point, I feel like I’m starting to get there and adding an element of control and ownership to my life that’s nothing but positive, increasing self-worth, and is really rewarding.
Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.
Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
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