where in the world: Goa

Kate and I debated whether or not to include Goa on our itinerary - we had been there before and it's not particularly close to other destinations. I don't regret our decision for a moment. If you've ever backpacked for six weeks straight (especially in a third world country), you might understand how nice it is to see a familiar place and to get away from the hustle and bustle. Agonda Beach soothed our souls.

Our usual Goa companions (Ady, Priya, Caleb, etc) were absent this year, but we were joined by the Okies (who would continue to travel South India with us for the next three weeks) and also overlapped our visit with Jay, Rose, and Ennis for a few days. It was great to swap travel stories and to hear about spending the holidays away from home.

Goa is idyllic, but definitely not perfect (which makes it all the more endearing). The beach huts we'd reserved back in November turned out to be heavily under construction (who needs a roof?), so the Okies scoured the beach and found Rainbow (ironically one of the only sets of beach huts that wasn't brightly colored). We paid about $11 per night; I think our total bill (lodging and food) for six days turned out be just over $100 per person. Not bad. It's actually pretty easy to forget that we didn't have a toilet seat for the first few days, that the leaking roof in the art room back at Woodstock has better water pressure than the shower, and that the sea kayaks we rented had less than 50% functional paddles. I'm not complaining - these things all make a week in paradise affordable for my below-the-poverty-line income.

I took the week to recharge. I welcomed the chance to dig into a relaxed routine - beach runs every morning, a dip in the sea, an indulgent breakfast, an afternoon of swimming, reading, art-making, napping, exploring, and writing, an evening yoga class, and dinner with friends.