Blogs from Varca, Goa, India, Asia

Preparation Learning from past experiences (in fact mistakes), we booked Varca Beach resorts in Goa on the first day (2 months in advance) when bookings were available. We had faint hopes of getting our new car (Honda Mobilio RS) which was booked in July. On the morning of Saturday, 11th Oct 2014, even though we were told the car will only arrive in Nov, I convinced Grishma to visit the showroom. Initial response from the manager was on expected lines. As a last try, we narrated the story of Indigo XL, and our plans to go by drive to Goa. Suddenly the person looked up his list, and there was a car available for immediate delivery. Moral of the story: ‘keep asking and presenting your case, there is nothing to lose, but everything to gain’. We ... read more

We are now half way done with our year-long journey so we arranged (courtesy of Beth’s parents) to spend a week at a five star resort on a beach in Goa. Goa is a region on the west coast of India renowned for its beaches and resorts. We stayed in southern Goa in a town called Varca at a resort called Club Mahindra. There are 205 guest rooms on 14 acres with two pools, three bars, three restaurants and one huge expanse of sandy beach. The vibe of the region is closer to the Caribbean than to India. I am sure part of the reason is that Goa was a Portuguese colony and so has a significant Catholic influence. We spent our days just reading, swimming or taking short trips on the local bus into neighboring ... read more

Great Ghandi's Loincloth! Its time for an update... So on the 20th of August i bid a sad farewell to Uli my travel companion, as she goes back home to Indonesia. I reckoned on about 10 days left in Nepal and wasn't keen to spend all that time in Kathmandu. So i get on a bus and head back to Pokhara where its more laid-back. I spend just over a week in Pokhara, staying at the Placid Valley Lodge, which i highly recommend if your ever in that neck of the woods. Most of the time i was relaxing but i did take to the skies with a spot of paragliding, soaring like a majestic eagle before almost chucking my guts up riding the thermals. Also I scrambled through a bat-cave, which to exit you must ... read more