We left for Goa on Saturday, 11/08/12 and returned Wednesday, 15/08/12. I had a couple goals for my trip to Goa: 1. Be a Tourist. In order to successfully meet this goal I didn't pack any salwarkazeems. I packed all my American clothing I brought and called it good! 2. Swim in the Arabian Sea. I think this was the best part of the entire trip. Yes, even better than eating semi-American food. I felt like a child (in a good way), I didn't have a worry in the world. Nothing mattered at that moment in time. I jumped over waves, ran away from waves, wrote in the sand, and spelled out IE3 and CSM with our bodies! I didn't have a swimming suit, but I'm actually glad-because even though it was Goa I would have felt uncomfortable showing that much skin. My shorts and shirt worked just as well. 3. Eat American Food. And did we eat American food, yummmmmmmmm! The first restaurant that we went to was called Souza Lobo. It just had the best atmosphere, and it was packed so we knew it had to be good! There was live music with people of all ages dancing. There was one man that really stood out in my mind, because he was older and he had such good rhythm to ANY song! Just imagine a 70 year old man dancing with his wife-so cool! I really wanted lobster, but they sold it by 100grams, so I knew that even with my hunger for food, I couldn't eat it all to myself. I settled with the fried chicken-which was good, but I wouldn't recommend it. The good company and atmosphere made up for the semi-optimal chicken. The resort we stayed out was lovely, which I absolutely recommend. It was called the Marinha Dourada Resort. They had a soft bed, AC, TV, and free breakfast. The staff was very accommodating and friendly. There was also a shuttle that went to Baga beach every hour. Next dinner, we went to a Mexican restaurant called Poco Loco (again I recommend going there). I ordered right this time with a steak fajita. Just like I remember, it came sizzling with onions, tomatoes, and peppers topped with strips of steak. There was even a bed of cabbage. Sometimes in general, people will imagine how something is and then when you experience it-it's just not quite the same as you remember- well this was NOT one of those times. I enjoyed every bite until it was gone. India must have made an exception, because it is usually a taboo to eat beef, but I'm really glad they did. The next to best part was when a magician made an appearance at our table. He was actually funny too which topped it off. The best trick up his sleeve was doubling our money. He folded up a 500 rupee and when he unfolded it, it was twice the amount. I don't know how he did it, but it would ruin the trick if I did. I wondered out loud if he could still double our money if we gave him a US dollar.

The only downfall to the entire trip was the amount of trash I saw at the beach. I'm conscious that the USA has had the same problem with trash, such as in the late 1960s with the Cuyahoga River, as well as many other countries. But I couldn't help but show the Oregonian in me, when I saw someone throw their empty pop bottle in the Arabian Sea. I took his bottle and threw it in the trash pile sadly, since there weren't any trash cans available.