Colva, Goa

Grandad had actually recommended this place for us to visit, and I had also seen a sponsored ad on Instagram for a cute hotel I was interested in checking out. It was just an hour on the express bus—nicely air-conditioned—followed by a short tuk-tuk ride to our hotel for the next three nights.

We checked in and pretty much headed straight to the beach. There were a few beach shacks and restaurants scattered around. The first few had blaring deafening music, so we walked a little further to escape the main crowds and eventually found a spot that would become our go-to hangout for the next few days. At this beach shack, we met Jivan, also known as Jimmy to tourists, tourists who struggled to pronounce his actual name. What we liked most here was the relaxed atmosphere, as well as how Jivan let me practice Hindi. It was really interestign talking to Jivan. He explained that he follows the tourist seasons—spending part of the year working as a porter up Everest in Nepal and the other part in India. He’s around 40 and said he’s now probably completed his last Everest expedition due to the toll it takes on his health. He showed us one of his fingers, partially missing due to frostbite.

James had been enjoying a beer or two (or three) while we’ve been in states that allow alcohol. Until now, I hadn’t had an alcoholic drink, but I was really looking forward to one at the beach. I thought this would be the perfect place, so I ordered a cocktail at Jimmy’s. Sadly, as much as we loved hanging out at this beach shack, where the food was delicious, the cocktails were absolutely awful.

There wasn’t a huge amount to do in Colva. In the mornings, we went for a run, and then we split our time between relaxing at the hotel pool and the beach.

On our last morning in Colva, we enjoyed a quick bite to eat at the hotel before starting our journey to Agonda.