After a couple days in the Megacity of Mumbai, we checked out of our hotel and got in a cab to go to the station to catch a train to Goa. There was just one problem: Mumbai has two major train stations that connect to the rest of the country, Mumbai Central and Mumbai C.S.T. We didn’t know this and of course our cab driver took us to the wrong station. After realizing this, we hurried to grab a cab to the Mumbai CST station, only to arrive at the platform in time to see our train pulling away. Sweaty and aggravated, we took another cab to the airport, only to learn the next flight was not until the morning. We spent the night at the airport and took a short one hour flight to Goa.

In the pic above, that’s me relaxing on our balcony at Joe Cons Beach Resort after this travel ordeal. Joe Cons is located on Benaulim Beach in Goa and is a really nice resort. When we travel on long trips like this (I’ve been in India for almost two months at this point), we usually stay at hostels and budget guesthouses. I would say the average price of our accommodations up this point was about $30 usd per night. Joe Cons was well above this price, but also well above in luxury. Here’s a pic of Shannon at the pool.

The Arabian Sea is about a five minute walk away and we made our way to the beach to relax. Since we were both born and raised in Florida, Shannon and I love a good beach to swim, play and relax on.

We set up on some chairs under an umbrella and hung out until the sun set.

The next day, we did some more of the same – Hanging out at the pool and then walking to the beach to lounge and swim.

At night we got some delicious seafood dinner and hung out on the sand some more. The brisk salty breeze off the water and the sound of the crashing waves make wonderful additions to any night.

Our plans for Goa were rather flexible and we decided to stay at Joe Cons a couple more nights, which would include their Christmas party. After Christmas, we arranged to store most of our luggage with them and rent motorbikes to take down the coast to explore more of Goa.

The setup for the Christmas party was very nice. Bottles of vodka flowing freely at each table, sumptuous food, ice sculptures, Santa Claus and fireworks made for a pretty fun Christmas party.