Finding Paradise in Goa: Relaxing Into Anjuna Beach Life

After a hectic introduction to India and a nightmare overnight bus ride, we made it to Goa in one piece!

As we relax into enjoying Goan beach life the days start to melt into one. We spend our days strolling along the beach, swimming, eating delicious seafood, drinking chilled kingfishers, watching cows and dusty village life.

Anjuna Beach, Goa

Our room for the week is situated less than 100 meters from the sea, just behind the Lobos beach bar on Anjuna beach. We paid 600 rupees (£7) a night for a large but basic, slightly grubby room with 3 hard beds and attached western bathroom.

Outside a white Portuguese style balustrade skirted the bright blue building and served as a good place for us to sit and talk to our fellow travellers (most of which were Russian).

We looked down on little houses and dusty paths, listening to the birds singing, waves crashing and the sea breeze whispering through the rustle of the palm trees. In the distance I could make out a little white Portuguese church cross against the blue sea.

Animals of Anjuna beach

My favourite part of the day is having a morning lassi at the Lobos beach bar in front of our room, where we got to know the nice Nepalese owner. I sip the creamy drink on the Goan beach watching as the herd of cows wander along the beach in their daily cow migration at about 10.30am.

The cows spend their mornings sitting on the narrow, dusty paths round the village, daring anyone to move them out of the way. Later they wander through the clothes stalls and stare out to sea by the rocks before getting together with the rest of the herd to trek across to the other end of the beach. It’s a wonderful sight.

Along the way the cows pass the beach shacks and some of the resident dogs get excited and come out barking at the cows who don’t seem to be bothered. They just carry on with their slow loping stride along the beach.

Each bar in Goa seems to have a couple of resident or adopted dogs and they look in much better condition than the strays in the cities. We make friends with a couple of Goan beach dogs as we casually bar/shack hop along the beach.

The dogs all have different personalities and love the attention; they seek shelter under our sun loungers or bathe in the sun on their backs with their legs in the air. A little snout comes out from under our sun lounger when I drop a scrap of sandwich in the sand. One friendly dog even has eyebrows drawn on.

Often after the cow migration the dogs run round the beach a bit more barking at the neighbouring dogs, jumping into the shallow waves with delight and chasing after the coconut shells that I throw for them.

I float around in the sea amongst fishing boats, the scene looking back over the water onto the golden beach fringed with palm trees and wooden beach bar shacks is wonderful. It feels like paradise.

Goan Sunsets

Most evenings we walk along the beach and take in beautiful Goan sunsets whilst eating gorgeous seafood and goan fish curries. The sun looms large and close in the sky, glittering and reflecting back in the sea as the waves lap ever so close to the rustic beach shacks.

Music from the open beach front bars drifts along with the warm, sea breeze. We walk through the sand in the dark, our feet in the gently lapping sea, past the twinkly lights of the shacks and bars.

We sit on wicker chairs stuck into the sand, talking and gazing out at the night sea, listening to the crashing waves and Bob Marley. The pace of life slows on Goa’s beaches and hectic India feels far away. It is the perfect respite.

Tomorrow we will rent a scooter and go to explore more beaches, historic Old Goa and hope to survive the Indian roads!

For more, check out our India Video Diary or visit Kevin’s You Tube – Vagabond Impulse TV. 

This post is part of a series about backpacking India. For more check out my other India travel blogs and my guide to Goa.