Incredible India (Part 5 - Palolem, Goa)

Leaving the peace & quiet of Patnem, we headed to Palolem for a few days. Just a short tuktuk ride over the hill, and we were there!

Palolem is much busier & touritsy than Patnem, although still very underdeveloped in comparison with places like Phuket, or Koh Samui in Thailand for example. There is a law in South Goa that all the beachfront huts and restaurants must be taken down every monsoon season. Although a lot of work, this is a great idea as it stops any big hotels and developers rolling in & spoiling the natural beauty of the area. The beach is still home to many a roaming cow and retains a very honest charm! 

Happy cows.

Before we left London, Su & I had only pre-booked one accomodation for the whole trip, it was to be our little treat before Su headed back to London & work, and I started my intensive yoga teacher training course. We had booked to stay at Ciaran's, a little slice of paradise on Palolem! 

The bed in the room was like one of those big, tall, fluffy, bouncy white beds, I had to restrain myself from actually jumping on the bed like a 4 year old! One of the best parts of Ciaran's was probably the complimentary chai tea & cake every day at 4pm whilst dolphin spotting from the shore!

The view from Ciaran's terrace.

Whilst in Palolem, we did a boat trip to Butterfly beach, and saw lots & lots of dolphins on the way! It is amazing the number of wild dolphins in the sea here, if you look long & hard enough you can honestly spot them from the shore! Butterfly beach itself was nice, but not amazing- we did not even get off the boat, but the trip was more than worthwhile for all the dolphins! If you do go, be prepared to get soaked with the waves (and don't sit right up front!).

Tommy, Lex, Su & I (and our photobomber)!

My favourite time of the day, such a happy time! Coincidentally also the perfect time for a mojito!

Palolem gave us the gift of one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen! The whole sky was awash with colour. In the city it's so rare that anybody actually stops to appreciate the beauty of sunset, sometimes we are too caught up in the daily trials & tribulations of life to even realise the sun is setting. Everyday can be beautiful as long as we choose to see the beauty. Even if it's a dull, grey, rainy day you can still create your own sunshine & beauty! This is one of my sankalpas -  a resolution - from the trip, to choose to see the beauty everyday. If you follow me on instagram (@lisahladnik), you will know that I am participating in the 100happydays challenge, a challenge to find one thing that makes you happy everyday for 100 days. It tries to develop the ability to appreciate and enjoy the moment that you are in: to stop worrying about how stressed we are, and remember how blessed we are! Go on, I dare you to try the challenge too!

#100happydays

Back to Palolem! I discovered a Sampoorna Yoga Shala right next door to Ciaran's - with the course starting in less than a week and my yoga practice for the previous 10 days being minimal at best, I desperately needed to get myself back on the mat. I was almost suffering from yoga withdrawl symptoms! Although this branch of Sampoorna is not a full school, they offer morning & afternoon classes in a lovely little shala just back from the beach. All the Sampoorna team are super friendly & very welcoming, so if you do find yourself there, go & say hello!

Astavakrasana (eight angle pose) on Palolem 

Susan was a yoga virgin before coming to India, but she was a natural. By the end of the two weeks she was even doing bakasana (crow pose). I will turn her into a yogi yet!!

Palolem has a bit more of a bar scene to it then Patnem does - there is lots of live music almost every night. On our last night here, we had heard about a silent disco party at Cleo's and thought it could be quite amusing. We were told it was very close - a few minutes walk from the beach. We followed the directions given and ended up in some very dimly lit, quiet back streets, not ideal for two girls alone in India! Being a silent disco there was not even any music that we could follow. Luckily we bumped into some others who were also heading to Cleo's, although they had even less idea of where they were going! After finally getting there, we were two of approximately 15 people there. We were given headphones with a choice of three channels: The Grease soundtrack, Indian music, or hardcore techno! It actually felt like we were on the set of the Inbetweeners it was that dire! Fortunately for me, unfortunately for Susan, Susan started to feel queasy and we had to make a very quick exit. I can safely say that you will not be missing out on the time of your life if you don't go to Cleo's, but I can highly recommend Leopard Valley on a Friday night (more about that coming soon!)!

Palolem is a great people watching beach, there are lots of restaurants, bars and the most shops in the area (although don't expect shopping malls- more small touristy stalls!), while still retaining the Goan charm, lots of dolphins, and some beautiful sunsets!

Next & final stop, Agonda!

xx