Goan to the Beach

Aren't you sooooo jealous?! It's December and here we are, in 35 degree heat surrounded by blue sky, beach and palm trees. We feel your pain. To begin our South India adventures we fly from Mumbai to Panaji in the state of Goa. The main draws of Goa are, of course, the beaches but just as much of an attraction is its intriguing fusion of colonial Portugal and modern India. There is almost nowhere else in India where the influence of the former colonial overlords remains as strong as it does in Goa and it's not at all unusual to find crucifixes hanging on walls next to posters of the Hindu god Shiva. In places the infamous hash-fuelled days of Goa's golden hippy years are still alive and kicking and in other parts the all-inclusive package holiday is king. We hope the following photos will help warm you if the wassail bowl has run dry.

Sacred cows roam free on the beach. This one takes a break to work on his tan.

The sunset from the deck of our luxury beach hut in Palolem.

This guy (you'll be relieved to know it's not Tim) is just following his dentist's advice to floss.

Work? Why work?

Three months on the road and Mr. Tim's hair was starting to sport a dreadlock so Sandi nudged him into the local barber. Haircut plus oily head massage: two dollars!

NOTE: For those of you wondering where the name "Mr. Tim" came from it started after booking hotels under the name of Lovell and on arrival finding the rooms booked under "Shovel, Hovel, Wuvell, Ruvell, Ruffle so Tim started to use his first name as it was easier to spell and became known by all, including Sandi, as simply, "Mr. Tim".

The onslaught of determined hawkers at the legendary Wednesday flea market in Anjuna wears Tim's patience thin so he heads...

...back to the beach... ahhh, MUCH better.

We side-trip to Badami and survey the sensuous carvings in the ancient caves and temples (above) then onto Hampi to marvel at the gravity-defying boulders and the ruins of the Vijayanager empire.

The fascinating ruins of the 15th-century city of Vijayanagar, near the village of Hampi, are set in an extraordinary landscape of giant granite boulders, lush paddies and banana plantations.

Michael Jackson Sr. breakdancing, circa 1510.

One-time residence of the state's elephants, Hampi's Elephant Stables in the Royal Centre.

A snapshot of everyday life in rural India—local women doing laundry.

We are in Hampi on a festival day and come across this group of devout men cleansing themselves in the river at a prayer service.

The focal point of the Hampi Bazaar is the Virupaksha Temple, one of the cities oldest structures. The main gopuram, almost 50m high, was built in 1442.

Lakshmi, the temple elephant, gives Tim a smooch (blessing) in return for a 1 rupee coin.

Sandi gets in the way of the cows coming home en route to the Vittala Temple.

We hike to the top of a mountain to sip steaming chai tea and watch the sunset over Hampi Bazaar with a family of monkeys.

Tim proudly shows off his toke-n birthday present from Sandi—hip, hippy pants complete with 5-leaf plant motif (look closely at his left knee) to suit his Goan mood. Peace and love.

From the beach inland we fly south to Kochi in the state of Kerala to experience a homestay at Olavipe—a gorgeous 1890s traditional Syrian-Christian home on a 16-hectare farm surrounded by backwaters. Anto and Rema, the gracious owners make us feel like friends rather than guests. We take their canoe for a leisurely float around the lake.

Rema gives Sandi a sari-tying demonstration and insists Tim join in for a Raj-inspired photo.