Going Goan: Our mini vacation in Goa, India. Visiting Goa, India during Christmas is something worth experiencing. Goa was once a Portuguese colony in western India. With its ancient Churches and magnificent beaches it is a wonderful Christmas experience for the vacationer used to colder winters. At a scorching temperature of 35 degrees it is perfect beach weather. Even public beaches are clean and well maintained although crowded. Scooter rentals are very useful and highly recommended. Easily accessible by air from many countries and also only a short distance from Mumbai (a.k.a Bombay), Goa is an ideal holiday destination for many westerners and Indians alike. There are several private holiday packages which will be worthwhile purchasing. However, nothing compares to custom building your own holiday package based on your likes, dislikes and mood of the moment. Firstly our long drive from the airport through lush greenery and Oceanside views was breathtaking. Waking up the next morning and filling up on delicious Indian breakfast buffet we headed out to Vagator beach which was a short walk from the hotel. After swimming in the rough seas for several hours we paused for lunch at the local eatery for some fried fish. After reclining on the beds for a while we decided to attempt some seadoo. This is normally recommended earlier during the day as the ride in the afternoon was really short. Try to ask for a longer or double the distance ride. Returning to the hotel to shower and clean up, we headed out for a nice walk to scale Chippora Fort and view the sunset over the ocean from the vantage point of the fort. Although I had to dodge a calf which was headed the same direction a few feet behind us the exercise was worth the spectacular scenery. Returned to the hotel for some Goan fish curry and king prawn salad, both par excellence. The following day we arranged for a south Goa sightseeing outing where we visited the old Goa church, Bom Jesus cathedral and then headed out for the Spice Plantation. This is a must see location for every lover of spices. My favorite trees were the coffee and cocoa bean tree followed by the pepper plant and the piri piri chili plant…hot stuff. A traditional Goan lunch was included in the package and was served on beetle leaf plates. Next, it was back to the city for some shopping. Traditional silver jewelry and several amazing scarves were a tempting purchase. Returning to the hotel the pool was very appealing at this weather. Then it was back for some more fun in the sun at the beaches of Goa. We started off by driving to see some dolphins. The boat ride out into the open ocean was really very relaxing and enjoyable as we scaled the open sea for some elusive dolphins. Not sure if it was the same lone dolphin we spotted in different locations. Returning to the beaches again we swam in the rough seas again till evening. Then it was off to try some para gliding again a short and sweet experience. Unfortunately we were chased again by a couple of sparring angry cows. Those blasted cows… they need to be rounded up and slaughtered. Then we were homeward bound