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Virtual Experience:

Eat & Exercise

The slogan, “Calories on Vacation Don’t Count,” is back once again. This time it applies to the girl’s weekend in Goa. Goa has been on the list of places I wanted to visit in India so when the three-day weekend arrived courtesy of President’s weekend, I was all a go – to Goa that is. 🙂

Many a meal was spent with laughter and one night a large group of frolleagues met at La Plage, a quaint restaurant off the shores of Jeddah beach. Also enjoyed were the dining experiences at our “home” for the weekend, which offered poolside service. Besides the wee bit of walking around town, I tended to focus most of my exercise on my abs. Before you begin to picture that as sit-ups or crunches, know that the abs workout was a result of non-stop laughter.

Pray

Allowing life to control you, either caused by an event, events, or actions of another person can no doubt leave your spirit crushed. It is at those moments that I thank God for His strength and the resilience of the soul. This weekend was a testament to the words found in Proverbs 17:22 (NIV), “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Love

I loved the fact that I laughed until it hurt, which we already have read was part of my exercise for the weekend. One morning we ventured out to Baga beach and one of my friends was on a mission to find just the right hat to offer shield from the sun with a touch of chick. In order to arrive at chick, she had to remove the polka-dot ribbon, which seemed to be an afterthought of the hat’s designer. But thanks to the creativeness of another member of this girl’s weekend in Goa, the polka-dot ribbon became our version of the, ‘Traveling Pants of the Yaya Sisters.’

Teach

Goa or as it was once known Portuguese India, is India’s smallest state located in the west. Due to its location in the tropics and its proximity to the Arabian Sea, the weather was hot and humid. Why the nickname of Portuguese India? In 1510 the Portuguese defeated the sultan ruler. The Portuguese stayed in power for a little over three centuries and due to their refusal to transfer power back to Indian territories after the end of the British rule, the area of Goa was split. On May 30, 1987, Goa became the twenty-fifth state of India. Still evident today are the influence of Portuguese architecture.

Other interesting facts about Goa are captured in this infographic.

“Once a teacher, always a teacher,” captures the sentiments of these seven spectacular women whose Goa trip almost got eclipsed by poor behavior and less I say it, poor parenting. The plane ride back to Delhi and baggage claim with a family exercising their freedom need has been recorded in one of my friend’s blog, “aintnobodygottimetolearnyourways.” ‘Baggage Claim’ and ‘Popcorn’ are colorful reads if you get a moment. 🙂

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