Goa, India

India was my very first overseas travel destination and what an eye-opener it was.

The brightly coloured building and buses, the wonderful smell of agarbatti burning, the marigold garlands everywhere and the staple diet of egg-fried-rice with chia tea for breakfast, made me fall in love.

At first, it was slightly overwhelming because it really was an assault on your senses. Not all the smells were good and the many stray animals broke my heart, but the people and their humbleness outweighed all of the not so great things I experienced. Every day you witness families unpacking their stalls on the street market with the utmost pride and determination that today, business will be better. Their work ethic really is something to be admired.

India is most definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, it was truly wonderful and a place that I hope to make many more stops in my lifetime.

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable.
Sometimes it hurts. It even breaks your heart. But that’s okay.
The journey changes you; it should change you.
It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body.
You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
– Anthony Bourdain

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