Goa

Ahh warm weather at last. We have finally reached the south after a rather comfortable 27 hour train ride from Delhi. Stepping off the train we were greeted with hot, humid air, a refreshing breeze, and the smell of coconut tanning oil. Palolem beach here we come! After a sticky hour bus ride to the beach we flipped off our sandles, buried our feet in the sand and marveled at the palm fringed paradise. We quickly found a suitable bamboo beach hut and within a half hour of our arrival we were popping the top of a refreshing, cold Kingfisher beer.

Goa is India's smallest state and is famous for its beaches. It is unlike any other place in India, in fact it doesn't feel as though you're even still in India. You might as well have stepped off the plane back into the western world. Skimpy bikinis were everywhere in sight. Booze and blonde hair were the norm and European accents and reggae music mixed with the sound of breaking waves. We love India and all, but Goa was just the break we needed.

After a couple days of endless lounging and body surfing we decided we need to step up the adventure and try out a new sport called canyoning. Simply put, canyoning is trekking through the jungle and finding waterfalls to jump off from. What you cant jump off from you abseil (or repel) down. Why not right? We were in the jungle of India so we might as well take advantage of every chance for excitement.

Mr. Emanual is by the craziest french man I have ever met. He stands about 5 feet 7 inches tall and has a stalky frame. His curly blonde hair is pulled back in a ponytail and look as though it hasn't been combed sense he arrived in India 15 years ago. He is the Goan Bear Gryls and his hobby's include catching poisonous snakes and kissing them in the head, pushing Asian tourists off waterfalls when he knows they can't swim, and sleeping in the jungle living off from delicious red ants. Mr. Manu was going to be our canyoning tour guide. My first thought was I don't think our travel insurance is going to cover this.

The next day we were thrown a waterproof backpack which included a wetsuit, a harness and a helmet and we set off for the jungle. Thank God Manu brought a chopping knife to clear a trail for us and protect us from the black panther we jumped. Once we got to the river the first couple jumps and abseils were fairly easy but still exciting. The 3rd jump was around 30 feet and we only had a small pool that we could to jump into, avoiding a huge rock and the waterfall that we were jumping off from. Naturally I was feeling some small butterfly's. I had jumped from 30 feet many times but I always had a huge, deep lake below me, not some small pool. Right in the middle of a deep inhale I was pushed from the cliff by none other than my friggin guide! Don't worry... I lived :)

The rest of the day was full of similar excitement. Manu caught a water snake that was poisonous, but there was no need to be afraid because it was still a baby and you could live for 24 hours if it happened to bite you. Our friend Dave was extremely scared to abseil down the 115 foot waterfall so instead of giving him words of encouragement, our guide flapped his arms and made chicken noises. As a whole the canyoning trip blew us away and was by far the coolest thing we had done in India so far. We were exhausted by the time we reached the jeep so we let our hair and wrinkled skin dry in the wind while we were pelted in the face by bugs. Yet another wonderful journey in incredible India!