Following the formal conclusion of my GIEP project in Bangalore, I took two weeks to travel to various parts of India with my girlfriend.  Our first stop along our journey was the tropical beach state of Goa.

The month of July is normally considered monsoon season for Goa.  The weeks leading up to us traveling there indicated torrential rainfaill.  For this reason, it is not the western tourists who choose this time to visit Goa, but instead, the Indians themselves, who are not bothered by the rains and enjoy the rather calm off season.

To our great shock, we barely experienced any rain, and as you can see, were greeted to mostly sunny skies.  We seized the opportunity--signing up for tours, visiting churches and temples, wildlife sanctuaries and spice plantations, and of course, the beaches.