Buying tickets for train journeys in India is a strange affair. About three months ago Gemma bought some train tickets for our proposed journey on 23rd December from Cochin to Goa. Even at that stage the train was sold out and so we were placed on a waiting list numbered 11 and 12 in the queue. We'd received some local assurances that we were 99% certain to have our wait-listed tickets confirmed and be able to board our chosen train, but as we waited at the train station and the seating chart was prepared we were disappointed that we hadn't made it. This failure to make the seating chart raised the possibility of our not reaching Goa in time for Christmas. At this stage our options were to get on our chosen train and bribe a conductor, go unreserved 2nd class (no way!!), take an expensive, budget-blowing plane or share the one ticket that was available on a different train. We took the option of buying the one available seat and disaster was averted!

Arriving in Goa on Christmas Eve our top priorities were sorting out some scuba diving and Christmas shopping. After booking the scuba diving we went our separate ways to buy Christmas presents for each other in 30° heat. This was the first time that either of us had been somewhere sunny for Christmas and the experience was not altogether unpleasant! We put up our newly acquired Christmas decorations, wrapped presents and then hit the beach shacks for a few cocktails and to watch the fireworks.

The big day arrives and we have treated ourselves to some bucks fizz whilst opening presents. We'd found a great restaurant that was serving traditional Christmas lunch including turkey, stuffing, veg and pigs in blankets which was better that many a Christmas dinner served in the UK. Gemma was a little sad at spending her first Christmas away from her family, but phoning home made her feel better. We did make an effort, although for the vast majority of Indians, Christmas is not celebrated and but for our own efforts it would have felt like just another day.

Our hotel was in the resort of Calangute and we spent most of our time between Calangute beach and Baga beach just to the north. Goa enjoys sandy beaches and a warm, calm sea which make it perfect for lying on the beach. Unfortunately the area we were in is incredibly crowded with package holidaymakers and crowds of Indian tourists, there is also an incessant parade of beach vendors looking to sell everything from fresh fruit and ice cream to books and massages.

Aside from the beach we went to the 'Sunburn' music festival in Candolin which is billed as Asia's largest dance music festival. We visited Old Goa, the historical former Portuguese capital with it's churches deserted after malaria and cholera epidemics and the Anjuna flee market.

Prior to departing on our trip Gemma had sat her open water theory exams and completed her pool skills and was 4 dives short of becoming an open water scuba diver. Whilst in Goa we did a couple of days of diving which enabled Gemma to complete the course and qualify, the dive conditions were really challenging with visibility limited to around 1.5 meters. This was especially fun when we traversed sea urchin alley during one of the dives! We didn't see much during our dives but did see: parrot fish, puffer fish, lion fish, scorpion fish and groupers. To make up for the poor diving conditions the people at the diving school were very nice.

Goa is very different to the rest of India after 3 weeks of abstinence from both meat and alcohol it was a real pleasure to tuck into Goa's excellent international cuisine.

To our surprise we received an invite to our hotel's New Years Eve gala dinner which we hadn't expected, we were skeptical about going (and rightly so!) as dinner wasn't served until after 11pm in order to keep the guests in the hotel. We obviously didn't want to spend New Years Eve in a package tourist hotel so we left early to get to a lively beach shack just in time to see in the New Year amid numerous firework displays, a vibrant atmosphere and lots of tactile Indians.

We enjoyed our holiday in Goa which was a world removed from backpacking. After 10 days settled in one place it was almost a shame to have to pack up again, but its time to get back on the road to the world of small dormitories and long journeys.