Goa

Gandhi's birthday holiday allowed us to get away for a three day weekend to Goa. It's an hour plane ride away and a world away from Mumbai. Goa is very rural and lightly populated by Indian standards. It's very Catholic as well thanks to several hundred years of Portuguese colonialism (they were 'liberated' in 1961). Our plans to lie by the pool all day were dashed by late season monsoon rains. Two days we were holed up in our luxurious room at the Leela Kempinski. Now I know why we got a deal on the lagoon suite!

When Lucienne with us it's like traveling with a celebrity. Every day no less than 5 requests to have a picture taken with her or of her were made. Even at breakfast Sunday morning she received a marriage proposal from an admiring mother of a one year old-in India arranged marriages are alive and well. Lulu did grow tired of all the attention and started to run the other direction when she saw a camera raised. The girl has gotten pretty crafty in her two and a half years. We hired a babysitter on Saturday night so we could enjoy an unencumbered dinner. When we retuned to the room at 9pm the woman told us that Lu had shut her in the closet and told her to "stay there!", then proceeded to unlock and head out the front door. Luckily for her (and us), the chain was on the door. I think we'll have to screen babysitters more closely in the future!

The weekend wasn't a total washout. We did have a bright, sunny Sunday to play on the beach and splash about in the pool.