Rain, cows and finally some mat time

Except for one glorious day of sunshine, the last few days in Goa have been filled with torrential, unending monsoon rains – surprise surprise.

So we’ve had plenty of time to relax and do some yoga – and I’ve discovered that I don’t have bad posture, I have terrible, mind-numbingly horrific posture. #bjjruinedmylife ?

That one day of sunshine

However, the hotel we’ve been staying at – Shanti Morada – has been amazing. It’s a small boutique resort with incredibly friendly and attentive staff, as well as some of the best food we’ve had in India, and because of monsoon we’ve had it basically all to ourselves at a bargain price.

The rain hasn’t stopped us from having fun and exploring on our rickety scooter though – visiting various old Portuguese forts along the coast, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Basilica of Bom Jesus and various beaches, Hindu temples and spice plantations.

Cows, cows everywhere though. Or buffalo?

On the way to visit Chapora Fort in North Goa, the rains got so violent we were forced to take shelter under a tiny covered area used for parking bikes. A local saw and took pity on us, and invited us to wait out the worst of the storm in his home. He said that while he was a Muslim and his wife was a Christian, they fell in love and got married regardless of tradition or religion. And they lived in their small house with his mother, her mother, 5 cats and 3 dogs – in short they were an awesome, friendly couple and it was great to meet them.

And on our last day in Goa, we found out there was an MMA gym in a town nearby run by pro fighter Nelson Paes. While they didn’t have any BJJ there (yet!), they had a great mat space so we called and asked if we could rent the mats for a few hours. It was Alessia’s first time back on the mats since leaving London for India almost 3 months ago, so we did a lot of revision as well as live sparring, and Nelson joined in for a few rounds. Thanks for having us!

Now we’re off to New York where it is also storming ? it’s going to be a looong flight. Till next time!

Repping RGA at Goa airport

@alessiabjj

@marcust.bjj

http://northtosouth.bjjglobetrotters.com/