The love hate nature of India has never been lost on me. She can be intense, loud, brash, stomach churning and full of infuriating rules and customs. But even still she immediately got under my skin when I first visited around twenty years ago and has since resided in a corner of my heart and mind, ever so often calling me gently, or at times demanding with more rigour, that I return to her shores. There is a yearning to visit that never quite goes away despite having visited three (now four!) times.

Ever since my children were born I put my dreams of India to the side. Not sure it was a place that I wanted to subject their innocence to, nor a place that they would enjoy being. But the promise of being cocooned within a yoga retreat in a friendly area of Goa with one of my favourite yoga teachers as a guide the dream didn’t seem so far away. So in the spirit of ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ and ‘you’ll never regret something you said yes to’ I found myself again amongst her colour and chaos, with my two little travellers by my side.

After leaving Singapore, the first stop on our ‘big adventure’ we arrived in Candolim, Goa where we would spend a few days relaxing, soaking up the hedonism and finding our feet before we headed to Ashiyana Yoga Retreat.

It was a long journey from Singapore, with a flight to Chennai and then transfer to another flight on to Goa. The transfer should have been easy, but somehow things always seem to be a little more challenging in India, although on this occasion it was partly our mistake! We had read that we needed to transfer terminals in Chennai but that it was a straight forward walk to do. So loaded with all our luggage in a trolley, and then some, we headed out of the terminal building and made our way along a footpath of sorts. As we went continued we found ourselves amidst a construction site that was very loud and very messy. Unsure we were heading the right way we continued on, the children getting more and more tired and me feeling more and more anxious and annoyed. Eventually we made it to the next terminal and were greeted by a security guard asking to see our boarding passes. I watched as Andrew handed them over and as the security guard shook his head and pointed him in another direction. Welcome back to India! It turns out we were supposed to be back in the terminal where we had landed, just up on the upper floor. Argh! We were just wondering how we were going to face negotiating the walk back when we saw a little buggy that would take us there. We loaded our luggage on and hopped into the seats. Layla and Etienne thought getting a ride was the best thing ever and it was something they talked about for ages afterward! It sure is true that travelling with children changes your perspective.

We arrived late at night at Goa airport and then it was another hour and a half drive to Candolim, weaving through the crazy traffic and taking in the unique chaos of this country. By the time we arrived at our holiday home (which I was a bit worried about as it was a strange booking process where we had to pay a deposit by bank transfer) we were exhausted and all piled into one bed to sleep.

When we finally woke up I loved making my way out to the balcony and watching the village come to life. There was a smell of wood fire in the air, the sound of birds chirping and motorbikes beeping and a gentle breeze blowing as the sun peaked through the trees and very quickly heated up the day. A long, lazy breakfast was in order so we walked along the street to find a cafe and ordered up omlettes, banana pancakes, lassis and chai. The kids loved seeing the tuk tuks driving along the street and were really interested in the bright and colourful fruit and spice stalls. And of course little miss five was eyes wide open with all the sparkly saris, jewels and clothing. Ahhh India!

Inspired by the women of India
Inspired by the beautiful local women dressed exquisitely in their colourful saris with their long plaits adorned with flowers Layla took off for a walk in the garden to collect flowers so I could do the same for her hair. I loved her little way of paying respect to the new culture she was learning about.

Way to the beach
As is customary for travellers to Goa we spent the rest of the day sunning ourselves on the beach. Jumping in waves, playing with the local dogs (after carefully assessing that they were indeed safe to play with and Etienne and Layla letting them sniff their hands as way of introduction!) and watching the world go by. We set ourselves up on some sun lounges and purchased some beer and juices, which made me feel really good that we were helping the local economy. The lady looking after us was from another village in India far away and had left her four children with her mother to come to Goa where it was easier for her to earn money. She worked a few jobs to support her family and was the happiest, brightest, most carefree of people. I was so impressed by her entrepreneurial nature and strength but I couldn’t help but feel a little bit sad that she had to live so far away from her children. Life is so very different in places like India and it always reminds me of just how fortunate we are.

Sunset sessions
A frosty bottle of Kingfisher and a delicious dinner of curry, rice and naan bread at a restaurant right on the sand (with a swing to keep the kids occupied) as we watched the sun set was a perfect end to a Goan day. Next stop yoga retreat!