Things To Do In Goa

Everyone loves Goa - there's something about the place, its vibe, the weather (irrespective of whether its hot and humid), the beaches, flea markets, firangs, seafood and so much more to do.

Normally a vacation in Goa with your friends or besties and even your buddies would involve beaches, shacks, parties, food, drinks and water sports to some extent. However, Goa has much more to do and there are some other different and unique things you can do in Goa to make this vacation to Goa slightly different. Check some of these out. We promise you won't be disappointed.

1. Go Crocodile watching in Cumbarjua Canal - You can even watch them at Chorao, Thivim or Quepem in their natural habitat of mangroves. Get a good guide to show you these reptiles in their natural habitat. You can watch them from a boat or canoe. The boats start in the morning at the Cortalim jetty. They are slightly difficult to spot as they look like rocks.

2. Go for a Heritage Tour - Old Goa is full of old buildings. This area slightly west of Panjim takes you back into the Portuguese days - Convents, museums, churches, old old bungalows and even bakeries are around. Check out the Basilica of Bom Jesus, The Archaeological Museum of Old Goa and the Naval Aviation Museum and prepare to be amazed.

3. Go for a casino cruise - Gambling is not that fancy when you're in India however Goa's got some famous Casino cruises. It's not what you see in movies and it's definitely not like Vegas but fun to go to, dress up and check out. Don't forget you need to be above 18 to go in here.

4. Check out the Caves - Rivona, Lamgau and Arvalem caves are worth a visit at least once as they also happen to overlook the sea. Go with a local who'll be able to give you some stories and legends that have been passed down the generations as to what happened in these caves. If you're a group of only girls - ensure that you inform people before going and move in a whole group to ensure safety.

5. Stay in a floating tent - Near Bicholim is the Mayem Lake and Champions Yacht club where they have floating tents available and even a floating restaurant. Worth a visit at least once just to do something different.

6. Watch a "Tiatr" - "Tiatr" is a form of theatre in the local dialect of Konkani. They'll give you a better insight into Goan society. Find a Konkan speaking goan to take along and help with translations. These "Tiatr's" are hilarious renditions and adaptations made using current socio-economic and political issues in Goa. They also include topics such as infidelity, love and sex.

7. Explore a shipwreck underwater - Goa has a number of ship wrecks and a lot of them are from the Portuguese Era. Scuba diving experts and operators in Goa around the Mormugao Harbor offer explorations of these wrecks. This area is also full of multi-colored fish, and has a saltwater lagoon. There's no treasure in the ship wrecks, so don't go looking for treasures.

8. Check out the Night Markets - Ingo's has a Saturday night market in Arpora where you'll get loads of things. And we cant even begin to define what all is available. It's totally worth it for the experience - there are live artists, fire eaters, musicians, jugglers and most of the stalls are run by the firangs.

9. Check out the flea market at Anjuna beach - This one's on Wednesday's so plan your trip accordingly.

10. Get a massage from the masseurs - They tend to walk on most beaches and you can haggle with them. Most of them give a super foot massage. If you're adventurous enough you can go for a back massage as well.

For more pocket friendly, budget, cheap, money saving ideas, holidays and vacations, things to do in the summer stay tuned to Earn and Spend at CollegeOKPlease.com.

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Roatan Island
Roatan is an island in the Caribbean Sea. It is a part of Honduras, lying about fifty miles from the northern coast of the Honduran mainland. Roatan has a colourful past that weaves in stories of Indians, invaders, pirates, buried gold, as well as a mix of races and languages.

When Columbus found a neighboring island named Guanaja in 1502, the islands were already populated. Artifacts and caves left by these earlier inhabitants remain today. Other Spanish explorers came after Columbus. The Spaniards started mining both gold and silver on the mainland of Honduras.

They enslaved native Indians and brought slaves from The african continent to work in the mines. The Spaniards established cattle ranches to produce food for the miners.

Both Spanish and English settlers came to Roatan. William Claibourne of Virginia was given a patent by the Providence Company authorizing him to establish a colony on the small island in 1638.

There was quite a lot of Spanish ships moving through the Bay of Honduras and there were Spanish settlements on Roatan. Pirates attacked the vessels and raided the settlements.

Van Horne, a Dutchman, raided Spanish-Indian settlements in 1639. English and French pirates also terrorized the area. In 1642, English raiders from modern day Belize had occupied old Port Royal in Roatan, which is a little bit to the east of modern-day Port Royal. Lots of white descendants with English names and heritage live on the small island in these days.

The Spanish, seeking to rid the area of pirates so that they could transport the New World gold to Spain in peace, attacked Port Royal with four war ships under the command of Francisco Villalva Toledo in 1650. The pirates successfully defended Port Royal, Roatan, forcing the Spaniards to return to the mainland for reinforcement. With the pirates completely outnumbered and with fierce fighting, the pirates were conquered. The Spaniards gathered the remaining Indians on the island and relocated them to Guatemala.

In 1742, the English once more settled on Roatan. Major Caulfield was in control of the island. His letter to Mr. Trelawry, Governor of Jamaica, documents Spanish efforts to take back Roatan. The English settlements that were drawn by the Geographer to His Majesty, Thomas Jeffreys, included settlements that still bear the same names in these days. Calkett's Hole was shown, but it is today called Coxen Hole. Coxen Hole is the largest village on Roatan. Falmouth Harbout is now called Oak Ridge.

The English lost Roatan in March of 1782. The Spanish positioned troops and cannons against the forts and defeated the English. The Spanish destroyed about 500 homes. The English left the island altogether in 1788. In 1797, the English forced about 5000 Black Caribs from the Windward Small island of St. Vincent, moving them from island to island, finally leaving them on Roatan. Black Caribs are a mix of people of African descent as well as Carib and Arawak Indians.

Europeans began settling on Roatan all over again with the return of English between 1827 and 1834. With slavery being banned in English colonies in 1833 and with the soil in the Grand Cayman Island being depleted by cotton farming, some English family left the grand Cayman and settled on Roatan and neighboring Utila. Many of descendants of Joseph Cooper, one of the settlers of Utila, still live on Utila.

The Jackson family, a rich and influential family on Roatan today, originated from the southern Usa in the 1800's, descending from confederate soldier who refused to surrender to the Union. A southern accent is still discernable in their vocabulary.

Somewhere around 2 hundred white people lived in "Coxen's old kay" in 1840. Ten years later, the population of the island had risen to 5 or 6 thousand people. In 1852, the British authority appealed to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria to establish Roatan along with other islands to become a British colony. The United States Of America objected, citing a treaty signed to create the Panama canal that forbade the United States Of America and Britain from establishing new colonies in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1859, England relinquished power over the Bay Islands. The Republic of Honduras accepted the Bay Islands as the "Departemente de las Islas de la Bahia", officially making the islands a part of Honduras. For several years after coming under Honduran rule, islanders of English descent continued to claim English citizenship, even though those born in Honduras after 1861 are by law Hondurans.

Although Spanish is the national language and is spoken on Roatan, the English language also lives on Roatan. Roatan is a colorful mix of people, languages, and culture. Today, tourism is the primary business on Roatan. Cruise ships and planes bring 1000s of visitor each year. Roatan is known worldwide for its scuba diving.

Legends continue of ghosts of a past era. Ghosts, or "duppees", reportedly have been sighted by many local people. They tell that men burying gold would kill a man, leaving his body with the gold to "watch" the gold. After generations, the ghost is reportedly tired of watching, and will give someone specific directions on how to find the gold. If those instructions are followed exactly, the seeker reportedly can locate the gold. One local tells of a ghost blowing in his ear when he was in a remote area of the wilderness hunting crabs after midnight.

Roatan's history is rich, spanning from the days of Indian inhabitants, to the days of piracy and looting, to fighting over which nation owns the island, to liberty and modern times.