Follow Your Heart This is a very special route for 2 incredible souls, and I feel so grateful to have been a part of it all!! Nic wanted the heart-route to symbolise all the exciting new adventures that she and Sonny will now have together as Mr & Mrs! A 3 day wedding in exotic Goa was a great way to start! Surrounded by family, friends, sunshine and sea! The whole ceremony was utterly breathtaking. I had the honour of reading out a poem I'd written to celebrate their new adventures together. Since they're both fans of Pennywise the Clown, I couldn't help slipping him in there! Keep reading to find out how we celebrated the 3 days, PLUS all the highlights of my Goa adventures... Location Kenilworth Resort & Spa, South Goa, India Heart Route I contacted the hotel a few months before the wedding to ask if there were any bike friendly paths close to the venue. After sending me a map I couldn't believe it when I saw there was a little heart-shaped route directly around the wedding venue! Cycle Your Heart Out The whole heart route went past all 3 of the wedding locations! Day 1 was the Mehndi party on the frangipani lawns. The Henna symbolises positive spirits and good luck and is used to wish the bride good health before the wedding. Nic even managed to get their dog Pablo hennered onto her arm, while Sonny decided to get one of their favourite film characters. Day 2 was the Pithi, a traditional ritual where you apply Turmeric, oil and water to both the bride and groom as it’s believed to bless the couple before the wedding. We then had more messy fun with a Holi colour pool party, sliding down those flume rides in style! Day 3 was the magical beach wedding ceremony. Nic's dad drove her to the aisle on a quad bike, while Sonny arrived on a white horse! The whole day was just stunning, with fireworks and dancing all night, even the camera crew joined the dancefloor at the end! I believe in a thing a called love, 8 lyrics from a song, and a love story for you all Crisps, what's your favourite flavour? 1 line of curiosity, sonny typed into his app They all float down here, 5 words Pennywise whispered, on their very 1st date Come and meet the parents, Plus 10 cute alpacas, Nics invitation to welcome him to the Andrews Fancy some fireflies? 1 miscommunication that led to Five Guys burger Anniversaries That Amalfi coastal climb, 35 degrees, to find a closed sign on arrival, but endless views of awe Pablo, their unexpected fur baby, 1 loveable pomsky which led to no more cinema nights, but endless amounts of joy An entire month of yoga, 30 days straight, leading Sonny into crows pose, and a ring on Nics finger From the Grove pub to Goa's beach, 3 days of wedding celebrations, and a lifetime full of adventures I believe in a thing called love, let's raise a glass to Sonny and Nic Chauhan Spread the love: - Grateful to Nic and Sonny, a truly beautiful couple who just belong together! - Nic and Sonny’s parents for helping them plan the most incredible, unique wedding that I’ve ever been to. - The Wedding Waale photographers for managing to capture every single magical moment! - All my friends for making the whole week so freaking fun, I can’t remember the last time I danced and laughed that much! INNER RIDE QUESTION Are you craving more adventures? What one thing can you do today to help get you there? If you're looking for inspiration and thinking of heading to Goa, have a read below of all the places I travelled to solo after the wedding! With only a week to explore I managed to really get a taste for Goa and all the wonderful things it has to offer. I felt super comfortable travelling alone and had no problem meeting kind people. Despite the crazy roads, I even managed to find somewhere to cycle in traffic free bliss! Keep reading to find out where it was... North Goa ARAMBOL: One of my favourite places! Accommodation: Love Temple Beach Resort Yoga: Ana is an amazing Yoga teacher and currently offers classes in the morning at Love Temple. I met Ana on a 10 day Vipassana silent retreat last year in England, so it was lovely to reconnect with her again all the way in Goa! Ecstatic dance: Forgotten land with Dj Artemiy and at Shunya with Esta Polyesta Food: Love Temple and Forgotten Land do delicious food! Shopping: Walk right from the beach towards the rocks and you will find so many great shops along the coast. I bought my skirt for the wedding here and the owner was super fast at sewing it to make it fit better. MANDREM: A short walk along the beach of Arambol and you will find yourself in one of the best spots to watch the sunset and relax in peace. Accommodation: Wigwam - a half hour walk from the beach, a stunning paradise where you can shower under the stars and sleep in a wigwam surrounded by tropical plants. Nicki does chakra yoga here and I had a couple of really lovely classes with her. I also met Pranav from Mysore who shared the same zest for life, and tasty dosas! Beach Street Eco Resort & Spa - Gorgeous beach huts with a lovely spa. I highly recommend you try the Shirodhara Oil treatment, an Ayurvedic healing technique that involves having someone pour olive oil onto your forehead. PANJIM: The Capital of Goa Accommodation: O Abrigo - A beautiful Portuguese style home right in the centre of Fontainhas, the oldest Latin quarter of Panjim and looks like a small Mediterranean city. Bike Tour: I did a tour with Cycling Zens. Whilst the roads in Goa are not the most well maintained for bicycles, my tour guide Nabin took me to Chorão, a small Island with hardly a car in sight, just plenty of Banyan trees and cows. Guided tour: I found Exotic Goan Excursions and had a great time with Mario. He was happy to explain all the history and gave me plenty of knowledge about all the sites we visited. My highlights were visiting the spice plantation and learning about how everything is grown. South Goa PATNEM: Accommodation: Palm Trees Ayurvedic Heritage This place is stunning and only a short walk away from the beach. They do regular yoga classes and retreats, and the 2 cute kittens here make it hard to leave! Food: Tantra Cafe Restaurant & Huts - They serve delicious fresh fish, plus it's a great spot to watch the sunset. COLOMB BEACH: Best beaches: A short walk from Patnem will take you to a small quiet cove surrounded by rocks, and perfect to read a book on or journal. PALOLEM: Art: After Colomb beach you will end up at Art Resort Goa were you can do painting classes. I highly recommend you check out the beautiful bike themed art by Swaroop @ticketarts, really happy to have bought one of his beautiful paintings! They also have a cute bookshelf here so I decided to leave one of my books to help spread the love! Want help making your own heart route?
Click below to find out how I can help you, wherever you are in the world! (cycling is optional)
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Join my Heartful Cycling CommunityReceive all my latest meditations, poems and heart-route stories. Thank you!You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
|