Life on the southern beaches.....

         Emerged from my Panaji hotel at the rather aggressive checkout time of 9.00am sharp. Not too

displeased to see the back of Blessings hotel and their super hard and thin mattresses. Service was poor—room was never serviced in 6 days, despite requests. Should not bore all with complaints, as it was reasonably quiet, hot water almost on demand and never required to squash a single cockroach.

Beach beer shack....

               Last night, was too tired to care anyway, having done a days tour via  bus, auto rickshaw and on foot of the resorts about 15kms north of Panaji. Crowds and boiling sun not entirely conducive to that relaxed feeling. The beach corridor is certainly very beautiful, golden sands, overhanging coconut palms and beach front bars/restaurants pouring forth their diverse music styles. Notice that apart from the various hawkers, there were very few Indians, domestic or overseas varieties, present. Perhaps it was the skimpy swim-ware favoured by the Russians that frightened them away--- these large size middle aged matrons just should spare us their bikinis—it’s loose lip comments like this that could precipitate WW3! Sorry Mr. Putin.

Bull on the beach just before a pack of dogs attacked--the bull won.

            The area just to the east of the beaches has grown into a virtual shanty city of tourist gift vendors. I have never seen such a massive area, totally devoted to relieving foreigners of there rubles, euros etc. Must be kilometres of walkways winding up and down in the shade of the coconut palm groves. This is capitalism at its crudest—no fixed prices—haggle, haggle, haggle. Ivan, did you really need that one foot wooden carving of the AFRICAN elephant (with the big ears) and by the way---- where was it made? Kenya perhaps!

       Chatted to John, 250 lbs, shaven headed and 63, hospital orderly from Glasgow. His 30 ^th  trip to India. John’s southern brogue was so thick, I could barely understand what he was saying much of the time—but anyway, as the first Scot that I had encountered since the independence referendum; I passed along my great pleasure that we remain UK ‘cousins’ forever.

Chocolate and vanilla body!

Such a hot day, and when one could barely stagger from one beach watering hole to the next.
           Another day and another hotel. I am now positioned at Colva Beach, 40 kms south of Panaji, and just 3-4 kms from the main railway station at Mangeon, ready for Saturdays 6.00am departure on a 10 hour haul up to Mumbai--- back to my starting point for this India circular tour. My hotel at Colva rejoices in the name ‘Incredible English Hotel” and with a name like that, what Englishman could pass up the offer at $35/nt.? 

Holy cow!!  There is a cow in the church!

About 1km back from the beach, very quiet, secluded and with its own swimming pool—may be today I will give the salty sea a miss. Large, clean room, efficient internet AND a 5 inch thick super soft mattress to rest my bruised hips from the sleeping boards at Blessings.