Forget the cuppa, I've only got another 14 hours until I leave for Gatwick.

Seriously though, Glad you had a great time and look forward to reading your report when I return, we can then compare niggles

Cheers
Excited Rog

Hi FTV did you go check out that art gallery in Candolim?

......................just how big is that cup of yours FTV......we're all waiting
GFF xx

Hi FTV did you go check out that art gallery in Candolim?

No I didn`t in the end, chocolatti seemed a far better option

Right were to start The beginning would be a good place, so here goes,

Monarch flight from Manchester apart from the usual moans of sardine syndrome was very smooth, on time and very relaxed affair, UNTILL we landed in Goa and were kept on the plane for an hour because there were no steps available for the plane Immigration wasn`t too bad and as usual I found the slowest que, finally made it through to find the bags already pulled off. As we went through the final bag scanner the vultures were circling on the other side " Taxi taxi taxi here sir pre paid " ,pre paid yes, and also dearer than the one outside. After wrestling with the bag boys, I allowed one, yes just the one, to transport my bags to the payment cabin and load them into the taxi, Oh what a joy it was when his outstretched hand demanded a pound coin for moving the bags about 30 foot and then recieving a lovely red 20 rupee note with much head wobbling Round one to me and off we head to Baga

Taxi driver was good, no Indian Grand Prix practice and we arrived safely at Emmanuel Resort in Baga, which is just before Subway coming from Calangute. Now this was crunch time as we never paid a deposit as it was a royal pain in the arris paying money into an Indian bank account. Got to reception to be met by Mr Pinto the manager (lovely guy) I explained the situation and immediately he was familiar with who I was (thanks GFF for the contact numbers) then showed us to our room.

The rooms are pretty new so couldn`t be too much wrong, cable tv, air con, queen sized bed with semi comfortable matress and a fridge, and directly over the small pool that was built this year. No complaints really apart from 4 coat hangers and not much wardrobe or storage space. The shower and toilet room was a decent size and the shower was great and not hanging off the wall as are most places and gushed out lovely hot water to freshen up after the long flight.

Not going to do the usual day by day report as we never really do that much of interest having been a good few times and done them before, I will get the notes I took and give a bit of a restaurant/bar review and a few observations made ........ More to follow

Glad the rooms were OK FTV. Looking forward to the next bit
GFF xx

Enjoying your report and looking forward to the next instalment!
Wore your wristband faithfully every day (thanks again). Pity didnt get to meet you and your OH but theres always next year

Looking forward to the next installment lassi

A bit more ........

Still recovering from the flight we headed down towards Calangute to pick up bits and bobs and then headed towards the steps, right which way do we go ? left or right ? right it was, then bang bang come to my shack, free sunbeds aghhhhhhhhhh so we kept down by the water so we could pick for ourselves and ended up in Planet Goa had a few beers and something to eat then headed back for a lie down in the A/C heaven to re adjust to the heat o f outside and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

We decided that for our first nights meal it would have to be Relish/titus roma ? in Candolim as we always enjoyed our last couple of years eating here and to see Beckie the Doberman. We were greeted as we entered by the staff we knew from previous years and of course Beckie, brilliant setting, friendly faces and chicken chillie on the menu, what more could you ask? Mrs FTV opted for a pasta dish with chicken and as I tucked into mine she said that the chicken wasn`t right, very fussy with food is the Mrs and it can be an annoyance sometimes(but very usefull as I found out later) but this time she was right, the chicken had a really sweaty smell(and it wasn`t parmesan) which stopped me in my tracks, meal over for us both at least it wasn`t on the bill when we paid but not a good start to the holiday and one off the list not to return.

That was the start to the holiday so I will do a bit on the places we visited for meals and stuff:

Calangute

Kebabs & Curries - Lovely meal and nice setting, chicken Dopiaza was superb said Mrs FTV

Chef Soumyens Kitchen - This has to be my favourite place to eat in Goa, we went 3 times and were never dissapointed. The steaks were superb as was the service, I tried the chicken ????? the chefs signature dish on our last night and have to say what a very talented man he is and one of the nicest people I met while on holiday.

Redonda - Sat down in Maniks on Baga rd and just about to order before being advised that the food was awful and the place was fulll of flies, so we ended up at Redonda, not bad either, I had prawn xacutti and Mrs had carribean chicken, both mand Mrs had eals were very tasty.

The Chippy - Visited here twice, a nice change from curry, fish and chips with mushy peas and oxo gravy went down a treat, second visit I had staek and kidney pie which was nice and Mrs opted for cottage pie which was okay but she moaned about too much mash lol.

BAGA

Bar Eclipse - Breakfast only 9 till 1 , small English 175 rps, large English 225 rps, everything else such as beans on toast etc. Cooked by Craig and Karen, the English couple who run the bar, does a great job with what is available in Goa to satisfy us Brits looking for a decent Breakfast.

Maya - Nice setting with a few people in so thought why not, ordered a starter between us then chicken chillie fry started to call me and Mrs had spag bol, meal arrived and looked delicious apart from the over the top garnishing of carrot placed all around the side of the plate. Now as from the first night and Mrs FTV and her fussing over food I tasted the gravy and it was divine untill I cut into my first piece of chicken and it was oozing bloody red right in the middle aaaaaaggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh, a very close call indeed and yet another meal ruined. The waiter was so apologetic and offered to re do it but it was too late, butter nan and chip butties it was then.

Kim Faa - Had a lovely meal with 3 friends who came over with us, no complaints from any of us and nice food however our second visit felt a little rushed and the food was a little bland.

Indian Spice As this was about 50 yards from where we were staying and fancying a lazy early night, why not. They had Indian dancing on which was a bit of a change, everything looked fine untill the food arrived, chicken Kolhapuri for me and Butter chicken for Mrs FTV, cut the chicken to check if it was cooked after the maya experience, yes it was but eating it was another matter, after one piece my jaw was aching it was that chewy, the sauce was lovely but I had to leave it, shouted the waiter over to take it away and told him it was inedible, I only had 1 piece of the chicken and the table was cleared, Mrs FTV chicken wasn`t brilliant but a lot less chewy than mine. Got the bill and it hadn`t been taken off, I was about to complain but knowing what I am like when I start Mrs talked me out of it, the bill also added tax on top so I managed to leave a tip of 3 rupees which was 3 too much.

CANDOLIM

Floyds Hut - Very busy, I ordered steak and Mrs ordered strips of beef in garlic sauce, service was painfully slow, I know it was busy but when you see people who came in after you being served food before you it does get a bit annoying, food was great when it finally did arrive. Gave them the benefit of the doubt and tried a second time, only half hour wait this time and although my chicken chillie fry wasn`t brilliant Mrs FTV chicken in creamy sauce was very very tasty, a reprieve for Floyds.

Inferno - Chicken Vindaloo very nice, service was pretty quick too

Relish/Titus Roma See first night write up above.

VAGATOR

Mango Tree - A big favourite of mine when I`m over that way, chicken shashlick was perfect as ever, 5 of us ate together, only 1 had a beer the rest of us needed water, plenty of food and all very good, guess how much this will cost I asked the others ? it came to 980 rupees

Right thats the food bit done, will try do more as soon as I can

Had some good good sessions at Redonda,top place to just sit outside and watch the world go round.
Calangute roundabout is entertainment just on its own.
Quite a few expats using this bar so speaks for itself.Nice staff and reasonable beer price of 60r large.
Never ate there just a good daytime central dossing spot for meeting peeps and relaxing.
Was under the impression for some reason you were staying at riverside guest house.
Called in on way from md one day to say hello, was baking hot and spotted the pool.
Ordered loads of kingfisher and breezers for me and the mrs and was having a right good swim when this 1940,s prison camp lady ? person said she wanted 100 ruperts each for the privalige of using the pool.
We are both olympic runners when the need arises, so she got nowt.
Heard tales of this RIVERSIDE GUEST from other Ht,ers about being charged extras from anything from hiring a book to just plain breathing.
Called at nine bar a few times but not really into trance, bob marley and sun is shinin acceptable Gotta go O,f to infirmAry customer just started contraptions

tAXI

Hey Taxi

Was it the Riverside Guesthouse or the Riverside Regency you encountered the prison camp lady , we always stay at the Regency (other side of bridge not the beach side) and haven't had any problems, so I'm really surprised by this.

Donna
XX

Originally planned to book the Riverside untill the prices went up by just over £100 each overnight

Donna deffo was the guest house across the river.
Nice location,shame about the new swim tariffs.

God loves a trier.

Our local english baths charge only charge £1.20 each concession in the day time
which is 10P less than the indian guesthouse for 2 peeps

Not as bad as Bar eclipses " £2.80 " large breakfast though FTV
Cheap as chips.

Looking forward to next episode ,bring it on.

Taxi

To be fair Taxi it was a bloody great plate full and most edible a breakfast I ever had in Goa so I didn`t mind once in a while

Right now for beaches and shacks which should be fun as I am not usually a shack person while in Goa but here goes.
Arranged my bike having worked out that we spent almost £20 in 2 days on taxis and never really went anywhere other than Vagator and Candolim from Baga.

CANDOLIM

Thought we would head up to Candolim and visit BOBBY`S for the day, ordered some breakfast and planned to have lunch and drinks later on, my milky coffee came and the milk was off, excuse was that the power cut turned the fridge off, we had 2 limcas instead. Anyway "sun beds 100 rupees for 2 sir, should I take your towels" to which I replied "we will be eating 2 meals here today as well as drinks, still 100 rupees?" "yes sir". Paid for the drinks and left

Spotted BONOS further up and after hearing good things what could go wrong, well we sat down, waited, waited and waited some more, the lad was on his mobile and had seen us, just as he was coming over we got up and left.

In depair we headed to CLAUDHINA`S and ordered breakfast again ! I was getting a little fed up by this time, anyway during our breakfast we decided it was one thing after another here so we decided to leave after breakfast.Claudhina shack service was more like it should be and the food we had ok but enough was enough.

BAGA

BOBBY`S - very busy but had to keep getting up to order as the shack boys were all too busy talking to their friends from England who brought them the latest mobile phone and trainers (I would hate to think how many phones a year some get )

BOSCO - Much better service and the lads were spot on here, spent a few days here and the food was acceptable.

OCEANIC/SHINING STAR/SILVER SANDS Afraid these type of shacks are not for me, far too many sunbeds at a very crowded end of the beach. Was nice to see Mama the fruit seller though

Fernando Shack - Morjim Nice friendly quiet place at Morjim, one of the lads from Renton Manor has a share in this place so we gave it a go, had a few lovely relaxing days here with some nice food and free sunbeds lol

Sams - Ashwem Visited a few times, had breakfast/dinner all good and a nice setting with a lagoon to the back of the beach, very relaxing.

VAGATOR

Sharmilla Shack - Will tell you about this place in my next bit

THE PRAWNGATE SCANDAL

COMING SOON

I had the same experience as you at the shacks in Candolim, and was really put off. Didn't like them at all, and there were quite a few that were using the young girl sellers as unpaid staff also. Candolim was a big disappointment in general, and not for me I think.

Not the nicest beach either is it Martin ? I certainly wouldn`t go for a dip there.

We also had a great time at Ashvem beach near to the lagoon. By far our favourite beach. It was the first time we went there and won't be the last. I think we used a shack called Golden Goa and the food was lovely. Definite on my list if we go back.

FTV your experience at Bono's sounds a bit like ours. As I said nice shack but service awful, so I wont be going back.
I wonder how many years Mama has been at Baga Beach? She knows everybody and remembers everyone. I always take her chocolate eclairs and bring her some every day. I dont know how she manages to eat them theres not a single tooth in sight
Sim I also like Golden Goa, very nice shack and food. The same people also have a restaurant now at the bottom of the road from the Marinha Dourada, think it might be called Aubergine (but not too sure). Never been in it, but I think it was Goangirl who said it was very nice.

What's going on up North FTV ?
Iv'e never heard of anyone being charged for a sunbed dwn South, unless they didn't even buy a drink.
Gifts of Mobile Phones Some people might not like me saying this but -- I really do not think it is a good idea to give expensive gifts to " Friends " ie Waiters etc . IMO it will only make them greedy for more, and expect all the British Tourists to be as generous . Whats wrong with a 10% tip for good service if you are lucky enough to get it. From what you say FTV it's hard to find in Candolim .
x lassi

I remember Mama from 9 years ago, no doubt people will remember her from even earlier.

Right the last bit about bars and general observations, the good, the not so good and the downright greedy.

Bar Eclipse - Baga - Great bunch of lads working here, Diphoo, Danno, Singh and Nano, run this year by a lovely English couple, Craig and Karen. As we were staying in the rooms above we spent quite a bit of time here, there are board games, books and 2 decent size plasma screens if you want to watch football, never rowdy with a great bunch of ex-pats who spend their time in here and Diphoo serves some absolute brilliant cocktails from the 80 he knows from memory. This place was a godsend at times and we felt so welcome every time, nothing was too much trouble ever.

Agua Lounge - Baga - used to love this place but boy has it gone so expensive, Honeybee 60rps, large beer 80rps then taxed on top of that making it 94rps for a large kingfisher The only reason we ever went in was to see the lads who are so lovely, maybe the fact it opens till 4am adds to the prices.

Liquid - Baga - Just a bit further on from Agua, much better, Ash from Shooters is here now and DelBoy from Shining star shack, all the football matches were shown here and fairly reasonable bar prices.

Shooters - Baga - Had the usual good craic with Raj, always called in when on our way out for a drink, great little bar.

There were many others believe me but I thought these worth a special mention.

THE GOOD

Having the freedom of the motor bike helped us get away from all the hussle and bustle of the resorts, paid 200 per day for a 150 Pulsar from a lad called Ajit in Baga, the bike was less than a year old and in excellent condition with all the paperwork (I have his number if anyone wants it).

Relaxing on the Northern Beaches with no beach sellers to bother you.

Some absolutely lovely meals thanks to chef Soumyen

The hotel we stayed at, not without problem but everything soon sorted, and it`s great location between Calangute and Baga.

Weekend in Mumbai was a break from the norm, I loved it but Mrs FTV hated almost every minute, I will do a bit more on that later

THE BAD

Rude people from outside Goa who insist on que jumping and barging right through you.

Calangute/Baga road, get some sort of pavements before someone is killed or seriously injured

Beach sellers, please, you see me most days and I still say no thank you, why bother ?

The rise in prices from last season in the resorts, yet they don`t change in Vagator, why is this ?

Taxis, enough said, we have all experienced their greed.

THE DOWNRIGHT GREEDY

As some people on here know this is(now was) my favourite hang out in Goa, off we set from Baga and arrive at the 9 bar and walk down the cliff to `Sharmilla Shack` just as I did 9 years ago, the look on their faces when they saw me was a picture, even Grandpa managed a very loud " Andy is here" and they all came running over to greet us, lovely welcome and made me feel like I was home.
Spent most of the first week down here, saw some old faces and chatted away for ages. There were lots of new young sellers down here this year and a few older ones missing apparently down to the Goa maffia and their backsheesh demands.
Life was great for a few days until Agnelo one of the shacks family pulled me to one side," Hey Andy my friend please help me out this year, I need a new fishing net, it will cost 2500 rps" here we go again, he was after money last year but I just played him along. Next in line was Sharmilla`s sister, "hey baba, you not bring me gift ?" well I thought she was joking untill she said " when you visit Mapsa you can get some nice gold chain" yeah yeah course I will, what weight you want and any particular design?this went on for a few days. The only gifts I took were small things like cadburys chocs for Sharmilla and some fishing lures for her husband Lou, which I think is enough as a gesture of friendship.
Well it didn`t end there, Sharmilla asked for my mobile phone and our beach towels which we always leave for her, but my phone We then had a weekend in Mumbai and on our return asked her to order Tiger prawns for Wednesday and there would be 4 of us having them, ok no problem. Anyway Wednesday came and we got down on the beach at a very early 9am so we could have breakfast and chill out for the day before enjoying a lovely meal as our friends were going home on the Friday.
"What time prawns Andy" "4pm would be fine Sharmilla" so 4pm came and so did the prawns looking very yummy indeed and down they went, all vey good untill I went for the bill. She had charged us 1200 each for them
Now before anybody says that I should have asked the price, you need to remember that I have known this family for the past 9 years and even though she has overcharged me in a small way before for some spices she got for me,I didn`t mind as she got them cheaper than I could have anyway.
I said goodbye and strolled off the beach feeling a little peeved, I asked the Mrs if she felt as though we had been done, she wasn`t sure and I didn`t want to believe it. When we arrived back at Bar Eclipse Diphoo was asking about our day and we told him and shown him the picture, now Diphoo used to buy seafood for a restaurant for 4 years before the eclipse so he should know and his opinion was that we should have paid 800, 900 tops due to their size and put his head in his hands when we told him, our suspicions were confirmed.
I`m afraid that Wednesday on the beach was our final goodbye to Sharmilla and family. Mrs FTV has only known them for the last 3 years and could see that I was very upset about the whole thing as I had known them a lot longer, mrs kept asking during the next 10 days if I wanted to go back and confront her about it and sort things out, right till the last day, no it was too late for me the damage was done, so sad to lose so called friends over something so silly but I begin to wonder about it and know I did the right thing in my mind and I hope she realises what she did.

So there you have the `PRAWNGATE SCANDAL`

Gemma I asked Mamma about her teeth and she said they were fine untill a couple of years ago when some Scottish lady kept giving her the caramel toffees