Lisa, Your going to get me into heap big trouble I'll reply on the appropriate topic - see you there

Too late i think fizz!

Okay see you on tattoos :lol:

Can i just detract my earlier message? I had the choice this year, and after some investigation we found some very nice hotels and apartments (the ones you wont find in the brochures) so we'll be back in Goa, and I'm more excited than ever!!!

I'm lucky
I'm off to Thailand in December and Goa in March

I'm lucky
I'm off to Thailand in December and Goa in March

Fiona, and I thought I did well out of my holidays!!

Thailand is a freebie(well almost-its BA miles)

Thailand is a freebie(well almost-its BA miles)

We're using BMI miles for Goa

Fiona - you've got the best of both worlds

Constant sunshine and unlimited cheap booze. It sounds like paradise. Or is it?

Even before the recent Anjuna murder, I think Goa was becoming less popular with the British. We have just returned and many previously busy restaurants were half empty. Anjuna market was nowhere near as crowded as in previous years.

What struck me most this time was the overwhelming filthiness of the place. I've been to other places in India and the cities, in particular can be pretty squalid. Fumes and dust from the gridlocked traffic ensure that you return from a walk down the street plastered in dirt. That's if you haven't been flattened by a motor bike. In North Goa the shack owners dump boxes of rubbish in the sand dunes behind the shacks; there are mounds of rubbish and litter everywhere - on the streets and the beaches. Surely this problem would be helped if everyone burned theri rubbish at the end of the day. There would still be a problem with plastic bottles. Add to this the open drains, cattle and packs of stray dogs wandering freely, nasty smells and the occasional dead animal. Drainage ditches are blocked with refuse, so I can imagine what it must be like in the monsoon. Then there is the frequent spitting and people relieving themselves by the side of the road. I don't know how India got such a large population, they must have very strong immune sytems. Everyone I know who has stayed there has had verying degrees of stomach trouble at some time, but I think you are safe with home cooked food or Indian dishes. Beware the meat pies! This year we came back with chest infections so severe that it took a course of antibiotics to clear them. So what next year? Malaria? Dengue fever? Rabies? And lets not forget the cockroaches, mosquitoes and large, fluffy black rats.

I can't see things ever changing. Over the years I have met some lovely people and had some amazing experiences in Goa, but I don't think I'll be going back.

Sadly another negative report from Goa. Surely there is something the local authorities could do with the rubbish. They make alot of money from tourism and need to re-invest some of this money back into the infrastrucure. Where abouts did you stay Flimflam?

Not being funny but have you ever seen anyone working in Goa, other than those involved in tourism (shack staff,hotels,taxis, buses) The only people I can recall seeing are the ones working on the roads. Do they have council workers.Forgive my ignorance....Keith

I don't know how India got such a large population, they must have very strong immune sytems. Everyone I know who has stayed there has had verying degrees of stomach trouble at some time, but I think you are safe with home cooked food or Indian dishes. Beware the meat pies! This year we came back with chest infections so severe that it took a course of antibiotics to clear them. So what next year? Malaria? Dengue fever? Rabies?

That's one of my main concerns. I have had such a bad year with stomach problems from getting Campylobacter in Goa back in Feb 2007. I don't think my stomach could handle another virus/bug.

Bugs/viruses appear to be on the increase..... and the every growing piles of garbage also it would seem. And 'they' want to attract more tourists! Talk about dual standards.

That's one of my main concerns. I have had such a bad year with stomach problems from getting Campylobacter in Goa back in Feb 2007. I don't think my stomach could handle another virus/bug.

Best to avoid Goa and go somewhere more suitable for you.

Guess you didn't like it Flimflam!!

I also returned a little less enthusiastic but not quite as damning as you. It's always been scruffy and frustrating but in a weird sort of way, that's what makes it so different. I actually thought the rubbish problem had improved - there seems to be some sort of recycling initiative with plastic bottles because some ladies were collecting them up and you didn't see them in piles as in previous years.

Goa's changing, that's for sure and I guess we'll all reach a stage when we think "that's enough". We'll all draw the line at a different stage. I think I've got another couple of years before that happens but let's see how things go and how Goa reacts (if at all) to the bad press it's getting.

Thanks for your comments!

My last trip to Goa was a couple of years ago, it was then that I noticed how dirty it had become. This year we went to Thailand, and found it to be a lot cleaner than Goa. Better Hotels, great food and of course cheaper.

Hi MK61 - That's interesting....we're looking at Thailand but didn't think it would be cheaper. Are restaurant meals really cheaper in Thailand?

Food is cheap in Thailand esp if you eat from the roadside cafes where the locals eat.......I've never ever had a bad stomach in Thailand either. I personally think that booze is a little more expensive than Goa but if you look you'll find lots of places that have good deals.
GFF xx

Yes I think that's where to go for me.... a lot of my friends have been and really rate it.... and they are always looking after their money so until thinks get a little better in Goa I think Thailand or Vietnam.

Vietnam is a great place Neil, loads of thing to do there, excellent beaches, nice people, good value for money on accommodation and food. Theres a lot more to Vietnam than just "the war". It's absolutely lovely!!
GFF xx