Week Three (The Enforcer)

Sunday morning and we are very upset not to be going to the airport"¦ We have breakfast and wander over to the bar area, ask for the BBC News channel, and get the latest info on the volcano. The Reception notice board tells us that there is a meeting at 11:30 with our Jewel in the Crown rep. We have lots of time to kill and so a visit to the local Internet Café ensues where we get more volcano info (plus the all important football results). We meet Gavin, our rep, for the first time, and all though he has no real news he tells us that he will continue to call in at the same time every day, good news, bad news, or no news. True to his word he does exactly that and we can't fault him, although he tells us that one person at another hotel has had him pinned up against a wall!
The good thing about this is we get to meet the other guests together for the first time and being all in the same boat (or plane, or not!) we simply gel, and a nicer bunch of people you couldn't hope to meet. Gavin tells us we can stay in our current accommodation but tells us that JITC have told clients in higher star hotels that they must move or pay their own way. We also find out that the other tour companies are giving their people a daily allowance but that JITC are not and that Monarch are helping nobody.
Early afternoon and we lunch at Lazydays and I take advantage of their book exchange. For the first time we spend the afternoon by the Beira Mar pool - The sunbeds look horrible but are surprisingly comfortable and soon I'm well away. Someone leans down and says something to me and my sunbed nearly becomes a lot more horrible!
Sunday night and we visit another HT recommendation - Jamie's. We were going to eat there the previous Friday but due to a power cut they were closed and we ended up in the restaurant opposite Banana Republic who's name escapes me (help, someone?) great band there though who I think were called ‘Rising waves'. They even dis some more than passable 'Quo'.
At Jamie's Jill orders her favourite cocktail, Pina Colada, and I dispense with my normal beer after spotting a cocktail called ‘Chilli Vodka'. Curry and alcohol combined? That's got to be good,
And it is"¦!
The food is really good here, and clearly endorced by some familiar fellow diners including Dr Allan from Mayonna's.
Monday, and once again the whole morning is taken up with BBC News, Internet, and meeting Gavin. By this time it's eight o'clock in England and we both call our respective employers to update them with the latest. My people are excellent and I'm off the phone in about one minute however Jill's boss fails to realise that it is high noon in India, it's 34 degrees, she's stuck in a sweatbox of a phone booth, and we are starting to have to watch our expenditure - twenty five minutes later and she's STILL on the phone having to explain what needs to be done in her absence. Good way of slimming though!
Not quite sure what happened to the afternoon, but still feeling the need to stay close to the hotel in case there is any news we choose ‘Salt & Pepper' over the road. Both of us go for a sizzler, one prawn and one chicken, and both are a little disappointed. Although we've done virtually nothing today we are exhausted and agree on an early night.
Tuesday, and the pattern continues although lunch is at Lazydays and dinner is at Bernard's Place - nice, but not remarkable.
Wednesday morning there is more of the same but we decide to ‘break the mould' and pay our first ever visit to Anjuna Market. ‘Auntie Diane' is on holiday with her nephew and expresses her desire to go too so we team up and walk down to Baga creek estuary.
Taxi drivers shout that it's cheaper to go with them but we are determined to arrive by boat and for RS100 each we are deposited at the far end of Anjuna beach completely soaked to the skin (thanks ‘Auntie' for protecting my camera!)
An uncomfortable stroll along the sand brings us to the market and we thread our way through - It's huge! Luckily I can hear music coming from somewhere and we enter ‘Sea Breeze' shack to discover several Beira Mar guests already plotted up in one corner and the party begins"¦
Luckily they run out of the 8% Heywood's 5000 pretty quickly because five hours later we are still there and I'd have been flat on my back - The band are excellent, initially comprising vocalist Peter on rhythm guitar with Herman on lead, Cliff on Semi-Acoustic, Anselm on flute, Phillip on bass, and Lester Rozario on drums. Herman takes up the vocals and Phillip makes way for a guest bass player who seems from audience reaction to have been quite famous in the past (If anyone knows who this is I really want to know!)
The band are joined by Cliff on semi-acoustic guitar and shortly after this Kate (who we have seen previously at Mayonna's) takes to the stage and rips out a couple of numbers including Hendrix' ‘Voodoo Child' - I'm in heaven!
Herman's fingers are bleeding and a guy has spent the whole afternoon dancing around with a bottle of water balanced on his head - He obviously went to some sort of expensive finishing school. All in all a perfect visit to the market and I don't even have to do any shopping. (Jill picks up a ‘Jimmy Choo' handbag copy for RS1000 through and claims it is worth £400 - I think she's having a tin bath)
We return by taxi and get back at about seven. Our choice for the evening is ‘Fire and Ice' on CSM Road and cannot be faulted. We walk back towards the hotel meaning to take up our usual late night spot overlooking the corner of Baga Road and Tito's Lane but are waylaid and persuaded to visit ‘Cocktails & Dreams'. My Chilli Vodka is nowhere near as good as the one at Jamie's and I soon return to Kingfisher, however we have a great time and I'm quite surprised at the prices too especially given its location.
Thursday morning's meeting and Gavin tells us that the Manchester flight should be given the go ahead later that day so we reluctantly say goodbye to the people we have met from that flight and hit the beach choosing Avvy's Place again. I go for an ordinary Kingfisher instead of my usual ‘strong' and Bobby says that if we are running out of money we can run up a tab and pay him from England - How cool is that?
Thursday evening proves to be the final night of the season for ‘East meets West' and a live band is advertised. I convince others that this could be a good night and that they take plastic. In the event there is no band, the food is ordinary, we are overcharged, and they decide they don't take Visa (methinks this is down to laziness). As usual for EMW there is no air, it's very hot and I wonder why I've even suggested it in the first place. The company's good though and we all make the best of it.
Friday's meeting, and Gavin cautiously suggests that we might well get away on Saturday night and will have more info for us that evening. The meeting breaks up, but not before someone suggests that Molly Malone's, the only Irish bar in the world that doesn't sell Guinness, is doing something special for St Georges Day - That's Friday night sorted then!
We spend the afternoon at Bottle Bay and after a few drinks back at the hotel we get the news we've all been waiting for - Monarch are sending two planes to fly the Gatwick ‘strandees' back on Saturday - Woo! Woo!!!
We get a taxi into Calangute & Molly Malone's.
What an evening! The food is great and the entertainment very good too, with some audience members also getting up to sing including some from our table (much to their children's chagrin). There is a little trouble towards the end (the first we have seen in Goa) and we all decamp to Cocktails and Dreams to continue the party. Finally get in at about four AM - we have a big day tomorrow!
Saturday morning we pack, and after attending our last meeting with Gavin, shoot up to Lazydays and return in time for the coach. A one and a half hour queue outside the airport goes surprising quickly as at least we know lots of people now. I'm dreading the airport itself but things proceed unusually quickly once we are inside where we are dealt Monarch's final insult - The first plane out will fly those delayed for one day directly to Gatwick on a long haul aircraft whilst those of us who have been delayed a week will leave one hour later on a short haul aircraft via Dubai - Wonderful!
Well that's all folks"¦ I will follow this up with links to photos and video clips though - thanks for your kind comments.

a smashing review Kevin, thanks for taking the time really enjoyed reading about your adventures!!! you seem to have survived rather well considering the delays and made the most of the inconvenience!
chilly

Great stuff.

Thanks for posting.

Papa

Loved your report Kevin what a great read

A great report Kevin - Thank you

I really enjoyed your reports Kevin, Many thanks for taking the time. Gel

It's been pointed out that anybody watching this thread expecting photo's might not realise that I've created a new thread for the purpose - Sorry about that!