If you EVER need a travelling companion Danny, just call.

Your report has brought both pleasure and pain to the reader, (and no doubt to yourself too) entertaining and thought provoking (as has already been said). You are indeed a very brave person to have shared the bad, and a very generous person to have shared, what seems to be, your innermost feelings.

I do hope that you can return to Goa some day Danny; I also hope that future adventures you may experience will, though not be as devastating, still provide you with the interesting times, entertainment and joy that you deserve. I will look forward to reading about those too

Thank you......Fizz

There have been several threads over the years asking whether it is safe for lone travellers (especially women) to stay in Goa, and the answer is yes it is, provided of course you are sensible. I am now beginning to wonder if it is that safe for the lone traveller, whether male or female.

I must admit, if what happened to Danny happened to me, I think I would have left the prison and returned to the hotel to collect all my things and would have booked onto the first flight out of Goa. If I didn't have the money, I would have called my family in the U.K. and begged them to pay with a credit card for my flight home. I would then have left with a promise of never returning. Although I have had 9 holidays to Goa, I could not have enjoyed the rest of my holiday or any subsequent holiday to Goa after that horrible experience.

Does Danny know whether after this experience, he will be allowed back into Goa - would his details be on any data base at the H.C.I. in London?

Thankyou Danny i have logged on this morning to make sure i havent missed anything, you are a very brave man to put some of what happened to you in writing, I hope when you have your pain under control you might think about another holiday. Best wishes Gel

I think that Danny is blessed in having a large family who love him and can help him move on from this.

I have travelled twice to Goa on my own. The first time I went I spent the first 4 days in tears, missing my husband and begging him to get a visa/flight etc., but then I decided I had to get on with it, so that is what I did. It wasn't the same being there on my own but knowing I had my Goan friends to support me if I needed help was fairly comforting. I went for 2 weeks on that occasion and had gone over for a christening. In November I went alone again, this time for only a week which I was better able to cope with (and no tears this time) I went for a friends wedding and this time it was a lot easier as I had the comfort of knowing that 2 of my UK friends (who I have known for 20 years plus) were in Candolim (they had come for the wedding too) and another couple of friends arrived the following week. I did feel quite vulnerable at times during that first lone visit but to be honest it was good that I did because you are then more aware of others and your surroundings. November was a doddle in comparison but I can and do appreciate how difficult/unexpected situations can occur when travelling alone, thankfully I was okay but even I had one or two moments when letting my guard down could have so easily led to problems. I said I wouldn't travel on my own to Goa again but guess what? .....Yes, I am "considering" it (and this time via Mumbai)

OMG!!!

I read in the Herald today that there is a russian submarine in Goa, plus a small amount of russian ships, I also saw indian war ships and armed helicopters, if you add on the armed men on the beach, that should stop a terrorist attacke from sri lanka

With all the special treatment the Russians get regarding visas's one would think they would arrive by the normal charter flight route rather than go to all this trouble.
Think I will get myself a submarine
(Sorry, no offense intended, just a joke).

Nice one fizzy

Hi Danny,
Well, I don't know what to say. I'm a relative newbie to this forum and have been popping in and out of the Goa thread to get an insight into people's holiday experiences. We are considering going there next year.

I've been glued to your report and have read it all over the last 2 days. No words I write can describe what I think about the way you were treated by the authorities. Thank you for taking time to share al your experiences with us, be they good or bad. I know it wasn't your intention to frighten any potential Goan holidaymakers but it does give me cause for concern. I realise that your experiences are 'one off' and in no way the 'norm' but you went through so many incidents during your stay there. What is also worrying is that none of the unfortunate events occured because of anything you brought on yourself.

Your post has served as a warning to me to think long and hard whether I want to be on my guard that much on holiday. Thanks again for letting us know about this side of things and also for sharing some funny anecdotes with us.

I Danny - I've just read this report from start to finish after Shirleyh told me about it. It was brilliant- the jail bit sounded like something I'd seen on a film a few years back - what a horrific experience for you. Thank you so much fro telling us your story. I was seriously considering visiting Goa for the 1st time next year - now I'm not quite so sure.

Shirley/Helen.
My advice to you for what it is worth, is go to Goa and have a belting time, first time in Goa is a magical time, there is so much to see and so much to do, the food is gorgeous, the attitude of the british holiday makers is a pleasure to behold, I would say as a warning, surround yourselves with people that you like and trust, just as you would at home, have a lovely holiday, there is so much to see.
Take care, God bless Danny

THANKS Danny,
we would be ging as a group of 4 adults, so I suppose that helps.

hi dan

oh my goodness.....what a story....im just glad i read this after my holiday or id have been a nervous wreck...lol

so glad you survived your hol and felt you could share it with us all

well ive just missed an episode of csi miami whilst reading this but i have to say your story was rather compelling

anyway god bless and good night

angie xx