Nice one Jim dread to think what the final score will be Take a look in the Baga photo gallery Best holiday we have ever had. Will keep a check on you to make sure you have it right.

Love to you all

Alan & Ann

Good photo Alan - I bet there's more to come.

Take care.

Jim, Michele and Shannon

Can't wait for part 2 as we are off to Phoenix Park in Jan. Have you got a good room number we can ask for ?

Hi oap

Take a look in photo uploads 2 pics in there of the Phoenix from room 4101 Dhali block (I think that's how it's spelt] not to many stairs and sun in the morning

Alan

Change of plan oap now

McGroogle First Time Part.2.

So we get into our taxi to and follow 'Our Posh Friends' taxi through the streets and villages at about 7.30 in the morning on the way to Candolim. I was sat in the front with the taxi driver who turned out to be the only non - friendly Goan that we met all holiday. I did manage to get from him that he did in fact speak English but he chose not to - perhaps he was a grumpy first thing. Anyway it helped in one way to soak up the sites and sounds on the way through without any conversation. Michele and Shannon were in the back and I can remembering thinking if they can accept what they seee on this journey then they should be OK for the rest of the holiday. Sure there was a lot of poverty and the rubbish strewn everywhere was not what I expected. But the way I looked at it and fortunately the girls did too, was that this was their way of life and ours was our way of life. Neither is for the other to say which is wrong or right it just is that way. I think if you accept that then getting on with your holiday is a lot easier.

So after breakneck speed and overtaking manouvres that Jason Buttton would have been proud of we arrive within an hour at Phoenix Park Hotel. Grumpy taxi driver still not talking so no tip. We just pip Alan and Ann in the taxi and carry our cases to reception and check in. We find out that the room is not ready for us yet - probably cos we beat the bus but are asked to help ourselves to breakfast and the room won't be long before it will be ready. So the five of us sit down and have a pleasant breakfast of eggs, toast, jams, tea, orange juice and coffee and within a flash the rooms are ready. The rooms turn out to be spacious and cleanish, with a balcony and on the First Floor. Only problem is our balcony faces onto the side road at the back of the hotel and we get a nice sight of everybody's washing - but hey so what. Alan and Ann on the other hand come up trumps - they have a great view from the balcony looking onto the swimming pool - must be because they are posh lol. AL38 2 - 0 McGroogle. Right so after unpacking a little bit we have 2 choices either bed or try and stay up as long as we can and try get into the Goan hourclock. Well bed is not an option - we are on holiday and we are going to enjoy it. So we head for the beach. No sooner have we just left the kerb from the hotel it's'Taxi, Taxi'. 'No thank you we reply'. Then standing out with our pale skins the Timeshare people on their scooters descend on us like a plague of locusts. 'We re not trying to sell you anything"¦"¦but' and this chap tries to thrust a business card into my hand. I refuse and walk on. Then the same bloke shoots off on his scooter and comes back towards me and stops again. He seems really offended that I have refused his offer. I look at him sternly and 'Look I don't want anything so leave me alone'. 'But you don't have to buy anything you have to go to this place'. Leave me alone, this is my first day and don't want the hassle' He gets the message and clears off.

After a 3 mile trek up the beach to Baga - being accosted by sellers, shack owners and the like we arrive at Oceanic shack. Recommended by you HT'rs. Very nice too we have drinks and I have the butter chicken that everyone raves about - and delicious it was too. Not a cat in hells chance of walking back we get a taxi and spend the next few hours in the pool at the hotel. We had some more drinks and here's the catch for all of you thinking of going to Phoenix Park. The prices are not the cheapest for food or drink anyway - but then they put on a 20% surcharge. They call it tax but it's a rip off - even the barman could not tell me what it was for. This is the only gripe with the hotel. Separate report on that in the review section later.

So evening meal - where do we go? Alan and Ann have now adopted us or is it that we have adopted them? Not sure. So Alan gives us the honour of picking where to eat. So left at the top of the lane and onto Floyds - that we have read so much about. But be careful there are 2 Floyds. If you are heading to Fort Aguada from Candolim it is the one on the left not on the right - you go up some steps. The one on the right maybe very nice but we did not go in there. The meal was fantastic we all had Indian style food from the clay oven and a mixture of different rices and naan breads. The naan breads were the best that I certainly have had anywhere. Makes the prepacked ones from Tesco seem very bland. AL38 2 - 1 McGroogle. All in all a great first day.

More to come soon.

Great report - looking forward to the next installment, we are staying at Candolim in December so looking forward to any restaurant recommendations you have, thanks shirleyV

We stayed in Candolim last month and we went to loads of great restaurants, you should really try Inferno, It's on Candolim beach road, they have loads to choose from on the menu (Plus they have lots of desserts-try the chocolate naan bread-it's gorgeous!!)
We also went to a place calle Bom Succeso-not sure if thats how its spelt, but that was really nice, and its a good laugh aswell, they have Karaoke a couple of nights a week-which you mustn't miss-even if it's just to hear the dj sing!!!

Yes! Inferno is excellent. Get there early or book. We went a few times and couldn't get in!

Keep it going!

Hi Towpal, Inferno was day five or six ( I think ) so there is a way to go yet,
I'm sure that one was my turn

Just to get things in perspective if posh friends bring the Spice Girls to mind forget it, their not in my class (or is it the other way round)
I'm about as posh as a knotted hanky and trousers rolled up on Skeggy beach

Thanks Al - it looks nice, was there another room next to yours as I would ask for the 2 rooms? thanks

Four rooms to each floor two facing the pool, McGroogle was next door in 4102 and he had the wall and washing so across the landing was 4104 facing the pool, they number right to left, so I would go for 4101 & 4104.
They wont make any promises but I did get a return email from Mario that they would do there best.
There is a rumor that Mario is leaving this year so things may change.
Also not all the rooms have a balcony but if you have booked with First Choice the accommodation invoice says 1 twin BL SH WC BB I take BL to mean balcony??

Alan

Thanks for that Al, will try to book those rooms nearer the time - yes we are going with First Choice.

Hi Al38 & McGroogle;
You lot sound great fun, are you going out again & if so when?
Hubby and I are in Goa again for boxing day and up to january 14th, staying in Candolim, if anyone else is out there then, do you fancy meeting up?

Jayne

Great reading, especially since we will be first timers to the Phoenix Park in november.
Plus you walked all the way to our favourite beach shack, the oceanic.
Looking forward to the next part

Hi Jane,
Yes we had a fantastic time, there was seven of us three from upt north two from the middle and two from the south, we had so many laughs I couldn't wish to be with a better crowd that's why I called the photo The Crazy Gang.
Cant speak for the others but I would love to go again around the end of March
beginning of April but it would never be the same without the full Gang.
McGroogle is posting his days and our nights shortly I will start one with our days with the exception of perhaps one night e'er perhaps that should be early morning

Goa time is a long summer away so it may help to shorten the time a bit

Alan

McGroogle's First Time part.3.

Just to clear something up from part.2.

Me, Michele and Shannon went to Baga. Alan and Ann our adopted posh friends went to Mango House to see Rob and Shermina to drop some clothes off and see the things that CWT were up to.

Indeed this set the pattern for the rest of our holiday - McGroogle's doing their own thing during the day - Alan and Ann ditto - but we did meet up every night for meals and drinks. This enabled us to catch up on the day's events, swap stories and have loads of laughs.

Now this is where the memories of days and events start to get murky so in no particular order here we go. At Phoenix Park we bumped into another nice couple from Sidcup - Ray and Debbie. Ray was struggling the first few days with Delhi Belly and coincidentally so had I for one day. Alan suggested it could be the glycerine talked about from the Kingfisher that I had been drinking (another HT tip) - it may have been coincidence but after laying off the Kingfisher and going on to Kings - hey Presto the Delhi Belly disappeared. Trying to be knowledgeable (but really nicking the idea of Alan) I proceeded to tell Ray, with raised eyebrows and with great authority, that it may be the glycerine in the Kingfisher and if he drank Kings"¦"¦"¦"¦ lo and behold Ray started to get better. AL 38 2 - 2 McGroogle (soz Alan). The next few days were taken quite leisurely. We visited Ganesh's shack met the gang there, visited Bobby's shack and Bono's shack - all of them very nice, cheap but good quality food. The girl's sun bathed and chilled out during the days with occasional dips into the sea to cool off. I was off walking up and down the beaches and around the nooks and crannies, visiting the odd watering hole on the way for needy refreshments. The sea breeze was more than welcome - it was only when you was walking around the streets with no breeze that you actually realized how hot the temperatures were. Within a couple of days we had settled into 'Goan Time'. Which is a time that doesn't exist in Britain. There's no rush for things to be done and people go about their business with smiles on their faces, without seemingly a care in the world. 'Goan Time' is surreal as if it appears in some exotic fairytale that is beyond our imagination. Oops!!...sorry I was getting all poetic then - back to the plot.

At night by now we were boycotting the hotel bar and restaurant (20% tax) and Alan had come up with a belter of a place for pre meal drinks. Just up the lane from the Phoenix on the left hand side, on the corner of the Candolim Road is a bar (it actually belongs to the hotel further down the lane - can't remember the name). Anyway we got to know O'Neill, the barman, who we christened 'Onion' cos that's how it seemed to be pronounced. The service, laughs and the measures of drinks were second to none and we had a great time in there for the rest of our holiday - so pop in. AL 38 3 - 2 McGroogle. They even had some decent bands on at night.

Next report will be about some trips that we went on - catch you later.

McGroogle