The Good
The climate - lovely cool, smoky mornings, largely cloudless, sunny days and cooler evenings, although it was definitely hotting up in March. Fantastic.
The exchange rate - better than last year at around 72.5rps to the £
The food - because we were staying for a few weeks we tended to eat inexpensively but in Goa, I don't think that price is any indicator of quality. Some of the best food is the cheapest. We ate at:
Viva Goa (lots of times)
Plantain Leaf (wonderful Thalis)
Anand Sagar
Nirvana
Moonlight Bar
Marina Bay
Cinderella's (with Fred the comedian - funny but the the easily offended should stay away!)
Sai's Arpora - great food, great prices
Bean Me Up - great salads
Orange Boom Anjuna
Shere-e-Punjab Panjim
The Crown Panjim - food just okay and expensive but the views are stunning
Resort Rio - swanky new resort hotel in Arpora. Food was good.
Presa di Goa - love this place for a quiet day away from the beach.
Snow Inn
Kenny's - best breakfasts in Goa?
The Fast Food stall near Calangute steps. Bhelpuri at 20 rps - delicious!
Scarlet's Juice bar at Chapora - the best juices by far and lovely fruit salads with ice cream. It's a great place for people watching - some really spaced out Russians up there.
I love the fact that the guy on the bike comes tooting round every morning with warm, fresh bread and milk and again in the evening with delicious samosas at 5rps a go. How civilised is that?
I love that "gloaming" hour around 5-6pm when the light changes and the heat subsides. First light is also special; there's often a mist and the smell of burning leaves and the birds, dogs and workers are all waking up and getting going. It's lovely to take a walk at that time before the heat kicks in.
The shacks are getting more expensive but they are such a great part of the holiday. In Europe you'd pay £4 for a sunbed so they still represent great value and a source of fun and conversation.
Whilst the upper echelons of power in India seem irredeemably corrupt and incapable of getting things done, the guys on the street are the opposite. I smashed the glass on my watch and the guy on Calangute market had it replaced in a day, my trouser alterations took two hours. Great service but you do need to make that leap of faith - you leave your stuff with them but no receipts or anything. I love the entrepreneurialism of Indian people (except those in Newtons-see later comments!).
Went to a couple of HT meets and they are always good fun and it's great to see old faces and meet new ones. Thanks Chilly and all the regulars for your efforts in making everyone welcome!
The Bad
Traffic is getting to be a real problem - especially on Saturday nights when the markets are in full swing. I made the mistake of "nipping" into Baga from Candolim at around 7pm one Saturday and it took me an hour and a half to make the return trip. It was bedlam - coaches, big 4x4s, taxis, bikes, cows. It was manic-complete gridlock-not sure if there was accident or something.
The problem is made worse by the increasing number of Indians who now visit Goa for the weekend. It's great that there is increasing wealth in the country and that growing numbers are able to enjoy travel and holidays in their own country but the Goan infrastructure (such as it is) is creaking under the strain.
Need I say much about the driving? The newspapers carry daily reports of vehicles "turning turtle" and poor people in the wrong place at the wrong time "breathing their last" and "expiring." Life somehow seems pretty cheap and people just accept that the roads are a kind of Russian roullette. Scary!
I used a couple of wi-fi hot spots and hey presto, two days later all my contacts are now receiving e-mails allegedly from me advertising Viagra! It went to friends, relatives and business contacts. Great! Be warned that the digital world out in Goa is just as bent as the real world. Meanwhile, I have orders for half a suitcase of the little blue pills!!
Not sure what the long term implications are as somebody has clearly accessed my e-mail account. A bit worrying to say the least.We stay just off the main Cal/Can road and it's quite dark at night. A German couple were jumped on one night and money stolen. They checked out of their hotel the following day and said they were going home. We know it happens but when it's just outside your digs, it makes you think.
There's no nice way of saying this so I'll just say it. I really do dislike Newton's supermarket. As soon as you enter you're made to feel like a shoplifter with staff watching your every move and following you around. The girls on the till have serious attitude problems and all the charm of a rattlesnake. The thing that really gets me though is when they give you a sweet instead of change. I refused to accept it last time and stood there for about three minutes while someone ran off for a 5 rupee note. I swear next year I'm going to do a full shop and then pay with a tin of Quality Street and a couple dozen chocolate eggs. Better still, I'll go somewhere else.
I know I'll upset many of you anglers out there but find it really annoying when guys stand there in the middle of a tourist beach with a whacking great fishing rod-thrashing the line to and fro. There are many rivers and quieter beaches in Goa where people can fish - why do it in the middle of people on sunbeds?
There are plenty of Russians around and they are not always easy company. I'm sure some of the problems are down to cultural differences but they don't smile a lot and appear rude to we ever so polite Brits. One shop I went in, the lady told me a price for something that was 300rps less than the ticket on it. Oh, she said, that's the price for Russians! She claimed to have lost a great deal of stock through a number of them entering the store and all trying things on, asking questions and distracting her whilst some stole goods.
There was a full scale battle one night between some Ukrainians and taxi drivers resulting in some serious injuries and taxi drivers being arrested. Glasnost? Don't think so.
Taxi drivers are getting a bit naughty. We use scooters, or the bus if we plan to drink but occasionally we need a taxi to get home. The fares are getting a bit steep and one guy, after agreeing a 100rps fare demanded a tip. My mate gave him 10rps and he said not enough - wanted 50rps. Needless to say, he didn't get it but he did get some advice on where he should put his tip.
Dabolim - Staff are rude, uncommunicative, condescending, officious and absolutely incompetent. They haven't a clue how to handle people or queues. The toilets were a disgrace for a supposedly "international" airport. Apart from that, it's okay!!
And finally"¦.I'm sure all Candolim based beach bums will be sad to see that the lady we always called "Carmen Miranda" has upped sticks and left. She used to sashay down the beach every morning, always immaculately dressed with a coloured turban and Ipod in hand. She always seemed to be a fixture of Candolim beach life but I'm told she got fed up with the visa and ownership nonsense and has left for good. No doubt she'll be bringing a little style and elegance to wherever she's gone!
The Ugly
They really do need to get a grip on rubbish. We stay next to a nice couple who have just built a lovely new house. Every morning she walks across the road a tips a bucket full of trash on the field opposite. I watched in disbelief one night when her husband came out with his dog and while it had a dump, he proceeded to pee at the roadside. Without being too graphic, he could almost have hit his own toilet from where he was standing but chose to let go in the street. The press talk of resident's concern about litter but I've seen no evidence that anybody gives much of a toss about it. It does need to be sorted out. The Paradise in a Dustbin comment was one I overheard, but it's bob on.
The River Princess - a symbol of Indian bungling, bunging and bureaucratic incompetence. Work should have started on 5 March but not much seemed to be happening at first but surprise, surprise; there are signs of activity alongside the vessel on the Aguada side. Will it really be gone by next year?
I've just realised that there are more "Bad" than "Good" and that certainly doesn't reflect our feelings about Goa. Perhaps it says more about my growing Victor Meldrew tendencies! We had a great time, still love the place despite all the changes and, all being well, will be back again next year.
