Hi Tracy,if you are using scooters the world is your oyster,just pick up a coastal map or get more info off various sites and head south, some great beaches to stay at.A lot of beach shacks will let you sleep on the sunbeds for a small charge (very cool with the sea breeze) but get the mattress type !! shame we pay for digs as we have had a few 'crash outs' on them !! If your not sure then why not book the Devbagh Island trip with Day tripper (2 1/2 hour drive),we had 2 great nights in bungalows,but there are also huts on stillts if you can get one !!
As for Candolim to Panaji (Panjim) 20 to 30mins in a taxi.I have posted this previous for a great night out - Leave Candolim at 5.15pm and ask your driver to take you to the sunset cruise on the mandovi river(the 6 o'clock one).This costs 100 rupees pp and lasts 1 hour (great for the sunset shots) Then ask him to take you to the Delhi Darbar - top food and great service,we do this now each year as a kind of 'reunion' with friends we meet each year,have fun !!

Places to visit....

I've been to lots of places North and South down the coast, and I'm off to Palolim with a couple of friends on Saturday, and if you haven't been then that's where you should start, it's a lovely chilled out crescent shaped beach

So

Palolim (South Goa)

It's a great beach, palm lined, has all the amenities, coco-huts from one end to the other that you can stay in for the night (think tree house with a double bed, fan and light), they are really nice, especially if you get one with a beach view. Expect to pay from 100 (if you are very lucky) up to 300 Rs/- for a standard one, then more.. :os for the very posh ones. It has lots o good restaurants, lots of travellers instead of tourists, hippy style, doing yoga on the beach Very relaxed.

(2 hour ride on motorbike from Candolim, lots of places to stop on the way for food and bits and bobs)

Patnum (South Goa)
Next beach south of Palolim, same coco huts a LOT quieter only three or four beach shacks, there's a chance you could have the beach to yourself.

(as above 1 mile south of Palolim)

Ingos and Anjuna (North Goa)
You should do Anjuna or Ingos Market in Apora at least once in a visit as they change each season, I personally love Ingos as you just go there, watch some live music, have a pizza or kebab from the food stalls and relax, great atmosphere Anjuna beach is also a good place to go to et away from the crowds, more relaxed and they seem to like wearing less up there (very small thongs and that's just the men!)

(Taxi or drive on bike 20 mins from Candolim unless you get caught in the traffic.)

Panjim (North Goa)
I like Panjim, but I normally only go there if I need to buy something, but it has lots of good shops, and a great fruit/veg market, a couple of nice places to get a Lassi (yogurt type drink), Banana milkshake or Fresh Lime Soda (sweet). It is also now hosting an International film festival so they have built a lovely near cinema (although haven't been yet), I'm guessing it may compare to one found in the UK.. I will do a test sometime soon :o)

(45 minute bus ride from Candolim can get of at Betim and use the Ferry to Panjim (Ferry is free for walk on passengers, and leaves every half an hour or so)

Cavolossim / Colva (South)
Great expanse of mostly empty beach in the south, great for people who like to fly hue kites without killing or tripping over anyone! :o) The beach goes on for 1 miles or so at a guess. Relaxing to et away from Candolim to Baga stretch of beach! Only hotels to stay at I think. You can make a stop here on the way down to Palolim for example. Thats what I normally do. You can also take the costal path from here to Palolim, takes an hour longer (nip on the ferry from Cavalossim) but hardly anybody about, lovely windy roads and some great views! (chance of seeing (or being knocked off you bike by) large monkeys too)

(1hr 15min drive from Candolim)

Vaator, Morjim , Asvem etc

Quieter beaches if you want to escape the Calangute stretch, nice villages on the way, you can really get too lost anywhere in Goa, just head towards the NH17 which goes for the full length of Goa if you do. A couple have coco huts I think, but not as nice as Palolim, but closer.

(1hr drive from Candolim)

Rob

Favorite places......So much to say so little time....

Beach Huts... Nicest in South Goa but closer and very nearly as good in Ashvem or Mandarin Beach - Head for Arambol, basically go North and you can'tmiss them. we stayed at Rock Huts on Ashvem...try to go during a full moon when you will see turtles galore returning to the sea after laying their eggs. Cost 400 rupees per night for ahut with toilet and shower. Cost 800 rupees for retrun taxi ride from Candolim

Markets - Indoor Market Arpora, it's agreat night out but it is a tourist market

Anjuna Market - daytime market every weds, again good day out but tourist market

Mapusa Market - now this is a must. It's an indian market and the best deals can be had here. Get the taxi driver to act as guide. We ususlaly walk around and choose what we ant then send thetaxi driver back to buy for us as the indoans geta much better deal that westerners.

If you are going in the next week or two then the body of Saint ?? now what's his name - is on display, last time ever - it is a must.

You've just missed Diwali - burning of devils all over india.

Beaches - for relaxing go to Ashvem in the nOrth Paoloim in South. Candolim Beach is good - lots of good quality beach shacks and very few sellers

For a sunset try nine bar at Little Vagator - take a taxi - if you ride a bike atnight the chances are you will get hurt, badly. Go early and have a day on the beach - -there is a face carving here in the rocks - sounds naff but it aint

If you want to buy Pashminas etc. find a restauarnat called Ice & Spice in Candolim, it's on the land side of the main drag about 1/2 mile before the Kingfisher Villa). As you leave Ice & Spice there is a stall on the left - ask for Shahid and tell him Cliff ssent you.

Also Ice & Spice is the best Restauarant I have ever been to in Goa. Run by Sanjay, his broither, cousin and a couple of lads from Nepal, Vishal and I forget the other lads name - tell them Cliff sent you!

Crocodile Tour is well worth while - Jake the Snake does the best trip. Its 1000 rupees but you get food and drink and you're on the canal for about 4 hours spotting all sorts of wildlife especially BIG crocs. Jake is mad - he plays with the crocs!!

Fishing - Try Blackie on coco Beach - just go to Coco Beach and ask anyone, everyone knows Blackie

As mentioned by some else here there is a film festival at the moment so it is a good time to be in Goa

Panjim is fun.......take a good walk around and just soak it all up.

A word to the wise, when you get your bike/ moped check it thoroughly as many of them are not safe. You should pay nomore than 200 rupees per day per bike absolute maximum. Best to get fuel from thepetrol station rather than the stalls as it is cleaner and less likely to bugger the bike up - get a phone number from the hirer so you can call them if you have any problems

All of the above are within 30 minutes of Candolim

Hi

Has anyone heard of a place called Shanti where you can wash elephants and swim with dolphins.

Read about this on another website.

Cheers

Spotti

I never heard of a place called Shanti but it sounds possible because I think Shanti means Peace or something like that.

Anyway, the only place I know of to wash elephants is Dandeli and I'm not totally convinced Dandeli is in Goa it' that long a journey. It's not on the coast either so there's not likely to be any dolphins there. There are, however, Tigers and many other animals.

On our last visit we did hear of somewhere closer where you could apparantly ride and wash elephants but the beach got the better of us - well the Honey Bee did.

Around Arambol there are many many dolphins that can be seen throughout the day but I've also seen and swam (close to not with, they are too cautious) dolphins off of both Candolim and Coco Beaches but you need to be on the beach for just after sunrise. Candolim Beach about 300 m offshore from the River Princess wreck and Coco Beach off the point below the Diamond Dealers house. You need to hire a boat unless you are a VERY strong swimmer.

Hi thanks for that, I've been reading alot about the jungle trip, will get one of the taxi drivers to take us there.
I have been on the elephant that gets taken around North Goa by the orange men!!, but to wash them would be great.

Cheers

St. Francis Xavier

If you are going in the next week or two then the body of Saint ?? now what's his name - is on display, last time ever - it is a must.

That's the chappie!!

Ahhhaa I knew it... he was a devoted disciple of St. Ignatius Loyola and one of the first members of the Society of Jesus.

He died on a lonely island, abandoned without the sacraments or Christian burial but within a few weeks his body was recovered and found to be perfectly incorrupt and it was brought to Goa and received there with a devotion and an enthusiasm which showed that the people had already recognized him as a saint.

He possessed the gift of prophecy and is now the patron of all the missions of the Catholic Church.

That's the chappie!!

He's kind of dry and crispy

inspiring though, seeing so many devoted people

hi,
we did the jungle book trip last year. everyone had a great time. the elephants were brilliant. i would definately recomend it.

hi spotti , yes ask the taxi driver to take you to see/ride/wash the elephants we did and it was great although we did not wash the elephant as we did not know at the time you could . it was a long journey to get there ( 2 hr ) but well worth it, i think the reps do a trip called the jungle book, but i would ask the taxi driver as it is much more expensive with the reps, infact if possible do all your trips with a taxi driver they will show you everything you want, hope this helps Gavin

Hi all, I have done the jungle tour "Shanti Reserve trip" which is very near to dudsgar falls. (don't think that's how it's spelt). Shanti is just the name of the nature reserve/village place where you AND the elephants sleep. It was very expensive though £75.00 each but that was with the tour operator as we couldn't find anyone local who was doing the trip. I was also not very happy when on the way back to our hotel we found out we could have done the same trip as "day trip" instead of overnight in those horrible mud huts which were infested with large ants and spiders. The drinks were well overpriced by double and treble the amount too. It is well worth doing as a day trip though riding, feeding and washing the elephants was great!

hiya, i did the jungle trip, washing elephants and stuff! and thought staying in the mud hut was great experience! didnt see many ants only one or two! did see a snake in the jungle though, but it went in the opposite direction very quickly when it saw us!

Hi Tracy

I would recomend you take a 3 day trip up to Agra, Jaipur and Delhi. We did this trip on our first visit to India a number of years ago and it cost £300 then but I believe this price is now double. You can reduce the cost of this by flying one way and get a train to return. It was an amazing trip with a driver/guide for the full 3 days. Cost covers all hotel bills and entrance fees to the many palaces and monuments on the tour. The most amazing was seeing the Taj Mahal at sunrise an unforgetable experience.

Hope you have a great holiday

Jen (Lesleys friend)

Fritz,

You mentioned Jake the Snake for the croc trip. Where can we find him. We are staying in Candolim 6th jan 2 weeks.

Brian

hi brian, just got back from Candolim, just go to John's boat shop near to J29 sports bar in Candolim can't miss it, he uses Jake's boats now, we booked there and had a good croc trip.

Thanks Gruff. How was your holiday and did you do any other trips?

Brian

hi brian, had a fantastic 3 weeks, just gets better each time, didn't do much travelling around this time, just hired a taxi for a few days and went down to the south then few days later went for a look around the north, found some great places in the north, might stay up there next time.
Tried to get a train or a plane up to Mumbai over christmas for a few days but everything was booked up. If you have any clothes you don't want the holiday reps are collecting them for the tsunami disaster, so take some with you if you can. Have a great time!