Hi Gemma 33 nice to see You are one of the Teddy Bears, We have just booked (tonight) from jan. 9 to feb 6 hope to bump into You in the Baywatch sometime, there are 2 more like minded fans at the same time every year.

Very much quieter.Someone else told me while we were out there that the Goans are considered lazy by the migrant workers.

Papa

Papa it is certainly true that Goans and Indians are not the biggest buddies and the Goans can be a little abrasive towards Their near neighbours but like most places in the World it seems to come down to religion, so as long as all of them treat Us alright let them get on with it, its Their continent after all and the bus service is out of this (or any other )world, sure as hell beats Yorkshire in Jan./Feb.

Hi Lidolil, very nice to meet you. Hope to catch up with you in Goa sometime for a small honeybee

We met an English woman married to a Goan in Candolim a couple of years ago. She told us that Goan men do not want to work. They are, she said, happy to stand around talking politics to each other all day. It is they who own all the property, but they rely on out of state workers to run the places and do the menial tasks. Her telling us made me more aware and so I noticed it more.
I think the Karnatican workers and sellers and shack boys are much better company too, more friendly (I know they want your money, but hey ho, speak as you find)
I hope it is a bit quieter this year (than last February) as we go on Saturday. We are taking 4 'Goa virgins' with us and I would like them to enjoy it, and not be put off.

Yes, I have been told by a Goan in UK that the locals do not want to do menial tasks (and work in general). It is the out of staters that do the work for the Goans, and a lot of Goans treat them like muck. In November most of the people I met were from out of state and they were very nice indeed. The problem is that a lot of young Goans don't want to do the traditional work that their fathers and grandfathers used to do, like working in the field or fishing. They just want to sit around and wait for someone to hire a bike or chase western girls. Out of season there are a lot of problems with getting work done as the old values/work ethics are getting lost to tourism which is now declining.

With tourism in decline, who is going to clean up the mess and create a 'new' Goa?

I have mentioned this before but when is the hinterland going to be developed in Goa, the Wildernest does well and their is surely a demand for tourism away from the coast. I personally like the beach, but not every day, and if you have been to Goa so many times before, the beach get's a little tedious day after day (if you are there a month). I know that comment will spark a few comments of why go then?

Another thing I find ridiculous is that if you go to any historic site there is no information...

Chapora Fort ... no information why it was built
Aguada .... ditto
Cabo de Rama ..... ditto

You go to these places and you are left in a state of bewilderment of what actually happened there!

It is patently obvious that the tourist board do the MINIMAL amount of work to keep Goa on the tourist map. Another big screen, karaoke, sports bar wont cut it folks.

And of course the old spectre of the River Princess looms darkly over Candolim.

I personally think next season will be quieter, prices are getting higher and it is the locals that are getting aggressive because the dream they bought into is turning sour.

Totally agree. Sad isn't it? you are so right re the trips and lack of cultural knowledge - a taxi driver can give you more info than a tour guide. I think when tourists talk about how friendly the 'locals' are, they don't perhaps realize that it isn't locals they mean, but the sellers, waiters and shack staff, who work so hard and long hours for very little. However that 'very little' is enough to survive on when they return home for the monsoon season to work in the fields and do labouring for 20r per day, whilst the real locals (Goans) sit back and count their money.

It's such a pity that the FEW honest people in Goa have to suffer but to be honest the greedy ones get no sympathy from me. They have been milking tourists for every single rupee they can get and been downright rude and arrogant with it.

The number of long termers I met in South Goa that were saying that it was about time lessons were learned was quite amazing. Not just a handful of people, dozens who had been coming for years, to be treated like cash cows.

The 'goose' has been well cooked, diced and eaten so so quickly.

I like the fact that it has got quiet but at a price to the tourist ie., overpricing, arrogance, aggressive behaviour, filth, laziness.

You may not notice this on a first visit for 2 weeks but believe you me there are a lot of tourists who have been going to Goa for a heck of a long term that are not putting up with all these games.

Putting up prices and overcharging is not going to benefit Goa in the long term. Some goods on sale were not much cheaper than UK purely because of the lack of numbers.

I just wish that some of the so called businessmen would listen to their tourist customers for once instead of patronising them.

A lot of the clothes now on sale in Goa which are associated with warm weather wear can be bought a lot cheaper in Primark, anyway You dont need (unless Your My Wife) lots of clothes, its just not the place You go to to make a fashion statement, You go to chill (and where better than Bobs Inn)

You are quite right, Asda sundresses to-day were only £10 will be £5 before long and will last a lot longer than the ones you get in Calengute.

It was a lot quieter this season, some of the shops were closing up end March. They only have themselves to blame for being too greedy.

I've never been to Goa as late in the season as this before, so yes it did seem quieter, but I put this down to it being so late and hot/humid. However our flights outward and inward were full with Thomas Cook. I think I had some bargain buys as usual, never paying more than 99-150r's for any clothing and 80r's for sarongs. Some nice Tibetan silver and black onyx bracelets and rings etc- bargains. Three 'Radley' purses for 500r. Scooter for 180r per day so no taxi fares.

Ooooh You can get scooters much cheaper than 180, I forget which way round it is but it depends on the colour of the Reg. plate Yellow are Gov. app.150 ,White are private & are 100 or it could be the other way round, however I,d still use the local buses as there,s far more chance of survival. Happy Holidays

Yeah, I know if we had bothered to shop around we could have got the scooter a bit cheaper, but it had the yellow plates, a crash helmet and relevant paperwork. We wanted one ASAP so it was worth it. It paid for itself easily and had the added freedom which goes with it. I felt more at risk walking along the side of the road the few times we ventured out on foot. We went to some isolated areas to check out some restaurants, very little traffic to worry about outside of the resorts.

Exactly My point about the buses, once Your out of town it is nearly safe, its driving round Candolim/Calangute & nearby that its not a crash helmet I need its a nappy and My Wife wouldn,t get on one for a Kings ransom, personally I think its all part of the attraction of the place, Roll on Jan.

March/April is always 'steady', but this year was quiet. Only ventured down the beach road twice and had to dodge the tumble weed a few times.
I did notice the new hotel/restaurant Horizon, at the top of Whispering Palms beach road, shut up shop with 4 weeks left. Not sure if something had gone on or if they thought it's not worth the cost of keeping open with lack of customers ?
Plenty of shops and roadside sellers just didn't seem to be selling anything, and stopping for the usual browse in quite a few and enquiring on a 'good' price, we left everyone of them with nothing.
Greed or desperate ? No doubt they will all be back next year, but I think with most of them haggling is a thing of the past.

There is no doubt about it, it has been a disastrous season for Goa, lots of restaurants and shacks (mostly smaller ones) were closing by the end of march which i have never seen, Fishermans cove closed and thats usually open until and through some of monsoon, lots of our Kashmiri friends have up and left and deliberating over whether it is worth them returning next year as things have been so awful and for them to leave a month before the official season is over is quite something, the streets and restaurants have been empty apart from the odd few (and not just bad ones, good restaurants too,) the beach is empty apart from the odd shack having a few customers and although there has been a small surge as its Easter its barely what i would call busy!!
I went to Snip and spa the other day to book a haircut and was able to have it done there and then with the top stylist as they were empty!! same when i went to Simply Beautiful a week or so ago for manicure usually have to book a couple of days in advance.. very sad for the genuine folk trying to make a living..

I just dont know about next season?? when i read the news about the UK and the current economic hardships and when i talk to people here many of whom have been coming for years and they tell me they are not coming back and when see all the Brits selling their property here, I think yes it is going to be a disaster .... but then when i read the forum here everyone still seems to be booking so?? who knows... the one thing that i think is here to stay sadly is the (fairly new) crime... i know this happens everywhere ..its a sign of the (sad) times we live in... but Goa has always been a safe place in my book until recent years and this year I have heard (and had experience of) so many bad crimes.. I am not being negative here just realistic, people need to know so they can be aware...my friend was robbed night before last as they slept in their beds,well locked in with double locks...they are well known long termers returning to the UK that day, it was awful, and it looks like it was someone who knew them, I can tell many similar stories, very sad, but i think its wise that people are made aware so that they are careful, handbag snatching is a very regular daily occurence now, but break ins are on the up too and muggings, a taxi was held up at knifepoint in the early hours a couple of weeks ago, (they held the knlfe to taxi drivers throat and threatened him about going to the police!) by two guys on bikes and the UK longtermers robbed of everything..when the foreigners went to report it they were told by police...'tourism down' !!! this frightens me and I for one am much more careful now...when i went for a takeaway last night, at just 9pm!!!! i didnt take my bag and hid my purse, and was watchful....... having said all that of course its no doubt probably a lot safer than many places in the world including the UK.So we shall be staying because as it is, all things considered, it still beats the Uk hands down for us.
chilly

As you have said Chilly it does seem to have been a disasterous year, and regarding the recent crimes again you quite rightly point out this could be happening anywhere in the world. There will be people on other forums who will be uncertain whether they will be booking holidays to their fav destinations next year (Spain,Turkey,Thailand ect.) Mainly because of the economic climate at the moment (weak £, job uncertainty ect) The BIG difference will be how the other countries deal with the drop in tourists and their solutions on how to entice tourists back.Sadly for far to long the Goan Tourism Industry has failed to reinvest any of the Millions they make each year back in to tourism, and their solution for next year will be to try and charge less tourists more to make up the shortfall.When you say that long some termers are thinking of selling up, things must be bad as I tend to think that they have more of an affinity with the place than the likes of me who visits (and loves the place) once a year.I think eventually even the most fervant Goa lovers will say enough's enough and seek pastures new....Keith

Yes it was definitely quieter. It was quite sad going past all the shops and stalls and seeing hardly anyone in them buying stuff and quite a few restaurants virtually empty; next season will be interesting.

I didn't mind it being quieter although if you were at Molly Malones on St. Patrick's Night or at Ingo's Night Market you would have found everyone and their uncle there - absolutely blooming heaving with people, not complaining though as both were fantastic fun and a great atmosphere. Fizz

Yes, much quieter this season and it is very worrying that the number of cases of bag snatching, muggings, break ins have risen. But it's not just that, it's the mentality of many establishments that less business means ripping off the customers you still have. Which I personally see as making the whole situation worse. The same could be said with the taxi drivers in the south that were causing fights etc because of their loss of business.. So, do they really think that this is going to encourage more custom! - Duh! No! Perhaps giving better deals and a better service would be the way to go. You think? Most of the people I know would much prefer to pay a huge tip for cheap good food, rather than pay for expensive food (which might cost less than the tip), same with the sun beds, I'm sure more people would be willing to give tips of 100 Rs/- if they weren't charge for beds...