Be brief as we were only there for a week.
Flew Gatwick with Thomson on their Saturday evening flight.
Very busy when we landed due to a Monarch charter and a Russian charter being on the ground at the same time.
Be warned on your return flight this will cause chaos. Goa airport simply cannot handle what I estimate could have been around 850 to 900 people trying to board three flights within an hour or so of each other. Thomson use the domestic check in so this is fine but your problems will arise trying to clear immigration and security.
As some of you will be aware Russians have no concept of queing and with the heat and the crush it really was awful and we know the Airport from old.
I saw some terrible arguments and very nearly violence broke out.
The groundstaff do their best but the Airport just cannot handle that many passengers at once. It is not a one off as these three flight arrive and leave around the same time every Sunday morning.
Changes for this season. More and more building work and more and more power cuts. Not enough capacity to keep up with demand and once the season is in full swing things can only get worse.
It may have been because it was early in the season although our flight was pretty full but I saw a massive increase in domestic tourists witnessed not just by out of state number plates and even more mad traffic.
Calangute steps is now a melee of Indian Families enjoying the beach with its own micro ecomomy thrown in. With food being sold deals being done jetskis banana boats. Pure madness which I found both fascinating and a bit sad at the same time. I myself prefer a bit of peace and quiet and around that area is not possible any more the motorised sports ruining it.
The indians have a real community feel when they are on Holiday and they seem to love the chaos and the noise as I said I found it fascinating to watch.
One other amusing thing happened while I was walking in this part of the beach. I had my ipod on listening to music when "The ear cleaner" informed me I had something in my ear. I looked at him shook my head and gave him something for his ears to listen to. Undeterred he was at it again not 5 seconds later.
Also saw a big increase in Russian tourists and not just older ones.Lots of younger ones.
I found it very easy to spot the Russians if at all possible they dress even worse than some of my fellow Brits on holiday. I swear one of them walked into Inferno on night dressed in a velour track suit circa 1970. Add to that lot of speedos and enough said.
Taxi drivers would not consider negotiation of fares so we did not use them.Got a scooter more covenient and better for my blood pressure not having to deal with them.
Smoking ban in Public places? Come on this is Goa. Will report more in the restaurant thread.
Seems to me some effort is being made to bring Goa upmarket with some nicer quality buildings going up. Also some more upmarket bars and restaurants giving it a go hoping for a better class of clientele. Remains to be seen whether Goa can attract such visitors before these places run out of working capitol.
Just sort of get the impression Goa is not sure where it wants to be at the moment. It does however face massive challenges even to get the basics right if it wants to attract that better clientele.
That would be a good modern road system. A modern airport capable of handling millions of passengers a year. A reliable sewage system and fresh water supply. A good supply of modern hotels with first class facilities. Also of course reliable power supply.
None of the above at the moment apply so I think Goa will have to do with us Brits and our cheap packages and our doles until they can sort the above.
We had a lovely week and being home in this weather I would be back in a second.
If i think of more I will post.
ho ho papa about the speedos and track suits!
Great Papa, and it gives all the rest of us an idea what to expect.
Would you say, in general, the place was busier than last seaason, or is it just busier with Russians
Are you going back again later in the season or just doing the one week this time?
Would you say, in general, the place was busier than last seaason, or is it just busier with Russians
Are you going back again later in the season or just doing the one week this time?
Papa , are you seriously saying that the Russains are un-fashionable !!! Not the ones that I see , Sorry girls , but they beat the Brits hands down , in all departments .
Of course the Russain men , have a way to go , before they can match the style and panache of your typical Brit bloke !!
Papa -- try the new Russain Karaoke bar , next to chopsticks on the Baga Rd , it certainly wont be good for your blood pressure though it may change your attitude towards the Russains.
Of course the Russain men , have a way to go , before they can match the style and panache of your typical Brit bloke !!
Papa -- try the new Russain Karaoke bar , next to chopsticks on the Baga Rd , it certainly wont be good for your blood pressure though it may change your attitude towards the Russains.
Gemma,
We will probably be back end of February and I would say it is not all that busy yet.
mahal I was not having a go at the Russians only commenting on the way some of them dress. I was trying to be flippant.
I think you were referring to the Russian ladies. And yes I did fnd my blood pressure rising on the beach on more than one occasion.
A lot of them are amazingly attractive women.
Being married though I hardly noticed.
Papa
We will probably be back end of February and I would say it is not all that busy yet.
mahal I was not having a go at the Russians only commenting on the way some of them dress. I was trying to be flippant.
I think you were referring to the Russian ladies. And yes I did fnd my blood pressure rising on the beach on more than one occasion.
A lot of them are amazingly attractive women.
Being married though I hardly noticed.
Papa
Papa and other chained...I mean married men.....dark sunglasses, very dark sunglasses!
Thanks for the report, quite enjoyed your honest feel for the place. Morjim beach here I come.
Thanks for the report, quite enjoyed your honest feel for the place. Morjim beach here I come.
Been here a few days now, re the Russians who now vastly outnumber the other foreign tourists. The young ladies, and the not so young, seem to favour the thong, as appropriate form of beachwear. In a conservative country such a India, and with the huge increase in local tourists, whe bathe and paddle in their sari's, one may wonder at this. I saw a couple of ladies, clad in a thong wander slowly among the milling crowds at Calangute steps, unsurprisingly many many mobile phone cameras were raised but it did'nt seem to bother them in the least. ! The Russians seem to keep to themselves,however, so far, I've asked my local optician, jeweller, clothing shop and money exchange friends who I've known for years, and they all seem united in their dislike of them. Myself, as I dont know any, I'd rather not pass judgement.
Alan
Alan
I can't find any reason to dislike the Russians, there are even more down the Candolim end so they have better taste for the beaches IMO.The females are exceptionally easy on the eye in many,many cases. My wife trusts me now, I'm too old to compete ! The traders ( excepting liquor stores and scooter hirers I imagine)dislike them because they don't spend money like other nationalities do.
Baga and Calangute beaches still amaze me, how anyone can spend the day there I don't know but that's just me. The mayhem of the water sports, the smell of petrol and the garbage on the beach.. no thanks. Incidentally there have been at least 2 drownings, one fatal fall from a paraglider in the last three weeks.
What disgusts me most is the stench of human excrement that is so apparent in many waste areas away from the beach, especially when it's hot and especially to the rear of Baga bech heading towards the bridge. Watch were you tread if you venture off the path, or in some places even on it.
I can't believe the state of the new purpose built pavements leading from Baga bridge. Overgrown and in places buried under rubble that has been dumped over the sides. Goa takes a step backwards for everyone forward.
I too hate smoking. I asked why "No Smoking" wasn't observed and was told that laws are only brought out as a way for enforcement officers to make money through fines so it was considered acceptable to smoke at the risk of a fine !!!!
Research has just quantified that 600,000,000 people alive at the moment will die as a result of passive smoking. 5,000,000 a year. Food for thought !
Baga and Calangute beaches still amaze me, how anyone can spend the day there I don't know but that's just me. The mayhem of the water sports, the smell of petrol and the garbage on the beach.. no thanks. Incidentally there have been at least 2 drownings, one fatal fall from a paraglider in the last three weeks.
What disgusts me most is the stench of human excrement that is so apparent in many waste areas away from the beach, especially when it's hot and especially to the rear of Baga bech heading towards the bridge. Watch were you tread if you venture off the path, or in some places even on it.
I can't believe the state of the new purpose built pavements leading from Baga bridge. Overgrown and in places buried under rubble that has been dumped over the sides. Goa takes a step backwards for everyone forward.
I too hate smoking. I asked why "No Smoking" wasn't observed and was told that laws are only brought out as a way for enforcement officers to make money through fines so it was considered acceptable to smoke at the risk of a fine !!!!
Research has just quantified that 600,000,000 people alive at the moment will die as a result of passive smoking. 5,000,000 a year. Food for thought !
Re the last post and it's blanket rubbishing of Baga and Calangute beaches. From the steps at Calangute a few minutes walk in the direction of Candolim will bring you to loads of shacks, no litter, and no wall to wall watersports.As regards the faecal deposits at the back of the beaches, Im afraid thats a problem not confined th Baga but to all over India. Perhaps posters should remember this is India we are visiting. As the pace of local tourism continues to grow and grow,Goa will undoubtedly become more Indian, more crowds, more dirt, more litter more watersports and so on Myself, I dont mind, it's India I love to visit, when I want a holiday without al the dirt and noise and bustle that is India, I'll head for somewhere that offers a more satinised experience.
alan
alan
as my hubbie pointed out to me befor i went < this being my first time there , but not his> its a third world country, not what i was used to on holiday but if you close your eyes you dont see much, dont know bout that part, we were in calangute, and the streets esp the main road to the beach was very dirty, yes i did see shopkeepers brushing there doorways and trying to keep it clean but its a waste of time in my eyes, the thing that did turn my stomach is , i seen a lorry driver place a large block of ice uncovered on the ground and then a dog came along and was licking it, now know why hubbie wont have ice any were we go , i wouldnt mind so much but that road is full of scooters people walking on it constanly, goats and dogs walking up and down. not forgetting the cows 
it wont put me of tho i now have fallen in love with the place, which hubbie is over the moon at , cos he calls it his second home, so looking forward to next visit.which cant come soon enuff for me, never had any one come up to me on the beach asking to clean my ears, tho hubbie says he knows this goes on, tammie
it wont put me of tho i now have fallen in love with the place, which hubbie is over the moon at , cos he calls it his second home, so looking forward to next visit.which cant come soon enuff for me, never had any one come up to me on the beach asking to clean my ears, tho hubbie says he knows this goes on, tammie
Thanks for the quick report, Papa.
We had that a couple of years ago and it was pure hell.Queuing to join the next queue with nowhere for the queues to go. People genuinely didn't know which queue to get in, what it was for and where it ended. And there were those who just pushed in....it's a wonder there wasn't a fracas. I've travelled Qatar since then and will continue to do so where I can.
I'll look out for the Russians in budgie smugglers and nylon trouser suits! I'm not exactly known for my sartorial elegance but even I know shopping in Speedos is not a good thing for me or my fellow shoppers.
Goa airport simply cannot handle what I estimate could have been around 850 to 900 people trying to board three flights within an hour or so of each other
We had that a couple of years ago and it was pure hell.Queuing to join the next queue with nowhere for the queues to go. People genuinely didn't know which queue to get in, what it was for and where it ended. And there were those who just pushed in....it's a wonder there wasn't a fracas. I've travelled Qatar since then and will continue to do so where I can.
I'll look out for the Russians in budgie smugglers and nylon trouser suits! I'm not exactly known for my sartorial elegance but even I know shopping in Speedos is not a good thing for me or my fellow shoppers.
Honest report as ever papa, thanks.
Back three weeks now, a few thoughts,
The most notable feature as I see it, is the continuing explosion of Indian tourists, certainly up until the arrival of the Xmas crowd from Europe, they outnumbered the foreigners. From the main part of the Calangute beach from the steps right along to the Baga river they were as many local tourists as European in all the shacks. It's a definate bonus for the shacks which were sorly missing the business from the huge dop in the Charter market. The downside is the watersports which are used solely by the local market, and of course the litter. I'm not complaining of this,as a visiter to India it would be wrong of me to do so, as it's the way things are in India, you've either got to accept the fact, or seek another destination. This increase in the local tourists means that the big package companies can no longer call the shots as regards demanding rock bottom rates, as the owners can now fill their rooms from the Indian market. Indeed there was lots of talk going the rounds that Thomsons will be withdrawing from the market after next season, as they will not pay the price asked for the rooms. In the years to come if this trend continues I can see, certainly N Goa, becoming in the main, a holiday destination for Indian tourists. As far as S.Goa is concerned, it will certainly not continue as it is, more upmarket resorts able to demand top price from the more affluent Indians, and if the Europeans flock south in numbers looking for the peacefull Goa of old, what then ?
I rejoice in Indias good fortune, and the trickling down effect of their arrival as a new superpower. Nobody who has watched the thousands of Holidaymakers as they see the sea for the first time at Calangute could begrudge them this. I liken it to the 19th Century when the workers from the Industrial North of England descended on Blackpool in their thousands to enjoy a week away from the mills where they toiled. Certainly the Indans richly deserve this and if it means that I'll have to, in years to come, find fresh pastures, so be it
Alan
The most notable feature as I see it, is the continuing explosion of Indian tourists, certainly up until the arrival of the Xmas crowd from Europe, they outnumbered the foreigners. From the main part of the Calangute beach from the steps right along to the Baga river they were as many local tourists as European in all the shacks. It's a definate bonus for the shacks which were sorly missing the business from the huge dop in the Charter market. The downside is the watersports which are used solely by the local market, and of course the litter. I'm not complaining of this,as a visiter to India it would be wrong of me to do so, as it's the way things are in India, you've either got to accept the fact, or seek another destination. This increase in the local tourists means that the big package companies can no longer call the shots as regards demanding rock bottom rates, as the owners can now fill their rooms from the Indian market. Indeed there was lots of talk going the rounds that Thomsons will be withdrawing from the market after next season, as they will not pay the price asked for the rooms. In the years to come if this trend continues I can see, certainly N Goa, becoming in the main, a holiday destination for Indian tourists. As far as S.Goa is concerned, it will certainly not continue as it is, more upmarket resorts able to demand top price from the more affluent Indians, and if the Europeans flock south in numbers looking for the peacefull Goa of old, what then ?
I rejoice in Indias good fortune, and the trickling down effect of their arrival as a new superpower. Nobody who has watched the thousands of Holidaymakers as they see the sea for the first time at Calangute could begrudge them this. I liken it to the 19th Century when the workers from the Industrial North of England descended on Blackpool in their thousands to enjoy a week away from the mills where they toiled. Certainly the Indans richly deserve this and if it means that I'll have to, in years to come, find fresh pastures, so be it
Alan
Alan nice to read your views and as ever an honest impartial view. There is no doubt the Indian Tourist numbers are rocketing, you only have to look at the number of coaches of a weekend parked towards Baga River and the ever increasing out of town number plates you see.The big downside will probably be for the shack lads, waiters,fruit sellers ect, as we know there's definately a 2 tier price list and when it comes to tipping I cant see the Indian tourist being anywhere near as forthcoming as the european tourist......Keith
Other loosers will be the resturants that aim their menu mainly at the European tourists, money change shops and the like. The jeweller we've used for years and has become a friend admitted to me that last season was the worst ever, and until mid December he was down 80% even on that. He was'nt trying to drum up business with a sob story, but only admitted this after I'd bought my wifes Xmas present. Local tourists by and large still hav'nt the money for jewellry, and his comments on the Russian tourists could'nt be repeated here. Tour operators will likely be another looser. Another story going the rounds was, that for next season, the package companies are dropping the waterfall trip, and also anything to do with elephants, on the grounds of Health and Safety ! Changing times indeed.
Alan
Alan
Elf & Safety - I shall be doing the elephants then by hook or crook HATE these two words! Nambipambi's get on with it - lifes a risk for goodness sake and you have to learn by taking chances aaaaarrrrgggghhh!!!!!
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