I have really enjoyed reading McGroogle's first time post's, what a hoot
you should consider writting a book
I am so looking forward to the next part.

Alexa

Yes Fiona - why not.

Thanks.

McGroogle

Done! Let me know if you want the title changed!

McGroogle's First Time - Part.4.

After settling in and getting our bearings for the first four days it was time to get around Goa. So first up was the trip to the spice plantation at Ponda and then to wash and ride the elephants nearby - then onto Old Goa to look at the churches and museums.

After telling the taxi driver what we wanted we agreed a price and away we went. Passing through the small villages and towns made us think how lucky we were - yet again. In less than an hour we arrived at the spice plantation and was greeted by a smiling Goan woman (aren't they all?) who put flower garlands around our necks and another girl showered us with yellow flower petals. To our right there was a group of young girls in traditional costume dancing to and singing a Goan song. What a welcome. The guide ushered us to join and sit down with another group of people - a warm drink of cinnamon, mint and something else was given to us and as we drank the liquid the guide went on to describe the spice plantation and what we would be doing that day. Which was going around the plantation and being introduced to the various plants and what they produced - interesting and not too long. We then had a vegetarian meal and drinks before we left.

So then it was around the corner to see the elephants. Which was very expensive by the way. 500 rupees per person to wash the elephants and 500 rupees per person to ride the elephants. Despite my best bartering skills I couldn't get them to budge on the price and had to part with 2000 rupees - in a way the had us over a barrel we wanted to do it so had no option in the end.. So Michele and Shannon went on the ride whilst I took photographs and camcorder footage. There were 3 elephants there. A very large bull, smaller cow elephant and a younger calf elephant. For the ride the girls went on the bull elephant and he was huge. So much so that they had to go up a bank that had a handrail at the top and then get access to the elephant that way. There was a seat for the girls for them to sit on. He was a magnificent, healthy creature and very well looked after. So a little walk up the lane and back and the girls thought it was great. The cow elephant was then led down to the nearby river where me and Shannon washed the elephant and then was told to sit on it's back. The elephant had been trained to snort water up it's trunk and then throw the water over her shoulder spraying us both with nice cool water - it was great fun and something not to be missed. Our taxi driver Sonny then took us to Old Goa on the way back to look at the churches and museums - very interesting and definitely worth a look. So that was the first trip and thoroughly enjoyable.

Our next trip was to Little Vagator Beach. Again another taxi for the day. We settled in a shack right opposite the Shirva carving which was very good and is an excellent piece of work. As soon as we settled on the sunbeds next to the sea we were descended on by 7 or 8 young girl sellers and Michele ended up parting with a few rupees for some inexpensive little gem encrusted notebooks - thinking that would be enough for them to go - wrong!! - as I will explain later. Armed with a bucket and spade me and Shannon then decide to go crabbing amongst the many rocks. How naïve are we. When we got around the headland and further into the rocks we saw absolutely loads of these black little critters. But they were not going into the rockpools as wethought they would they scurried off like merry hell straight into the sea. Could we catch them could we hell as like. We had a laugh and went back to the sunbeds. I left the girls for my customary walk to explore the beaches further North, these were Middle Vagator and Big Vagator beaches - beautiful they were too. And then at Big Vagator I climbed up to the fort ruins - quite a climb but worth the effort. The views from up there are absolutely stunning. You can see the Vagator Beaches and further North you can see the Chapora river falling into the sea. Beyond the river there's magnificent views of Morjim. Ashven and Mandrem beaches - you can't buy those views I'll remember them forever.

So I arrive back at the sunbeds a few hours later and Shannon is building sandcastles. One of the young sellers has tried the hard sell without success and I can see her change her tactics. She starts to help Shannon build the sandcastles - when eventually the sculpture is finished and then ultimately destroyed by the incoming tide - she comes over and starts talking to us and Michele (the missus) in particular. Over the next half anhour we get the girl's life story. She's 18 married by arrangement to a husband she doesn't love and who is also an alcoholic who doesn't work. She has to go out to work selling on the beaches to feed his habit and also keep a young baby who her Mum looks after whilst she is at work. She has been working on the beaches since she was 6 and so on. So predictably she eventually gets her wares out and tries to sell again. Anyway Michele is a big softy really and despite not wanting to buy anything she gives in and starts bartering for some cheap jewellery. I am at this stage tucking into a big plate of delicious chicken noodles and not really listening to the negotiations. So in the end I find Michele gas bought 2 toe rings and 2 ankle bracelets for 600 rupees - you have been ripped off I say. I mean it was only £8 but she had paid too much. One thing I can say though is we both had to hand to the girl for the enterprise and patience that she showed - now that was a good contrick.

All Vagator beaches were beautiful and if you can put with the largest amount of sellers per beach dweller that I saw in Goa then it's got be included on your things to do.

Thats it for now folks - Part.5. soon.

McGroogle

He was a magnificent, healthy creature and very well looked after. I beg your pardon but how do you know? Are you very knowelegeable about elephants or is this your perception. I am not critisising your report but I am looking to clarify the facts. I have spent quite some time on elephant camps in Thailand and therefor have an idea when an elephant is happy or not so I am just asking you how do you know that it is happy and well looked after? The reason that I am asking is that I am sure that you know the internet is full of information and also misinformation but some people do not realise this and take what they read as true. I am an elephant lover and as such would not want people to take your word as an educated comment if it is just the view of a interested tourest. Sorry if this is offending in any way but I have seen these comments on other forums and having visited these places have found nothing more than a circus B

I said it because he was. I have grown up with animals and know a healthy creature when I see one.

I have travelled the world too and seen emaciated creatures and healthy ones - I know the difference without being a so called expert.

Unless you can read my mind or witness what out I saw - then keep your opinions to yourself. You are out of order!!

McGroogle

McGroogle,

I Love your reports, they are so descriptive. I can imagine being at the spice plantation and visiting the elephants, I spent sometime in the mollem national park with the elephants when I was there it was fantastic. I can vividly see you eating your noodles and the beach sellers selling to your partner. With out people like us on HT giving our accounts of our holidays there would not be the information there is on the net. Keep it up and well done.

Arl

post deleted
Can I just remind everyone of our T&Cs- particularly no.3. Please do not allow yourself to be drawn into conflict with another member.

fiona ht mod

McGroogle is spending a lot of time on producing a great report. Let's not spoil it. Keep the comments positive please!

I'm with you on that Fiona - this trip report is great please keep it up!! , thanks.

shirley's got hicups
Edit
yes we had speed problems just now and a few posts throughout the forum were duplicated!
Fiona

That was quick (again) glad I wasn't the only one locking up

Part.5.

Mackies Saturday night market is a must for everybody. Ingo's market wasn't open and reading some posts on HT it has closed, although we couldn't get that verified when we was over there.

This was our first market experience. As soon as we left the taxi we met Alan and Ann at the entrance to the market and that's when the fun and games started. No sooner had we crossed the whitewash we had seller after seller trying to get us to look at their wares and their stalls. Some of them were quite in your face and actually tried to grab your arm. Maybe they will learn one day that if they leave you alone and let you browse that they will get more business - but maybe not. Now this was not planned but it transcended that me and Michele, the better half, had a devious way of out witting the pushy stallholders - and we may patent this idea so don't start thinking about nicking it. It really started with the first stall that Michele stopped at, which was selling allsorts of stuff, but she was interested in buying some leather girly sandals. Quite nice too I must say - but they didn't have my size. So she starts to barter with the guy and they both come down to a price. "Jim, he wants so and so - What do you reckon". "You have got be joking" I say. So then we start to get down to business and I slash the proposed price and eventually we get 2 pairs for the equivalent of £1.75 each - a bargain. She finds something she likes then it's the good cop, bad cop routine - it definitely works. So we go about the market using this technique and get some more bargains.

In the middle of the market are several stores selling all sorts of food from Noodles to Wraps all very nice and cheap. With the open bar and some excellent singing from the bands in the square the atmosphere is electric. So if eating, drinking and shopping are your thing or any combination of these three you have got to go - we all had a great night.

Ganesh at Ganesh's Shack (and other Shacks too) offer the best rates for the trips to see the dolphins. You get about an hour/ hour and a half to see them and if like my missus and daughter you get seasick, travelsick and generally any other motion sickness that's going then this is plenty. It certainly is value for money compared with the other larger organized boat trips - no names but you will see them advertised on every street corner in North Goa. We did see the dolphins but if you expect to see them leaping out of the water in front of your boat as you are belting along (like you see on the films) then you will be disappointed. Still an enjoyable trip and well worth going on.

Our final trip was to Morjim beach. Again another taxi hired for the day - how cheap are they to have. We picked a humdinger of a day to go. Alan and Ann had been to Mandrem beach, I think it was the day before, and talked about being sandblasted on the beach. Well this was just the same. The beach was beautiful but the wind was just too fierce. If we had known I would have kitted us all out with industrial strength leather aprons, gauntlets and one of those masks with the glass in it so that we looked like professional sandblasters - I am sure we could have picked those up cheap from the market. But we are British and we British persevere - we was here for the day and that was that. So after some snacks at the Planet Hollywood shack leaving Michele with her book me and Shannon decide to do some walking. Now we had seen some of these sand crabs that dig holes in the sand and run sidewards like the billyho from one hole to the next one. The game we devised was to try and catch one. The problem was that the little blighters kept seeing us coming and there was thousands of them - so everytime we got anywhere near them off they disappeared down the hole. I am sure they were using morse code between them - "They are coming your way" they would say. Anyway after numerous attempts we eventually managed to get one trapped between one hole and the next. So off it goes in another direction at something like 30 mph - the fastest crab on 6 legs (or how many they have got). So me and Shannon are chasing this crab along this beautiful desolated beach like demented idiots - god knows what somebody would have thought if they saw us - and guess what. Yes it disappears down another hole. So we decide to leave this pursuit a go up the beach.

When we get back after an enjoyable few hours and having stopped off for needy refreshments as you do - Shannon for some Coke and me forced to have some Kings beer - we cannot find the missus. There is a bearded man on the sunbed where we left her and he is reading her book."Hey" I say. "What are you doing on my wifes sunbed with her book. He turns round and then me and Shannon just burst out into fits of laughing. It's Michele after all. The sandblasting from the sand has given her a beard that Tom Hanks would have been proud of in the film Casataway. She burst out laughing as well when she realized. We still had a great day - another place for you all to go.

More later.

McGroogle

Hi - I just had a post deleted and I just wanted to know that I was not having a go at McGroogle but actually saying I enjoyed his post.