I agree with Polly, the red dust is now red mud! We have to scrub our legs and feet everytime we have a shower, I paint my nails all the time otherwise they have an orange tint to them! Our previously white Jack Russell is now orange. Also for anyone coming for the first time in the monsoon, make sure you wear mossie repellant at all times, they are really bad, as soon as the rain stops they come out with avengence. We have tried everything but still get bitten, it's especially bad in Mapusa.

Do Take Avon Skin so soft (woodland Fresh) Body moisturiser (not only rubbing it on yourself but on your table before eating it keeps the flies and mosquito's away in the 6-8pm insect fest.

Don't take High heels, you won't need them.

Do make friends with the Goan Locals

Don't buy anything in your first week off a beach seller or they will pester you all your holiday.

Do tell taxi drivers, beach sellers etc that you have been to Goa many times before even if you haven't, it will stop them trying to rip you off.

Do try the fish, king prawns, lobster and of course the Kings, kingfisher, honeybee brandy.

Don't not go! you will regret it!

DO Book as soon as you get home, you will want to go back next year I promise.

Donna
XX

watch youre handbag on dark side roads ,a guest in our hotel got hers snatched in march by a lad on a motor bike.

DON'T take too much luggage on you outward flight. You REALLY won't wear everything you bring. Goa is soo relaxed. (Here speaks a girl who is usually just a few grams off the upper baggage allowance for most travel!) DO come with an open mind and be prepared little bit of a culture shock. Chill out and enjoy the wonderful experience.

Never ever leave any food in your room unless in a fridge or you will have an ant infestation like you have never seen before.

If you utilise the laundry facilities you will not need to take many clothes with you. Or, buy some new ones while you are out there.

After 11 hours flying cattle class, finally landing at diabolic airport, searching for your luggage in the reclaim hall (Be aware that the airport staff will take cases off the conveyer without you knowing!) , clearing immigration (nightmare) , getting sterling changed in the airport for rupees (rip off) for the taxi to your hotel, you will be met by a thousand (give or take 950) porters wanting to carry your case to the bus/taxi! It's up to you.. carry or wheel your own or give one of them a pound coin to do it for you, cheap enough for you, means a great deal to them plus if keeps the other 999 (give or take 950) off your back!! Dont forget to tell the tour rep if you are taking a cab, or a bus load of weary people will be waiting for you for ages!! Fixed price taxis are booked at the small office opposite the exit from the airport and get you to your hotel well before the bus and inevitable Q to check in. Dump your cases in your room, go out and ENJOY THE BEST HOLIDAY YOU WILL EVER HAVE...

Re the red dust (or mud!) that gets everywhere and stains your clothes that was mentioned earlier in this post, try the blue soap that they sell in shops and the girl who has a stall on the road up to the Highland Beach (Wilma, lovely girl). It worked for me!

hi arl your so right about the avon skin so soft its brilliant but they have changed the name from woodland fresh to soft and fresh anita

1. Baggage Porters at the airport - Don't be lazy, carry your own, giving to them will add to the corruption as their jobs are well saught after dur to the amount of money they make by moving a bag 10 meters...

2. Ramp at the airport - They should really fix the ramp at the airport as LOTS of people with their trollies loose thei bags going down it, so be warned... (But still don't do number 1 )

3. Don't put having a dodgy stomach down to bad food (although you may be unlucky sometimes). The same thing happens to me when I come back to the UK, it's basically just a change in diet. Because I live there for 11 months of the year my stomach has to 'adjust' to English food...

4. Most prices will be MUCH more expenisve if they are convieneint - Eg Tour prices at hotel, Money change at hotel, money change at airport, taxi's at your hotel - etc... Just nip out, have a look around and save money. One of the hotel chains were charging a return trip in AC taxi from Mapusa to Panjim for £40 - Come on guys.... That's just ridiculous... After seeing us they quickly changed to our local taxi driver who did it for the standard rate....

5. Do try the roadside foods... Samosas, Egg Sandwiches, Small plates with Potatoe balls topped with lots of good stuff (sorry don't know the name). All very cheap and lovely! Try more than one restuarant, your local one might be nice, but their might be different ones around that are just as good, or better

6. Be adventurous....

Excellent tips.As for that bl""dy ramp at the airport smashed a full bottle of Baileys this year when my trolley hit the kerb at the bottom.

john

Get yor injectiosns
Don't bother with malaria tablets
try and be first of the plane to avoid the queue at immigration
Get a taxi from the airport rather than the coach transfer and get the taxi from the official stall at the front of the airport
Don't pack too much as you'll buy loads
Sample Anjuna market from 4pm onwards (wednesdays) when it is cooler and there are good bands on.
Go to either or both of the saturday night markets at arpora
Visit Palolem for idylic beatuty. Same goes for Ashvem and Little Vagator beach
Try the roadside shacks for the best tandoori chicken ever
Chill out and don't let the heat bother you
Drink loads of water, at least 2 litres a day (i drink much more!)
Use Avon skin so soft to protect from mozzie bites
Use a high factor sunscreen, nothing below 15
be careful in the sea, can be very rough
Take a visit to spice planations, & old goa
Don't go to the animal 'sanctuaries'. Animals kept in terrible condiitons
Try the local bars and some feni
Dont tip too much

phew!

Place bottles of drinking water in your room fridge freezer bit and replace as used, this keeps them from going warm and undrinkable on trips out and they are ice cold till they melt.

Good idea Vibe! We always take a couple of insulated water carriers that you can put the water bottle in and chuck over your shoulder. Even on the beach ..if you buy a bottle of water...you only want sips..but often...by which time the water is warm - in the insulated carrier it keeps really cool!

bad advice not to take malaria tablets ,,some people are prone to illness .like myself and hubby, i have no spleen to would be sicker than most people ,,my husband also has a blood disorder so he too would be more at risk,, take advice from youre doctor please ,and children i would make sure they had every prevention going

When walking on the beach early in the morning, take a stick with you, to protect you against the stray dogs! There are loads of them hanging around and, they may come up to. I found it most unsettling and used to be a bit wary about going for my morning walk! I hasten to add that I would never hit a dog, but, having the stick made me feel a bit more protected. There is rabies in Goa, so, try to keep well away from the dogs.

When going into a restaurant, check out the toilets! You can normally tell if the restaurant will be decent, if they have a decent toilet! Also, look out for dodgy steps on the way to the toilets, they can be in very dark corners and you can end up tripping over very easily! Make sure that your glasses and plates are dry when you get them, as, they clean them in tap water, and, it may lead to food poisoning( I admit I may be paranoid!).

Don't take a lot of money out with you, as, I've heard that there are more incidents of boys on motorbikes wearing helmets, grabbing people's bags, as someone mentioned before, don't have your bag facing the road. Better safe than sorry.

Don't go swimming anywhere near the ship in candolim beach. The undercurrents are very dangerous there. Somebody drowned there on my first visit to Goa. As previously mentioned, don't go swimming at all in Candolim, Calangute, not sure about Baga.

Arpora Julie
Sorry but didnt mean it literally.
I was there Dec 2004 last and from what I am reading things must have got pretty bad with the dog situ. We normally go Nov / Dec and we have never been bothered by the dogs. If they are chasing people then its not suprising that they carry a stick for protection.

When you say about the sea being rough, it is but when I was there last time Baga was the calmer end if that strtch from Sinquerim are you saying it is to rough to swim in the whole year round or during monsoon season

Swimming in the sea - Lots of people drown in the seas of Goa, and there is a strong current in the water, but most of the people who do drown are people who can't swim. There are lots of Indians who come down from Mumbai have a few beers and play around in the water, most of which either aren't good at swimming, or who can't swim a all!!!

Does anyone know of any 'Foreigners' who have drowned? I love to swim, I'm not the best swimmer (out of shape a little ), but I've never felt out of my depth, obviously if it's rough then do take care....

Dogs - The dogs on the beach tend to be most aggressive to Indians as they get hit by those sticks, they tend to be MUCH friendlier to us 'foreigners' who give them food and stroke them etc... If you want that to change then perhaps hit them with a stick and maybe they'll not like us either...??? Although carrying a stick might be OK, I don't know much about the psycology of dogs.... One piece of advice - DON'T RUN!!!! The dogs see this as their chance to bite your heals. If you stop running they will stop chasing! Stand you ground face them, and they'll back off, again, I live here so see dogs every day and this has worked for me... (so far) I don't have a problem with dogs at all, although being too frendly to them can in turn make them scratch you, but in play rather than being nasty!