rats, as big as dogs and they love the taste of human flesh.

Also snakes in the paddy fields

Thanks Martin

Its working.

Hello Peterji.
You should be wary of the holiday tout,s on scooters or moterbikes they try to get you to have a scratch card of them, everyone,s a winner then you are invited to their holiday homes, please don,t be fooled just say no no no no thanx and walk away, they soon give up and move on.

We returned from Candolim on Saturday and we were there for 3 weeks. The dogs were no problem, apart from the isolated squabble amongst themselves. We never saw nor heard about any sea snakes, and the only snakes around the paddy fields are the water snakes which we were told are harmless.

I know rats bite people but do you know of many tourists getting bitten on a regular basis?

No never heard of of it - and it seems too many people are getting carried away.It is as safe as any other country.

cool spike was getting a bit worried then as i read something about a rat on another forum but I wont go into details.

Thank god about the rats . Ok I can but up with the turbalance stories. In Gambia we had spiders as big as our hand on the bushes and as long as i chair a fair way away and could see them that was ok. When it rained we had hundreds (ok not hundreds but lots) of frogs jumping around reception and the bar area and around your feet You really had to look where you walked to avoid squashing them Not that easy after a few rum and cokes. But RATS you would hear me scream all the way back here from Goa

It's quite scary when you fall asleep on the sun bed and get woken up by a big cow licking your feet. And also when they decide to deposit a big load of ***t at the bottom of your bed.

Just remember to look before you put your feet down

had no problems with them .i must have stroked every 1 i seen ... theres one that hangs around the rednda in calangute high street and when you show attention to it he fixes him self to youre arm by his teeth ,,gently may i had ,,just lacking affection ,, met a young couple who are travelling the world and were staying in a hut behind a locals house ,,they had all kinds of visiters in there room from rats to mice ,,lizards and even a owl ,,but it didnt bother them ,, never seen 1 rat or mouse while we were there which suprised me due to the rubbish left lying about ,, seen snakes at the spice plantation in the water but no where else ,,,

I Din't mind rats been working with some for years. Cows I am use to from prievious visits to India. I hate Snakes and love the chinese who eat them.

Dangers - depends upon where you are staying/visiting.

1.The biggest concern I've had in the 14 years of visiting Goa was the wells around Anjuna/Vagator etc.
Many stories of backpackers disappearing down them when walking back to their rented houses and getting lost on the way.

2. The sea and its current needs respecting.
Many have drowned, usually Indian tourists from Bombay, having too much to drink and getting a bit of bravado.

3. The police
Its better to pay them off, than argue your innocence, even if you are.

4. Hiring scooter/motorbikes.
I love hiring a scooter and travelling around and although I would say I'm a very experienced rider, I've had 3 accidents. No serious injuries, just bruising/friction burns but the last one was when a water trunk decided to brake sharply and I had to slide the bike under the rear to avoid a serious head injury. So prepare for anything on the road..dogs, chickens, snakes, cows, etc.

didnt see any rats this time, a cow on candolim beach insisted on taking my lunch from me but no snakes or spiders. didnt find the dogs a problem
neither its that hot they dont seem to have much energy for barking

9 Days to go and it seems lots of things to be scared of. but except for the snskes I will survive the rest. However my wife hates SPIDERS especialy big ones.

Don't worry we have never seen any big spiders out there. Seen a couple of snakes but they have all been very small. The dogs can be a big problem, but normally only at night when they know everyone is trying to sleep.

Hi Peterji,

Not sure how true it is but our taxi driver told us that they didn't have spiders in Goa. (Just another reason to move there!!!)

This will you all out!!!...

We were told by 2 British bar owners in Candolim that there were 2 wild leopards on the loose around Candolim.....They have also been suspected of keeping the wild dog population down too.

Talking of scary things on our way back from the town going down the dirt tracks to our guest house in nov,there i was walking along minding my own business eating a chocolate bar and passing other holiday people when all of a sudden something touched my back[felt like a touch] when i turned my neck to see what it was i SCREAMED my lungs out and frightned the other holiday makers to death, it was one of those lizard things dropped from the branches of a tree ,i think it might have been after a bit of chocolate, but it was too late in my fright i eaten the lot.

have a look at the following websites

http://www.gomantaktimes.com

http://www.oherald.com

http://www.navhindtimes.com

All 3 are local Goan, English language newspapers.

These will keep you up to date on the frightening things in Goa plus the non progress of the River Princess and the oil slicks from the other tanker collision a couple of weeks ago.
Yes there are spiders in Goa - they are mostly small ones and they jump along the walls and ceilings instead of walking. Cockroaches, rats, bats, lizards, big sea snakes (they were loads washed up on the beach before Christmas and if they get in the fishermans nets they just throw them up on the beach) and plenty of land snakes.

More later when I find the diary I have kept for the last 5 and a half months whilst in Goa.