Surfin' FUE

"Einstein was a Surfer"

A previous post mentioned that there has been a huge outbreak of surf schools this year. Greyrocks intended to make more of this in the last post about the final week, but forgot because these photos were shot on a mobile phone and got lost.
The fact is that in the final phase of Greyrocks' season the strong wind was almost constantly between NNW and NNE, which is bad news for most tourists and residents, but bliss for surfers of all sorts. (Well - not for the increasingly popular form of SUP!) At our nearest point on the promenade there were frequent waves forceful enough to through up the picon onto the pavement.
Despite a total lack of experience of the activity Greyrocks has developed a fondness for it. Firstly the tourists it brings into Corralejo (many Italian, from the Peninsula or German) are exactly what the authorities don't want to encourage, but it has brought down the price of beer, and injected some budget places to stay. A great antidote to the ludicrous obsession with 5* All-Inclusive etc!


Paseo Maritima de Bristol Playa

Second it ties in with Greyrocks' musical find of the season. A great deal has been heard (and watched on YouTube) by Jimmy Buffett chez nous. The sentiments in the lyrics strike many chords with Greyrocks as over-aged beach bums (or "parrot-heads).. such as "It may be 12.30 but it's 5 o'clock somewhere!"
So when we saw this in the window of a surf shop it had to be captured and associated with this this.



Le Grand Depart

Chocolate and beetroot? - Yummy!

For Greyrocks "De-carnavalising" ran into Closedown,  Migration Packing, Last GP Visit and "The London Property Project". Annoyingly early April also saw the wind drop significantly and some gloriously sunny afternoons of which we could only take partial advantage. Still,  there were three social functions. Most significantly there was a Golden Wedding Anniversary party for Julian and Yvonne. (They were married on the day that Radio Caroline first broadcast!)
Following a trend Greyrocks thinks it established it was a "do" at The Blue Rock with a buffet cooked by Casbah Mike and a cake by Eileen, which was a glimmering and sparkling work of art. A great time was had by all!
A few days later many of the female folk held a Ladies' Lunch at La Plaza which morphed into cocktails at the other La Plaza. (En route Ruth dropped in at the Municipal Offices with an ancient laptop which they offered to deal with environmentally. Greyrocks had spent much of a morning previously getting out the hard disk and killing it with hammer and boiling water)
Finally there was a pair of birthdays the day before departure. Sensibly six of us held a little party next door the previous evening (well it started in the afternoon, really!) with Ruth trying in tandem to sort out some IT issues for Pete. On the night itself we made it to Rock Island to meet both birthday folk but came away early to prepare for departure. Technology fought back as a mobile phone sneaked its way into a pocket and got a 40 degree wash!

Next day (April 9th) Greyrocks flew to Barcelona.

Carnival 2014 - No Fear!

 
 


Right up until the start there was little enthusiasm for this year´s carnival. First there was the relocation of the stage and evening activities. Instead of the car park near the sports hall and marina the venue was to be a desolate spot behind the Health Centre. Years ago this spot was used every year and getting there on foot was a somewhat risky and unpleasant experience. When confronted about this the powers that be allegedly replied that it was something to do with a concert during the week by a very famous Colombian singer. Not convincing!

Second there was the theme, which this year was to be Fear (or Terror). How would this be different from Halloween? Greyrocks racked its brains (no pun intended!) for a week or more but inspiration didn´t come! Then something quite else got us watching YouTube clips of Monty Python,


We watched the procession from our usual spot at the American Burger. Floats and costumes were rather duller than usual and in the streets there were Draculas and witches and not much else. Bob granted many pardons to locals who thought he was Pope Francis!

 



Ups and Downs

.. this is the theme for a post covering the period between Goa and Carnival:- a month of, well, ups and downs in a number of regards:

1. The Weather
2. The Sea
3. The Livelihood of Corralejo's Small Enterprises
4. Blood Pressure and Thumbs for The Big Toe Operation

A typical scenario!

1. There have been a handful of glorious afternoons, and very little rain, but the prevailing wind has been a strong N to NE and the evenings and nights have not been so cold in living memory. It takes organisation to get out there and enjoy a few hours of beach time, and Greyrocks hasn't! We have pootled about on foot and bikes, but Grandes Playas, the sea water, and indeed our own pool remain unsullied. There are no Climate Change Deniers chez nous!


2. There was however a trip across the water! Just after getting back we took the Fred Olsen fast boat over to Lanzarote to meet and lunch with John and Tracey from The Office in Palolem who were on holiday there. Owing to  a "cock-up on the planning front" we took the 12 noon ferry. Many are the times when we have watched it plough through rough seas and said how glad we were not to be on it! On this occasion we were, and it was unpleasantly  lumpy - and much longer in duration than the boasted 15 minutes! It was worth it though! We fortunately hit one of the warm afternoons and eight of us  - including daughters and partners enjoyed tapas and great chat, whilst all having a turn amusing young grandson. The return voyage was rather better!

3. Greyrocks has a new favourite place for a daytime drink! With a combination of the weather and some local fallings-out of favour we have taken to visiting much more frequently a "chill-out" bar in the "new" square. It is not exactly a suntrap, but the beer is ridiculously cheap, the music good and the service cheerful and attentive. It has recently been re-fitted by Brit owner Ian, whose partner, Juan, runs the Fish Spa next door.

We have also grown quite fond of the beach and pool side of what used to be Pura Vida, down near the Bahia Real 5* hotel. Now it is Mar Adentro. The service is sloppy but previous owners invested in some great Perspex screens on the beach, and the DJ plays some good music all afternoon.

A number of other bars - some very "British" - have gone under across the winter, but there are three types of business that are springing up everywhere: Italian coffee shops, take-away pizza places and surf schools. How many of these does a town need? Bizarre!


4. Finally an update on the Big Toe and the third and fourth false starts in terms of surgery.  Whilst in Goa a call came in as we were enjoying an evening at a beach shack. It was the hospital giving a date for an appointment on the day were due to fly back. It was surprisingly easy to renegotiate for a couple of days later and we started doing the mental arithmetic over recovery times etc, then Ruth ran over the dialogue again and became fairly certain that this was not for the toe operation at all, but for a mammogram discussed months previously. A week later - again an evening on the beach and a call from the hospital:- a new date-  a week after we would return - with the anaesthetist. Naively again we thought the operation might follow on, so we began preparations, including finding a tourist complex where the first few days could be spent without steps, and packing a bag.
On the day we killed some time in Puerto del Rosario including walking from the bus station to the hospital. This may not have been a good idea! Prior to seeing the anaesthetist a nurse took blood, did a weighing and an ECG, then blood pressure. Sky high! After a period of time this was re-done and was still unacceptable. The anaesthetist was surprised (and annoyed) that the Health Centre had never checked on the BP. "You haven´t been to GP much in two years!" "Well, I haven't been ill and I didn´t want to trouble them!" "You´re going to trouble them now: BP to be measured everyday at the same time for three weeks, and if necessary there will be medication". At this point the prospect of an operation and follow-up visit happening in March receded!

The next week was dominated by this project! At the first visit to the nurse once again eyebrows were raised and questions asked. Ruth was sent immediately to see our Cuban GP. Tablets! On the Saturday the measurement had to be done at Emergencies.- a boring wait! On the Sunday, ditto and a wait of two hours with all human life on display! Unsurprisingly the level was up! Since then Ruth has been let off for good behaviour as the nurse reduced the frequency, and the GP has stopped the measurements but continued the medication. The summer will be spent with the dodgy toe, and a look at the Waiting List on the Health Service´s website showed that this could run and run:- unlike Ruth!

Wild Life Goan Style

After a lot of hassle over the price of a taxi we secured one at a slightly less extortionate rate (and then felt bad on the journey when the driver told us stories of the poverty of local taxi drivers). He was happy to go across the ferry and said it would - as we had been told previously - close shortly - possibly the next day- when the bridge would open.  We noticed that some villas on the ferry approach had been seriously tarted up in anticipation of their much more peaceful future.

Anyway, it was an uneventful drive over the ghat and we were soon greeting the Prakash household and seeing our room, which was one of three new ones added as the first floor extension wing:- quite small and with no fridge but with modern fittings and an excellent bed!  There have been changes nearby: a monstrous plate glass façade is still being erected as the place opposite is drastically renovated, and a set of "luxury" wooden cabins is up and running next door.

There is also a new restaurant on the road to The Office: Royal Italy. It became a favourite along with The German Bakery, Ferns and The Steak House where we went five times - to see four films. (A power cut and the curfew caused one to be aborted and resumed at a later date)


Here is the long anticipated (!) slide show for the five weeks or so, followed by some other snippets:

 

 We soon heard about a tragedy that had happened some weeks before in our nearest town;- Chaudi, and we followed the progress of investigation and guilt-naming.

 Last year's ridiculous ruling on sunbeds in front of bars has ben rescinded and it was generally possible to find a good spot in front of The Nest (The Office) but we did also use the place next door. One day we went for a walk and came back to find them almost deserted. The reason was soon apparent:- a very "nasty niff" emanating from a dead (and largely decapitated) turtle washed ashore after getting caught in either a net or a propeller. By next day it had been removed and it was rumoured that the shall was worth GBP2K.

Eleven of us went on the Betty's Boat Trip, using two taxis and discovering that the new bridge was not -in fact- open, so it was a third ferry crossing of the Sal for us. When we got to the boatyard our vessel had departed without us. We never really found out why, but we were given some story and piled into a very simple 10-seater to do the sea section of dolphin spotting. At the river mouth we were handed (well ten of us were) heavy duty life vests, and were taken on a largely fruitless and very lumpy hunt. Back into the river and were tied alongside the intended boat for a midstream relocation. Thereafter it was the usual programme with four sea bass instead of two kingfish, a lot of alcohol, some birds, bats and no-one remembers the journey back to Palolem.

Wow, but no beer!

And that's about all the excitement Greyrocks encountered (or sought!) 2014 goes down as the best yet of four Goa trips!

On the way home we passed through the new Terminal 2 at Mumbai Airport which had been open for just a few days. An amazing palace of a place - but not for the beer drinker! All the connections worked well for the journey home , although BA's in-flight film and TV choice gets worse every time we fly with them. Their days with us may be numbered! We had left 34deg C, passed through London's 8 and returned to Fuerte's 26 - but more of that later!







 

Goa again - seeking sosegado for Week 1

They're 'avin a larf!

Greyrocks is still in Goa and still somewhat bereft of Internet speed! Still – as the Greeks say - “Siga siga!” and as the Goans describe it we are seeking  a state of sosegado. 

 We had a textbook journey over here: Fuerte-Gatwick-Heathrow hotel-Mumbai-early hours domestic terminal-Goa Dabolim airport- taxi- Cavelossim/Mobor hotel. Following last year’s failure to find viable bicycles for beach rides ( a splendid feature of the shore here), and some sordid aspects of the accommodation we researched from home and came up with the resort next door to it, which was nearly as cheap and very variously reviewed. You win some – you lose some! We e-mailed ahead that we would be very early and on arrival they showed us to an apartment much bigger than we had booked. It smelled of damp, had no exterior light on the balcony, looked out over a building being casually renovated, and half the switches didn’t work. Also our “boy” pestered us regularly about cleaning and one occasion called before 8am. It was, however, clean and superbly located between beach and river, close to the range of Goa-upmarket restaurants. There is a lengthy tale to be told of the breakfast arrangements, but this can be consigned to Tripadvisor. We were being philosophical about the shortcomings until it came to hiring the bikes (this being one of the reasons for choosing the place!). We had seen a dozen spanking bikes parked up and eventually found someone to rent them. Ruth tried one. It needed adjustment. This was not possible. Bob eventually found one he could use (but only in one of the 18 gears), and Ruth took an extortionate taxi ride down to The Blue Whale at the mouth of the river for an idyllic day. In the afternoon R walked back and B did the beach ride. Lovely! Next day we would go North on the same basis, or so we thought! Ruth settled in to kill time until going for a bus to Benaulim. An hour and a half later Bob comes back bikeless and seething. There was only one working bicycle in the entire set displayed and that had been taken from under his nose by another tourist. No tools existed for any repair or maintenance, and he had had to issue threats to get his money back. Grrr!

Remember ".. Marigold Hotel?"

So we both took the bus! A trip of about 30 minutes at 15INR each (about 15 pence GB!). It was Greyrocks' first serious ride on an Indian bus, and the memory of Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy remains. There were two other passengers when we got on :- they were blonde hippie-types who proffered a 100 rupee note which couldn't be changed. They were let off for a few odd coins and some sweets! All human life was here and people were very helpful about where we should get off. The Greyrocks hair is probably responsible for the respect shown.

We liked the look of Benaulim. It is on the same wide flat expanse of beach as Cavelossim, but with a much more relaxed (and - not unrelated - less Russian) vibe. We didn't make it into the sea (a bit frisky!) but we found a mellow shack for lunch and drinks, where we asked about the practicalities of staying in the village (and hiring bicycles!) before taking a 50INR tuk-tuk back to the bus stop and returning to Cavelossim.

Finished at last.. but is it open?

"Bill, please!"

Betty's prawns masala on dry land!

Whilst still there we took Betty's River Cruise again. Thee was a party of four Brits on board who stay every year at the Holiday Inn, Mobor and in each week do the trip twice, so we were relatively inexperienced at twice previous! Unfortunately this was not the best for fauna sights! No dolphins spotted despite a very long and wide ranging sea tour, no bats and nothing very special on the avian front! What we did see was the new bridge across the Sal! We asked if it was open yet, as we would be needing to cross it on the Friday. We were told it was only open to two-wheeled traffic as the approach roads were not yet adequate; but that it was due to open to all on the Saturday. (See the next post for the follow-up on that!) The lunch (as anticipated) was wonderful and the drinks ran free. The Brits told us where we could get the same Betty's prawns on the beach, so next day (our last) we took the bus to the Leela (one of India's most exclusive hotels) and walked back to the appointed spot. A delight - but we were ready to move South and more mellow.

"Bearing gifts they travelled afar"

Greyrocks is in Goa and wrestling with some pretty dreadful internet speeds in order to get published before the end of January a post to cover the first two exciting weeks of 2014 in Fuerteventura. Somehow after hair being rapidly and lengthily torn we have it:- Kings night/day and the Infanta's visit!

We saw in the New Year at Caracoles as is now traditional. It is always a delightful surprise to discover what Carlos has dreamt up for the gourmet occasion, and this time included half a bogavente (small lobster). After the meal we wandered around a bit until midnight, went to Blue Rock, caught some fireworks and tht was it!

"The Kids" arrived on the 4th. It was Matt's first time on the island and Chloe has never experienced the delights of Kings Day, so the morning after they came we encouraged them to get up and go to see the Three Kings come in on the ferry from Lanzarote. Later on Greyrocks decided they had seen the procession enough times over the years, and delegated attendance to them. It was a good one apparently, with some fairy tale characters, stilt walkers and dramatic soap bubbles. With the traditional early closure of restaurants we all had an evening in with the delayed festive family feast of duck and raspberry sauce.

The weather was generally kind for their nine day stay. They had a day down near Flag Beach, and a day on Lobos. Surfing conditions have been ideal for months, so plenty of opportunities for the man with the  expensive camera. Here are some of the images - courtesy of Matt:-

We ate our way round a carefully selected set of restaurants, and all were good, although less so El Anzuelo, for which Greyrocks wrote a Trip Advisor review.

On 13th January they went back to London with C due to start her apprenticeship the next day, and Greyrocks having a day to prepare for Goa. Our Last Supper together was at La Tasca:- local sausage, huge prawns and a Chateaubriand to die for!

This post has almost caused a loss of the will to live, however! Back to the sunbed!