Carnival :- How Civilised!

 The end of February - after our return - was warm and very pleasant, but was followed by some horrible weather, with particularly cold evenings. We spent a lot of time planning future migrations; and then it was Carnival time! As usual the theme was well known, but the posters with programme were not published until two days before the start. As you can see the theme was "Ancient Civilisations", so the staff in charge of hotel sheets were worried!

First prize for festive decoration went once again to Claire, the Sandras and helpers at the Blue Rock. Those pillars were a masterpiece! On the night of the opening procession it was very cold, and the marching bands exposed less flesh than normal, but by the first Friday the weather had improved, and it was pleasant sitting outside The Rock late at night watching passers-by who had been to the "Murgas" show. A magic interval was when two middle-aged men went past identically clad in Lycra matador outfits (complete with augmented codpieces). We cheered "Ole" and asked if they had lost their bulls. They then produced from under their capes battery-operated bulls the size of chihuahuas, switched them on and performed "veronicas" and other moves!

Here on the left is one of the performers the next night, when they were both back for the fancy-dress dance. This time they had some of the regalia of the Policia Local, half-mast trousers, odd socks and very unpleasant false teeth. Ruth refused a kiss! He approched the other (witch) punter and demanded to see her papeles. She gave him a screwed up tissue! There was a wonderful array of dress. Particularly memorable was a band of "mummies" each one carrying their tomb on their back, and a line of slave girls tied together and dragging their restraining boulder behind them! Julian at the Rock looked worried when later a group of (genuine) Guardia Civil walked past and we cheered and complimented them on their costumes! See more of the glories of the night on this short slide show!

Taking the Long Way Home

Well, this is how we got home 22/3rd February:
04.30 IST - picked up by taxi at Panjim hotel
05.00 IST - arrived at Goa Airport - far too early! Foul coffee and a rat sighting.
06.30 IST - Go Airways flight - full
07.30 IST - Arrived Mumbai domestic terminal. Found how to get free shuttle between terminals, which is done with huge security and within the airport grounds.
09.00 IST - Got inside the terminal to find closed BA desks

10.15 IST -  Checked in and told our planned seats weren't going to work as flight was nearly full. Changed them! A very long wait in the terminal, but beer at non-Goan price and all the shopping opportunities at joke US-dollar prices! Watched a lot of Bollywood!
13.40 IST (= 08.10 GMT) - BA flight on 777 but older plane, and this time virtually full. Bliss and rapture: Argentinian red wine flowing freely after 3 weeks wine-free! Rest of service excellent too, though only a choice of 200 entertainment options this time.
18.00 GMT (= 23.50 IST) - arrived Terminal 5. A bit of a queue at passports but out in time to visit M&S Food, and have two fast pints of Adnams!
19.45 GMT - Out into real world - cold! First rate National Express coach service to Stansted
21.30 GMT - Shuttle to Hilton, supper in room!
04.30 GMT - Shuttle to airport, quick bag drop, wait with baited breath to see which gate was in use!
06.30 GMT - Ryanair flight - almost full - to Fuerteventura. Disgraceful passenger behaviour from shouting and swearing "white van man" golfers! Service not quite what we had experienced the day before!
10.20 GMT - Arrived Fuerteventura
11.00 GMT - Dave Windows picked us up and we went home with a diversion via Lidl's!
12.30 GMT (= 18.00 IST) - arrived home!

Total elapsed journey time: 37.5 hours

"It's Panjim - but not as we know it!"

..because its proper name now is Panaji!

With a few days spare before flying from Mumbai we pondered visiting other coastal places or spending time in Mumbai itself; but decided we were not in the mood for serious Indian city, and wanted to get more of the old Portuguese colonial flavour, so booked a taxi to the state capital, and took advice on a place to stay for two nights.  Ellie recommended the Afonso Guest House, which is very well situated for wandering round. It took about 1hr 40 mins in the taxi on a Sunday afternoon, and you pass over one of the two huge rivers that define Panaji's geography.

The hotel is the heart of the Fontainhas area, which has numerous colonial-style buildings in little streets, and pretty Catholic chapels. Our room was on the ground floor of the old town house, and was comfortable enough with a good bathroom, although hot water is obtained by ringing a bell! There is a fair amount of domestic and street noise, as one might expect! In the morning there is breakfast with fresh Goan white rolls on the roof:- very altmospheric!. For the price one could go to a bigger hotel, and the owner (now widowed) runs a tight ship - especially in refusing unsecured bookings; but we would stay there again!



Bob suffered deja vu!

In theory the sights of Panjim can be covered easily on foot. In practice you need to watch your footfall all the time, as the pavements are in a state, and the gullies are very deep. Also crossing the road is a nightmare, with motorbikes and tuk-tuks appearing from nowhere. A landmark, and very impressive is the Church of the Immaculate Conception. We visited the market - which is in a new building and very colourful and well organised.  There are nearly as many mobile phone stalls as spice vendors!



Some of the buildings suggested in the guide as points of interest were being renovated, so yet more verge jumping and mad road crossing! A distinctly weird statue in a prominent position celebrates Abbe Faria - one of Goa's sons, and allegedly the father of hypnotism! This remains in place, whilst that of Vasco de Gama, formerly atop a column in the municipal gardens, has been removed since independence! 

In the river there are several large steamers moored and used as casinos, and there is a popular evening river boat trip.

Wandering around is obviously a hot and sense-battering experience, so we sat for a long time in a bar beside the river near the ferry, which plies continuously back and forth

As well as the wide river Mandovi there is a narrow creek, and we ate on both nights in restaurants with balconies overlooking it. Firstly we went to a very modern and European-friendly place on a corner by the bridge. As we ate we saw smoke rising from a spot halfway across and were intrigued:- road accident, roasting chestnuts?? It was in fact part of a shrine set up in the balustrade, with both Christian and Hindu iconry. A very Goan phenomenon!

On the second occasion we were initially the only customers, and they lit up the tandoor specially for us. It was an excellent meal including the Goan dish Chicken Xiacuti - based on coconut milk. Later a group came in speaking Spanish, and we got a bilingual conversation under way. It turned out that the two girls were flying like us the next day to Heathrow with BA.

So a good few Honeybees were consumed before we retired early for the monster return journey - see next post! 

So - Goa - the verdict:

Plus points:

• Exquisite beach and sea
• Warm weather
• Mellow fellow tourists (mostly)
• Cheap everything
• Varied cuisine
• Tolerance towards alchohol etc
• Friendly workers

and the other side:- not much, but includes

• Price of getting there, visas, jabs and insurance
• Need for eternal hygiene vigilance
• Insensitive tourists brought in on packages (especially from Russia)
• Absence of decent wine
• Beach sellers & beggars various

We will be back!

..and in our free time..

This really was a "chill-out" holiday rather than serious travelling, so we spent most days on the beach. Palolem is not a working town:- you can buy basic holiday needs from kiosks on the beach (include major displays of toilet rolls), or the range of shops on two roads, but there is not even an ATM for cash. This meant a couple of walks to the outskirts of Chaudi and back, jumping in and out of the verge. One Saturday we went to the town proper in an auto-rickshaw (tuk-tuk) to see the fruit and vegetable market. We also located the Post Office, tentatively putting our postcards into a rusty cylinder, but it seems they did arrive! There is also a "supermarket" which was worth a visit! We looked into a recommended breakfast place and decided it was too dark and crowded, so tuk-tuked back to the German Bakery - a place rather different from our German Bakery on the prom in Corralejo!

The Live Music scene is interesting, and also not dissimilar from Corralejo's, with the same artists appearing at different bars on different nights - and some of them very good! These bars are all on the beach, and some light a bonfire when there is activity. On our first such evening we were joined at the table by a young, well-off and well-educated Goan couple. and found ourselves invited for a full-day boat-trip and picnic on Honeymoon or Butterfly Beach in a few days' time. It was a very generous offer, and we got excited about it, but then got worried about the etiquette, and so pulled out citing (truthfully) our need at the time to be close to a toilet! We will never know what we missed.

A couple of bars away from the beach show films at night. All the usual suspects were shown, but we feel we selected the perfect match for a Goan bar in Mr Nice at "The Steak House". The film is projected from a laptop onto a sheet, and you watch it whilst eating your steak, Thai noodles or whatever, with the moon in the clear sky, and - later - not unrelated smoke and smells!

We did not, predictably, visit Silent Noise at Neptune Point, but heard the stories! Punters are frisked for MP3's, drugs and alcohol, so the clever way round pricey drinks seems to be to hide an innocent-looking bottle of spirit-laden Coke in a spot outside. Ah, to be young again!!