What goes round.....

Brighton's latest feature!

Tuesday afternoon: 37 deg C, and a bathe in the warm Arabian sea!
Wednesday evening: a blizzard!
In between a fairly unremarkable journey largely the same as last year! We were picked up at 4am IST and took a domestic flight which was full - mostly with a party of Indian tourists within which most of the men were wearing stetsons - inexplicable! At Mumbai we knew the ropes -and were delighted to find that BA have improved the check-in service and we could go straight through to Departures. It was then a long wait,and then Ruth got frisked again (4 times since Goa!)  but the flight was almost empty and on a new 777, so we got in some good films and TV.


At Heathrow we were ready for silliness in getting to the Central Bus Station, but we got straight onto a bus that was free, negotiated  an early coach to Victoria and were ready for the streets. We had only to walk for 10 minutes to the railway station. Out there it was ghastly! There was a dramatic snowstorm and it was freezing cold; and we had no proper winter clothes. We had a couple of pints in the warmth of a Wetherspoons at the station and then braved it again with a train to East Croydon, and another walk in the snow to the hotel.

The Wine Tower - too expensive for us!

It was a cold six days in UK! We did some business things in Balham, met up with Pete, and spent a day in Brighton. This was so cold that all plans for wandering round were dropped and after haircuts we did little else outside. We then met Chloe after she had cashed up, had a very pleasant meal and caught the last train back. Next day we went for Lois' 50th birthday lunch at our usual family hotel in Hampshire. On Tuesday we took ourselves to Stansted airport and as a treat (on Valentine's Day?) we stayed at the Radisson. Shocked by the restaurant prices we went back over to the Terminal and had a disgusting (and pricey) meal at the thing they describe as a pub! Avoid!

We flew at 6.30 or so and so were well and truly ready for Canarian sunshine. We had had enough of British February. We were in for a shock!

Gone Goan Again Part 3: The inevitable slide-show!

Well, here it is!

Gone Goan Again Part 2

Strange times, indeed!

Still there on February 15th!

So - safely back in the Canarian sunshine Greyrocks gives some observations on Goa 2012 under the theme of peculiar timings. First - the Santa decoration hung from our balcony roof! When we arrived on January 17th there was also a larger and fully illuminated version, but that came down ten days or so afterwards. 

Second, the delights of the open-air cinema. It has been spruced up since last year with a stable screen replacing the bed sheet, a flash canopy and a self-supporting projector. It shows a good selection of films with BBC World TV before and after, and their varied menu available all night. Early on we went to see War Horse (well made and quite gripping, but over-sentimental especially at the end), then we had the night of the farce! There was a good turn-out for George Clooney's The Descendants. It starts with a dialogue-free dramatic incident, and then moves on to voice-over, so we were 15 mins or so into it before the serious lack of sound synchronisation was discovered. The projectionist started it again and the same thing happened, and then twice more, before two young Germans stopped him and made a public announcement that we were going have to choose between DVDs of The Debt (already seen) and (Oh Dear!) We Bought a Zoo! There was vote in which we abstained  and the latter was shown. We still had food to eat, so stayed. Mmm - at least it was free! 

We went twice more to The Steak House for films. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was superb but barely audible owing a noisy non-viewing party of (yes!) Russians; and we wondered if anything more suitable for Goa could be found after last year:- it was! Some bright spark requested Withnail and I. (Don't try the drinking game!) It was not well-attended. We sat next to Tracey and John from The Office, and Tracey left when the camera turned to the kitchen sink! Ex-copper John stayed the length, but possibly only to observe Bob in hysterics! At the end the guy who had organised came over to tell Bob that his enjoyment was greatly enhanced by said laughter. So apt!

In stark contrast were the goings-on at the Catholic church across the road from our guest house. Soon after we arrived a day was spent erecting a huge yellow and red canopy over the area in front of  it. Thereafter we had a week in which every evening there was a religious service with electric organ, fire-crackers on the patch below us and Bingo with numbers called in Indian English. Bizarre - but there was more to come! On Saturday evening a 5-piece Oompah band outside played such things as "Roll out the Barrel" and there were serious fireworks. OK, but they started playing again at 6.25 am next day. This went on for 25 minutes and resumed at 9.30, at which time the congregation started to assemble in great finery. Ruth tried hard to find out the nature of the festival and concluded it was something local.

Finally - the big Talking Point of Goan Tourism! With very little notice a ban on the sale of alcohol was introduced - first for 11pm and then 10pm. The logic of this - related to national elections in March escaped everyone! as there is a substantial body of tourists for whom nightly excess is the main purpose of trip, there has been tension - and threats of suing Thomas Cook! One benefit was improved Sundays at The Nest. In normal conditions it would be spewing out from early morning  the debris from the Silent Noise disco, but that event had to be cancelled. Shame!

Gone Goan Again Part 1

Hard days at The Office



Fancy a dip, dear, or shall we just laze in the sun?



This is a place holder whilst we can't do very creative things with photos.

We are in Palolem once again, suffering 35 degrees C, warm sea and an even cheaper cost of living than last year, thanks to the exchange rate. Someone has to do it! Airmiles were changing the rules, so we got in quick and got our return London-Mumbai flights for nothing, building the trip in with the 50th birthday bash of Ruth's sister Lois.

 We left Corralejo with its closed and jellyfish-infested beaches and rather nasty weather on 15th Jan:- flying into Stansted, foaming at the mouth at prices various, and taking two cheap coaches to Heathrow, where we discovered there is no bus shuttle between Heathrow Central and T5. This is the sort of public transport rubbish that is going to make The Olympics a farce:- but that is another story and not the problem of retired ex-pats, so enough!!!! Anyway we worked round this and got ourselves to the hotel, where the public computers weren't working, and we spent an age on the concierge's own machine to get one boarding pass printed! We found it very cold that evening and the next morning, but all went smoothly and we had a flight on a 747 this time, which meant less viewing choice, but still many goodies in a cabin about a quarter full!
Mumbai airport was as chaotic as expected, but we eventually got ourselves transported to the Domestic Terminal for free as we failed to do last year, and with the wisdom accrued last year found a quiet spot to wait for the morning to arrive assisted by a bottle of wine from duty-free! The internal flight was almost empty and took off early, so with an immediate taxi ride with a madman we were in our room at the Hilias Retreat by 8 am, making it 42 hours in elapsed time since Dave picked us up in Corralejo!
Compared to last year our stay is more blighted by health. Ruth went down with a filthy cold just before we travelled, and Bob was a few days behind. We raided Boots at Heathrow, so were able to dose up, but it took the edge off the first week or so.
At The Office (see Feb 2011) the absence of Dick and Jane is evident, but the staff complement was increased for the first 10 days or so by Roger and Anna from Norwich who are parents to Ellie of The Nest, and when not helping with the two grandsons were on duty at the sunbeds! Within a week we had both the Office Party, and the Office Outing - documented in next posting!
Daily Life is a little changed. The sellers and beggars have been banned from the beach. This is enforced by a security guard of diminutive stature, but with a big stick and a whistle! The ban largely works, but is evaded by the DVD sellers, who can hide the goods quickly, and Julie who has a little shop and operates by befriending any newcomer, and pressurising them. We have fireworks every evening, and the Russians are just as numerous, but better behaved! The same cannot be said of a throng of young(!) Brits who now share The Nest. We are here until 9th Feb - so watch this space!