Goan, Goan to Goa...the family

A week of R & R! Lazy, lazy, lazy in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Varca beach is miles and miles of golden sands.... so clean and so empty. It was the very beginning of the season so everywhere was just waking up, the package tourists (mainly Russian this year) just beginning to bare maximum amounts of white flesh quickly roasting to a ferocious shade of red, the beach shacks springing up faster than you'd have thought possible in slow, laid back beach country, and all the hotels and rental villas getting a quick makeover.

The villa we stayed was about 200 meters from the beach in a complex of holiday rental villas with a pool. Our Villa was perfect, sea views, a private little tikki for shade from the mid afternoon sun and a better kitchen than mine in Vista!! We had breakfast and lunch at home and went out for dinner. How best to get provisions and visit the local villages but by scooter! This was such fun and for me real independence! The one morning I went out by myself on my scooter, I could stop at the German Bakery (run by Nepalese) for a cappuccino, stop for fruit and veg. at the local seller's stalls, pop into a few clothes shops...........whenever I wanted, accountable to no-one!! As one who is usually driver dependent this was a real sense of freedom!

There's an interesting deomographic in Goa. A fair few retired Brits., including the ones we rented the Villa from, who head in after the last of the monsoon and completely by-pass the British winters. I could over hear a couple of them chatting in the coffee stops and they have a real second life in Goa, the same little community back year after year, and believe me gossip is rife!!

 We were usually paired up, me driving with Wills on the back and Simon with Ads, tho' we did let Ads have a go round the complex. We had to brave a ride into the local town to get gas one day, which was a tad more exciting (read hairy) than cruising the local streets but we did safely negotiate our way into and out of town, bought gas and visited the local market. This really highlighted the difference between mine and Simon's Indian experience. I'm thinking yeah another market, interesting and fun but it's hot, lets get our food and hit the road. Simon is thinking "wow, wow, wow". I forget how much more of 'India" I see and how much more of "office" Simon sees.  For some reason Sade "Smooth Operator" is blaring out of the speakers in the market place......seems an incongruous choice here - a contradiction in terms!!

Weaving thro' the cars, ricks and other bikes was a new experience.  But like so much in India, what looks like chaos from the outside does seem to have a rhythm to it. Being on a small scooter in amongst all different types of traffic was like being in the middle of some sort of strange dance and if you stuck with the beat you could find your way through without incident.

 After a hard day of beach and pool..... Actually I did manage a run up the beach in the early morning sun most days...we would walk to our favorite restaurant, Toncia.  We have eaten our fair share of butter chicken and butter naan (firm favorites) since we have been in India but this was second to none! We'd sit and play cards, build card houses with beer and coke until we got peckish, eat our fill and and wonder home.

 So back in Bangers renewed and refreshed, Halloween around the corner and the OWC India Night Gala next weekend - time to sari  -up!!