2 MID-LIFE CYCLISTS IN A MOTORHOME: November 2014.

I hadn't planned on adding to my blog until we return from Goa at the end of February but I have been ordered by my dear Aunt Madeline to keep updating it as she loves to read what we have been up to. Although we won't be in the Motorhome we will be cycling so technically for the next 3 months we will be 2 mid-life cyclists (not) in a Motorhome!! As we will be based in the same place I will not be writing in as much detail as I normally do.

Rush hour traffic in Beanulim!!

They say a picture can paint a thousand words and I don't think this is ever more true than in Goa. It is a stunning country of extreme contrasts, full of noise and colour and wonderful food and people. I could just post lots of pictures and it would give you a taste of this wonderful place. Tin shacks nestle in between lovely Portuguese influenced houses.

Cattle saunter down the road in morning rush hour unfazed by the horns of the cars and mopeds. Dogs roam everywhere and pigs forage in the undergrowth between buildings. The beaches are stunning and lined with shacks that will provide you with some of the tastiest food you could wish for at prices you wouldn't believe. Anyway I will come back to all of that, first I will just catch you up with what we have been up to in the 8 weeks we have been home.

We have been busy bees catching up with friends and family and getting Herman sorted including a full service, MOT, an external gas barbecue point fitted and the shower tray repaired. He is now all sorted and parked on the drive awaiting our return. It was weird being at home and no longer having to go to work. We painted the fence, decorated the hallway, weeded the garden and cut back some trees. We cycled in to Glynn's old workplace to see his colleagues and I had lunch and a catch up with my old colleagues. Even with all these things to keep us occupied we found it difficult to settle in the house and if we hadn't already booked the flights to Goa we would have loaded Herman up and headed straight back to the Eurotunnel and beyond.

19th November 2014.

We arrived in Goa at the very unsociable time of 2.30am. On the plus side we were through customs and in a taxi within 30 minutes of landing. We have rented a lovely 2 bed/2 bath apartment for 35,000 rupees a month (approx £350) which includes wifi, Sky TV and the invaluable aircon.

Benaulim Beach

It is only a 5 minute walk from the centre of Colva and 3 kms away from our favourite area of Benaulim. It is also only 5 kms to our favourite beach shack, the Sun and Moon which we frequent more than any other shack when we are in Goa. Glynn was keen to get down to the beach so after only 3 hours sleep he was up and raring to go. Goa is 5 and a half hours ahead of the UK so he was keen to try and adjust to Goan time as quickly as possible. We plan on going in to Margao in the next couple of days and buying bicycles to use for the duration of our stay as this will work out cheaper than hiring them for 3 months. In the meantime we decided a nice walk along the beach would be good after the long flight. It took us an hour to walk to the Sun and Moon but the weather was glorious and it was a lovely walk.

Busy day on the beach!!

Glynn decided to add some excitement to our first day when he suddenly complained of not feeling too well. After a couple of hours laying on the beach we had gone in to the shack for lunch when he suddenly felt unwell. I had just managed to get him to sit down when he passed out cold and fell back in the chair. He frightened me to death as his eyes were wide open but completely vacant (now I could have some fun here at his expense but I won't). Sanjay, the owner of the shack, came to my aid and helped support Glynn's head while a waiter fetched cold cloths to put on him. After about a minute he woke up and was completely stunned to learn he had fainted. He has always loved the heat but it was probably a combination of the long flight, too little sleep and a long walk in the strong sun.

Sanjay gave him a rehydration sachet to add to a bottle of water and after an hour's sleep on a sun bed in the shade of an umbrella he was as right as rain albeit somewhat embarrassed by his faint. At the end of the afternoon we walked back to the apartment to shower and change before heading in to Colva. I was looking forward to a nice Honey Bee brandy to accompany my curry!!

22nd November 2014.

We have enjoyed the long walk along the beach each day but have decided it is time to head in to Margao and buy bikes. We got a Tuk Tuk which cost us £2 and the driver dropped us off right by a bike shop.

Our new bikes!!

Our new bikes are heavy steel framed, single speed machines with a nice hard plastic seat and brakes that wouldn't stop you if you were going downhill. Luckily the area of Goa we are in is flat!! We paid the princely sum of £40 each for them and this included a free bell and lock. The manager phoned for a pick up style Tuk Tuk to transport the bikes back to Colva which cost us £2.50 and required me to squash in the narrow front seat with the driver while Glynn had to stand in the back with the bikes, hanging on to the frame to steady himself, as we bumped our way back the 6kms while the driver raced along pipping his horn and cutting up anyone that dared to hesitate in his path. If you have never been to Goa then I should probably explain that horns are the most used part of a vehicle, probably even more so than brakes.

Out for a stroll!

The main rule of the road seems to be that there are no rules. Bikes, Tuk Tuks, cars, mopeds, buses and trucks all vie for space on the narrow roads. Horns are used continuously to let you know they are there and almost every vehicle that passes you whether you are walking or cycling or on a moped will pip their horn. Bikes and mopeds will pull over to the wrong side of the road well ahead of turning off so you will suddenly find yourself with a moped coming towards you as they cut across a junction. There is a busy crossroads in Benaulim at Maria Hall where it gets crazy as vehicles cut across and behind each other and yet no-one seems to crash. Cycling in Goa is not for the faint-hearted and you just have to hold your ground and go for it. So far this philosophy has worked for me but watch this space!!

At the Sun and Moon

After the Tuk Tuk dropped us off we cycled to the Sun and Moon which cut our hour long walk down to a 20 minute ride, albeit not the easy comfortable ride of my lovely Focus bike back at home but at least it was good exercise. We dodged cattle, swerved round pedestrians that just walked out without looking and completely ignored the pig and the chicken that ran in front of us. I kid you not!!

30th November 2014.

Every time we have visited Goa we have seen the street barrows selling food but never been brave enough to try them. It's very different being here for 3 months as there is so much more time to relax and enjoy new experiences.

Sugarcane Barrow

On our ride back from the beach we stopped at a stall that sells sugarcane juice as Glynn was keen to try it. The cane is passed through a crusher several times to extract the juice and fresh lime and ginger are passed through with it. The extracted juice was then poured in to a glass and we were charged 20 rupees (20p). It tasted nothing like we expected, it was absolutely lovely and not at all sweet or sugary like I thought it would be and there was the merest hint of the lime and ginger.

Very tasty drink

We were told that if we took an empty water bottle he would fill it for 70 rupees so we will get some more to keep in the fridge. On the recommendation of Jan and Cliff, some friends we met in Goa, we stopped at the street barrow at Maria Hall on the way home as we were planning a quiet night in. This particular barrow was always busy with locals and was clearly popular. We bought 2 samosas, 4 batata wadas, a battered chilli and a bag of veggie pakoras and the cost was only 55 pence. Incredible.

We had planned to get showered and changed before we ate but the smell was too tempting so we ate it as soon as we got home and it tasted amazing.

Lovely street food

We have settled in to a lovely routine where we cycle down to the beach every day then we read, play boules, swim, go for long walks and generally just chill. We normally leave the beach by 5pm to cycle home and once we have showered and changed we either head out for a meal or make sandwiches and watch a film or play Rummikub. I could get used to this!! What I am not looking forward to is making an appointment to see my dentist in Goa as I know it will involve a root canal so even though we pass his door every day on the way to the beach I have so far put off making an appointment. What we are looking forward to is celebrating Christmas and New Year on the beach for the first time and to the 29th December when our friends Sharon and Glynn join us for 3 weeks.