2 MID-LIFE CYCLISTS IN A MOTORHOME: January 2015

January has flown by way too quickly and I can't believe we only have 18 days left here now. When I see the weather forecasts of snow and freezing temperatures in England I must confess I am not looking forward to returning. It has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster this month but I will explain more about that shortly.

Firstly we had the pleasure of our friends, Sharon and Glynn staying with us and we had great fun showing them Cavelossim, Margao, and all the sights. It's surprising how many people asked if Glynn and Glynn P were brothers as they look alike!!

Kingfisher catching fish

I think the clue to that is on their name!! Glynn P was delighted when we saw Kingfishers at Cavelossim as he had long held a desire to capture a Kingfisher on camera so it made his day. They were soon feeling as chilled as we were as we enjoyed lazy days reading, swimming and sunbathing. They were keen to try different shacks along the beach at Benaulim until we discovered The Little Tiger Ocean Cafe and this became our destination of choice every morning . What a gem this place is with fantastic food, excellent service and the best toilets of any shack I have ever seen. If you've ever visited Goa you will appreciate what I mean!!

Benaulim. We continue to discover new places that we have missed on previous visits and tucked down a little back road in Benaulim is a workshop where they make jewellery.

Getting my bangle repaired.

It's in a room at the front of a house and the guys sit cross legged around a low table which has leather aprons pinned to it which they spread over their laps. The table is scattered with the tools which they use to create anything you want in silver or gold and precious stones. You can also bring old jewellery and they will melt it down to transform it in to whatever you want. Like many other places in Goa it felt like stepping in to a time warp, transporting us back to a time before modern technology and tools did away with the need for this kind of craftsmanship.The safety catch on my bangle had broken and we sat and watched it being repaired while we discussed having an eternity ring made. When we tried to pay for the repair our money was refused as the man said he hadn't needed to add any gold but had merely fixed the original catch!

Enjoying the spicy food at one of the stalls

Anjuna. There is a bus trip than runs from Benaulim to Anjuna Market on Wednesdays and it only costs 250 rupees (£2.50) for a return ticket. The journey takes 2 hours arriving in Anjuna at around 11am and departing at 4pm. This allows ample time to explore the huge market which is adjacent to the beach at Anjuna. There is a great variety of stalls to explore and some really lovely and unusual items as well as the usual bargain T-shirts and flip-flops and beautiful embroidered bed throws being offered for as little as

Anjuna Market

500 rupees. We had a very enjoyable day which involved purchasing some lovely bargains before trying some food from one of the stalls. To say it was spicy was an understatement but it was so tasty. We then spent the remainder of our time sitting at one of the restaurants at the front of the market enjoying the view overlooking the sea.

Nuvem. After hearing several recommendations we decided to visit the My Eye clinic at Nuvem to see if we were potential candidates for laser eye surgery. Glynn had previously looked in to it in England but decided against it when he was quoted £3.000! Much to our surprise I was a better candidate than Glynn as he had thin corneas whereas I apparently ticked all the boxes. It wasn't something I had ever really considered but it suddenly seemed quite exciting contemplating being free of glasses, especially now I needed varifocals. Little things like laying down to watch TV had become awkward as it meant I was looking through the wrong part of the lens. Now I know I could avoid this by sitting up but sometimes it's nice to spread out on the sofa with a bag of popcorn and watch a film!! Because my sunglasses had distance lenses in I had to swap them for normal sunglasses to read so I was alternating between 3 pairs of glasses which was becoming a pain. The cost of the operation was 40,500 rupees (approx £405) so it was less than my last pair of glasses had cost me in the UK. I decided to go ahead with the surgery but wait until Sharon and Glynn had left so it was scheduled for 19th January, the day after they went home. I have no fear of operations when they involve full anaesthetic but this was different as not only would I be awake but I was about to have my eyeballs lasered!! Scary stuff. Helpfully you are given a Valium type tablet to take the night before and you take another half the morning of the procedure and these help to relax you. I must admit I couldn't remember the last time I had felt this nervous. The procedure itself lasted barely 20 minutes with the actual lasering taking only a few seconds and so it was with great relief when I was led back out by a tiny nurse and told to lay down in a waIting area with my eyes closed. I was praying she really was only 4 foot 6 inches tall otherwise the operation hadn't been a success!! Whilst the procedure was taking place Glynn was invited to watch it on a screen and in spite of his original misgivings he managed to watch the whole thing. After 90 minutes rest my eyes were examined and then the doctor invited me to look out of the window at the trees in the distance. I was amazed when I could see them clearly. The next few days were a bit of an emotional roller coaster where I alternated between delight and regret about the procedure. This was because I had opted for monovision which is where one eye is adjusted for distance and the other eye for close sight. It takes the brain a while to adjust so my close vision was quite blurred and I found this quite scary as good close vision is the only thing I have ever had.

Enjoying the view the day after laser treatment

Apparently it can take up to 3 months to get the full benefit but in the meantime I have excellent distance and middle vision and fairly good close vision which continues to improve. I am sure I am getting on Glynn's nerves as I am so excited at being able to see without glasses that I keep pointing out signs and reading them to him and asking him if he can see them as clearly as I can. Bizarrely I feel quite insecure without my glasses as no-one has ever seen me without them so I have taken my frames to an optician in Margao and had clear lenses fitted so that I can wear them when I get back home if I want to. I know this seems bizarre after going to the trouble of having an operation so that I wouldn't need glasses but the optician assured me that it was quite common to feel like this when you have worn glasses all your life and I am sure in time I will wear them less and less.

Our lunch!

Boat Trip. There are several boat companies based on the River Sal at Cavelossim and we were invited to join a group of friends that had hired a boat for a private trip. There were about 50 of us on the boat and there was a great party atmosphere as everyone was in high spirits. The boat sailed out to sea initially for some dolphin spotting as we were serenaded by 2 musicians. Luck was on our side when we saw several dolphins and porpoises around the boat. As the boat returned to the river Sal the party started and the alcohol was soon flowing.

Let's get this party started.

Luckily we were sat next to the bar so I was able to stop the waiter adding too much Honey Bee to my sprite, after all I needed to pace myself if I was going to last the distance! We were treated to a beautiful prawn appetiser before being served a fillet of fish for the main course. This was succeeded by a fruit salad and with our stomachs now lined with food the partying resumed. As alcohol consumption increased inhibitions decreased and everyone was soon up dancing with several people sported brightly coloured wigs. Our table consisted of myself and Glynn, Iris and Steve (who had previously introduced us to the delights of Cavelossim) and Linda and Brian (annual visitors to Goa who it transpired live just 5 miles from us in the UK).

Glynn, Steve, Linda and Iris

Things deteriorated into helpless laughter when Iris decided to throw the rest of her glass of water over the side of the boat so that she could replace it with gin. The wind conspired against her and as she threw the water it was blown straight over Steve who looked stunned as he sat there dripping water with a look of shock on his face. While Iris was desperately trying to explain it was the wind's fault the rest of dissolved into fits of hysterical laughter. It was the funniest thing we had seen in ages and our sides ached from laughing so much.

Uncanny likeness to when Glynn had hair!!

We had a great time as the boat sailed up the River Sal and all too soon it was over. A few of us decided to extend the fun by heading in to the nearest bar and having "one for the road" before getting the bus back. When we alighted at Benaulim myself and Glynn decided to stop at the street food stall for some lovely samosas and batata wadas. I would later question the wisdom of adding a large battered chilli each to the order but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

As I was still working on Glynn about returning to Goa in November we viewed a few apartments and then we discovered a great place right in the centre of Benaulim. By the time we had finished viewing it Glynn had haggled a great price for 4 months rent and agreed a deal. It looks like we will definitely be spending next winter here!! We are already making plans for our return in February and have booked the Eurotunnel for 19th March when we will head down to Spain in the Motorhome. This will give us 4 weeks to see family and friends before we head off. I can't wait to go out for a long ride on my Focus. After riding the cheap steel bikes that we purchased when we arrived here I will really appreciate the beauty of my bike even more, especially the gel saddle! I wonder what the chances are of the temperatures rising by about 10° in the UK before we return in 18 days!