Goa 2018/19

Shiva at Murdeshwar

Goa 2018/19

We flew out to Goa earlier than normal this year, arriving the last week of October and escaping the dreaded clock change that heralds the long dark evenings of winter. After a wonderful hot sunny November which involved dolphin sightings off the beach at Benaulim, boat trips and the usual various gatherings with lots of friends we had planned a little getaway early December for a night on a house boat with our friends Hilary and Ray. 

2 bed houseboat

Houseboat trip.

5th December. We got a taxi to Johns Boat Tours in Candolim and we were then transported via minibus to the River Chapora and then via a small speedboat across to the houseboat. It's possible to book either a 2 bed or a 3 bed house boat so we had booked the 2 bed boat so that we had it to ourselves. The boat was great with a lounge/dining area in the middle and a decent sized bedroom, each with a separate shower room, on either side. Stairs from the lounge led up to a top deck with sun loungers. The stairs were similar to a bunk bed ladder so not necessarily that easy if your less mobile or have had one too many drinks however the stairs on the 3 bed boat are apparently better so if you're reading this blog and tempted to do this trip bear this in mind.

Sunbathing crocodile!

We had no problems with our mobility so we were straight upstairs as soon as we'd boarded and we enjoyed a fantastic afternoon cruising up the river while we relaxed on the sunbeds. The boat trip is all inclusive for food and drink so we were offered drinks to enjoy while we sailed up the river. Our captain alerted us when he suddenly spotted a large crocodile basking on a rock in the middle of the river and we were able to get some good photos. We also saw lots of beautiful birds including a flock of green parrots and the occasional kingfisher. It was a fantastic relaxing afternoon and after we had moored for the night we enjoyed a beautiful sunset before we headed down to get ready for dinner.

Relaxing on the top deck!

I'm always blown away by the quality and quantity of food than can be produced with very little space or equipment. The chef did us proud as dish after dish was placed on the table including fish and meat curries, vegetables, rice, and naan breads. The boat is manned by two guys who do everything from steering the boat to keeping us supplied with food and drink (as well as being a wealth of knowledge about what we were seeing as we sailed up the river) and they did a grand job. After dinner was cleared away our evening was spent playing Scattergories and Chronology and involved more drinks and lots of laughter, especially when we were checking everyone's answers on a game of Scattergories and Hilary had somehow used the wrong starting letter so every answer was wrong.

Feet up in case more cockroaches appear!

For some reason myself and Hilary found this hysterical and we laughed so much we nearly cried. To make it even funnier we accidentally head butted each other while we were laughing and that finished us off completely. Even the appearance of a large cockroach did little to dampen the atmosphere as Ray and Glynn kindly encouraged it to go for a swim while myself and Hilary did the decent girlie thing and screamed whilst curling our legs up out of the way on the chairs. Both bedrooms came equipped with a large can of cockroach spray as the presence of water meant the chances of there being cockroaches was quite high. As it turned out we only had 1 visitor to our bathroom and he was also encouraged to take a swimming lesson!! 

Amazing ants nest in a tree

6th December. The boat was moored close to a small inhabited island on the river called Raneache Zuem and after our morning coffee we were taken to the island on the small speedboat. We were given a guided tour of the island which was extremely clean and well kept with some amazing flowers and trees. Only the smallest of vehicles can get on the island as the only access is via a narrow bridge. We were then transported back to the boat for breakfast before setting sail slowly back up the river. We again enjoyed a wonderful relaxing time on the top deck before lunch was served prior to our departure back to solid ground. We all agreed it had been a fantastic trip and it's definitely one I would do again.

The rest of December will involve the usual Christmas parties and gatherings and of course not forgetting my birthday party which I'm holding at the Mahal beach shack this year as it has a bigger dance area to accommodate us. We are also planning a trip to Murdeshwar in the new year which I'm very excited about after seeing some amazing photos of the giant shiva that sits right on the coast.

Murdeshwar Temple

Murdeshwar and Gokarna trip.

25th February. Today was the start of our mini break to Murdeshwar with Paul and Jan. I wasn't keen to repeat the experience of the 6 hour train ride that we had done to Hampi last year but as this trip involved a much less popular route and normal train carriages rather than the sleeper carriages I was optimistic (read that as hopeful!!) it wouldn't be too unpleasant. Our return tickets had only cost us 1,250 Rupees (approx £6) for two of us including a booking fee for the 2.5 hr journey!!

Indian train air-con!!

The journey was indeed uneventful and we amused ourselves taking photos of the Indian version of air conditioning on the ceiling of the train and admiring the scenery as we passed from Goa in to the state of Karnataka. A very short Tuk Tuk ride from the station and we were at our hotel, the RNS Residency, which was beautifully situated right on the coastline and adjacent to the worlds second tallest Shiva statue and Murdeshwar Temple. Our hotel rooms were lovely and after a quick freshen up the four of us set off to explore.

At Murdeshwar temple

There was a busy little market area on the beach outside the hotel so we explored the various stalls before wandering further in to the centre where we stopped for a drink before heading back to the hotel. As it was now dusk we took some photos of the Shiva and the temple illuminated by lights before heading back to our rooms to get ready for dinner. We had decided to eat at the hotel which turned out to be quite an amusing experience. The head waiter was very keen to please and hovered closely as we examined the menus. Glynn mentioned the dish that he wanted and instead of waiting to take all of our orders the waiter sent Glynn's request through to the kitchen. This meant that just as we'd finished placing our orders one of Glynn's dishes appeared on the table. We tried to explain that we wanted all the food together but the waiter didn't really seem to understand. The dish was covered and moved to a nearby serving area so Glynn again explained that it would go cold by the time the rest of the food arrived and asked them to take it back to the kitchen. We couldn't help but chuckle when all the food arrived and Glynn's prematurely cooked dish was put back on the table having been sat on the side to go cold.

View of Shiva from the temple

This is not unusual in India and Glynn decided to just accept it rather than risk further confusion. The waiting staff were clearly keen to ensure we had everything we needed and three waiters and the head chef hovered closely watching us eat which was slightly off putting eating with an audience. Joking aside we enjoyed a very pleasant meal and after dinner we decided to settle down early as we would be doing a lot of sightseeing in the morning. 

One of the many interesting sights

26th February. After a very nice breakfast in the hotel dining room we set off to explore. I must say that the area did not disappoint and everything was conveniently located around the hotel. We took the lift inside the temple towards the top and we were able to see for miles out across Murdeshwar and beyond through the little windows. The views were spectacular and when we descended we headed over to the statue of Shiva and all the other carvings and displays that surrounded the area. It was a really lovely morning and we were all really impressed by all there was to see.

Murdeshwar

We then took a nice long walk along the beach and stopped for coffee at a lovely little shack before heading back. We had booked train tickets to Gokarna to stay in a home-stay for our second night so we collected our bags from the hotel and headed back to the station. After a short delay our train arrived and we were on our way for the 55 minute journey. A short while later I spotted charging points which was quite impressive considering the age of the trains. I plugged my phone in and as Jan went to do the same she realised her bag was missing. It then dawned on her that she had left it on the bench we had been sitting on at the far end of the platform.

Murdeshwar

Poor Jan was distraught with worry at whether she'd be able to get it back. Two Indian men sitting opposite heard what was going on and were absolutely brilliant. They called the train guard over and explained what had happened. He then disappeared to call the station. There had been several beggars at the train station so we weren't optimistic at seeing the bag again. When the guard returned about 10 minutes later he was able to advise Jan that the bag had been found. While Paul and Jan were busy working out how quickly they could get a train back to Murdeshwar to get it the guard informed them it was being put on the next train to Gokarna and would arrive about 45 minutes after our train.

Gokarna

We were blown away by how efficiently the whole incident had been dealt with as anyone who has travelled in India knows how chaotic everything can be. Luckily our seat tickets meant we'd had to wait at the far end of the station to be in line with our appointed carriage so that probably helped as it was well away from the main part of the station. Poor Jan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, she was so stressed but also so relieved at the same time. When we got to Gokarna myself and Glynn got a taxi to our home-stay while Jan and Paul waited for the next train. When they finally arrived at the home-stay Jan had a big smile on her face as she clutched her recovered bag. By this time it was dark so we walked in to town in search of a restaurant and found a lovely little place full of locals that looked quite appealing. Jan is not really a drinker but on this occasion she felt a gin and tonic was in order. I'm not sure what we found more amusing, the fact that our gin came in 180ml cartons like an orange juice or the fact that we were given half pint beer glasses to pour it in to. We had a lovely meal and with Jan feeling much more relaxed the evening ended much better than feared just a short while earlier. 

Gokarna beach

27th February. As we had most of the day free before it was time for the train back to Margao we walked back in to the centre to explore the town. We came across two huge wheeled wooden structures, one of which was being decorated ready for one of their major celebrations, the Mahu Shivaratri , a Hindu festival held in honour of the God Shiva. It is a celebration that spans many days and culminates in the huge wooden structure being pulled along the street while people throw bananas at it. Apparently bananas go up in price in the days preceding this tradition!! We carried on through the winding main street in the direction of the beach and crossed over a bridge where the water below was lilac coloured!! It looked like someone had spilled a huge container of powdered paint in to the water so your guess is as good as mine as to what had caused this strange occurrence and it certainly didn't smell too appealing either.

Gokarna

The beach area was lovely and I'm happy to say there was no evidence of any strange dyes in the water. We went for a stroll along the beach before stopping for lunch at one of the shacks and then all too soon it was time to collect our luggage from the home-stay and head to the station. It was only a short 90 minute train ride back and Jan kept a tight hold on her bag to prevent a recurrence of the day before. It had been a fantastic trip and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, especially Murdeshwar which for me was the highlight of the trip. 

Fun trip out on the scooters

We've had a very varied and interesting stay this season. As well as the trips on the houseboat and to Murdeshwar we hired a scooter a few times and did some lovely trips out. One of these trips was to the Palacio do Deao at Quepem, a restored Portuguese mansion where you can explore the ground floor of the mansion before being served a wonderful meal in the dining area. We did the trip with our friends Bert, Bridget, Birgit and Dieter and enjoyed a lovely day exploring the area on our scooters. We also drove down to Agonda a couple of times to spend a night in a beach shack. It was Jan's 65th birthday in February and as she doesn't like a big fuss we got together with Hilary and Ray and surprised her with a wonderful day at a hotel on the river Sal so we could swim in the pool and then enjoy a lovely meal afterwards.

Happy birthday Jan

After my shock decision to have all my hair cut off last year (after getting fed up with it going frizzy in the heat) this year I have continued to grow old disgracefully by getting a tattoo!! I have wanted the words "Carpe Diem" tattooed on the side of my foot for many years so in December I bit the bullet and had it done. I even persuaded Bridgit and Hilary to the wisdom of it so Hilary had it done on her lower back and Bridgit on her foot. I did test it out by having it done in henna first and lived with it for a week to make sure I really liked it as a tattoo is such a permanent thing. Glynn surprised me back in November by checking out a local dance school as he was keen for us to have lessons so in addition to everything else we have been doing we've also been having lessons to learn bachata, a type of salsa.

Cocktails on my birthday

As it was the same price for the dance teachers to come to ours as it was to attend a group class we obviously opted for the private tuition and it was great fun learning to dance. I fear we will quickly forget how to do it as there will be little opportunity to practice when we are touring in the motorhome all summer but it was great fun anyway. After spending the last five winters in Goa we have decided to have a break next season for two reasons. We miss not being able to ride our bikes and maintain our fitness all winter but also because Glynn's mum sadly has dementia and we feel we would like to be closer to home while we all get used to how this will impact on her. We will hopefully rent an apartment in Spain so that we can have Glynn's mum to stay with us as she would love to visit Spain again. With just 2 weeks left in Goa we have nothing more energetic planned than making the most of the glorious sunshine because it is certainly going to be a lot colder when we return home although hopefully not as bad as last year when the UK was in the grip of the "beast from the east".

Murdeshwar

Enjoying the view with an iced coffee

Gin in a beer glass in Gokarna!!!

Murdeshwar

Murdeshwar

One of our nights out with some of the gang

Jack fruit tree on Raneache Zuem Island

Scooter trip

Patnem

Sunset at Agonda

November 2015

Early morning traffic heading to the beach

After a 2 month break I decided I had better update my blog with all the news on the house move!! It has been a stressful time since I wrote August's blogpost as things did not go according to plan. Everything seemed to be progressing nicely with the chain until the end of September. Our buyer had a survey done on our house which all went well and she was apparently discussing her plans for an extension with the surveyor so you can imagine our shock when we discovered the next day that our buyer had actually viewed another property a few days before and made an offer on it which had been accepted. Why she paid all that money to have the survey done on our house and was discussing her plans for an extension when she had already had an offer accepted on another property I do not know. I wonder when she planned on telling us as we only found out when the new agent phoned our agent for details of the chain. It didn't just impact on us as the owners of the house we were buying had just had an offer accepted on a property on the basis of our chain being near to completion so now they faced losing it unless we could get the chain back on track. It doesn't seem right that it is so easy to string people along and then just back out of the agreement without penalty. We had all incurred solicitors costs and now faced losing the houses we were after. It was a really upsetting time. We put our house back on the market but with the best of the summer weather now past I figured we may not sell until at least springtime next year so I resigned myself to losing the house we had made an offer on. Two weeks later we received a marketing brochure from an estate agent advising us they had recently sold a house in our village and were keen to market our property. The picture of the property they had sold was the one our buyer had made the offer on whilst stringing us along!! I must admit it did make me chuckle at the irony of it all and I was tempted to phone the agent and point out to them that we wouldn't need a buyer if ours hadn't dropped us to buy the property they had been marketing. At least I was able to find something humorous in the situation.
We focused our energies on getting the habitation check and service done on Herman and getting ready for our forthcoming trip to Goa. Herman passed all his checks with flying colours so that was good news. We applied for our Indian visas and they arrived back within a week so all we had to do now was pack. The rest of the time went quite quickly and on the 7th November my son Darryl dropped us at a hotel near Heathrow ready for our early flight the next day. We had a very smooth journey to Doha and then on to Dabolim and we were soon settling in to our apartment in Benaulim. 
We'd had a message from our estate agent to say she had arranged a viewing on our house the day we arrived in Goa and then we received even better news.... The couple loved the house and wanted to buy it. All of a sudden we were back on track as luckily the house we had originally wanted was still available and the owners were also still able to get the property they had offered on. What a great way to start our trip to Goa. I am trying not to get too excited as it could easily all fall through again but I can't help feeling a little bit excited. With our searches already carried out the chain could move quite quickly but you'll have to wait until December's blogpost to see what happened!!
Within a couple of days of being back in Benaulim it was like we hadn't been away. Because everything is so familiar to us we settled straight in. Our apartment this year is right in the centre of Benaulim so we haven't been and bought bikes this time. Those of you who read last year's blog on Goa will remember the lovely steel framed, plastic seated bikes that cost us £40 in Margao and we then sold them for £20 each after using them for the 3 months we were here. Just the sheer effort of riding the bikes kept us fit!! 

Waiting for the sunset with Irvine and julia

A lot of the friends that we meet here every year have now arrived and we have enjoyed some lovely evenings dining at some of the many restaurants in Benaulim while catching up on what everyone has been up to since last year. We spend most of our days chilling on the beach, swimming in the lovely warm sea or reading our Kindles. I also have my Spanish language course on my Ipod so I normally listen to it after lunch. I'm not sure how much of it is sinking in as I keep falling asleep so it will be interesting to see how well I can converse when we head back to Spain next year. Occasionally we stay on the beach to watch the sunset and enjoy an early dinner. 


I couldn't resist taking a picture when a boat passed directly in front of the sun as it was sinking below the horizon. As well as spending days on the beach a group of us also enjoyed a lovely afternoon at the Riverview restaurant on the edge of the river Sal at Cavelossim but there were no Kingfishers to be seen on this occasion. Glynn and Clive (Clive and Mary from Burnley) have been to Margao stadium twice to watch Goa play in the Indian Super League, the first game of which resulted in a 7-0 win against Mumbai. As poor Mary currently has a broken ankle we enjoyed the games on TV from the comfort of her sofa whilst trying to spot Glynn and Clive in the crowds. As the final will be held in Margao in December they are hoping to get tickets, the bonus will be if Goa make it to the final. 

In Brilliant Bar with Hilary, Ray, Irvine and Julia

December should prove to be an eventful month one way or the other. We have booked to do a Golden Triangle tour with Hilary, Ray, Irvine and Julia who we met in Goa last year. We will be flying from Dabolim to Delhi and spending 5 days/4 nights visiting Delhi, Agra and Jaipur including a sunrise tour of the Taj Mahal. We are also keeping our fingers crossed that we get to exchange contracts on the house!!

It is fascinating watching the local fisherman haul in their heavy nets using nothing other than synchronised team work and their own strength. No motorised winches to do the hard work!!

Not a bad catch.
Gathering up the fish.

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! 

Fishing on the River Sal

Proudly showing us their catch

With Sharon and Glynn at The Little Tiger

Gathering the nets back up after repairing them.

Mobor Beach, Cavelossim

Anjuna Market 

Anjuna Beach

The restaurant overlooking Anjuna Beach

Heavy load!

Where the River Sal meets the sea

Dried chillies for sale

Fishermen

A night out with friends at the Banyan Tree