Dont You go to Goa (Alabama 3)
Trip Start
Dec 19, 2008
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114
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Trip End
Dec 19, 2009
Benaulim, Goa, India
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tuesday 20th October. The overnight train was the usual sweaty deal with food and chai whenever we stopped a passing seller so no problems with supplies. We arrived at Madgao train station about 4pm and in the heat had trouble getting any rickshaw driver to bargain down from his price of 150 rupees to take us to Benaulim the village on the coast 7kms away. So at top price we accepted it and arrived at the sleepy village where the guesthouse of Antonettes where we had phoned to book. This is a sweet purple double story home where the owner Geraldo rents out his top floor of 5 rooms to tourists. The room was excellent with a bathroom, fan and balcony looking out to the fields and swampy areas where buffalo wallow. The guesthouse was a 2km walk from the main village so was very quiet and in from the beach about 1km walk. Being late afternoon we showered and had dinner around the corner , called Jack’s Corner. Being low season we were the only diners so the wait staff made a lot of small talk with us and as usual Ricky Ponting and cricket are mentioned as soon as we said we were Australian as they’re mad keen cricket followers in India. I had fresh fish grilled tandoor style while Wayne ate a vegetarian dish with rice and his favourite Nan bread. It was steaming hot in the early evening and mossies swarming so after tea retreated to the cool under the fan in our room. Our beds were a little hard and sleep not as restful as I had hoped.
Wednesday 21st October. A late start to the day and we had breakfast at the restaurant nearby again and then wandered down to the beach along the road where ladies were drying loads of tiny fish and shrimp on long straw mats lining the roadside despite the masses of fish there was little foul smell surprisingly and as they lay in the same directions all the fish looked like they were swimming in the same direction along the road. At the beach the heat, humidity and haze made the place feel like it was washed in greyness but the beach was reasonably clean and the water was warm on our feet. There were brightly coloured fishing boats along the shoreline and people with nets and baskets of fish. Walking along the beach we were accosted repeatedly by women selling sarongs and jewellery, relentlessly friendly but focussed on the sale they were vying for. We ended northwards at the main village beach and sat under an umbrella on 2 lounges for the cost of drinks bought. We even got towels so were happy and had a swim in the warmish water that sadly was not that clear when in it. We whiled away some hours reading and fending off women sellers. However I buckled and bought an anklet and bracelet from an older woman for way too much money and was then left in peace. Wandering back up to the village we found many shops closed and hotels not in full swing as the high season begins in December. On the beaches were many temporary huts being built for the season coming no doubt to sell food and souvenirs for the masses that holiday here. We were happy to have come when there were few tourists and enjoyed the quiet laid back feel here. There are very large resorts dotted around the fields and along the sleepy lanes where time share owners come to holiday. We walked all the way back through the village to the guesthouse and by this time it was 4pm and we rested till it was dark and wandered back up the road for dinner at a different restaurant that had another couple in it. While a little pricier than last night the meal was excellent and I had fish curry and Wayne another just as good veg dish. Again the night was steamy and the walk back to our room after half an hour we were dripping and sought refuge under the fan and read till we went to sleep.
Thursday 22nd October. Continuing our late rising them here in Goa we had breakfast in our local corner place and being creatures of habit I had eggs on toast and milk coffee and Wayne had yummy muesli with fresh fruit and lime soda which he is loving here ( fresh lime juice with soda water added). After this we went up to the village and found an internet café to check on the mail, Hong Kong accommodation and upload some of the blog. This took some time as the net was dodgy so we went to another internet café and repeated the process. After managing to get this done we went to the beach again and had a swim and read some more on the beach. The water was refreshing and we made sure we were covered with sunscreen as the haze masks the sun burning. All around are palm trees and filds of farms in between the village and homes, cows, pigs and numerous dogs many mangy hang out nearby. Another lazy day and we have finished our books so we will try to swap these in the village tomorrow. I found I had lost my bracelet and returned to the village to see a shop we had been in if it was there but no luck. The village suffers blackouts often but many are for 5minutes or so but tonight it was an hour so in the steamy room we hung out by candle light sweating till the power returned and we wandered to the corner place for dinner again as it is well priced, close by and the food good being freshly cooked once we order it. Later the lost bracelet was found in our room on the bed so it was not lost but the clasp had broken- not good quality the work.
Friday 23rd October. Big mission of the day was book swapping at the village- mission accomplished and we swapped 3 books for 3 so we were happy with that .however Wayne was disappointed as the village café had no muesli so he was stuck with eggs too. In the afternoon we walked further south and passed many brightly coloured homes further from the main village and then walked south along the beach passing a 5 star resort where even we could not go into the bar for a drink being non residents. Along the beach were many star fish, hermit crabs and bivalves. A mass of life in the waters which we were surprised to see. Two days ago we saw 2 dead sea snakes on the beach too. The walk was relaxing being near sunset and the haze causing the sun to go red but not reach the horizon due to the cloud haze. Many people turn up to the beach in the late afternoons as it is cooler and along the beach were 4 parasailers taking people up in the harness under a round parachute pulled by a motor boat. On the beach we had dinner at a restaurant with our feet in the sand and the meal was quite good enjoyed as dusk turned to night. A pleasant walk back to the guesthouse for an hour in the cooler evening being cooler than the last 2 nights so not uncomfortably sticky. The weather has been great for doing our washing ( by hand) and drying on our balcony here so we can leave by train tomorrow with all clean clothes.
Saturday 23rd October. Muesli for Wayne and me today ( they had run out of bread!!!) at our little corner place. Fresh fruit all yum in the muesli. We chilled in our room most of the day and read our new books and then packed up all our gear and left by rickshaw for the train station. It was a lovely chilled out stay here in Benaulim in Goa and we toughly enjoyed our stay. Goa has other beach areas with more party scenes and hippies but we were happy to have stayed here as it was none of those and was a more laid back non party place for us. Geraldo was a kind man who ran Antonettes and allowed us a late checkout as he had no other guests and was very helpful arranging our rickshaw for us to be picked. I would recommend his place to anyone and it was excellent value at 300 rupees a double. At Madgaon station we caught our train at 4.45pm and found ourselves sitting with a girl from NZ and in another hour another woman from NZ got on into our area too so we enjoyed being with other travellers which has not happened on the trains mostly. We had some chats and swapped stories with them which passed the time. The view out the window as the sun set on tropically green Goa was beautiful and when dark fell we had some dinner- I had veg byriani rice and Wayne had a thali like plate of food and he loved it.Later a man selling sweets came along and we shared some gulab jamon ( doughnut balls soaked in syrup- yum). Around 10pm we attempted to go to bed in our bunks. Sleep was erratic as there was a screaming child opposite us so that did not help.
Comments
It's Ain't Goin' to Goa
THAT'S your big contribution, why even bother???
I wasn't quoting the song Title, merely a line from the song, as in Remember little man dont you go to goa.