Observations so far

Its been 23 years since our first visit and 9 years since our last. Lots has changed, its cleaner, all water is now filtered, significantly less malaria, new cars everywhere, no roaming cattle, just the odd pig, much less poverty, don’t believe what’s in the media.

Technology : The world and his dog has a mobile phone/tablet  with 3G standard everywhere. Most of the kids have IPhone 5’s

Shop prices:

Wholemeal/white bread 25p

Butter 45p

Cheese 1.50

Eggs 40p a dozen

Apples 40p for 6

Grapes 25p bunch

Limes/lemons 2p each

His lordships two new white cotton shirts £2.50 each

Tide washing powder 10 wash 50p and yes I’ve had the Samsung washer going, it does tend to do the hokey cokey between the kitchen cupboards and sounds like a 747 landing but it washes in 28 mins.

Gillette Mach 3 razors £4 and I paid £16 for his lordships last week in Boots

Taxi fare to the beach £1 (3 miles)

Bus to the beach 7p but according to some friends, you get the whiff of armpits and other bits in your face, so its  taxis for me!

Sea front house with small garden 3 bed 2 bath 25k.  Must get my friends with a property portfolio to come out here.

For all our friends concerned about us getting Delhi belly you might guess that as a food safety trainer for 25 years with the Royal Society for Public Health I am very watchful about where we eat and what we eat, and if all else fails I’ve got half of Boots dispensary with me, and for me and only me, – so far so good and I have a large cork for himself!

Tomorrow he is going with Steve to check out the local barbers for a 30rupee cut throat shave, don’t worry kids!

Varca Roman Catholic church, opposite the taxi rank and bus stop. 

 

Anyone for Pork chops?



Piggin close!



So we have spent a wonderful day just chilling out on the beach, and I think I’m about to have a soapbox moment.  Why is it all the roads here are better than home, why is the beach cleaner, both before and after  everyone has gone? There must have been thousands of locals on the beach, it was Hindi New Year, and there wasn’t a  can or any litter anywhere! We are In the middle of nowhere and there were two lifeguards on duty,  & tourist beach patrol.  After having a lovely meal, watching the sun go down and a few gin & tonics we asked the bar owner to call us a taxi and he sent the waiter to drive us home.  We had only gone a couple of miles before a pig ran out into the road, hotly pursued by a feisty dog right into the path of an on coming motorbike.  The biker braked to miss the pig but crashed and skidded with the bike on top of him for about 20 feet.  People say life is cheap in India, but within a couple of minutes there were a crowd of us trying to help the poor guy.  He looked as though he had cracked a few ribs, broken an arm and badly cut his legs.  He was very lucky, he had no helmet on, he could have been dead.  Anyway someone got help for him, someone else went to try to catch the dreaded pig, probably for dinner, and someone else gave the guy his phone back that had bounced down the road.  This had a devastating effect on himself, no chance of hiring the Royal Enfield now,  yikes you never know where the next pig will come from!

Needless to say we got home safely, managed to pick up a bottle of the local Gin £1.70, 3 tonics 90p and 5 fresh limes 10p from Alfredo the Veg Man, we might never come home.............



Sunday morning 12^th

Awoke to the cries of sea eagles, crows, a  distant train hooter, and a stunning blue sky. Himself groaned about the impossibly firm mattress, now to be called The Rack, and made coffee.

Our complex is between Varca village and the sea and very rural, Only rich Indians live here according to John The Fixer

 Last night we feasted on the cheapest Indian meal we have ever bought at the Feedmore Café.  Two large beers,  Chicken kebabs, with a chilli rush to make us grab our beers, 3 mains, yummy dhal, a novel broccoli dish, with rice & the crispiest lightest cheese & garlic naan all for the princely sum of £6.70 + 30p,  tip got a bow from the waiter for himself.

Tonight we are having drinks at sunset at Benaulim  Beach followed by dinner at one of the restaurants

Dont get many of these on Blackpool Beach!



Sunday

The Rack, exotic colours

Imperial Residence

Home for 2 weeks

Sunny Goa

Our flight to Goa was very pleasant .  We travelled  Premium, so we were comfortable, fed some uninspiring food and plenty of complimentary drinks.  We got chatting to the people in front of us who have been here for a month/six weeks every year for nine years.  They  had lots of dentistry work done on their last visit, he’d had two full sets of implants top and bottom, and the lady had all her teeth crowned.  They looked very impressive and for a fraction of the price back home.

We arrived about midnight UK time, 5.30 am local time, and the very efficient Indian authorities zoomed us through immigration, baggage collection and out in less than half an hour.   Quite incredible!  Our driver was standing outside the arrivals hall with  a “Welcome Richard Kendrick” sign and he whisked us off into the darkness along very quiet roads, a blessing.

Archie, our German landlord greeted us at the Imperial Residence and we made tea and went to bed.  The bed is the firmest I have ever, ever slept on.  Himself had to check to see that there was a mattress there and that we were not lying on a board!

We awoke about 9 and there was fog in the distance over the paddy fields, apparently it’s the coolest time of the year.  We had breakfast, then hiked up the road to the bank to change money, but it doesn’t work like that in India, the bank sent us across the road to the supermarket and the cashier did us a good deal 100 rupees to the £.  Whilst himself was changing the dough, I looked at the prices of general stuff, I was amazed how cheap it was.

We walked a little further to the local phone shop and arranged to buy two sim cards, one with internet access and one basic, and a dongle as the wifi is patchy.  Our communications package will cost us about £35 for the lot and should see our 6 weeks out.  Calls in India are the equivalent of a penny a minute, and back home for 4p a minute.  Slight hitch, we need passport photos for the contract, but the man said he could fix that too.  So Sunday morning we should be sorted.  Update, John our new best friend and now to be called The Fixer, has fixed the sim card and dongle problem at half the price result!

We're off!

Had a comfortable night in our shoebox room with cardboard walls at the Holiday Inn.  I remember why I hate hotels, 25 years of  being on the road as a tv caterer.  It bought it all back when the guy next door used the thunder box at 5.30 ! Happy days. The only saving grace was the spa and a good brecky before we dragged our rediculously small bags to the check in. 64kg between uS and were travelling very light at 15 kg each. I feel robbed! I've always been a pack to the max  girl myself.  Time to go, himself needs assistance with his stocking, oops sorry flight socks .......