"goa" Goa by francolin

india has been on my "to do" list for some time.. we have booked 2 weeks at the sun village resort in Goa in december 2010.. not sure what to expect but as always I,ll write a little and post pics of our experience.. we decided to go all inclusive for the convenience as it was,nt much dearer than some of the B&Bs..we have since read that it is cheaper to hire a place and book your own flights etc..but as we were not on a particular budget we have the option of eating out or in.. looking forward to it and seeing the many sights and tastes that the region has to offer.

sugar cane drinks maker.

I have to say, I loved goa..my first impression was that it was very green but a bit grubby and run down here and there..my first day I left the hotel and set off with camera and binoculars.. I was delighted to see so many species of bird.. white headed eagles and kites..king fishers and waders..and a myriad of other beautifully coloured birds including a flock of parrots..I think I saw something different every day..I loved the bee-eaters and one day I saw a white throated fantail... other wildlife was in abundance too..even coming across a black masked monkey in a bush one morning, which upon seeing me scampered noisilly away through the bushes.
the people were very friendly..most said good morning and smiled..some would chat..I came across a wedding at one house and was called in and given a drink and offered food..I stayed for a while, soaking up the atmosphere and as I walked back along the dusty road, the sound of indian music filled my ears as I came to a local hindu temple.
I thought the locals to be eternal optomists.. as I walked along, many a taxi would stop and ask if I needed a ride, and when I declined they would ask if I wanted them the next day...a barber would call out, asking if I wanted a shave or haircut..no thanks, I said..ok, would be the reply, what about tomorrow? maybe, I said, with a smile.
one day as I was returning from a walk it was getting very hot, so when a tuk tuk stopped and offered his services I accepted and got in..I told the old man the hotel where I was staying..it was only a few minutes away but he went past the turning..I leaned forward and asked him if he knew where the hotel was..yes, he said, I know..well I thought, he must know another way..he did,nt !! I told him he was going the wrong way..yes, he said..I know.. in the end he asked some people...but they did,nt know..I said to him to turn around, I,ll show him the way..ok he said.. he then showed me a card with a hotel named on it and asked if this was the hotel..no, it was,nt..keep going I said..its this way..I know he said !! I got there in the end after about 15 minutes and me telling him which way to go..each time I told him, he said..yes..I know..and when we got to the hotel I told him to stop and said..this is my hotel..he looked at it and said..yes, I know.. I was so amused, I had to smile and gave him 100 rupees for the pleasure.
we got a taxi one day to go into calungute and got on well with the driver so we hired him each time we went out.. a couple of times he was already out but would arrange someone else to taxi us..at such times we did,nt pay the driver but settled up the next time we saw him..once we were driving along when he suddenly swerved off the road into a driveway..he apolagised and said that he must put on his brown uniform..we set off again and came to a police check point, the reason for his hurried stop!

cashew nut and fruit.

I found Goa to be an excellant place for food and drink .. and compared to the uk, very cheap. .. everywhere you go there are places to eat..I found the food to be very good and the service excellant.
I had seen the stalls that crush sugar cane else-where but never tried it..so after taking a couple of pictures I tried one..I,m glad I did..it did,nt look particularly apertising but it tasted realy good and was refreshing..they mix the sugar cane juice with lime and a little water..it tasted quite sweet with a little "weedy" taste in the background ... I would definately drink it again.
the local hooch is called fenni..either made with the fruit of the cashew nut or with coconut.. I tried the cashew fenni .. neat, it smelled awful..I certainly could,nt have drank it like that but had it mixed with a lemon fizzy drink.. it was ok..I had another one which was a bit stronger on the fenni..it was not so good..it had an after taste of burnt plastic..ugh.
during one of my walks I stopped to watch a group of indian locals cutting down coconuts..one of the lads offered me one for 20 rps .. i took him up on his offer and they cut one open for me..after drinking the refreshing water inside they cut it in half so that I could eat the thin slimy pulp inside..I gave him a 50 rps note but he only had 10rps note on him..I said, give me the 10rps and I,m happy..he did,nt like it and wanted to go and get me the change..I said, no, its ok..then he wanted me to have another coconut to make up the money I had given him.. I could,nt drink another one and told him I was happy with what I had paid..he seemed happy then..I was left thinking that he was a good honest lad and was typical of the general honesty and fairness of the people that I had met.
alcohol was very cheap.. a bottle of old monk rum..43% proof, was under £2..and it was a good tasting dark rum.

• Pros:lovely friendly people.. good food and wonderful wildlife.
• Cons:a bit run down in places and at night they burn their rubbish which includes plastics and rubber.
• In a nutshell:gorgeous Goa.