Varca Palms Beach Resort Salcette

... would a bit more around here - He blatantly gets commission on that hotel :-) - so I just decided to go for that one for 2 nights on the basis it was 600 Rupees.

The driver then asks me for 150 Rupees. Where was our agreement? It was a fair way, I'll give him that but if you break the deal at least let me know! It took a bit of conversation and I paid 100 Rupees which I thought was okay for the distance.

I went to a local bar waiting for my room to be ready and people were ...

... at the calf, one on it's head, one on it's back and one at it's anus, a common starting point for entry to the soft insides of a meal. I went and shooed them away and was surprised to see that the calf raised his head! I guess he will be O.K. for now. Later in the day the mother gave a mock charge when I got too close to the calf. Her being protective was a good sign. The kids found a little store with some cool clothing, fought a hard battle with the owner over prices ...

... which we can see, but to recognize the emotional reactions and the motivations behind them is the first step to connecting to That Which We Cannot See. Take the power out of nurture, and the innocence rediscovered brings us closer to Nature. It could be argued that "bad" people who do violence, rob, cheat, or hurt others (or themselves) intentionally in any way are extremely clouded by the noise of the mind and so far from the truth of the heart that they are ...

... a blatant regard for health and safety. Fireworks were being let off all along the beach by bars, tourists, kids and adults alike. It made for a interesting walk back along the beach, trying to make sure we didn't have fireworks for dinner. Our low key NYE meant that we all woke up refreshed and blessedly hangover free this morning for our exciting day of doing.....nothing. Blissfully, happily, quitely doing nothing ...

En cuanto baje del avion en el aeropuerto de Goa me di cuenta de que todo habia cambiado. Esto es otra India, muy diferente a la que he vivido hasta ahora. Me vi rodeada de una calma inusual y de palmeras y bochorno tropical. Lo que buscaba, tranquilidad para mi ultima etapa del viaje. En Chapora me reuni con Eva, Sandra (un par de catalanas de lo mas majas que conoci por este pais) y Kaushal, el particular heroe de Sandra en la ...

... a nos sympathiques nerita ie les escargots comme Philippe (voir post anterieur) mais a 3 types de leurs confreres escargots, aux coquillages (clam pour etre precise) et aux poissons (sardine et maquereaux, ca pue) donc beaucoup plus d'experiences. Ensuite nous n'etudions plus une enzyme mais 3, elles nous servent de biomarqueurs de la pollution et nous auront donc un plus de vu plus precis des composants de cette ...

... a taxi, have a great dinner, go to Cocktails and Dreams, stuble back home. The hammocks were especially fun for Laju as you can see in the photos. Dinner each night just got better and better...our favorite two places were Britto's and Fiesta. After 3 nights we were finding it hard to get back on the flight to Hyderabad...but somehow we all did. Anyway... a great second trip to Goa...good times with other Hyderabad expats. Enjoy the pics.

... Palolem. We were amazed to know that he had walked down to Goa from Rishikesh; a religious place in northern India. There was something very special about his personality. I still remember his divine smile. Devesh named him the real Traveller when he uploaded his picture on one of the websites. It was Diwali evening. We went to our favourite place to have dinner at Benaulim beach. We celebrated Diwali with Goan music and Beer. Next morning, we set out ...

... look stunning, endless stretches of golden sand blighted only by sun loungers and us tourists, but behind every patch of palm trees and in every rocky alcove a makeshift rubbish tip is hidden. There is so much of this hidden litter that I was beginning to wonder why more of it didn't wash up on the beach. But early one morning we discovered the 'beachcombers', women paid to literally sweep the debris off the sand before the deckchairs come out. I'm sure that the ...

As you know, we are not the biggest fans of the beach, so what better way to spend 10 days than touring Goa, the state famed for it's golden coast? First stop was Panjim, the capital. We stopped in a really nice guesthouse, Afonso, which was in a quiet backstreet with a whitewashed church at the end of the street. We were soon to find that there are innumerable whitewashed churches around, a legacy from the old Portuguese. Not that much actually here, but ...