Goa lies half way down India, on the West Coast. The locals here are different from other nationals as Goa was previously under Portugese rule. The locals are really friendly and most speak a good amount of English. When we drive from the house to the end of the village our jaws are sore with constantly smiling and replying hello to just about everyone we pass. I think we are seen as the mad westerners who stay in the village.
Down the length of the Goan coast there are numerous different beaches. In the North the beaches are very busy. There are high-rise hotels, English and Irish pubs, and the beaches are busy. It's party party. The South is much quieter. Agonda is known as 'The Gem Of The South'. It only gets a small mention in the guide books so a lot of people coming to India don't think about coming here. This allows it to remain a relatively untouched place. The local community is very strong and although they want tourism for their economy, they do not want it spoiled. Nothing on the beach front is more than 2 stories high and even then, there is only a few of these and they tend to be locals houses.
The beach is stunning. It is about 2Kms long and, on a busy day, you will only pass another few people when walking along it, Oh, and a herd of cows! The tourist accommodation is small shacks/resorts along the beach. Some of the shacks have sunbeds on the beach. A day at the beach for us means heading to Tina Beach Resort. They have sunbeds on the beach with shade. Tina and Ragu who own it are a lovely young Indian couple who go the extra mile to make sure their guests have a wonderful stay. As I said previously we became good friends with them when we stayed in the resort March/April this year.
I go to the beach more than Colin but he still has to take me there on the scooter because I wouldn't drive on the Indian roads. Colin though is driving once again like a local - pump your horn at every other piece of traffic on the road, turn into corners on the wrong side of the road and don't look for other traffic as they should be pumping their horn at you to let you know they are there and don't brake too hard when a dog monkey pig cow or a large 4-wheel drive pulls out in front of you.
So a typical day at the beach for us would be, Colin drops me off at the beach and then returns home. I chat to a few other tourists that we have got to know and catch some rays, read a book or listen to the i-pod while Colin heads back home, reads the paper, catches up on the football news on the internet or prepares one of his Goan food delights for dinner,(his Goan-style cooking is now really good). He comes down the beach about 3pm when the sun is not so fierce. About 4pm we have a walk along the length of the beach and then a wee play in the sea. A gin and tonic while the sun is setting and then back home befor 6.30pm. The bun man (bread rolls) comes at 6.30. He comes on a push bike, blowing a wee horn to let you know he is coming. The buns are still hot from just being freshly baked. It is 12pence for 4 buns. What is the profit margin there. Someone to buy the ingredients, someone to bake the buns and someone to go around in a bike for 2 hours selling them! Life is hard here for some people.
Have to head off now. Heading down to the beach to meet some friends for dinner. We normally do most of our cooking at home, well Colin does most of it, so going out for dinner is a wee treat just like at home.
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