My three weeks in Goa
by Eleanor
(Sydney)
I spent 10 days in Chaing Mai, Thailand with my daughter who flew back to Sydney for work and I continued to South Goa to meet some friends from the UK who go to Benaulim every year for about two months.
It had been 10 years since I had visited India, and I found it just such a wonderful experience as before. Not much had changed except a lot of hotel development which I found didn't quite fit in with the local environment.
I realise that the tourist dollars is the reason for all the development, but in fact if it is overdeveloped the tourist will not come they will look for somewhere else.
The shacks are all still selling the goods and the beautiful beach sellers and the colourful wares.
I had a wonderful massage from a deaf and dumb man on the beach who seems to make a good living and good on him.
One of the beach ladies with several beautiful naked kids running in and out of the surf asked me if I had any towels I could give her.
Just think about that - no towels. I didn't take towels on holiday with me, hotels in Thailand provide towels and pool towels and so does the guest house in Benaulim. I visualised my linen cupboard in my bathroom stacked with towels, only half of which I ever use. How can I get them to her? Any ideas? Or perhaps by reading this you can take some with you if you are going to Goa and kids clothes you are not using any more.
The only down side of my trip is a terrible problem with dogs. There are dogs everywhere, pregnant dogs, puppies, barking dogs, 3 -4 dogs per house or shack and many on the beach. Tourists try to feed them but that is counter productive, they have a full belly for a few days and the tourist moves on. The dogs need to be culled to prevent health problems and to keep the tourist trade on the up. I am not saying that people will stay anyway, but they might and these dogs are not looked after and it is cruel.
If you like swimming like I do, the you will be amazed at the clean sea, nothing in it to bite or eat you and warm. I don't think I've been in the sea since the last time I was in Goa 10 years ago. In Australia the water is cold, very cold, and things brush up against your leg and OOh what is that, so I go to the pool instead.
I highly recommend Oashins Guest House Benaulim. About a kilometre from the beach - 20 minutes good walk, or only a few minutes if you hire a bike for your stay.
sp shack on the beach for good cheap meals, has a tandoor, and also has the most tasty spring rolls.
Gee's Kashmiri shop just off the beach has some beautiful things and lots of jewellery. He also mends jewellery or re makes new from old.
Well I can't think of anything else except I am planning a return trip at the end of the year.
