TONY'S TRIP TO SOUTH INDIA
Third leg: Goa
BY TONY MYERS FRPS
Having been travelling almost non-stop along the 400 miles of dusty, pitted roads, following the coast road from Bombay, we at last arrived in Goa to a beautiful sunset evening. We passed through the main tourist centre, which reminded me a bit of Benidorm with all the touristy outlets. To get a sea-front location, we decided to splash out on our accommodation and paid 1330 rupees (about £15.00) between us for a nice apartment about 30 metres from the Arabian Sea.
After settling in, we set off to explore the beach hut eating houses. However, we were soon accosted by the local prostitutes; one, I remember, had eyelashes about 2 inches long. We quickly did a runner in the opposite direction! There were many eating places to choose from with many of them having extensive fish menus and a lovely smell of the many local spices which gave me a huge appetite.
 Goa sunset
 Goa sunset 02
Next day, we hired a local guide and his three-wheeler taxi to have a look around at the local sights. It was very sad to see so many badly handicapped beggars hanging around the main tourist areas--something rarely seen these days.
We were taken to a number of beautiful white-washed churches, which were deserted, making it possible to spend some time taking photographs. We decided to travel to Turtle Beach, just on the outskirts of Goa on the Mandovi River, where we found old, traditional beach-front hotels surrounded by fishing boats with the men repairing the nets. It was here that we saw a fisherman standing in about 2 ft of water just swinging and casting his one-man net and hauling in his catch. It is very unusual to see women swimming in these areas; the nearest thing was women sitting fully-clothed in their beautiful brightly coloured Saris, allowing the waves to roll around them. 
Goa lady paddling
We were taken to a number of beautiful white-washed churches, which were deserted, making it possible to spend some time taking photographs. We decided to travel to Turtle Beach, just on the outskirts of Goa on the Mandovi River, where we found old, traditional beach-front hotels surrounded by fishing boats with the men repairing the nets. It was here that we saw a fisherman standing in about 2 ft of water just swinging and casting his one-man net and hauling in his catch. It is very unusual to see women swimming in these areas; the nearest thing was women sitting fully-clothed in their beautiful brightly coloured Saris, allowing the waves to roll around them.
It was not the time of year to see the turtles swimming ashore to lay their eggs; perhaps a possibility if I decided to return at a different time of the year.
 Kingfisher lager at Sunset
Finally, we decided to stop on the beach and sample some of the lovely, cool Kingfisher lager, accompanied by a huge plate of the freshly caught fish, and sample the bright sunset slowly going down below the horizon. It made a great end to our second day in Goa.
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