On the sleeper bus to goa we had a weird night trying to sleep in a bus with a driver who followed the India highway code religiously and who also swerved to drive over potholes. We had one toilet stop in 12 hours. Arrived in Margao at 1130, only 3 hours later than we were expecting. We were tired, hungry and temp was mid 30 s, so I thought it would be a good idea to walk with all our bags to where I thought our hotel was. I blame google maps. Got a taxi driver called Sanjay to drive us to our hotel to be told it had no rooms and then got him to drive us to the seaside town of Colva. Sanjay stopped at several hotels on the way without being asked and later turned up at our cafe with a guy who was trying to rent us a room. Wandered round the town in the sweltering heat and looked at 5 different rooms. Shelly opted for the luxury option that came with hot water. This happened to be an apartment, so we can also make our own cups of tea. Never underestimate the importance of small pleasures.

Decided to stay for a week, just to chillax and spend time on the beach, hired a scooter for 5 days too. 7 nights in our own apartment cost 3 burgers. Colva is a pretty seaside town. It is totally set up for tourists and is swarming with Russians. The sea is very warm and good for bodysurfing. Indian women keep all their clothes on, even when swimming, may explain why so few guys wear sunglasses. Luckily, by Indian standards dress code is more relaxed, so Shelly was able to wear a swimsuit. The next few days consisted of eating curries, sunbathing, swimming in sea and trying to climatise. It's hotter down here than Mumbai, mostly at midday, so have adopted a routine that involves getting up at stupid o'clock then having a siesta to escape the heat. It's been mid 30 s every day and have not seen a cloud since leaving London. We like it here and having a scooter means we really get to explore the various gorgeous beaches, pretty towns, backwaters and greenery that goa has to offer. Next stop hampi.