A couple of days ago we were talking to our new Friends Subha & San, both from Calcutta and were holidaying here in Goa. I mention how I'm trying to book tickets for the next leg , the railway journey to Kerala. Subha tells me "You may have a problem with this, if you do let me know". Since all railway reservation are now done on line, you can no longer simply show up at the station and get a ticket as sometimes the trains are fully booked. All my efforts hav...

"How are we doing on the blog?" asked Grant. "There's nothing to say, we havent done anything". We then got our act together and sorted out a taxi for Fort Aguada about 8 miles away. The Navaratri festival is on and so lots of local people are doing the same as us. The festival is the triumph of good over evil and all the vehicles are festooned with garlands of orange flowers. The road to the fort has many bolltlenecks and tedious car jams. There's lots of boats...

We've been on R'n'R mode the last couple of days,except of course this brings problems for us. We didnt feel the scorching heat of the Indian sun and after a few hours I noticed Grant had turned into a lobster, so had I. We're not too bad but have had to take it easy. We've met nice people here and have had a good relaxing time. I've got itchy feet as I know there's some real madness waiting for us out there. The trouble is this place is an oasis of peace. Grant ...

We reach the Santana Beach Resort and go to check in. We cant as it's 8.40am and we have to wait until midday. we're pretty tired as we havent slept in about 24 hours. The nice man at the desk says to us that we can go into the restaurant and have a complimentary breakfast while we wait. This being India, I repeat his kind offer to clarify that we can have a complimentary breakfast free of charge while we sit it out. Yes, he tells us emphatically, I repeat the sa...

The flight from Mumbai was about a quarter full, the fruit juice and water were being served, probably to sober up those left on board who had got stuck into the whisky. We arrived at the international/military airport around 7am where the mist was rolling around the greenery of Goa. Customs and Passport control were a simple matter, especially when comparing it to the joys of Dubai. I had chosen Goa for a couple of reasons, 1. to ease Grant gently into India and...