Peace in Patnem: After our hectic couple of nights with the boys in Agonda it was a welcome change to make our way to Patnem for a few relaxing days on the beach. Having decided that this time we would haggle our way to better priced accommodation, Debs and I set forth onto the beach, leaving Rach in a café with the bags. Two seconds later, and with feet that had literally been scorched to cinders on the sand, we settled for Tantra beach huts and haggled our way...

Dying with dolphins: The morning after the night before, we awoke with stonking hangovers to the sound of banging on the door of hut No.7… we had foolishly forgotten that we had booked ourselves on a boat trip to see Agonda's Dolphins by sunrise. We dragged ourselves out of bed, donned the largest pair of sunglasses available and trudged along the beach to where two small wooden fishing boats were waiting for us to clamber on-board. Finn and the leg (which we h...

Bear grills and beach fires: Not deterred by Finn's accident we continued the next night as we had the last. The card game was 'Horse Racing' and the rules were simple (4 cards = the horses which each player backs, race their way down the furlongs with drinking penalties incurred by the horse who comes in last). Ed's fantastic commentary and Will's convincing sound effects and jockey actions brought the game alive until we were all screaming for our chosen horse ...

Finn and the ditch drama: On our second day at Big Mama's establishment we met 5 guys who were holidaying/travelling in the area - D-dogg (aka Daddy), Finn, Bachelor, Will and 'aggressive when he has had a few' Andy. After an introductory game of Uno we decided that dinner and drinking games were a far better way of getting to know each other and headed out onto the dark (another power cut) streets. I will fast forward the next few hours to the walk home… Havin...

Big Mama: Our next stop as we travelled south was a small town called Agonda, Goa. In comparison to Baga this place was a welcome change with quiet beaches and a far more relaxed atmosphere… and no locals with their cameras! Big Mama, the owner of Dersy beach huts where we stayed was an elderly woman who, slightly unusually, seemed heavily pregnant (we were later to discover that this was just unprecedented bloating…) Our beach hut was basic to say the least;...