Well, I'm now faced with a blank page to blog in, and I just don't know where to start. I'd hoped to keep a day by day record of our travels, but we're now at the end of our 5th day and it will take too long! I'm writing a bullet point diary on paper so at least I can add to this site when we're home and have got a bit more time.

We're back in the restaurant with laptops, as mentioned in the last entry. I've just eaten Pomfret (small dense fleshed fished, v tasty) Masaala (immediate tears to my eyes and sinus discharge.) I've also drunk a fair few Planter's Punch so be warned that the following may not make sense…

We're still in Anjuna at the same guest house that we booked for our first three nights. We had planned to move on to Baga/Calangute/Candolim beaches but looking for a new hotel yesterday didn't turn up anything promising. Baga is very commercial, little alleyways stuffed with shops and lots of people asking you to "look my shop" or to have a massage. Anjuna where we are is slightly more of a backwater - no ATM etc and isolated from the other beach resorts but on the other hand is less mercenary with the marketing. On the other hand I experienced Indian persuasion at full force here in Anjuna today. To fulfill promises extorted from us we went to the market to look at their "shops" ie 12 stalls all selling exactly the same tourist baubles. Ended up coming away with ankle bracelets, sarongs, a necklace and an additional free gift bracelet at tremendous cost. Feel lucky to still be alive - at one point I was tugged in 8 directions to look my shop. Two creditors accompanied me to find Matt at the supermarket where he played the part of disgruntled husband excellently and delivered a lecture to the market harridans about pressure being bad for business.

Over the past few days we've eaten and drunk our way along Anjuna beach at various establishments perched on top of the dunes. Fish here is very tasty, lots of restaurants have insisted we see the platters of fresh fish so we know the produce is good. Not surprisingly the curry is also very very tasty. Kingfisher beer is the choice drink here, especially in bars that have a decent fridge. Kingfisher comes in a big bottle though so we have to share, with just one drinking the bottle gets too warm. Today we had a really lazy day and ate at one of the beach bars then bagsied a couple of their loungers which had the waves breaking at their feet. The sea is at just right temperature - not too hot, not too cold - very clear but also a bit fierce, it's hard to get out past the surf. The tree line behind the beach is made of palm trees, coconuts and little beach shacks. Really can't believe I'm here.

Tomorrow we've arranged to hire a scooter from Joseph (picked us up at the airport and handy for lifts since) so that we can get about under our own devices. I'd like to go the very Northernmost beaches before we go South. I'm looking forward to getting the scooter so I can stop at will and gape at the things the amaze and intrigue me.

Our accommodation at Erwin and Paulina's is seriously basic, but considering the amount of time we've spent in the room that doesn't at all matter. Erwin's family has been very helpful in directing us places and telling us about their lives. They pay a complete fortune each month just to get each of the 4 kids to school. We've got a veranda outside the room and most mornings sit and have a drink and watch the animal life and the neighbours go about their routine. All the UK's sparrows are over here making nests, and there's loads of crows who tapdance on our roof at night and will also steal a bottle opener (according to Pauline). Also we see iridescent butterflies who are so far camera shy and face the wrong way, dragonflies, jumping spiders and the biggest moth I've ever seen. Scary.

Loads of love to you all over there xxxx