Well we've been busy the last couple of days, yesterday we went to Dudgusar falls which is a massive waterfall in the jungle. It took about two hours to get there by taxi, not sure where we went though. It was right ip in the hills, very nice jungle scenery, massive pot holes big enough to swallow a royal Enfield in one gulp! When we got there we were met by a very bossy Indian gentleman in charge of all the jeeps and he quickly loaded us into one. It was a he'll of a ride, about forty minutes through the jungle on a bone shaking track, through rivers, water nearly over the bonnet and leaking into the footwell, through muddy bogs where we nearly got stuck. I didn't fancy pushing much as we'd just seen a snake crossing the track about three metres long which the driver assured me was a black king cobra ( although I'm not sure he really new, he might have been bigging it up a bit! ) one of the jeeps got water in the engine and broke down but after a quick fag break and lots of Indians shouting at each other they soon had it fixed. When we got to there we were greeted by lots of monkeys waiting for there daily feeding time by the idiots with cameras, me included as we had already picked up our bananas on route as the taxi driver assured us it was much cheaper. Felt a right cheap git when we got there to find all these raggedy looking Indian women desperate to sell us some bananas though. After a short walk into the jungle over some massive rope bridges ( at least 3 foot of the river ) we got to the falls and they were pretty impressive. At the bottom of the falls there was a big pool which you could swim in, so I bravely disrobed showing off my lovely new tan and built in rubber ring only to spot some humungeous fish waiting for me! It was too late then I couldn't loose face so I closed my eyes and went for it, and chuffing he'll it was cold!! I swum over to the water fall itself and once I had got used to the ball shrivelling temperature it was amazing swimming under a waterfall in bloody jungle in chuffing India!!!!
Today we went into the capital city of goa panji to buy some fishing rods. We managed to buy a lovely bright pink telescopic number, it wad the only colour they had but beggars can't be choosers. It was bloody expensive though, rod reel and a load of tackle cost £50. It would have been cheaper in England, so as dad can't fish we bought just the one. On the way back we stopped at the local fish Market which was a proper good Indiana jones style affair, all I needed was a monkey on me shoulder! We managed to buy a small bag of some sort of bait fish, although the little chubby Indian bird was ready to sell me about a ton of the stuff.
So this afternoon we went to the end of the beach to a little natural harbour and set up the rod. Wed been there about five minutes when a little Indian lad we met in the same spot the other day appeared. His name was akash I think, he was only too eager to bait up our line and show us where to fish. He was a clever little b***** and soon came out with his life story. I'm not sure whether it was all true but he told us he was from a place up north quite a way off where his dad who only had one leg lived due to a run in with a bus ( he was quick to add that everyone laughed at him cause his dad only had one leg ). He said he had been brought here by his boss and he had to sell 800 rs worth of head massagers by the end of the day so he could go home to school, and if he didn't his boss would burn him with a cigarette. He then showed me an old scar on his arm. Weather he was telling the truth or not I don't suppose I will ever know but one things for sure he was as sharp as a knife and wanted us to hurry up and catch a fish so he could sell me a head massager! Eventually I could see he was getting pissed off with our pathetic excuse at fishing so I bunged him 100 rs and told him he could keep the head massager and off he went smiling like a Cheshire cat.
As soon as the tide came in about fiveish it was game on though, i caught 2 fish a bit like a black and White perch and one little catfish about a pound and a half, with which I was most chuffed. Dad caught his first ever fish, one of the perch type ones and a rock and an brolly.We managed to gather a crowd of local kids and an Indian family by this point, the dad from the family was most impressed by our expensive rod and asked if he could borrow a hook and weight. After we obliged he started fishing with a coke bottle and line, I felt a bit flash after that. Still he didn't catch b***** all!! We let him have our catfish though.
Feeling very chuffed with ourselves we headed back to the apartment trying to avoid all the salesmen on the beach, but we were soon put in our place when one of them asked if we were trying to catch gay fish with our pink rod!!
Well that's it for now, hope all is well in blighty signing off!
Ps it's s shame your not here boys, just think of nam.Peace out!