Bogmalo

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Arriving in Bogmalo could not have been more different from Patnem. It consisted of a concrete hotel right on the beach front and another guest house with a bar overlooking the small sandy bay. Our accommodation was set back from the beach in a pleasant oasis called Coconut Creek. With meandering creeks set amongst coconut trees....surprise surprise... we spent our time here lazing by the pool reading our books and reflecting on our travels around India. It really is incredible what you can achieve over a short period of time when you have the energy and inclination to do it. It was here that we realised how tiring the trip had been. This place being the most westernised of them all really helped us to appreciate what the package holidays shelter their clientele from. It was during our reflective moments that we decided we missed the real life India: the people, the "free" animals, the shanty towns and the back to basics living.

In the evening we went for what we thought would be a nice dinner at the guest house overlooking the beach. What a shock we had... football on Sky TV, groups of package holiday makers, in your face chart hits to listen to over dinner and to top it all Vindaloo curry english stylie (which was the first we had seen in the past four weeks!).

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