Goa

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Goa is not India. That's what one street seller said to us after trying to tout us something we didn't want or need, once we'd explained to him that we'd already spent 10 days travelling around Nth India and that we weren't fresh off a charter flight.
And never a truer word.
Goa is so far removed from everything else that we have seen up to now, it could actually be a different world. The only thing that remains constant is the heat and the humidity but even that is bearable when you've got an air-conditioned room with clean sheets and a beautiful pool to dive into when the heat starts to get too much.
We've treated ourselves to an upmarket hotel (hence the clean sheets). It's got the most comfortable sun loungers I've ever lay on. Not only has the room got air-conditioning, but it's also got a remote-control to work the air-conditioning :-) And a mini-bar. Ah, the small pleasures.
The beach here (in Calangute) is beautiful, and huge, but it could be a beach anywhere at this line of the world. The sunsets are quite something and sitting in a beach shack with a cold Kingfisher watching the sun fall out of the sky is just about what we need.
The main reason that Goa is not India however, is because Goa (or rather Calangute I should say because I know there are much quieter spots in Goa that probably are more authentic India) is because there are so many tourists. It could be any holiday resort is Spain really, or maybe more like a cross between Spain and some of the touristy beaches in Phuket. The tourists are mainly English (although not in our hotel :-) and there seems to be quite a few Germans and Russians too.
Anyway, must get back to my lounger and do some more lounging ... life is good :-)

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