Blogs from Panaji, Goa, India, Asia - page 4

photos! from Panjim, Old Goa and surrounding areas. For some reason I can't edit these - might be something to do with the power cut we have just had - but feel free to add your own descriptions ..... .... more en route providing no more power cuts!... read more

After the hustle and bustle of dusty Rajasthan and the chaos of Mumbai - Goa has been the calm that we needed to recharge ourselves in readiness for Nepal. Our train disgorged us at Anjuna station in the early hours of the morning and we groggily climbed into an auto rickshaw for the journey to our hotel. Our hotel was very nice with an inviting pool and a great value breakfast of eggs, toast and tea for 50p! Anjuna itself is very small and has just a handful shops and restaurants. The beach itself was gorgeous and deserted on most days. Best of all it was on our door step. Our days have not been very hectic at all and have mostly consisted of sunbathing throughout the day then watching the amazing sunset in the evening ... read more

Prem had an interesting encounter overnight in the washroom. She heard a weird noise at bathroom window, sounded like a piercing shrill and something was knocking the window trying to get in. She froze completely, unable to move. It stopped after a while and she ran back to bed. She heard it again the second time when she went to the bathroom later that night. Not sure what it was in the end. We had enough of this old house, it’s very spooky and there are always strange noises from all over the house on top of the cricket, bird and sounds from other animals. We checked out today. When we went to settle the bill we were told that the credit card verification machine was not working so they demanded cash! We did not have ... read more

Monday morning in Panjim and the city wakes up. Tumble weed is replaced by cars, and empty streets replaced by people. We arose out of our cell, sorry hotel room; had a hose down, sorry cold shower, and went looking for some culture. It came in the form of 'Old Goa', which was the capital before Panjim. About 9km east, we hopped into a taxi and had breakfast getting hassled in the same way you do at every tourist trap. We all stuck to our ritual of eggs and toast, mainly habit, mainly because that and cereal is about it for breakfast in India. After looking around some of the Churches and Cathedrals in Old Goa, we got a more exciting rickshaw back to the centre of Panjim and did some shopping. After circumnavigating the whole ... read more

We left Palolem at a respectable 11am and bid farewell to our fantastic views and relaxed beach life. After a brief negotiation over price we had begun the two hour taxi journey up to Panaji (Panjim), Goa's capital. The journey was breakneck and bumpy as all the road journeys seem to be here, but got some great glimpses of village life as we hurtled through the countryside. Sari-clad women working slowly through endless green fields and hordes of school children dressed in pristine uniforms making the hot and dusty walk home. We arrived in Panaji and spent a good half an hour trying to locate the Afonso Guesthouse. A helpful man on a motorcycle pointed us in the right direction and we were dropped off outside the quiet and friendly family-run guest house. We checked in ... read more