A long walk to Fort Aguada and John's last days

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15th February 2009

Gemma left early this morning so John was at the door by 10:00am. We’d decided to walk to Fort Aguada which is a good 7km along the beach. While walking we filled three bags full of plastic rubbish. This is a regular routine for John & I, it really pissing us off the mindless lack of respect people have for the people, animals and the environment. John and I constantly remind people that it’s OUR India as well as theirs. I know we’ve set a good example with many of the tourist as we’ve seen people also collecting litter while walking and they often come up to us and tell us of their good deeds. Most people don’t think of the consequences of chucking plastic into the seas. It gets taken by the current and many marine animals think its food, quite possibly jelly fish, ingesting it and then dying a slow and painful death from starvation because of a blocked the digestive track. I sure we’ve saved a few turtles and dolphins while we’ve been here.

Near the end of the beach we come across a peaceful demonstration of locals and tourists complaining about the large container ship’ The River Princess’ that has been stranded on a sand bank just off shore for the last seven years. The ship is redirecting the waves and is slowly destroying this end of the beach. Several local businesses in the form of beach shacks have been washed away and it’s getting gradually worse. The owner of the ship apparently took the insurance money and disappeared leaving a potential environmental disaster waiting to happen when the ship finally breaks up.
We joined in the protest joining hands in a very large circle and then clapping hands along with the music. The local press covered the event and I hope when we return the matter has been resolved.

We stopped for a light lunch and a couple of beers at ‘The Big Blue Shack’. We all played with a very cute puppy called Candy before setting off again for the final part of our marathon beach hike. At the end of the beach we found a quiet bay where we waded into the refreshing sea. After a walk up and down the shore John and I retired onto the sun beds. Pili in the meantime scoured the sand for interesting shells. She came back with a handful of small Ammonite fossils which she intends to make into jewellery.

Pili and I relaxed for another hour but John headed back home. On the way past the River Princess we saw a guy balanced on a make shift raft pulling himself across the current to the shore. He was met by some of his friends who had parcels of food for him to take back to the ship. We were told that about 200 Indians had made the wreck their home. I guess it’s better than living in the streets! The walk back seemed to take forever and we were relieved to get back to the apartment to shower and settle in for the night.

16th February 2009

Pili went to Panjim for the day with Ruth while I hung around with John for most of the day, supping a few beers and checking out the beach.

In the evening we all met at the Pheonix and ate a delicious cheese burger made with Mike’s own hands, superb! Afterwards Pili and walked down to Calangute and checked out the craziness that is the ‘Banana Festival’. This seems just an excuse for a large Market and fair plus lots of illegal gambling tables. The place was packed and Pili quite a bit of attention being the only white woman there. I was very glad to retreat, this just isn’t my scene.

20th February 2009

We met up with Pili’s dancing friend from New Year, Don. He’s been house sitting fro a friend and offered us a free place to stay with him when our lease runs out of the 21st. This is very generous of him and we really appreciate it. We met at the shack and then head down to Calangute to purchase some train ticket for a visit to Hampi and the famous temples. We also purchase our coach ticket for our journey back to Mumbia when we leave India on the 2nd of March.

In the evening we go and play pool at the Sports Bar, Pili is getting very good with all this practise, she’s even stopped her traditional cheating methods and now relies on her skills, wonders will never cease.

21st February 2009

We were up nice and early and packed bags and put together a back of stuff for John to take back to the UK for us when he leaves.

Pili took to bags by taxi down to Don’s apartment in Candolin while I met up with John to go and photograph another football match for Mike. The team had received some sponsorship from a local business and had new kit. Mike what photos to use as publicity. After taking some nice pics of the team I retired from the heat with John and a nearby bar to watch the match in the shade with a cold beer.

John has damaged a ligament in his knee so he’s finding it difficult to move about. Of course I offered him the same genuine sympathy a she would offer me is the reverse circumstance.

About fifteen minutes before the final whistle we’d lost the will to live and decided to head back the Calangute. We walked at a slow pace just so that I wouldn’t have to carry John. When eventually we arrived outside the Tibetan Market John suggest we sit down at Glens Resturaunt and have a beer and some food. I thought this would be a good chance to check out the market while John ordered beers. On my way out I bumped into Pili returning from Don’s. She was knackered from the long walk and eagerly agreed to join us for a beer and a meal. We ate heartily and also had a nice chat with a Dutch girl who was living for a while in Goa. She’s just bought a shiny new Enfield Bullet and was raving on about it.

When we left the resturaunt I gave John my monopod to use as a walking stick. John took the opportunity for make us laugh by pretending to be a beggar asking the tourists for a few rupees. Typical John, that’s why we love him.

22nd February 2009

This morning we left our lovely apartment, we were a little sad as this was very comfortable for us. We headed down to Bobbies shack to meet up with John H for breakfast and then headed to the Pheonix Bar to meet up with another John who is a Goan resident. John’s been buying up some Tibetan artifacts and he’s arranged for me to photograph them at Mike and Jenny’s house. It’s been a pleasure to help out our friends; they’ve all been so good to us.

After the the photo session Mike drops us off at Don’s. We have a little siesta and then catch a Tutt Tutt (rickhaw) into Calangute to meet up with John at the public Bar. The journey was one of the scariest experiences of my life, almost on par with the ride we had in New Zealand with drunken Leyton and his wife. These Tutt Tutt drivers weave in and out of the traffic at top speed paying no heed to road rules or pedestrians for that matter. It’s amazing there isn’t more carnage.

We have a couple of drinks and then go to ‘Chopstick’ resturaunt for a meal. All the resturaunt we’ve been visiting are very basic compared to European standard, in fact they’d be closed down in the UK. We’ve found that these have the best and the cheapest menu’s, it a real taste of real India and we love it.

23rd February 2009

This morning I walk to the Public Bar in Calangute to meet John for his last day in Goa. It takes me about forty five minute on a stiff march. By the time I arrive I’m pouring with sweat. I down a beer in one and settle back for a litre and a half of water. John and I then walk down the beach for the last time eventually stopping at a bar and grab some beach beds to relax on. We bump into the Dutch girl we met in Glen’s the other night. She tells us about some trouble she’d had with some Russians the previous night. One of these idiots pulled a knife on her, apparently just messing around. She told her local bar boys and they went out on mass and when they caught up with them they proceeded to give them a good shoeing. You don’t want to mess with these Indians because they stick together and there is too many of them. I hope the Russians learn a valuable lesson. After a couple of hours with John we part and agree to meet later for our final meal together. I again march back to Candolin and suffer the heat.

In the evening Don, Pili and I jump on one of the local buses. I decide to film the journey for prosperity. The ticket collector sees a opportunity to earn some extra cash, WRONG! He aggressively demanded 2000Rs for the right to film on the bus. I openly laugh at him and give him a piece of my mind. The bus went quiet and all the Indian locked eyes on me. He said I must pay as all English people are very rich. I asked him if he had his own home which he answered “of course” I told him we were homeless and within an income. I also told him that in the UK people are now losing their jobs and houses because of the economic crisis and that India was one of the only countries in the World that still had economic growth. Of course this went right over his head and he looked at me as if I was a mad man. To lighten the mood I told him that I would give him 2000Rs next time if he produced a Tiger on the bus for me to film. He joked and realised that I wasn’t going to be suckered so easily.

Again we met John this time at the ‘Red Lion’ bar. We then move onto the Punjabi Dhabi. We had another great meal and then went next door for our farewell VSL drinks.

It’s going to be weird not having my buddy around, we’ll really miss him. Pili even got a little tearful when he finally jumped into a taxi. I’m also kinda glad we’re soon leaving India because it won’t be the same without him.

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