What’s on your top ten of things you really should not do?   Now, that’s got you all thinking hasn’t it but, sorry, you’ll just have to read the rest of the blog to find out what this is about!

The cash crisis is still with us and is unlikely to get much better before we leave in February.  Not letting this get us down we’re enjoying being back here again especially our first morning chorus.  Our body clocks were not quite back to normal so we both woke early on our first day here.  We sat in bed with a mug of tea and watched the sun rise and listened to the birds, monkeys, buffalo, pigs, firecrackers, the distant sound of the train and the church bells and the singing at morning mass – it’s absolutely fantastic to be back and who cares if we have no money.  The rent was paid in the UK and we could both do with losing a bit of weight.

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This year we’ve rented a 3 bedroom town house with balconies at the front overlooking the swimming pool and at the back the paddies.  It’s in the same development we’ve stayed in for the last 2 years so we’re beginning to get to know more and more people.  The advantage is we can have people to stay and Neil’s sister June and best friend Barbs were due to arrive just a few days after us.  We got on with planning the rest of their trip and working out how they could pay for things without a wad of cash in their purses.  We took them on a boat trip to see dolphins and eat gorgeous garlic prawns and kingfish plus plenty of G&T.  They enjoyed time on the beach and Barbs found time to apply some much needed first aid to Neil who slipped in the shower and managed to slash his wrist on the edge of some tiles.  Then they were off for 6 nights on their own for their trip on the overnight train to Kerala including the backwaters and tea estates.  They had a ball, ate too much and came back with lots of goodies like strawberry jam for us to devour.

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They arrived back at midday to find Cheryl banging and crashing about as she swept the stairs and June quietly asked Neil why was Cheryl cleaning today? This was just as he spotted it on the calendar whilst closing down the computer.  That was an almighty ‘oh sh*t’ moment – yes readers, he had forgotten Cheryl’s birthday!  His mitigating circumstances were concentrating on making sure we all had enough cash to get by plus ensuring that June and Barbs got back from Kerala OK.  It had completely slipped his mind – ‘oh sh*t, oh f**k, oh b**llocks, Neil you’ve really gone and done it this time you pillock’!  So, blunt rusty knife in one hand, balls ready on a plate in the other hand ready to be surgically removed he went upstairs to beg for mercy.  Fortunately for him whilst this was a gargantuan error of judgement Cheryl decided it didn’t warrant the removal of his precious gonads……….but it came pretty close.  Keen to make amends, Neil quickly ordered a taxi and we went off to Martin’s Corner for cocktails, a long lunch and a relaxing walk back down the beach just in time for sundowners. Cheryl mellowed a little after her fourth Margarita. 

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We had more beach time for June and Barbs, a final candlelit dinner on the beach of lots more fish and prawns before they headed off to Rajasthan.  We had planned them a trip to visit Udaipur, Jaipur, Fatepur Sikri, Agra and then finally to Delhi.  Our plans went like clockwork until they had one of India’s famous experiences – the late train!  The final leg of their journey was from Agra to Delhi which normally would take 3hrs…….their journey was 3hrs but unfortunately the train was over 5hrs late arriving to pick them up…..ho hum!  Anyway, they finally got there and had a good time exploring its many sights – J&B it was great to have you stay and we’re already planning your trip for next year!!

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Everyone here is always looking for different things to do and, mostly, they tend to include alcohol.  That’s why the boat trips are always a winner, we had yet another one, and why the wine tasting that Sue and Andy arranged was oversubscribed.  It was a great afternoon sampling a number of Indian wines, nibbling on all sorts of goodies and then carrying on into the evening.  Some of the wines were reasonable, some ok and two bottles were only fit for pouring down the drain! In between all of this we’ve managed to cram in some beachtime where we just read, swim, eat and watch the activity on the beach.  

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Now, who wants to come to Goa?  We have lots of space and we’re here until February 8th.  We have also secured the house again for November, December and January 2017-18 so if anybody wants to come and visit we have 2 spare rooms.  C&N’s Best Exotic Tours can also put together a tailor made package to suit your requirements!

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