The money supply problems persist in India with queues at every ATM. Each person is limited to 2000 rupees / day which doesn’t give much leeway to either residents or tourists.
We visited Arpora Saturday market which opens at 4 o’ clock in the afternoon and closes at 3 o’ clock in the morning! The huge crowds were mainly eating and drinking rather than buying things. People naturally prioritise when money is tight!
It was a large market but smaller than the other Arpora Saturday market down the road, which we’ll try another time. Not much buying going on!
We’ve never been to a market that had a disco ! …………
……….. or fire juggling!
We made our first trip to Panjim, the capital of Goa, when we borrowed a scooter from Hashim (our barber friend). Taking the free ferry across the river is easier than going the long way round and over the bridge. It’s a busy ferry, as we’ve said before, but a great experience to enjoy the frenzy of activity when the ferry loads and unloads it’s cargo of people, scooters and cars!
Doug gets off the scooter so that James can get aboard with a modicum of pride. He then keeps out of the way of the “scrum” on the main deck!
Our scooter is in there somewhere and James will have to go back to move it as there’s still a lot of space to get more people on board.
This is a typical shopping mall in Panjim (sometimes spelt and pronounced “Panaji”) – a market downstairs and shops on the upper floor. The temperature inside the building was too much to stay for too long.
After the market and getting some money from the bank (State Bank of India) we drove down to the riverside for lunch at one of our favourite jaunts called “Down the Road”.
We can have lunch and watch the traffic crossing The Old Patto Bridge which was built between 1632 and 1635.
Returning from Panjim we were delighted to see that the painting of our building is nearing completion with the column outside our veranda getting it’s rainbow colours!
The bamboo scaffolding is tied together with string and there are no planks. The painters just stand on the poles with their bare feet.
It seems incredibly precarious but they know what their doing – well, the guy at the top certainly has to!
Another day and another market. This one is at Anjuna and is held on a Wednesday. It starts about a half a mile inland and stretches all the way to the beach.
Which is where we went after we’d had a good look round. Anjuna is a favourite haunt of “the alternative set” with many young people around who trying hard to ‘find’ themselves. Lol. There are some quaint little nooks which you can rent for the day to hang out in ……….
……. and also some very pleasant bars (rather then shacks) built into the trees. We opted for the one at this end where we spent a relaxing afternoon with a few beers and late lunch.
Anjuna beach is very picturesque, lined with coconut palms and huts.
On Thursday, in our search for a garden centre just outside Candolim, we stopped to check directions (and for James to put his crash helmet on as we were about to go onto a highway!) we came across this church in such a perfect setting. The music and singing emanating from it at the time was wonderful.
We eventually found the garden centre (not unlike what we’re used to in the UK but this one, as with them all, was very well shaded by trees).
Many of the blooms we don’t see in the UK
Unusual Bonsais
Another day, another beach! And today (Thurs) this one is Baga and it was so hot the sand burnt our feet!
All the beaches are incredibly clean and tidy and most, like Baga, are large enough never to feel crowded.
Of course the cattle have right of way! (and no, that’s not James reading)
Our day on Baga beach was made extra special by the very attentive Ranju, at Xavier’s Bar, who looked after us and came for a chat when he had the time occasionally.
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