It started with a shack

Following two heavy nights we were both bushed but had to go out for a while after spraying the room; the stuff here is lethal so don’t leave your dog in after spraying. We popped into Williams as we are starting to get a few Brits in there now so we can find out where to go. We got talking to a nice man called Mike who lives out here for the last few years in a house that he bought. This is unusual as it is only possible for Indians to buy property over here but he had a good lawyer and won in court. However, he still only gets a 6 month visa just like everyone else. We were only in Fish Land for the time it took so serve and eat fish and chips and then home to bed and I think Claire was asleep before the HBO film started. I liked the look of some of the paintings in Williams’s restaurant so have copied them at the front of this blog for you. The paintings over here have almost an Egyptian feel about them but a very strong Indian feel as well. I think it’s probably the flatness that gives them their Egyptian feel.

Up bright and early we were off to have our favourite breakfast at Dinhar’s in Benaulim. We had a large pot of fresh ground coffee with enough for three and a half mugs full, half a pint of fresh orange juice, a large bowl of fresh fruit, a massala omelette and a fresh fruit pancake; the whole lot Rs215, about £3 the lot. Claire had some internet duties and we found that the internet in Benaulim is just as fast as the one in Colva. It seems to us that Colva and Majorda are changing for the worst while Benaulim and Cavelossim for the better. Still early, we had a ride to the other side of Benaulim to get prices for the Taj Exotica, one of the best hotels in the world. We had a gin and tonic and glass of wine in there one New Years Eve; a bargain at £18 about 6 years ago. To our surprise, there was a new hotel called Joecons. We saw them building there 2 years ago but had no idea it was for Joecons. Following our drink at the Taj on New Years Eve we saw the New year in at Joecons restaurant just outside. He had started years ago with a beach shack outside on the beach to support the Taj customers. As the average person staying in the Taj is wealthier than us, they could afford higher than normal shack prices as long as the food was top quality, which they provide. Business was so good for them that they built a great restaurant out the front of the Taj which has been there years and grown in reputation over these years. This must have given them more income than I had imagined as they have now built this lovely huge hotel in the grounds of their restaurant. They have a nice pool, a huge round dance floor and of course their original restaurant at the bottom of the garden. We got a brochure and they charge a pretty penny too, starting at around RS6666 a night for a standard room. Take a look at www.joeconsgarden.com . We didn’t bother getting the prices for the Taj but it should be easy to find out online. We had a little drive around and found many new hotels, all looking splendid; confirming our suspicions about this area is on the up. This spot has almost everything, great beaches, great food, great accommodation, you don’t really need to leave the area ands there is even the odd bottle shop within walking distance. Maybe a good one to try Steve and Jan. I guess that it may be possible to get a deal for Joecons with flights included as he is a smart businessman that has worked hard for many years and deserves everything he has worked for; well done mate!

We ended up driving back to one of our favourite shacks this year Coco’s in Benaulim. Yesterday and today have been very hot and maybe at last the weather has changed for the season. We had to take frequent dips in the sea to cool down and dispense with the copious amounts of water that you have to consume. A light lunch, another quick dip and home early by about 3pm as it really does get too hot to be out in it. Back here writing this blog and again the damned electric has gone again; not sure how long this pc will last without a charge so I think that I will go and have a dip in our pool with Claire. Maybe no blog tomorrow as we will be going back on Chris’s boat trip and staying in Cavelossim at Saajan’s and won’t be taking our laptop. See you all again on Wednesday, enjoy the snow, lucky you, it's so hot over here.