Day 17, Benaulim, Goa [Thursday 20th December 2007]
Previous day: Day 16, Benaulim, Goa [Wednesday 19th December 2007]
Next day: Day 18, Benaulim, Goa [Friday 21st December 2007]
Have pancakes with lemon and honey or breakfast. Kate has a big bowl of muesli, yoghurt, honey and fresh fruit.
We hire two bikes and cycle along the beach southwards as far as a large inlet. The bikes are both pretty rattly and stiff, with no brakes and a grinding sound when you freewheel. Beach shacks huddle together in sporadic groups of three or four along the beach. Most of them are very quiet, with rarely more than two or three tables occupied. We asked one owner if it was always this quiet and he said it was because everyone was arriving next week, in time for Christmas. If you walk 50 metres away from these shacks you end up with a kilometre of beach to yourself, stretching out in front of you wide and empty. Around the shacks you are likely to be troubled by women selling fruit, jewellery and sarongs.
It's hot and humid. I buy a t-shirt of a boy. We have dinner in a place in Benaulim. The North Indian food is a great deal cheaper than the Goan food, which, considering we are beside the sea and watch the fishermen haul their catch up the beach several times a day, is invariably overpriced. Our veg biryani comes with the aroma of rosewater, and palak paneer is good too. Dinner costs Rs. 155.
Last night we ate at a place where the waiter was more interested in playing pool tan taking our order. This and the other beach shacks share an impersonal, tawdry arrogance. Kate's king prawns were ok, if a little bland. My pomfret recheado was interesting, but would have been better had the waiter not insisted "This is very spicy, I'll ask them to make it medium spicy for you", and then been deaf to my protestations to the contrary.
We're in our room, in the dark. There's just been a power cut, and it's raining. Hopefully it will clear the humidity a little.
Today we sent Rs. 775.
Next day: Day 18, Benaulim, Goa [Friday 21st December 2007]
Previous day: Day 16, Benaulim, Goa [Wednesday 19th December 2007]