Гоа - это экзотическая сказка! Goa is an exotic fairy tale!

My trip to India started on November 16.2009, departure at 11:30 am (local time) on Orenair's direct flight 9633 Perm-Goa. The hotel was chosen for the price and reviews, I think one of the most common - Dona Alchina 2 *, North Goa, Candolim beach. Went with a friend to celebrate their birthdays.
We arrive at Dabolim airport, get off the plane and get into the sauna, 100% humidity and heat (the time is about 19 hours), the airport itself is poor, it is a military one, fill out the cards, get luggage and run to the bus. At this time, Indians run up to you and simply snatch bags from your hands, it's your business, but they will ask for money for all services. There is an exchange office at the airport, but the exchange rate is low and they take 100 rupees of commission. We were struck by the smells of gov . . when leaving the airport... you get used to nothing.
The trip to the hotel took about an hour, people were brought to 2 more hotels. By the way, the hotel of Dona Alchin and Dona Terezinha (Calangute Beach) have one owner. It was pouring rain on the bus while we were driving, but it is like this - it rains for 10 minutes and stops. There was no more rain. While driving at night, I saw the poor, slums... garbage, cows... I was in shock, at first I seemed to regret that I had come there, but decided to wait for the morning.

The hotel itself consists of 3-storey buildings, white with a blue border, wooden furniture, painted with white paint and the smell is like in an old closet, but this is their feature; . The bathroom has a shower and toilet without a partition, hot water from a water heater. Of course, the towel and linen were all washed out, but we didn’t give a damn (although there was a shock). The hotel has a swimming pool, a restaurant, evenings are sometimes arranged, a lot of plants (such as I grow in pots) and palm trees (there is nothing special to do in the hotel). Most importantly, the hotel is located on a busy street full of restaurants and a Newton supermarket where you can buy anything you want. 10 minutes to the beach, right on the road, on the beach on the left a large barge is stranded, and there are 10 of them on the horizon, apparently waiting for their time. There were waves in the sea, but no living creatures bit me or even touched me. It is a pity that there are no Sheiks (local bars/restaurants) on Candolim beach, like on others.
The first day was spent in order to study the area and get acquainted with the earlier arrivals, there are a lot of Russians. Nature is a fairy tale... The sea is warm like porn milk. The Indians are very friendly, they will always help and tell you, who knows English, he will easily explain himself to them (although they eat the endings and it can be difficult to understand them), but if this is a problem, then you will figure it out on your fingers ; .
On the second day there was a hiking trip to Fort Aguada, beautiful... you can take a tuk-tuk, you can take a taxi. There are a lot of them and everyone will shout "masina"... bargain, but don't be rude. Cows are sacred animals, they go everywhere except the hotel, but they are blissful, they don’t touch you. The dogs are all the same breed and hungry, but also harmless. I saw cats 1-2 times, Indians do not like them.
2 excursions were taken from our tour operator, a sightseeing tour of old Goa and waterfalls in the reserve (where you can feed monkeys and sturgeon), you can hire a taxi and they will take you, it will be 2 times cheaper, but we did not dare. And then we decided to see different beaches, Arambol - known as a haven of hippies, Palolem - paradise - white sand and palm trees close to the sea, Morjem, Baga, Colva - white sand and crunches underfoot. Many come there and take a bungalow with no amenities at all and live like this, insane romance. Be sure to visit the Arpora night market, like on Saturdays, everything is cheaper there and bargaining is easy. And every evening, all the tourists and the local population crawl out onto the beach to enjoy the famous Goan sunset, as well as practice yoga. From the entertainment of the disco: Paradiso (entrance for girls is free / boys 1000 rupees, all drinks are free), Mambos and Titos, we liked Mambos, but I think we need to go everywhere.

It takes 2.5 hours to go to Palolem from us, you order or negotiate with a taxi driver, he comes to the hotel for you in the morning, immediately agree on a price (it cost us 1500 rupees), he takes you, make an appointment, relax on the beach all day (go there and look at the dolphins, they swim in flocks), meet him in the evening and he takes you and only then pay. Cool! Those. hire a taxi for the day. Of course, you can come on motorcycles, but without knowing the road, I think this is problematic.
They won’t let you rent a car, but please moped / motorcycle, there are so many of them that you just get tired of screeching. Do not forget that there is left-hand traffic, the roads are narrow, there are no rules and traffic lights&; . And only the signals that they get, there are not even sidewalks for pedestrians.
There will be no problems with food, unsanitary conditions are complete, the main thing is to follow the rules of personal hygiene, wash your hands and take a shower, and do not eat in incomprehensible establishments; And also drink local rum (old monkey) and some spices. If you are not a fan of spicy, then when ordering, say “noch spicy” and ask for the Russian menu. From food, I think everyone will find something to their liking, and most importantly, delicacies are cheap !!!
Goa conquered me, who is not whimsical and wants to enjoy virgin nature, and not what man has created, then go there! You can’t even compare with Turkey and Egypt, no one will entertain here, you are left to yourself. GOA - freedom, bliss, pleasure... it changes people and their views... You will not leave there indifferent... I personally guessed that I would return there 5 more times; . Thank you for reading my story, I can talk about Goa for hours, if you have any other questions, Katya, I will be happy to answer.