Мой волшебный отпуск My magical vacation

We flew in early December 2008 for a week together.
Meal 4 because it's too long and the waiters should be more attentive to the wishes of customers about "not too spicy". Everything else was very good.
It all started with the slush and dullness of this winter, the search for parking in Domodedovo . . Then a long flight, but we flew at night and I slept almost the entire flight.
We landed at 8-30 local time (+2.5 hours from Moscow), the temperature is +29, so prepare suitable clothes and shoes to change on the plane.
Although it was cold on the plane, and the blankets did not help much (Transaero).
Russian tourists have already managed to leave an impression of themselves everywhere, South GOA is no exception. We are loved here for our incredible passion for food and generosity in tips. With great pleasure they will serve a Russian, rather than an Englishman or a German.

We landed at the Dabolim military airport, where, upon exiting the plane, half-sober compatriots famously took pictures next to armed Kalashnikov assault rifles by Indians against the backdrop of a sign "no photography allowed. " The main thing is to fill out the questionnaire (it is given out on the plane), a small queue at passport control (where this questionnaire is given) was suspended by the efforts of our own tourists, who were pretty warmed up with alcohol from duty-free shops in a T-shirt with the SPARTAK logo on their chest, then then quickly got the luggage and drove to the hotels.
Forty minutes with 2 stops to the hotel. Although we arrived at the hotel at 11.00, we were checked in after 5 minutes, and not at 14.00. On buggies they took us to our house. The territory is quite large.
The hotel is very beautiful and large, it accommodates a tennis court, golf courses, cricket (here it is the number 1 sport), a mini-football field, one pool (common) and there are also pools on the territory of six or seven villas, there is even a helipad.
Private beach with white sand that creaks under your feet (something like the creaking of snow under your feet).
For breakfast - a buffet, quite varied, but the waiters still strive to bring you something, and here it is important to get him to understand what you are asking him to.
Restaurant type lunch. Once we recorded the time from ordering to the first course - 50 minutes, although water, drinks and bread are carried very quickly. They just live so slowly, their five minutes are our forty.
It seemed that time had stopped in a tropical paradise by the sea - there was nothing more to dream about... just boring.
On departure, we were not cheated, nothing was added from the minibar, everything was clear.
Towels were changed 2 times a day, every day a fresh newspaper in English, bottled drinking water in sufficient quantities. There is a kettle, tea, sugar. . . even an iron and ironing board.
The rooms are spacious, bath, shower, bidet, shampoo, soap, conditioner, tooth. pasta, brushes, slippers and bathrobes, balcony overlooking the garden and the sea.
Well, there is nothing to cling to. Everything is fine. Everyone, including the plant waterers, who are always smiling and welcoming.
I played football with local waiters (Russia won of course, because they are very slow), but in the local climate football is not ice.
The beach has all the entertainment from a jet ski and a parachute to a bathyscaphe. You can order a meal on the beach, they will bring everything, take it away... towels will be laid, they will pick you up.

Smoking in public places is prohibited throughout India, but not for you. You white-skinned tourists are a god to them.
We were on an excursion, so there the locals really asked to be photographed with their children. Thus, local kids receive a blessing for life, but they have a lot of kids)))). The contrast between the standard of living of the locals and the service in this hotel is cosmic. The average salary is 50-70 dollars a month, they live terribly, it's scary to look at.
About three days of boredom from a lack of communication (mostly old Englishmen and Germans rested in the hotel, who in pairs besieged sunbeds on the beach and by the pool, quietly reading a newspaper and sipping cocktails) and then the first local Indian on the beach, and the only one, as it turned out, was understandable speaking in Russian, Victor. Walks along Benaulim beach and offers souvenirs and shells. Walks in an orange T-shirt "EXPEDITION".
This Victor invited us to walk further along the beach to look at shells and local souvenirs. 150 meters on foot along the beach, the fourth cafe from the beach of the hotel.
The cafe is called JAMMYS BEACH SHASK, the owner of JOKIN, a small, chubby, chatty local resident. The cafe menu is in Russian, there is even borscht and Olivier salad (worth a try), she will gladly write down the recipe for your favorite salad and make it in her own way))). Dinner at JAMMYS BEACH SHASK by candlelight 10 meters from the water looking at the dolphins and sunset... very romantic.
From that moment it became much more interesting. They arranged fishing in a local way, then they prepared a catch for us, told us about India, learned Russian... climbed for coconuts, we taught them to drink cognac)))
In general, we no longer ate at the hotel, although we went to full board. Beer in a cafe is 3.5 times cheaper, lobsters are 2 times cheaper, big crabs (really big) are 5 times cheaper. This is what you pay for in a hotel even for "All". Paid drinks, alcohol, expensive seafood.

We wanted to go to the market to bring souvenirs, the day market is open on Wednesday, the night market on Saturday. A taxi there costs 2.500 - 3.000 rupees (1 dollar - 47-48 rupees), but with this money you can buy everything from Victor (in fact, his name is Riyaz, Victor is a publicity stunt, it's easier for us to remember). In general, we didn’t go anywhere, but we brought half a suitcase of souvenirs, just for the difference in a taxi and scored shells.
On the eve of the trip, we absorbed recommendations on the Internet on how to behave, what to take with us. Unsanitary conditions, spicy cuisine. . . drink water only from bottles or boiled water. Antiseptic wipes and hand gels.
Napkins and gels - YES, it’s calmer with them, cognac for disinfection is also good, they didn’t drink tap water, there was enough of it in the room, they brushed their teeth and rinsed their mouths with bottled water.
There was no gastrointestinal discomfort during the rest. Everything is great.
We are planning to go there for New Year's Eve. Moreover, in the cafe they are waiting for us and are very interested in photographs of our winter. Whoever goes, go to JAMMYS BEACH SHASK to Jokina, bring a couple of photos of your city in winter, they collect them and are very proud of the geography of their visitors.