Am fed up with the cold - April & heating is still on, BUT when it warms up, it will be cloudier & in no time we'll have rain - which I'll also soon be fed up of!

On the plus side, the cold is preventing both the grass & the weeds from growing so no bloody gardening spoiling my evenings & weekends as yet!

H.

We have had to cut our lawns today! The grass was at least 5 inches high!

Regarding hawkers, I almost see that as part of the Goan beach experience. Just politely and firmly say no if you are not interested. The Mrs likes to look at the stuff and some of the clothes sold are beautiful. I cannot possibly see what the problem was.

Fuss over nothing trying to Police it in my opinion, another interesting quirk being erased from Goa's beach culture. Slowly eroding anything unique and interesting about the place bit by bit untill McDonalds and Starbucks are all over the place I guess.

I highly appreciate the beach newspaper man and would often buy 2-3 of them and have something to read all day (which the shack owner then gets and appreciates to read also), I find those papers fascinating and it's always a struggle finding the papers in local shops for some reason.

Apparently MacDonalds and KFC are all set to make their debut in Calangute near the Sequeira roundabout........... how to ruin a place in one easy step...... and as for the garbage that will be generated, well that's another story !!!

Dread - x

The benefits of McDonalds can be seen on the attached picture:

H.

Hmmmm - attractive !!!!!!!!!!!!
Funny enough that same person is sat in a bar I am in at this very moment !!!!



Dread - x

We always spend some weeks South of the border before, after or during our Goa trip.
Beautiful beach, no crowds, no hawkers, no concrete buildings, no brown underwear or McDonalds etc., but------no European food of any kind, no public drinking of alcohol, no shacks, sunbeds, pools, bars etc.

It seems development has inevitable negative results. We enjoy both places (or at least South Goa).

Good grief..........

I thought getting an Indian visa in the UK was a pretty naff complex process, but looking up for a friend how to get a holiday visa to the UK ............. the process is HIDEOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dread - x

Dread, see my answer in the visa help thread. It is now a lot easier than it used to be.
For most people there is now no interview (this often used to be humiliating). Also the sponsor just needs to sign (used to need a Notary to sign also).
They are very keen on the financial and tax details.
But as I said in other post if a travel agent is used for tickets it seems to help smooth the path and they can provide a standard letter for sponsor to sign.

Except they advise NOT to book travel until they have a visa !!!

Dread - x

I know! but a reason for refusal as leegrand has said is the suspicion that the person does not intend to return to India. A return ticket seems a means to reassure.
The relatives that visit us most often, all travel from Pune and they book and make visa applications at the same time. They make 'provisional' bookings well ahead of travel dates. We get e-mails directly from the travel agents about sponsor letters.
Last year, long retired B in law, still asked to show info. re previous 3 years of tax payments.

Arrived back in the UK on Sunday morning to sunshine. Didn't last long, rain yesterday and grey and miserable today. Wish I was still in Goa.
At least in the UK I have infinity broadband. In Goa I was only getting 2G at the apartment although paying for 3G, I could get 3G at the beach, I also got 3G in Dabolim airport and in Mumbai.

The attached pics will show you what I`ve been busy with over the past few days.

A five day old calf and her poorly mother with no milk to feed her because of a mouth/face full of maggots and not been able to eat solid food herself for weeks.

Trying to bottle feed a calf is no joke.....finally today we got her head in a suckling position and she was sucking from the bottle!!!

Mother is surviving(only just) on sugar cane juice and high protein grains made into porridge. Her mouth is too sore to take solid food.

Sadly the caring International Animal rescue released this poor cow with calf and didn`t even see the maggots in her mouth!!!!!!



Gudi and daisy are currently in the care of WAG(welfare for animals in Goa) in Siolim.

Good on you Jill - hope the mummy cow recovers and good news re the calf

Dread - x

Well done, Jill. Here's hoping mother and baby will survive.