Palolem

Well, tis truly gorgeous here! A real contrast to Cangute, this seems like the Goa I was expecting…endless sands, hippies in beach huts, coconut trees (often being cut so watching out for falling coconuts is as much a hazard as the motorbikes!) and beach shacks selling fish, fakes and fantastical stuff of every description.
Yesterday I walked for miles along to Pattnem, a sleepy village in the middle of nowhere, with another gorgeous stretch of sand, and a very welcome café, where a pint of lassi and a litre of mineral water set me back all of 50p..
Just walking and ‘chilling’ is the in thing here, along with massages/yoga etc-I am tempted by a leg and foot massage, my feet, now bare or in flip flolps, are killing me!
Too much time travelling/sitting/eating and not enough walking has weakened my muscles.
This place is weird, a row of self contained units, more pricey than the beach huts, but with a/c, tv, hot water (when the power is on) and wi-fi (when it works) and a lovely garden, albeit also a  couple of long term Russians with ‘friendly’ dogs…but as the monkeys/stray dogs/ cows also do, it hardly seems worth worrying about!
Wednesday, I got up early for a tuc tuc ride to Chaudi, the nearest big town, with chemists, atms, and a supermarket (of sorts, very crowded, very hot, open packs everywhere and no prices…and of course power cuts every two minutes so it took ages to buy anything-but I have nivea and shampoo, so feel very English again!)
Am now indoors out of the midday sun, having a chai …my travel kettle has been so well used it must be about to give up the ghost, that, and my torch and sink plug, have been invaluable.
For those who want a laugh, I’ve sent a pic of me being taught how to make clay pots in Tordi, the village, by the locals-needless to say, I was not good!

and to prove I did it-a rather blurred one of me at the top of the mountain watching the sunrise at the sacred temple in Pushka.