Low on money, so started the day with a visit to the bank. Despite the fact that we tried three different banks, we did not manage to buy a single rupee.
The first bank hadn't received fresh exchange rates for several days; the second bank would have charged Rs.100 for encashing Thomas Cook cheques; and, finally, the Bank Of India doesn't buy travellers cheques on Saturdays. We decided to stick to a tight budget until Monday.
After asking at our hotel's reception what is the best beach in the area, we caught a bus to Bogmalo Beach, a few miles down the coast. It was slightly different from Anjuna in that, instead of having stalls selling hippie beads and ridiculous baggy trousers, it had rather more upmarket little shops selling antiques and Indian handicrafts. This was probably due to the large hotel nearby, which was many times more plush than the accommodation at Anjuna.
Bogmalo Beach (and the Bogmalo Beach Resort).
The beach and sea were very beautiful. The sea looked particularly inviting so we kicked off with a session of body-surfing. This was quite hazardous because the beach at Bogmalo shelves very sharply, causing large waves to break on extremely shallow water. This meant that, although we could float safely on the crest of the wave for the first half of the ride, we were thrown roughly onto the sand before we could start the second part.
Time passed quickly as we alternated between sunbathing and body-surfing, and it was soon 4.30 in the afternoon. We had a cup of tea and waited for the 5.00 bus back to Vasco. Unfortunately the bus departed a couple of minutes before its scheduled departure time, and we were unable to catch up with it on foot. Fortunately a local guy picked us up in his jeep and he was able to catch up with the ancient bus very quickly.
In the evening we popped into a bar and drank Arlem for Rs.13 a bottle. After that we crossed the street to the Urvashi Hotel's restaurant, where we had eaten the night before. My Prawns Masala was very nice, but more expensive and smaller than Olly's Aloo Gobi plus mixed vegetables. We had another two beers, which proved to be a mistake.
On the way back to the hotel, we saw a dog limping down the street with one of its paws ripped off. It was a very harrowing sight; I don't think the animal will survive and its death will be slow and painful. It would have been quite humane to coax it into a secluded alleyway and smash in its skull with a brick.
The first bank hadn't received fresh exchange rates for several days; the second bank would have charged Rs.100 for encashing Thomas Cook cheques; and, finally, the Bank Of India doesn't buy travellers cheques on Saturdays. We decided to stick to a tight budget until Monday.
After asking at our hotel's reception what is the best beach in the area, we caught a bus to Bogmalo Beach, a few miles down the coast. It was slightly different from Anjuna in that, instead of having stalls selling hippie beads and ridiculous baggy trousers, it had rather more upmarket little shops selling antiques and Indian handicrafts. This was probably due to the large hotel nearby, which was many times more plush than the accommodation at Anjuna.
Bogmalo Beach (and the Bogmalo Beach Resort).The beach and sea were very beautiful. The sea looked particularly inviting so we kicked off with a session of body-surfing. This was quite hazardous because the beach at Bogmalo shelves very sharply, causing large waves to break on extremely shallow water. This meant that, although we could float safely on the crest of the wave for the first half of the ride, we were thrown roughly onto the sand before we could start the second part.
Time passed quickly as we alternated between sunbathing and body-surfing, and it was soon 4.30 in the afternoon. We had a cup of tea and waited for the 5.00 bus back to Vasco. Unfortunately the bus departed a couple of minutes before its scheduled departure time, and we were unable to catch up with it on foot. Fortunately a local guy picked us up in his jeep and he was able to catch up with the ancient bus very quickly.
In the evening we popped into a bar and drank Arlem for Rs.13 a bottle. After that we crossed the street to the Urvashi Hotel's restaurant, where we had eaten the night before. My Prawns Masala was very nice, but more expensive and smaller than Olly's Aloo Gobi plus mixed vegetables. We had another two beers, which proved to be a mistake.
On the way back to the hotel, we saw a dog limping down the street with one of its paws ripped off. It was a very harrowing sight; I don't think the animal will survive and its death will be slow and painful. It would have been quite humane to coax it into a secluded alleyway and smash in its skull with a brick.
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