Panaji & Old Goa

Have enjoyed Panaji, it's certainly the most pleasant of all the towns we have visited in India so far. It is little wonder Goa is India's primary tourist state (and subsequently the richest), with it's sandy beaches, seafood and the attractive (if a little rundown) European architecture of it's cities and towns, it is most un-Indian. There's a slight feeling of being in a bubble in Goa, far from the chaos and filth, but also the excitement and intrigue of the rest of India. Whilst we like it here and are looking forward to another couple of weeks lazing around, we are equally keen to jump on the plane to Calcutta and get back into the thick of it.

We are staying in the Alfonso Guesthouse, an immaculate, colonial style building with sparkling clean rooms and a very friendly owner. It's a tad over budget, but worth every penny. We splashed out on dinner last night too, going to one of the plusher places in town. I had chicken for the first time since arriving in India - it was good, but I had the same feeling I have when eating seafood in India; that I am somehow taking a risk....I think I may stick to vegetarian food for the remainder of the trip. Old Goa is just 9km from Panaji and only 7 rupees on the bus. We took a trip over there this morning, plodded around it's modestly impressive set of convents, ruined churches (and some not so ruined churches) and even took in the Archaeological Museum (a hefty 5 rupee entrance fee). It was just OK, worthy of a couple of hours at least.

Tomorrow we head to the airport at Dabolim to meet our friends, Rew and Jim, who are coming out for a two week holiday. We have booked accommodation for the first week in Palolem so will be heading back down to South Goa for more beer and beach.