Drive to Old Goa

I slept better last night, which was a bonus. 

After breakfast, I hobbled down the road in search of small bin bags for my room. Nobody had any. I do see signs everywhere saying that they discourage the use of single-use plastic. I wholeheartedly support this - BUT I see plastic everywhere! I don't know where people are getting it from - it's probably an 'under-the-counter' purchase for people who are in the know 😂. I was hoping to be able to buy biodegradable bags, but no such luck. I'll try when I get to the big city.

I spent the rest of the morning catching up with last night's Strictly semi-final and a couple of other TV shows.

My taxi arrived at 2.30pm to take me to Old Goa. The journey took about an hour and ten minutes and cost 1800 rupees (about £15). My driver, Omish, was very friendly. He insisted that I choose the music we listened to on the way, so he got an hour of The Beautiful South 😂. When we arrived at my homestay, we arranged that he will pick me up on Thursday morning to take me back to Mandrem via The Museum of Goa. 

My room in the homestay wasn't ready, despite the fact that I arrived at the time I said I would, but it wasn't an issue. After about half an hour, the owner, Shiva, and his Russian helper, Natalia, came to check me in and show me to my room. It's more than adequate for my four-night stay.

After settling in, I went out to get some dinner. It seems that most of the restaurants here close in the afternoon, so I struggled to find somewhere that was serving at just gone 5. I didn't want to wait, though. One, I was hungry, and two, I didn't want to be out after dark. Eventually, I found somewhere that was open. I had a delicious (if rather hot!) chicken thali washed down with the saltiest lime soda I've ever tasted! It was like drinking a glass of seawater! 😂 Obviously, I miss Mark all the time, but eating out is one of the hardest times, not just because I miss his company, but also because he used to try everything and tell me if it would be too spicy for me. Now, I'm just ordering in the dark - and tonight's dinner was definitely too spicy!! 😂🤣Read more