DAY 108 Tuesday, May 2. Goa
Goa is an internationally famous tourist spot: sun, sand, beautiful climate, lush vegetation. Mary had been there before, and says it is more developed now—fewer cows on the road, for example, more shops. But where we landed there were no high-rises along the shore, no high-end stores.
The most famous beaches were on the far end of the island from where we were docked, so we opted to hire cars to take us to a closer one, called Bogmalo. It was pretty, a long stretch of sand. But that sand was red, and was burning hot in the sun, and there was no shade to be had. No trees to speak of; no stands renting beach chairs and umbrellas. The locals made good use of it. There was a concession that offered short banana-boat and jet ski rides that was very popular.
We opted to take ourselves up to the hotel overlooking the beach, and buy a day pass. We enjoyed their pool, and at lunch time had a lovely meal in their restaurant.
