Day 109 (Tues 24 Oct) - Colva Beach, Goa

Went to Goodmans for breakfast - both had baked beans on toast!

Sarb, on a mission to sort out paying for the Sunderbans trip, spent the morning experiencing the delights of the Indian banking system.

Sarb found the bank and foolishly thinking that he could use a card to pay for the demand draft was told in no uncertain terms to return with cash. This he duly did.

A very rude woman then helped Sarb fill out an incomprehensible form. Once done the rude woman signed the document and said that it must be counter signed. So Sarb went to another desk where rude woman number 2 sat and waited whilst she brushed crumbs from her mouth and took a large slurp of tea. She signed the form and then told Sarb that he had to go to the cashier to pay. Sarb then went and queued and paid the rude woman number 3 at the cashiers desk.

After all this he was told that he'd have to come back in a few hours to pick up the demand draft. Sarb left the bank seething!

Meanwhile Jo chilled in the room as it was already too hot to do much else. A rather sweaty and irrate Sarb returned with news that the banking saga would continue as we needed to return to the bank pick up the demand draft. Finally collected the draft and posted it off to the tour company who are organising our Sunderbans trip.

Got a taxi to Majorda Beach Resort to see Jo's mum (Ruth) and Keith. We found them relaxing in the beautiful gardens and we all walked on to the beach. The resort has security guards on the beach who proceeded to turf people off sun loungers so we could sit down. Keith and Sarb wasted no time and went straight into the sea whilst Jo and her mum lazed and gossiped on the sun loungers. Keith was flattened by a particularly strong wave; a common theme we were to find when Keith takes to the water. The beach is gorgeous, several kms of virtually deserted white sandy beach. It was fairly quiet apart from the odd group of gawpers.

On the way through Majorda we had noticed a few guest houses near the gates of Ruth and Keith's resort. We decided it would be better if we could stay in Majorda rather than travelling up from Colva every day. Whilst Ruth and Keith freshened up, Jo and Sarb checked out Sefra Guest house. The rooms were fine. They even had a fridge and for Rs500 a night with hot water we were sold. An added bonus was that it had a shop called "Tesco's" underneath (NB not to be mistaken for the chain of UK supermarkets).

Met up with Ruth and Keith and shared the good news that Jo and her mum would be staying even closer - how will Keith and Sarb cope? Had a "drink" to celebrate.

Hope you noticed the common theme once Ruth and Keith arrived in India!!

Walked along the beach to Colva for dinner. As we walked gently along the sun set over the sea. It was stunning. By the time we reached Colva, some 5kms later, it was dark so we had to use our torches to clamber off the beach.

Colva is a busy, and slightly tacky, seaside town. We desperately scanned the many restaurants surrounding the busy beach car park. Settling for a restaurant called Kentuckee we started with delicious fish tikka and then the four of us shared a large snapper, aloo gobi and vegetable curry washed down with wine and beer. Whilst we were eating a band started setting up on a stage near to where we were sitting.

We had already fended off a rather cheeky, tone deaf mexican chap playing a guitar and were a bit concerned about what the band would produce. However we were pleasantly surprised. The singer had a good voice, and soon enough after a few vinos, we were singing along to his renditions of Robbie Williams and Red Hot Chilli Peppers tracks.

After we were all well and truly sozzled we left the restaurant. We only had a short walk back to our hotel bit we persuaded Ruth and Keith to take their first autorickshaw back to Majorda. They weren't too keen at first but we soon bundled them in and waved them off.