...we have now made the journey to the far south, to our destination, Palolem. It took about 2 and half hours, 2 buses, and cost less than three pounds altogether! We are excited to be in Palolem as we have many plans such as dolphin spotting, cookery classes, volunteering at a cat and dog rescue centre, and exploring the quieter beaches, not yet broached by tourism.
It is safe to say that we were in love with our accommodation for our time in Palolem. It is called Sevas, and is another fantastic Lonely Planet recommendation. It consists of small, private Eco-huts set in a maze of leafy trees and flowers. The setting is idyllic with butterflies floating around you and large birds of prey circling in the azure sky above, and we are only minutes from the beach.
It is spotlessly clean as the lodges are rebuilt every year (as they are not able to withstand the monsoon season), and is run by some very conscientious Indians. The huts are brand new for us, as we moved in one day before the season starts. The hut is made from woven dried palm leaves, and houses everything you need. The walls have lots of gaps in so our bed is surrounded by a mosquito net. I've already been bitten countless times so I was pretty relieved to see that! The mosquitoes I have seen down south so far are monsters, as they tend to be in more tropical areas.
The bathroom is one of the highlights of the hut. It is outside, with no roof, surrounded by thin wooden walls. The 'shower' is actually a large vat of cold water, and a bucket! We absolutely love it, it feels like showering in the wild! Even three weeks of washing like this did nothing to dispel our enthusiasm for it!
Out the front of our little hut is 2 sunbeds for lazing on with a good book. What more could you ask for?
Palolem beach itself is a jaw-dropping beautiful cove curving gently away, with an island in the distance, and boulders shooting out of the sparkling Arabian Sea. The sea is safe for swimming, and not too choppy. The water is fringed with white sand falling away to thick jungle, so you really feel like you are on a deserted beach.
We spent our days in Palolem in an admittedly lazy fashion. Reading, eating and sunbathing was only interrupted with a twice daily swim in the warm ocean.
We managed to drag ourselves away from the beach long enough to visit the Goan Animal Welfare Trust in Curchorem. They mostly rescue puppies, cats and stray dogs in need of medical help or safety. I was expecting to be an embarrassingly emotional wreck the whole time, but the animals there were so happy and clearly cared for that I could only feel relieved and happy. The young vet was more than happy to show us round, and wait patiently whilst I went into a puppy induced hysteria.
They operate a successful adoption programme and the dogs that are homeless and not in danger in their prior environment are reintroduced to the habitat. The sad fact is that as brilliant at these organisations are, there is only eleven throughout the whole of India! I dread to think how many stray dogs there are, but it must be in the tens of millions.
On the whole the stray dogs in India are surprisingly happy, healthy and friendly. We have made friends with a lovely little puppy called Margao (named after a nearby town) and a fully grown dog that we have nicknamed 'Shep' who sometimes decides to follow us around for a while, until he gets bored and runs off.
While we were on nearby Patnem beach we saw a very sickly dog that had a huge, old wound on the back of his head, he was very thin and the other beach dogs were attacking him. We called the Welfare Trust and thankfully they said they would come and get him.
They are attempting to control the stray dog situation by neutering the male dogs. You can tell when a dog has been done as he has a clip taken out of his ear. The Trust appear to be winning as the clipped dogs massively outnumber the unclipped. I think the next problem they will have will be an endemic population of cows! They are everywhere! On the beach, in the streets, in fields, even the odd one or two are in restaurants! It is heartbreaking to see them all lying in one of the frequent seas of rubbish, munching on something toxic. Not to mention worrying when you consider that all the milk and cheese you consume is not pasteurised, but it's probably best not to think about that too much! I also find it a weird paradigm to how you would expect these supposed 'sacred' animals would be kept.
Cows, dogs and cats are not the only wildlife we have spotted in Goa. I have seen several Kingfishers, who are easy to spot as they flash their electric blue wings whilst in flight. Whilst walking in the jungle we saw two mongoose playing by the side of the road. Our bathroom is full of tree frogs, and nearby we saw the most HUMUNGOUS toad! As in, would spill out of your cupped hands big!There are also hundred of lizards, which we love as they gobble up the wretched mosquitoes, and I got some good pictures of a bearded dragon lizard.
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