Goa - On a different note
I have been a frequent traveller to Goa in the past but somehow did not visit this lovely coastal State for almost a decade. This time however the trip was purely to visit our ancestral temples. Goa and Temples may not rhyme well since it is better known for its beaches, churches and now Casinos. The Gowda Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) were the early settlers of Goa, where they built Temples dedicated to family deities. However, during the Portuguese persecutions in early 16th century, many GSB families fled Goa along with their family deities to nearby regions of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Although the temples were destroyed by the Muslim rulers in 15th century and later by the Portuguese, they were renovated intermittently by benevolent rulers and hence they still stand tall even to date. I visited few temples since visiting all the temples can consume almost the entire day. Some of the temples visited were – Devaki Krishna and Lakshmi Rawalnath (both at Mashel) ; Navadurga at Madkai, Mahalasa and Ramnathi (near Mardol) and Balaji temple near Ponda.
Since my visit was after a long spell of time, I could see visible changes in Goa. The quality of roads and its network had improved by leaps and bounds. It is perhaps the only State where directions are easily understood and even an outsider can navigate without much difficulty. The cost of fuel (Petrol) is the lowest in India thanks to the new Chief Minister, who abolished local levies and taxes.
I chose a Resort at Porvorim for our stay due to its proximity to 2 major towns – Panaji, the administrative capital city and Mapusa known for its vibrancy and markets. Famous beaches like Candolim, Calungute, Baga and Anjuna are also close to Porvorim. Since we were visiting Goa in the month of May, I was expecting a harsh summer. However this time, the weather was not too hot although humidity was high. Since the local transportation in Goa is not too great, the best way to commute is to hire a car or a bike. I hired a scooter through the Resort and found the deal a tad too cheap (just Rs 300 for 24 hours). I made good use of the bike to visit the famous Mapusa market (8 kms); Panaji (5 kms); Calangute beach (8 kms) and other places like Mira Mar and Dona Paula. However take care to check the petrol content before you start, since I had a tough time in the middle of the highway, when the bike ran out of fuel after just 2 kms. I was very lucky to encounter a friendly mango vendor, who offered me his bike and an empty can to fetch petrol from a nearby fuel station (about a mile away). Such people make Goa a great place. Goans are typically very simple, honest and extremely helpful. The inflow of unruly tourists and people from other States has given Goa a bad name of late. The locals are also protesting the existence of casinos, which is destroying their local culture and heritage. Goa is indeed transforming itself into a “sin” city from a small, calm and sleepy State a few decades ago.
The Calangute beach almost wore a carnival look with thousands of revellers, most of them in high spirits (pun intended). We tried para sailing and jet skiing (water scooter) and after much bargaining I found the deal quite reasonable. The same water sports activity was way too expensive at Mauritius, I felt. I also visited Panaji (the capital city), Miramar beach and Dona Paula just to check its popularity with tourists. Panaji is perhaps the smallest capital city in India but it is well maintained and kept clean and green. Miramar wore a deserted look but people were seen crowding around the Bombay style bhelpuri and pani poori stalls. Dona Paula had a fair share of tourists but honestly there is nothing to see here other than the majestic Governor’s bungalow, located at a close distance. However my visit to the famous Mapusa market was the highlight. I enjoyed speaking my mother tongue, Konkani with the local vendors. Goa is the only state where I can speak Konkani in public although the dialect is different from the one I speak. I was amazed that this market has still retained its old world charm. You can buy the best wet cashews and kokum (no English name for this fruit) at Mapusa. The market has everything to offer, meat, fruits, vegetables, bakery products, clothes, wine and just about anything. I enjoyed bargaining with the local vendors in their local language.
Goa is known for its coastal cuisine including seafood. However the locals mentioned to me that the quality and quantity of fish this season was abysmally low. Being a big seafood lover this was certainly not good news. Despite this I enjoyed the limited variety of local seafood dished out by various Restaurants around Porvorim and Panaji. I also paid a visit to O’Coqueiro, although it has lost its old charm. This restaurant is known for 2 things – a) the famous Chicken Cafreal (Portuguese dish) and b) it was here that the international smuggler Charles Sobhraj on the run, was caught by the Bombay police in 1986. His life size statue has been installed outside the Restaurant. May is also the best season for Mangoes. But seems, this year there was no bumper yield and hence the cost had hit the roof, nothing less than Rs 500 for a dozen. There were lots of mango trees in our Resort, but the fruits had not ripened, to our misfortune.
Hopefully next time I visit Goa, the place would still retain its charm and not go the wrong way. Viva Goa !!
Click on the Video above to view the picturesque Dudhsagar Valley and Falls from the Train.
To view the snaps clicked at Goa, please click here >>>>>
Also please check the review of Angel’s Resort posted @ Tripadvisor >>>>>
Date Visited: 29th April 2012 to 3rd May 2012
Sequim computer service needed at Sequim vacation rental?
Dear Sequim Vacation blog visitors,
When moving to Sequim from Hawaii in 2006, we faced lots of adjustments as everybody else who moves to an area they are totally new to. Our 12-day Sequim vacation in October 2005 was more or less focusing on finding the perfect Sequim home to buy which we actually did.
Upon our final moving to Sequim in January 2006, we had our hands full moving into our house in Sun Meadows, finding new kindred spirit friends and make ourselves familiar with Sequim town services with priority being shopping. Well, to find the right guy for overseeing the hard and soft ware of our PC and laptop seemed to be quite challenging. I even called my Hawaii computer expert friends occasionally.
We also tried several times our luck with Sequim guys who advertised their Sequim computer service in Sequim publications which worked mostly just OK till we heard from our good neighbors about a computer guy Bob Bennett from Port Angles. Bob had worked for years in the computer business before he finally started his own computer business in the Port Angeles/Sequim area.
Bob solved any of computer issues to our total satisfaction. Best part when working with Bob is that he set up a virtual assistant meaning he can check our computer from his home without having to come for an appointment to Sequim.
Bob solved any of computer issues to our total satisfaction. Best part when working with Bob is that he set up a virtual assistant meaning he can check our computer from his home without having to come for an appointment to Sequim.
Why do we tell you about Bob's computer service in Sequim? Our Sequim vacation rental offers FREE wireless Internet to our visitors. 95% of our guests take advantage of this offer by bringing their laptop to Sequim in order to be connected with friends + family or their Sequim realtor on their Sequim vacation. Good to know that an experienced computer expert is only a phone call away when Microsoft Windows plays tricks on you.
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A Travel Policy’s Biggest Barrier
What is the biggest issue that stands between a policy and its successful delivery? Is it a lack of knowledge or ability in order to create one? Is it uncooperative or unable suppliers or intermediaries? Is it poor uptake or availability of appropriate technology systems? Or is it simply that end users either cannot or will not comply with edicts and have ways of getting around them?
Depending on your own experiences you could say one, some or all of the above but I think you might be missing something even more important. What is this something? It is what I call the three ‘P’s of internal Politics, Procedures and Processes and these have nothing to do with suppliers, intermediaries or individual travellers.
I have seen so many companies invest huge resources and money to create detailed and potentially rewarding travel programmes only to waste much benefit due to the three ‘P’s. Many of them choose not to identify this as the cause as it would not be considered ‘Politically’ correct to do so especially as the issues usually start at board level. A shame really as board level is where any rectifying needs to start.
So what am I actually saying? I believe that internal politics, inflexible procedures and lack of communication processes are the biggest road blocks when it comes to the delivery of a negotiated and delivered travel programme. I am also saying that non compliant travellers are not the biggest villains, it is more likely the messages they are receiving (or in some cases not) from much higher up the business chain of command.
Taking a closer look at any company’s board you can see why problems could occur. Rather like a herd of elephants you have the strong patriarch and around him a chain of command with different interests and abilities. Again, like any herd there is a fair amount of head butting and scheming going on. They all represent different interests from finance to sales, operations to procurement and some hold more sway than others.
Eventually these ‘band of brothers’ agree a policy. But do they really? You can be certain that there will be winners and losers but when it comes to something as emotive as travel they seem less inclined to feed their solidarity down the line. In some areas there can be a visible lack of zeal and that is all it takes to undermine a policy. Particularly when there are so many practical ways of getting around it.
Many companies end up with a policy that has been presented by procurement who are by no means top dog (or elephant!) at the board table, which is not satisfactory to all and then they have to communicate it to a sometimes incredulous work force. This is where we come to the second closely linked ‘P’ of procedures. Who is allowed to say what to whom and what are the ‘P’ for processes for doing it. How much can you or can’t you say about your decisions? How much should you justify them? How much should you mandate them?
Let us say those wise old elephants have at least given tacit support to the policy. Who is going to sponsor it and keep on the agenda as the process develops? Who is going to go to senior directors and ask them to pull their folk into line? How are those messages going to transmit through a company that, possibly, apart from payroll has no appropriate method for these types of communication?
My message to corporations is a simple one. Sort yourself out at the top. Put into place procedures and processes and only then consider the creation of a policy that is going to be committed to and enforced across the whole employee base. This will save you more than any supplier or intermediary will.
Depending on your own experiences you could say one, some or all of the above but I think you might be missing something even more important. What is this something? It is what I call the three ‘P’s of internal Politics, Procedures and Processes and these have nothing to do with suppliers, intermediaries or individual travellers.
I have seen so many companies invest huge resources and money to create detailed and potentially rewarding travel programmes only to waste much benefit due to the three ‘P’s. Many of them choose not to identify this as the cause as it would not be considered ‘Politically’ correct to do so especially as the issues usually start at board level. A shame really as board level is where any rectifying needs to start.
So what am I actually saying? I believe that internal politics, inflexible procedures and lack of communication processes are the biggest road blocks when it comes to the delivery of a negotiated and delivered travel programme. I am also saying that non compliant travellers are not the biggest villains, it is more likely the messages they are receiving (or in some cases not) from much higher up the business chain of command.
Taking a closer look at any company’s board you can see why problems could occur. Rather like a herd of elephants you have the strong patriarch and around him a chain of command with different interests and abilities. Again, like any herd there is a fair amount of head butting and scheming going on. They all represent different interests from finance to sales, operations to procurement and some hold more sway than others.
Eventually these ‘band of brothers’ agree a policy. But do they really? You can be certain that there will be winners and losers but when it comes to something as emotive as travel they seem less inclined to feed their solidarity down the line. In some areas there can be a visible lack of zeal and that is all it takes to undermine a policy. Particularly when there are so many practical ways of getting around it.
Many companies end up with a policy that has been presented by procurement who are by no means top dog (or elephant!) at the board table, which is not satisfactory to all and then they have to communicate it to a sometimes incredulous work force. This is where we come to the second closely linked ‘P’ of procedures. Who is allowed to say what to whom and what are the ‘P’ for processes for doing it. How much can you or can’t you say about your decisions? How much should you justify them? How much should you mandate them?
Let us say those wise old elephants have at least given tacit support to the policy. Who is going to sponsor it and keep on the agenda as the process develops? Who is going to go to senior directors and ask them to pull their folk into line? How are those messages going to transmit through a company that, possibly, apart from payroll has no appropriate method for these types of communication?
My message to corporations is a simple one. Sort yourself out at the top. Put into place procedures and processes and only then consider the creation of a policy that is going to be committed to and enforced across the whole employee base. This will save you more than any supplier or intermediary will.
The Longest Flight Home
Sometimes all you want is your own bed in your own house, especially towards the end of a hurried and stressful business trip. I certainly felt like that as I sat in a dull lounge at Los Angeles airport waiting for them to announce the flight back to London and home.
This trip had come fast after a previous one to Sao Paulo and it had not been long ago that I had been insane enough to fly from London to Australia for a day meeting then back. My body did not know where it was and my stomach didn’t know what it wanted. Certainly not the pretzels I was absently chewing, hastened downwards by a vicious Bloody Mary.
Never mind, I thought as the call finally came, the flight would be long and I would soon be getting the sleep I craved for. To my joy they upgraded both me and a conference colleague at the gate into First Class with its flat bed seats and comfy pyjamas. This is going to be just great I thought as I walked into the dimly lit soothing cabin. I was given a glass of champagne and led to my wide and welcoming armchair.
Now I never have trouble sleeping on aircraft, never. As soon as the plane took off and reached altitude I flattened my seat, collected a few stray pillows and dived under the duvet I had found in the overhead locker. My seat was cosily positioned, on its own, at the front of the plane.
Having announced to the nearest cabin crew that I did not want drinks, dinner or any other kind of service until breakfast I donned my eye shades,slid down the seat and fell into an immediate and beautiful dreamless sleep. What seemed like only a few seconds later a great big soft something crashed on top of me. I thought I was being suffocated by a giant marshmallow until I lifted my shades enough to see that the crew had dropped the rest of the duvets on top of me.
After receiving profuse apologies I drifted off once more and this lasted about ten minutes before I woke feeling a tentative hand pressing gently but persistently on my arm. I must have jerked upright suddenly because reeling back in front of me was a scared looking steward. He was talking but I heard nothing as the engines were roaring and I had taken out my hearing aids to sleep. Just a moment I grumbled as I groped around the seat in a semi stupor searching for them. They had disapeared.
Eventually my errant aids were retrieved by using to biros from where they had lost themselves in the mechanical interior of the seat and I put them on. “Yes” I said? “Tell me sir, will you be dining with us this evening” he asked with a beguiling innocent grin. “No I bloody will not” I grunted as I tried to wrestle back my duvet that had dispersed itself while I had searched for my aids.
I was getting even more tired and emotional but thankfully I managed to drift off again. Then the screeching started. Then it stopped. Then it started again. Was I dreaming? No, too loud for that. What the hell was it? I had forgotten to take my damn hearing aids back out and every time I rolled over the compression had made them screech. Only if you wear such aids do you know how unpleasant and wakeful that sound is.
Over the next hour or so I cat napped. I thought I had been clever getting seat 1A but the reverse was true. On this 747 seat 1A is right next to a big cupboard/hanging wardrobe and this one had a sticky door. Every time anyone wanted something from there they had to yank the door which made a sharp snapping sound. Then they would rummage around like noisy mice!
By this time I was past sleeping. Desperately tired yes, able to sleep? Definitely not. I tried everything. Lying this way, lying that way, on my back, the good old foetal position, but no luck. What really annoyed me was by this time everyone else had eaten their meals and gone to sleep. I was probably the only person awake and the crew had done their amazing disapearing act they always do on night flights.
There was the sound of snoring coming from all over the cabin, especially from the small frail old lady in the seat behind. I became fascinated by her as she had a great snoring action. She was as white as a corpse and her head was thrown back. Rather like the sound of a wave rushing into shore her mouth would open and then, when it could go no further the snore would come belowing out like a great breaker. The vibrations caused her false teeth to rattle around in her mouth. Fascinating stuff if you are that desperate!
How I envied them all. I was more exhausted than the lot of them combined but my brain refused point blank to shut down. In the end I gave up trying and decided to pick a boring old film from the I.F.E. system and see if that would help me sleep. It usually works at home, I thought to myself. I selected ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ as that seemed to describe the scene pretty well.
It did not work. I got into it instead. There I was, a grown man blubbing like a child as Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (I think) came together. I must have looked a sad sight as an air hostess, who appeared from nowhere, must have seen me and brought over a cup of tea and a box of Kleenex tissues. Not my biggest alpha male moment and not conducive to sleep either.
By this time the flight was half over and any sleep I had snatched was not the restful type. However all that changed when the guy I was at the conference with woke up to use the wash room. “Can’t sleep”? he asked as he stretched luxuriantly. “No” I grunted. “Try these tablets, they are great” he said passing me a blister pack of pills. “Take a couple if you think you need them” he suggested. Now I do not usually take any kind of pills but I swallowed two of them out of desperation. They were high dosage Temazepam.
I fell into an immediate and spectacularly deep sleep for a very long time. In fact it was longer than the flight. Nobody could wake me. The crew tried, even the captain had a go. The old lady poked me with her knitting needle and someone tried cold water but nothing would revive me. They needed to land the aircraft but they had to do something with me first. In the end they put my seat upright and let me hang in it, bent double by the seat belt.
I was still in my drugged sleep after the plane landed and everyone else had disembarked. Eventually they got enough life out of me to manhandled me off the plane I still had my airline pyjamas on as nobody was prepared to change me! They left me in a plastic seat by the jetty along with my clothes on a hanger where I slept another two hours. At least one other plane load of passengers disembarked at that gate and walked past I heard one say “he must be drunk, disgraceful”!
I finally struggled awake, grabbed my things and ran to a toilet still dressed in my grey 'sleep suit'. Somehow I got myself to my car where I slept for another hour until I was awake enough to drive home. I got home and went to bed.
And then? I couldn’t sleep!
This trip had come fast after a previous one to Sao Paulo and it had not been long ago that I had been insane enough to fly from London to Australia for a day meeting then back. My body did not know where it was and my stomach didn’t know what it wanted. Certainly not the pretzels I was absently chewing, hastened downwards by a vicious Bloody Mary.
Never mind, I thought as the call finally came, the flight would be long and I would soon be getting the sleep I craved for. To my joy they upgraded both me and a conference colleague at the gate into First Class with its flat bed seats and comfy pyjamas. This is going to be just great I thought as I walked into the dimly lit soothing cabin. I was given a glass of champagne and led to my wide and welcoming armchair.
Now I never have trouble sleeping on aircraft, never. As soon as the plane took off and reached altitude I flattened my seat, collected a few stray pillows and dived under the duvet I had found in the overhead locker. My seat was cosily positioned, on its own, at the front of the plane.
Having announced to the nearest cabin crew that I did not want drinks, dinner or any other kind of service until breakfast I donned my eye shades,slid down the seat and fell into an immediate and beautiful dreamless sleep. What seemed like only a few seconds later a great big soft something crashed on top of me. I thought I was being suffocated by a giant marshmallow until I lifted my shades enough to see that the crew had dropped the rest of the duvets on top of me.
After receiving profuse apologies I drifted off once more and this lasted about ten minutes before I woke feeling a tentative hand pressing gently but persistently on my arm. I must have jerked upright suddenly because reeling back in front of me was a scared looking steward. He was talking but I heard nothing as the engines were roaring and I had taken out my hearing aids to sleep. Just a moment I grumbled as I groped around the seat in a semi stupor searching for them. They had disapeared.
Eventually my errant aids were retrieved by using to biros from where they had lost themselves in the mechanical interior of the seat and I put them on. “Yes” I said? “Tell me sir, will you be dining with us this evening” he asked with a beguiling innocent grin. “No I bloody will not” I grunted as I tried to wrestle back my duvet that had dispersed itself while I had searched for my aids.
I was getting even more tired and emotional but thankfully I managed to drift off again. Then the screeching started. Then it stopped. Then it started again. Was I dreaming? No, too loud for that. What the hell was it? I had forgotten to take my damn hearing aids back out and every time I rolled over the compression had made them screech. Only if you wear such aids do you know how unpleasant and wakeful that sound is.
Over the next hour or so I cat napped. I thought I had been clever getting seat 1A but the reverse was true. On this 747 seat 1A is right next to a big cupboard/hanging wardrobe and this one had a sticky door. Every time anyone wanted something from there they had to yank the door which made a sharp snapping sound. Then they would rummage around like noisy mice!
By this time I was past sleeping. Desperately tired yes, able to sleep? Definitely not. I tried everything. Lying this way, lying that way, on my back, the good old foetal position, but no luck. What really annoyed me was by this time everyone else had eaten their meals and gone to sleep. I was probably the only person awake and the crew had done their amazing disapearing act they always do on night flights.
There was the sound of snoring coming from all over the cabin, especially from the small frail old lady in the seat behind. I became fascinated by her as she had a great snoring action. She was as white as a corpse and her head was thrown back. Rather like the sound of a wave rushing into shore her mouth would open and then, when it could go no further the snore would come belowing out like a great breaker. The vibrations caused her false teeth to rattle around in her mouth. Fascinating stuff if you are that desperate!
How I envied them all. I was more exhausted than the lot of them combined but my brain refused point blank to shut down. In the end I gave up trying and decided to pick a boring old film from the I.F.E. system and see if that would help me sleep. It usually works at home, I thought to myself. I selected ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ as that seemed to describe the scene pretty well.
It did not work. I got into it instead. There I was, a grown man blubbing like a child as Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (I think) came together. I must have looked a sad sight as an air hostess, who appeared from nowhere, must have seen me and brought over a cup of tea and a box of Kleenex tissues. Not my biggest alpha male moment and not conducive to sleep either.
By this time the flight was half over and any sleep I had snatched was not the restful type. However all that changed when the guy I was at the conference with woke up to use the wash room. “Can’t sleep”? he asked as he stretched luxuriantly. “No” I grunted. “Try these tablets, they are great” he said passing me a blister pack of pills. “Take a couple if you think you need them” he suggested. Now I do not usually take any kind of pills but I swallowed two of them out of desperation. They were high dosage Temazepam.
I fell into an immediate and spectacularly deep sleep for a very long time. In fact it was longer than the flight. Nobody could wake me. The crew tried, even the captain had a go. The old lady poked me with her knitting needle and someone tried cold water but nothing would revive me. They needed to land the aircraft but they had to do something with me first. In the end they put my seat upright and let me hang in it, bent double by the seat belt.
I was still in my drugged sleep after the plane landed and everyone else had disembarked. Eventually they got enough life out of me to manhandled me off the plane I still had my airline pyjamas on as nobody was prepared to change me! They left me in a plastic seat by the jetty along with my clothes on a hanger where I slept another two hours. At least one other plane load of passengers disembarked at that gate and walked past I heard one say “he must be drunk, disgraceful”!
I finally struggled awake, grabbed my things and ran to a toilet still dressed in my grey 'sleep suit'. Somehow I got myself to my car where I slept for another hour until I was awake enough to drive home. I got home and went to bed.
And then? I couldn’t sleep!
Sequim Webcams
Dear Sequim lovers,
It's winter time in Sequim. And yes, we received our share of snow, 1ft. at times and were busy shoveling our garage drive ways free of the white till the warm Chinook winds took care of it and melted the snow away. For all these people who only visit Sequim in summer but still consider moving to Sequim for good sooner or later, it might be quite interesting to have a look NOW at Sequim and our webcams in Sequim. Sequim webcams show you what Sequim is like during the winter months.
Let's start with our annual Sequim Lavender Festival which is undoubtedly the biggest attraction for Sequim visitors in July. With a short 1 mile drive, Purple Haze Lavender Farm is just around the corner from downtown Sequim. Visit 10 acres of organic lavender fields! The Farm Store is now closed for the season, but the Sequim downtown Purple Haze Lavender Store is open.
In 2007 the Sequim Dungeness Lighthouse celebrated its 150th anniversary. It was a big Sequim town celebration with lots of food and entertainment and facts to hear about the history of the Dungeness Lighthouse. The Dungeness Lighthouse is at the end of the Dungeness Spit, the longest natural spit in the United States. When planning a beach walk (more a hike) to the lighthouse, be aware that it's 5.5 miles one way. So plan a day trip with food, water and lots of sunscreen & a hat.
More Webcams in Sequim and area around Sequim
Sequim Valley Airport Webcam
John Wayne Marina Sequim Web Cam
The Cutting Garden Sequim Web Cam
Do you know of any other Sequim web cams? Please, let us and our Sequim visitors know.
It's winter time in Sequim. And yes, we received our share of snow, 1ft. at times and were busy shoveling our garage drive ways free of the white till the warm Chinook winds took care of it and melted the snow away. For all these people who only visit Sequim in summer but still consider moving to Sequim for good sooner or later, it might be quite interesting to have a look NOW at Sequim and our webcams in Sequim. Sequim webcams show you what Sequim is like during the winter months.
Let's start with our annual Sequim Lavender Festival which is undoubtedly the biggest attraction for Sequim visitors in July. With a short 1 mile drive, Purple Haze Lavender Farm is just around the corner from downtown Sequim. Visit 10 acres of organic lavender fields! The Farm Store is now closed for the season, but the Sequim downtown Purple Haze Lavender Store is open.
In 2007 the Sequim Dungeness Lighthouse celebrated its 150th anniversary. It was a big Sequim town celebration with lots of food and entertainment and facts to hear about the history of the Dungeness Lighthouse. The Dungeness Lighthouse is at the end of the Dungeness Spit, the longest natural spit in the United States. When planning a beach walk (more a hike) to the lighthouse, be aware that it's 5.5 miles one way. So plan a day trip with food, water and lots of sunscreen & a hat.
More Webcams in Sequim and area around Sequim
Sequim Valley Airport Webcam
John Wayne Marina Sequim Web Cam
The Cutting Garden Sequim Web Cam
Do you know of any other Sequim web cams? Please, let us and our Sequim visitors know.
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