Manic Republic Day

Yesterday, unbeknown to us, was India’s Republic Day, a celebration of the adoption of the Constitution of India, and the country’s transition to a republic which came into effect on 26 January 1950.

A neighbour invited me to come to our resort’s Reception and watch “a ceremony to raise the flag”, little did I realise that it was the start of a huge celebratory day in the whole country……well, it was 8am in the morning and pre-coffee!!

We had already decided to take a drive out to the North of the state, to look at the beaches and resorts, which we have found in the past, were known as the equivalent to Blackpool or Benidorm’s Strip. During our time here in lockdown, of course, that was very different, the resorts were totally empty and shut down so we wanted to see things in full swing again.

We stopped off at a viewpoint called Mormugao and looked down onto a beach called “Grandmother’s Hole”. The beautiful beach was a long way down from the car park and as it was another hot day, we headed back to the aircon in the car and headed up the coast again to Calangute and Candolim.

Once again, Di and myself were stopped and asked if people could take selfies with us, we could get used to this “celebrity status” ☺️

Lunch was a quick snack at a beachside cafe in Calengute, where we shared a table with two very interesting lads on holiday from Leeds!

Traffic was diabolical so we headed to the areas main tourist attraction Aguada Fort, thinking that as its a holiday, people will either be with families at home or at the beach……but no! Half the population of Goa was at Aguada Fort!!!

A few images from the back seat of the car whilst in traffic….

Next to a Police box, what else would you expect to find but a mother and baby feeding station, on the side of a very busy junction!

Unusual roundabout decorations and the Obligatory kitty picture 😁

So we arrived at the Fort, the rare white man in a sea of coloured faces, dresses and shirts, only to find that the Fort is simply the walls, and a water tank and a few explanatory boards. For your info…

Yes, it was HOT there!!!

We arrived back at base sweaty and tired after what should have been a relatively easy trip but it turned into a chaotic nightmare, due to the traffic and chaos on the roads – simply manic!!! A quick shower and off to our reserved beach side table where yet another massive seabass was waiting, along with kitty and her baby who got fed the remains of my chicken dinner.