We're still trying to figure it out. You ask any local in Goa the simplest of questions ie. "is there a bus into town?", and instead of a simple nod or shake of the head you get this weird side-to-side head wobble, which I guess is like a sideways shoulder-to-shoulder nod - and we've both decided it probably means 'maybe', but is also 'yes' and 'no'.
Apart from the communuication difficulties (VERY LOUD ENGLISH is still working a treat, as is the odd bit of Kazakh), Goa is good. After the trip we had to get here it has been a well-earned break and we have found ourselves most definitely back on the tourist trail - not a bad thing.
Goa is like India-lite. It is very different to the other states we have been to. First of all it's predominantly Roman Catholic, so instead of road-side shrines and temples to Ganesha, Vishnu and Kali 'The Lord of War', you get small mini-altars with crosses dotted all over the place.
I discovered today that each of these mini temples is a memorial to someone who lost their life in a road accident and the weird thing is that they seem to be sited on the exact spot this happened - even if this is the middle of the road.
Also, football is more popular than cricket here (!), they still have cows wandering around all over the place - but unlike other parts of India - here they eat them. The dogs are friendlier to. They may or may not still give you rabies, but it will probably happen in a game of 'fetch' rather than in a random mauling.
It has a very tropical feel to it too, and is very humid. Everywhere you look is lush, verdant greenery and palm trees, with houses dotted back from the road that look more Caribbean than Indian. The people are more used to seeing white people too - although we're still getting the odd stare - there seems to be hundreds of russians, french, german tourists dotted about the place, and most of the people we have met are in the middle of a three-week holiday as opposed to backpacking. It's a different vibe.
The markets and touts though are still hassle. Today we went to the Anjura Flea Market in northern Goa. We were imediately besieged by hordes of people that wanted our money. It was a bit of a disappointment. We'd both expected a local-style market, but it really was just geared for tourists. Luckily enough we got chatting to a travel veteran who advised us to offer 10% of whatever price you're given - and to walk away if they don't go for it. Most of the time it worked and we both bought more things to add to our backpacks.
One of the really annoying scams we came across (and haven't seen elsewhere) is the ear scam. You'll be walking along minding your own business and sampling the various tat on offer and suddenly out-of -the-blue a man will walk up to you and point at your ear, indicating that there's something in there. Having been forewarned I didn't fall for it, but the implication is that while they're cleaning your supposedly dirty ear you're either pickpocketed or charged an extortionate price for the pleasure. There are literally dozens of these guys and it's one of the weirdest cons I've seen.
Anyway, I will update you soon on our trip to Hampi Village - and will hopefully get some pix up when I can find a net cafe that reads compact flash cards!
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