Goan Days Patnem, India

Patnem, India

The weather has turned sultry for the last two days of February. Not cloudy, but with a haze over everything. Just a light breeze and hot in the day and still very warm at night.
We spent yesterday on the beach in Patnem, in and out of the water and much reading. Bob played scrabble in the afternoon and he has found a fellow cribbager in John. In the evening we got tuks to the Steakhouse to see The Martian. Bob and I had seen it before on our tv in Cyprus but this was much better on the “big” screen. Most enjoyable. John and Sue had steaks and gimlets which they enjoyed a lot. I had tandoori chicken and Bob had Thai curry. Really enjoy the Steakhouse.
Today we went to Palolem and set up camp at the Cozy Nook. The sea was like glass and so warm. Lots of small fish in the shallows. John and Sue had booked on the river bird watching trip and they went at about 130 when the tide was quite well in. They loved it of course. It really is the best value hour at £2.50 each. Our chap is excellent and he knows where to look and how to spot the birds and wildlife. Later on they both had massages at Dreamcatcher Spa. I think it’s the best around here.
An interesting development re the river: on Saturday about 200 men came across the beach carrying a wooden stretcher with a wrapped figure on it. It was the body of a 95 year old man who had died the night before. That’s very, very old for India so no wonder he had so many mourners. They paraded around to the river and built a pyre there. It is the cremation site. The structure was interesting. Large pieces of wood on the bottom. Then the body and belongings, then lots more wood on top and finished with upright supports of wood all around. Liberally dosed in fuel. It went up like a rocket and within a couple of hours there was literally just ash left. There was no ceremony to speak of, just a respectful, watchful silence.
We went to Nirvana for dinner on the beach and for the classical Indian live music. Very nice food and a lovely atmosphere. They are excellent musicians.