National Geographic…..Fail! Patnem, India

Patnem, India

I am never going to get a job for National Geographic or David Attenborough. I’m all right taking photos of big animals…. or even birds… well, as long as they stay reasonably still! But I am rubbish at taking photographs of fish or marine mammals. Over the years, I have taken hundreds of pictures of dolphins. Or to be more accurate, I’ve taken hundreds of pictures of a dolphin’s tail or fin disappearing in a water splash. Or a splash with a hint of blackness beneath. Or a distant black dot in a large expanse of water. But, a truly great shot of a dolphin leaping above the waves eludes me.This morning was no exception. We had booked a boat trip out from Patnem beach to go and see the dolphins. Actually we had booked to go and see the dolphins and then go up river to see birds, but up river is “off” due to the election, so just the dolphins it was. We were up at the crack of sparrows and on the beach for 730 just as the sun was coming up through the palm trees. The sea was very calm and it was no problem getting into our motorised outrigger.
There were lots of dolphins out there. At least two sizeable pods. Mostly black ones (see how scientific I am ) but some grey ones too. It was easy to find them. You just steered the boat on the exact opposite course to the way I was pointing my camera. Simples! I attach a couple of utterly mediocre shots just to prove my point. To make up for it I took photos of the bay just so I had something nice to look at later.
Have enjoyed meeting Joseph and Janet’s friends, Paul and Jane, over the last two days. They are settling in nicely and seem to be very much liking the place. Last night we had a large table for 11 at Namaste and a very congenial dinner. Have I mentioned before how nice their margaritas are??? They are, and at £1 each, (happy hour 2 for 1 lasts all evening) such great value. The guy really likes us there and he gives us happy hour all night.
The internet went down last night because a bus drove over a cable. It was back by the time we got off the boat this morning. So amazing to be able to sit in a bamboo hut on the beach and video call the girls. So tonight we ate on the beach again at a restaurant called Tantra. We’d walked up the beach to Bougainvillea first as they had a live Israeli group playing but by the time we got there it was rammed so we walked back to Tantra. They set us up a table for 10 down by the water and it was so nice. Fireworks further up the beach and the moon and Venus so bright in the sky, plus a clear view of Orion’s belt. I had chicken cordon bleu with mash (oh so naughty tonight), and 2 g&ts. Bob had 2 g&ts and a chicken burger with chips. Bill came to £12. We had very jovial conversation about our politically incorrect upbringing in the 60s; horrid school uniforms; bizarre but innocent scout camps; strange food. Look, here’s a question: am I the only person in the world whose family called the “upper wings” of the chicken – by which I mean the larger bone above the little wingy things you get as hot wings in Kentucky Fried chicken… the bit that’s connected to the breast – you know the bit I mean – anyway – we called them “the front legs”.??? LOL. Obviously, we didn’t mean they were actually the front legs, chickens not being four legged creatures… but still….. So, Sunday lunch – “do you want a front leg or a back leg”??? I see the oddness, but…. These are the big questions that perplex us on a holiday in Goa!