On our Own! Patnem, India

Patnem, India

The alarm interrupted a lovely dream when it shrieked at 0350! We leaped up, went downstairs had closed up Gloria’s suitcases and we were on the road by 0425. The journey to Dabolim airport was quiet and we rolled up at about 515. It was already a mob scene, coach loads of charter flight passengers arriving and departing to the Costa Del Goa ie Noth Goa. The taxi pulled up near the curbside Jet Airways office and while Bob got the cases out, I went up and asked for a wheelchair assist to the taxi. A chap came out within a few minutes and Gloria literally just stepped out of the cab and onto the chair. Big hugs goodbye and then off she sailed like a a queen on her chair with a porter following with the luggage!!!! She will be so happy to be home and no doubt will continue even more speedily with her recovery there.
We headed back to Patnem in the cab. Got back about 645 and had a brief rest then went down for breakfast in the hotel café. Nice omelette. Then we got a tuk to Chaudhi for about 9am. Went to the opticians. I ordered a pair of single lens plain glass spectacles – really nice, I am delighted and they were around £25. Also got a pair of bifocal sunglasses. He is putting them in proper sunglass frames for me – not all are suitable they have to be strong enough to take the lens and also have metal hinges and screw hinges. Got a nice pair – £17. They will be ready in a week. Bob also got a pair of varifocal sunglasses. His were £35!!!!! Just soooo cheap here for prescription glasses and they’re good too. I’ve been using them for about 5 years now. Should have gone to Specsavers. Not.
Had a quiet afternoon in the hotel after Chaudhi and our early start. Nice just to sit in the cool and read.
Tonight we went to a quiz night in the OUrem district of Palolem, near the Steakhouse at as restaurant called Royal Italy. We formed a team with Mark (guitar player in the GoaTs), Ann and Rob. It was pretty tough. 50 general knowledge questions and a picture round of 10 rock music questions. We were joint top with another team and then lost it on the tie breaker which was a question about how many ships were in the Spanish armada. Only captains were allowed to answer. The answer is apparently 130. We were high but I would also have said that there were more like 220. So, will have to try again next week. My best result was coming up with the name of the boy whose toys are the stars of Toy Story. God knows how it suddenly came to me.
Turned in about 11pm. Pretty knackered.