Palolem, India

Today we went to Cozy Nook on Palolem Beach for a change of scene. It was absolutely idyllic down there. The tide was right out when we arrived and the water was – at all states of the tide to be honest – like a millpond. Lots of wallowing. Water temperatures must be 28/29C.
But first breakfast! I had my usual Cozy Nook choice which is a Spanish Omelette. A vegetable omelette covered in grated cheese. Gorgeous. Bob had poached eggs on top of Swiss Rosti. Also fantastic.
We spent the morning reading and swimming. Bob had lunch. After lunch, he took it into his head to aim a flying kick at his beach lounger which was metal and heavy duty. It was an unprovoked attack and made with such force that he almost fell down the beach from the rebound!!!! After much moaning and white faced anguish we determined that he had not broken his toe but it has gone very black and is pretty painful. Not swollen though.
The rape/murder of the poor Irish girl is rumbling on in expat circles. The family have engaged a lawyer to represent their interests here. Note: he is not the prosecutor. He has come out with – I think – some very weird statements ahead of the DNA results. He has stated that she was gang raped and his evidence is that having seen the field, one man could not have done the deed. To me this is nonsense. One man often succeeds in raping and murdering a woman, particularly a slight girl as she was. She seems to have gone off with this chap willingly and we do not know what state she may have been in, or quite what their relationship was – she had definitely been in contact with him for a year, having met last year. She might not have been alarmed when he stopped somewhere quiet. The DNA evidence should provide the answers as to whether multiple men were involved. But I cannot see that the family’s lawyer’s statement has done anything other than cause distress and sensationalism. Unless he is trying to ensure that the tests are done and the results made public. What a horrible thing.
Tonight we ate at Salida. Last dinner at Salida this trip. I had the fish and chips. Bob had the beef burger and chips. I gave Bob half a fish fillet and a load of my chips. He gave me a generous piece of his cheese burger. I have to say that both dishes were superb. Washed down with margaritas, g&t and a final brandy. Bob’s toe still hurt after all that 🙂 but it wasn’t ******* the wallet. The boys at Salida are so nice. We talked to Nitty and Oopy, the two youngest waiters, who are only 19 and in the first year of university back in Nepal studying Business Management. They are so bright, hard working and keen to succeed. If they were born in the UK, they would move mountains. Hopefully, after Brexit, when we dispense with the racist immigration restrictions of the EU we can offer more visas to candidates like them. Delighted to hear today that the day after we get back to the UK, we will evoke Article 50 and begin the final exit from that moribund mob. It’s a great reason to look forward to waking up on our first day back. For me, a dream come true, after a very long wait….. We will be able to look our Commonwealth cousins in the face again.