Long day

We started birding in the fog at 8:00. Walked around the park in a clockwise fashion. Seemed that we must have covered 7 km and didn't stop till 2:45pm. 

The thrill of the day was finally seeing a nightjar (long tailed) sitting on the ground indistinguishable from the leaves and branches and only a metre from the road.

The plan for the afternoon was to find some tonic water. We stopped at a roadside shop which didn't know what tonic was. "You can find it in the chemist ma'am. "

 I could see some in the fridge and pointed it out across the counter. "Ahhh tonic water ma'am. That will be 80 rs each." We bought 6 and drove off to discover that the fixed price, printed underneath, is 40rs.  The driver was disgusted so we turned around and went straight back.

However they wouldn't change the price. After all it costs 100rs in the hotel so why shouldn't they charge 80.  So we left  with our money and no tonic water.

It seems there is no need for tonic water in these parts as alcohol is frowned on. 

So we are making do with tea....

Helen's update

Today we went on a drive to the Chambal River. En route we drove through open green cultivated countryside, busy villages and street markets teeming, once again, with people, cattle, camels, bullock carts, and the usual assortment of transportation. Norma spotted a potter and requested a photo stop.  We got some good shots, talked to the school children and the local women in their brightly coloured saris who 
waved and smiled at us. It seems that they are as curious about us as we are about them. Conditions are primitive with humans and animals living in very close proximity. The cows and buffalo are tethered up at the front of the small dark, dirty looking houses and their dung is collected by the women, mixed with straw and mud then formed into pats which dry in a couple of days and are used to fuel the cooking fires. This is a hard life.
Eventually the River was in sight and we boarded a boat and headed downstream. There were all kinds of birds, mostly brownish, which you can read about in Norma's blog. The monitor lizard, snakes and tortoise were basking in the sun on the muddy banks. Further on down the shore were large gatherings of crocs & gharials (similar to a croc but with a long pointed snout) lying on the River bank with heads raised to allow the sun to warm the glands beneath the lower jaw. These reptiles are only found in India.

The Gangetic dolphins,  showed only the tops of their backs as they passed in front of the boat and were difficult to see. We returned to the jetty and took photos of four women returning from foraging by the River. They carried wool and knitting needles and were impressed when I took the needles and did a few stitches for them. Lots of laughter and smiles all round.

Returning to the car Al changed seats and took mine as his window wouldn't open!
Back to the lodge for tasty lunch followed by an afternoon stroll in the reserve.
After dinner our guide took Norma & I for a short stroll and we had great views of the nocturnal Indian Palm Civet, a member of the mongoose family.
Writing this in the garden by the campfire with Norma. Al and Yvette have gone to bed and there are four or five stewards at our beck and call should we need anything.
Norma has to be up early so we're off to the damp bed and the hotties.

Bharatpur day 1

It was a foggy start at 8 am and hard to see much in the damp air.

Our guide is Manosh and quite knowledgeable but he is delighted to have Alan as the real expert and  is learning fine details from Alan's vast reservoir of birding experience. 

The first excitement was three jackals which I had never seen before. They stop and stare from behind bushes. 

Other mammals are the Nilgai which have bodies a bit like elk, and spotted deer. 

Spot billed duck

The white eared bulbul is common and the other interesting birds today were bay backed shrike, red breasted flycatcher and white bellied minivet. 

Sore feet and aching back were worth it for a great day's birding.

Tuesday 28th Chambal river

We were introduced to our guide Dushyant who stayed with us all day.

Headed out across country on more rough roads and tracks and through some villages where the local children waved without expecting anything. Married women cover their faces. Mostly Hindu in this area.

Major local income is from buffalo milk, oil seed rape, millet, wheat, potatoes and these products are exported all over the country. 

It is strange to see the buffalo tied up outside the houses along the village roadside. Each stands in a patch of churned up mud and the farmers chop  millet and rape stalks, hay and grass and feed this to the cattle.

Everything happens in the open air. 

Chambal river boat trip was beautiful and gret for birding.  Long tailed shrike, spotted owlet, brahminy starling, asian lied starling, great coucal, Indian Robin, common babbler, grey hair bill, black redstart, blue rock thrush, Indian roller, peacock, baya weaver, red wattled lapwing, white breasted moorhen, purple sunbird, jungle prinia, Egyptian vulture, large grey mongoose, river lapwing, greenshank, little stint, white wagtail, white browed wagtail, river tern, painted stork, dusky eagle owl, red naped ibis, bar headed goose, Indian shag, great thick knee, kestrel, gang ethic dolphin, garibaldi, Indian mugger, teminck's stint, pied kingfisher, white bellied fish eagle, black shouldered kite, Kentish and ringed plover, black winged stilt, yellow footed pigeon, Indian skimmers x 25 of only 1200 remaining birds. 

Fire pit at chambal safari lodge. 

Tuesday 28th Chambal river

We were introduced to our guide Dushyant who stayed with us all day.

Headed out across country on more rough roads and tracks and through some villages where the local children waved without expecting anything. Married women cover their faces. Mostly Hindu in this area.

Major local income is from buffalo milk, oil seed rape, millet, wheat, potatoes and these products are exported all over the country. 

It is strange to see the buffalo tied up outside the houses along the village roadside. Each stands in a patch of churned up mud and the farmers chop  millet and rape stalks, hay and grass and feed this to the cattle.

Everything happens in the open air. 

Chambal river boat trip was beautiful and gret for birding.  Long tailed shrike, spotted owlet, brahminy starling, asian lied starling, great coucal, Indian Robin, common babbler, grey hair bill, black redstart, blue rock thrush, Indian roller, peacock, baya weaver, red wattled lapwing, white breasted moorhen, purple sunbird, jungle prinia, Egyptian vulture, large grey mongoose, river lapwing, greenshank, little stint, white wagtail, white browed wagtail, river tern, painted stork, dusky eagle owl, red naped ibis, bar headed goose, Indian shag, great thick knee, kestrel, gang ethic dolphin, garibaldi, Indian mugger, teminck's stint, pied kingfisher, white bellied fish eagle, black shouldered kite, Kentish and ringed plover, black winged stilt, yellow footed pigeon, Indian skimmers x 25 of only 1200 remaining birds. 

Fire pit at chambal safari lodge. 

Travel report from Chambal

Getting  through Delhi was hell. Two and a half hours with solid traffic and accidents.

Drove on and on and on south. We were driving along a new motorway called Yamuna expressway.  After a couple of hours we spotted some common cranes. Then after another half hour some Sarus cranes. The expressway ended and we turned back in the national road 2 and straight into the traffic hell of Agra. It took about an hour to get through but the bonus was the Taj Mahal.

After Agra we bumped along a B road which made our poor road surfaces seem like a baby's bottom! Dogs, camels, water buffalo, bullocks, donkeys, horses, trishaws, tuk tuk, lorries, buses, carts, chai wallah, pedestrians, cars, hooting, braking, acceleration, swerve, brake, laugh, gasp....  It was sensory overload! 

I turned on google maps and we eventually found the turning for chambal safari lodge. Seven and a half hours from New Delhi airport ..and we think there is a shorter road avoiding Agra. It should have taken five.

Everything felt damp in our room because it had rained recently for 10 days. We ate a delicious meal and flopped into bed with two hot water bottles each, utterly exhausted.

Going North

Today we've been up since 2:30 am because our ticket says the check in gate closes 2 hours before departure.  We are on the way to Delhi via Mumbai. Then we'll pick up our car and driver and go South East through Agra to Chambal River. 

The girl at check in said it was a mistake. It should have said gate OPENS 2 hours before departure. We could have had an extra hour in bed.  Yawn...  

Drinks by the beach

Enjoying drinks beside Baga river. Beach is crowded with Indian tourists as it's Republic Day. 

Our taxi driver

Vijay is our taxi driver, aged 26. He has a calm quiet manner. He works from November to March taxiing visitors. Like all drivers he has a specific stand and his is outside a nearby hotel. He also rents out motorbikes and scooters for irs350 ie £3.50 He hires his car from a relation and hopes to own a family car in the future. A full day taxi ride costs  £20. 

He doesn't work much outside the holiday season but can be found helping out on a fishing boat or at the gym or in front of a mirror fixing his hair!

He is hoping to be married in the near future and it will be a love match. However his girlfriend in Christian and he is Hindu. He expects they will have a Hindu wedding.

Vijay is a birder and this adds another supplement to his income as there are lots of visitors who want to know the local bird hotspots.

Weather report

I think the heat is easier to cope with than the cold. As long as the airconditioning functions we can recover from strenuous adventures which involve just standing in the sunshine!

God knows how the locals manage before the monsoon arrives when the heat climbs up to the 40s and there is little difference between day and night temperatures.

Yesterday at Bondla reserve which is on the edge of the Western Ghats (hills) there was no sun- just cloud and a spit of rain for a short time. At last my dream of seeing an emerald dove properly was realised. What a beauty. It doesn't hang around for portraits though. You can read about it on Wikipedia. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Emerald_Dove

This evening we are going to a book talk by Rahul Alvares for his book launch. We've seen it on sale and it will be interesting to hear him talk. We met him yesterday whilst birding. 

Here's a photo of a Magpie Robin

Socorro plateau

This blue font matches the blue sky....

Alan and Yvette came with Vijay at 7:00. They were looking for the plateau which is directly East of Arpora and to the North of  Dr Salim Ali bird sanctuary. Eventually we arrived at a narrow tarmac road leading up to a plateau of weathered basalt - laterite. 

Indian robins were displaying.

We weren't lucky enough to see the expected Savanna Nightjar which inhabits open ground.  Bird of the day was a pair of orange fronted green pigeons. Also had good views of yellow fronted leafbird, Jerdon's leafbird, brown shrike, plum headed parakeet and chestnut tailed starling (below). Very few raptors. 

Afterwards to Happy Valley for yellow wattled lapwing (12) near where some women were washing their laundry in a spring. 

This afternoon we were absorbed by the film Captain Phillips. The rescue scene seemed to be in real time and was gripping. 

Tomorrow we are heading to Bondla nature reserve. Leaving at 5:30am. 

Three men continued and much more

No ...it's not a massacre!  These guys have no need of a mattress topper...unlike us!

Today Norma's back was a bit sore as well as Helen's. First stop was a look in Three Kings Enterprises and looked at a mattress topper. They only had a single in stock.  The salesman offered to bring it on his motor bike later and we could try it.

Onwards to Calangute with a  tuk tuk driver who only charged rs100 this time. We found a fare chart in Calangute stating this as the correct price.  They charge more in Arpora, where we live, so now we know the fair fare!

The street hadn't started buzzing when we arrived by 9:45. First stop was the pharmacy. A small single width shop with U shaped counter opened directly onto the street. There were 7 assistants dealing with a large queue of customers. Actually it wasn't a queue. If you can grab someone's attention then it's your turn! 

Anti-Malarial tablets available for half the cost at home and how many hundreds of paracetamol do you want ma'am?

Stopped by our favourite cafe in the street, the Big Pecker, for a seat under a fan and a cuppa. A Mancunian, covered in tattoos, sat down. He told us the large tattoo which covered his whole arm would have cost £1000 in uk. 

Next stop was the Tibetan woman who restrung my broken necklace. 

Last stop was the vegetable market. A kilo of tomatoes, a carrot, coriander and a green pepper was 100rs. ie £1. We also bought 2 avocados, some lemons, bananas and a strange new fruit which looks like a potato. What is it please?

That's it for today. Not too exciting as the back is still delicate. 

Tuesday 21st January. 

I wasn't able to upload yesterday's full blog so I've tagged today's onto the bottom. I think I might only be able to upload once in 24 hours with blogspot. Does anyone know?

Helen's back is a bit easier today as long as she doesn't bend down or twist. So we headed on the bus for Mapusa. The conductor ordered two young men to give up their Ladies Only seats at the front. We were very grateful.  

First visit was the optician inside the market. It is very popular with Europeans purchasing cheaper specs. You can have your eyes tested by a woman in another shop round the corner the bring your subscription to Dangui to choose your frames. The filing system for prescriptions was simply a chaotic haphazard bundle. He couldn't find Helen's prescription so we will return on Saturday to collect it along with Norma's new prescription sunglasses.

Norma wanted to visit The Other India Bookstore. It was inside a mouldy looking building needing, like most of the buildings in Goa, a mould removing scrub and a good coat of paint. Most of the buildings are heavily streaked with black mould which is unavoidable in this climate. 

Anyhow the bookshop keeps company with a Doctor, a Dentist, two tailors and an advocat so you can't judge by  external grotty/grimy appearances.  Inside the bookshop were floor to ceiling shelves holding all sorts of serious and academic literature and university textbooks. There were multiple copies of Silent Spring on the shelves. Apparently India is waking up to the devastating effect of chemicals on wildlife and this is a university textbook. 

Back at the market we each purchased kurtas  - a knee length shirt with long slits and worn over trousers. It's comfortable and hides any imperfections! Although it originates from the  Punjab  many of the locals  wear the kurta pyjama.  Ladies wear a sari  on feast days and holidays. 

By 12:00 Norma was ready to stop. We quickly purchased 1 kg of king prawns for 300 Rs and then took a tuk tuk back.

 Hoping to update the blog we discovered that the area electricity was off again due to maintenance. 

Accidentally locked ourselves onto the verandah and couldn't open the sliding mosquito door. It only has a lock on the inside! What a design fault.  Luckily we had the phone  with us. We called the security man but he couldn't do anything.  " help is coming ma'am". It never came ..... but Norma jiggled the door and eventually it opened. 

Delicious meal of Chinese noodles, abubergines, onions, tomatoes and prawns.

Three men and a dog...

These guys have no need of a mattress topper...unlike us!

Sunday birding at Arpora Woods

Helen is horizontal today with an agonising pulled muscle. We tried to get paracetamol last night but you can only buy medicines in a pharmacy. Yvette sent some pills from her cabinet which will tide her over till tomorrow. 

I walked with Alan and Yvette in nearby Arpora woods. Thompson joined us, arriving there in his scooter. The mixed woods and fields were quiet and peaceful. Didn't see any new birds today and there were very few raptors which was surprising.

Down to the salt pans below for pacific golden plover, marsh sandpiper, small pratincole and a few other waders.

Thompson offered me a lift on his zippy scooter, so we stopped to cool off in the Rhum Baba bakery for a croissant and coke. That was my first motorbike ride for more than 40 years. It was a bit scary in the middle of the traffic in Arpora when some one is overtaking you on both sides...simultaneously!

Nothing else to report today as we are confined to barracks till Helen is better.

Zuari River Trip

Alan and Yvette have a cook, Miguel, who cooks their evening meal. Last night he prepared aubergine slices dipped in egg, salt, pepper and chilli and then dipped in gram flour and fried. Crispy, light and delicious. The main course was rice, aloo gobi, chicken Xacuti and curd followed by ice cream. Everything was very tasty.

Today we had asked Vijay to take Ian and ourselves to Mr Kamat for the river trip. Normally the driver goes on the trip free. However 12 people turned up and there was no room for the drivers who are also good birders. This was disappointing as we would have preferred Vijay to come along too.  The other driver/bird guides are Raymond and Santosh.

This year there are no breeding dusky crag martins under the bridge although the peregrine was present. Great crested terns were perched on poles with  a single lesser crested tern. Can you spot the difference?

This river trip draws visitors from far and wide with binoculars and long lenses because the mangrove is home to Indian Mugger crocodiles as well as stork-billed, black-capped, collared, white-throated, common and pied kingfisher. The collared kingfishers were easily seen today as they begin their courtship displays.

Spending 3 hours drifting along the river and the narrower canals, sometimes with the engine switched off, is a blissful way to spend the morning. Lazy birding...! painted stork, lesser adjutant and wooly necked storks sit high up in the trees while curlew, whimbrel, redshank, greenshank, Common and Terek sandpipers poke around in the mud below. A pair of barn owls had a nest at the canal edge in a large hole and we watched them peeping out at us. 

The last two birds were Osprey ....

..... And a two white bellied sea eagles. What a grand finale!

The others who joined us were Thompson  and Tricia who were our Marinha Dourada acquaintances from last year.  Afterwards we took them to Literati for a relaxing light lunch in the quiet garden full of butterflies and birds.  

And finally...who do you think is the most important member of this family?  All comments welcome! Feel free to post...

Divar Island and Morjim

Thursday 16th Jan.

This island is in the Mandovi River. During the current summer season the plains are dry. Fallow paddy fields with burnt rice stalks are ideal for larks and pipits. A dried up football pitch and the surroundings held little ringed plovers. On the goal posts were hunched brahminy, black eared and black kites waiting for the air to warm up. The locals too are wrapped up in hoodies and shawls in the cool morning whilst most of the Europeans are already begin to perspire. Well, actually I think Helen is an Indian too because she is loving the heat!

There was an interesting bird in a bush which wasn't a starling, nor a bulbul. Let's get closer and put the scope on it. It was a Jacobin (pied) cuckoo. Pretty unusual for Goa. We stared at it and suddenly it flew straight towards us passing a few feet overhead and landing on a telephone wire!  For us birders it was thrilling!

Birds seen today were Montagues, pallid and marsh harrier, lesser adjutant stork, Blyths , tawny and paddyfield  pipits. Black shouldered kite, rufous tailed lark, brown and long tailed shrike, great spotted and booted eagles, blue throat, and sand Martin. 

After a long, hot morning we headed back and had our usual siesta under whirring fans. By four we were off to Literati bookshop. It's in an old Goan, Portuguese house with shelves around the walls and sofas in the middle. It feels like someone's house. In fact the owners have moved into an extension and left the original features of the house intact. The garden is a peaceful haven with bougainvillea, frangipani and hibiscus shrubs and some ancient twisted mango trees. Huge butterflies flutter past as you sit in the shady garden with a cool drink. We bought the Butterflies of Goa guide for £1.50 which would have cost £10 at home. We've seen Southern Birdwing and Brown Pansy amongst others. Not many moths.

We met Thompson Patterson who was our Marinha Dourada neighbour last year. He will do some birding with us. Dinner tonight at Nick's Place with Alan and Yvette and kindly hosted by Ian. We intend to go to Morjim Beach tomorrow for gulls and the Zuari River trip on Saturday. 

Having difficulties getting wifi at times so can't always update promptly. 

Friday 17th Morjim beach and surrounds

As we can't get uploading easily here is today's news.

Morjim beach in the early morning has sun worshippers alongside the Sand  and Kentish plovers! 

Not many gulls about but a strange plover turned out to be a Caspian plover which is very unusual for here.

The area is spoiled by huge amounts of disposable paper plates and cups scattered through the bushes. Litter is something you have to try and ignore here as there's nothing you can do about it.

Surprisingly there are very few flies. Maybe the drongos, bee eaters and flycatchers are doing their job well. 

Going to Alan and Yvette's tonight for Chicken Xacuti, a local Goan dish.

Siolim sodium

Started at 8am today. Off to Siolim fields which is normally a flooded marsh.   Farmers up to their knees in mud were ploughing with pairs of bullocks to prepare for rice planting. The monsoon wasn't good this year so the planting is late. The early morning mist was beginning to lift.

After a good morning birding we relaxed at the apartment for a few hours till 3:30 when the heat is beginning to drop. Walked through to our hotel of the last 4 years and took their free bus to Baga beach. From here it is easier to catch the bus to Mapusa because one is guaranteed a seat!  The one hour journey cost 15p. Travelling later in the day has advantages because there are fewer people about. The market at Mapusa was calm and ordered. Helen ordered her varifocal specs for a tiny fraction of the Uk price. 

Then Norma went to Poshak department store and bought a kurta (long shirt). Back by motor rickshaw in the dark. 

Carambolim Lake

We left at 7 am just before sunrise. A thick mist was lying over the low fields. Not too good for birding. It took about an hour to get to Carambolim. The barrier on the railway line lowered just as we drew up but within a minute it was lifted for us. ..no train after all.

This is typical birding area. Our first success through the mist was an Indian Grey Hornbill which is quite unusual for this place. Frustratingly the Brown wood owls were not at home but a pair of spotted owlets showed up. By 10 am the sun had burned away the mist.

A blue faced malkoha, golden orioles aplenty, white browed bulbul,  Lotens sunbird, green warbler, white bellied blue flycatcher and blue tailed bee eater. Common wood shrike, thick billed flowerpecker, plain prinia, pale and dark phase booted eagles and a morning flyover of glossy ibis.

Moving on to the  paddy fields where the brackish Zuari river had  overflowed we saw plenty of waders including spotted redshank, wood sandpiper and a variety of egrets. 

The railway line is being doubled at Carambolim and apparently the  workings has caused mercury to leach into the water thus poisoning the fish and small invertebrates essential for the variety of ducks and jacanas. 

Although the area is supposedly managed by the forest department they seem unable to prevent pollution. The lake edge by the road is full of plastic waste. 

Washing machine is finally fixed. 

Telephone connection and Calangute spring

Woo hoo! Telephone started working for calls last night 👏. Still  to sort out internet access. 

Here's a map showing Arpora where we are staying. Yesterday we visited Batim lake near Merces village. Today we visited the spring between Saligao and Calangute. 

Saw Indian spotted eagle, Tickell's blue flycatcher, Indian robin, white bellied, black, ashy and bronze drongos. Common Iora, asian paradise flycatcher, shikra. Here's the white bellied drongo.

Stopped in Calangute to buy lettuce, tomatoes, aubergines, onions, oranges, bananas and a pineapple for £1.40. The main drag in Calangute is  hell. Hooting cars and taxis,  local buses sounding horns, with passengers squeezed sardine-like, coaches arriving with excited holidaymakers from Mumbai, heavy lorries,  the occasional bullock, ambulances with siren going, beeping motorcyclists (with no helmets), push bikes, beggars, traders and pedestrians all trying to get somewhere with the greatest difficulty. 

Helen had stayed behind to let in the washing machine man however our land lady cancelled him when we had an all day powercut. Electricity will be on at 5pm - so the rumour goes. (We were informed by a gardener from the next door hotel). 

....power returned at 6:15 pm so now ensconced at the restaurant with wifi. 

Batim Lake

Alan and Yvette and Ian collected us in a 5 seater taxi driven by Pinto at 8am.  Not quite sure where we were going except that we crossed the Mandovi River and after a few miles veered towards the east. Passed through Merces village where the church goers were also celebrating Goan feast day. 

Fiirst studied the paddy fields where we looked unsuccessfully for cinnamon bittern and painted snipe. Saw Asian openbill, black headed ibis, marsh harrier, wood sandpiper, marsh sandpiper, roller, blue tailed and little green bee eater. Grey wagtail, white rumped and scaly breasted munia, Indian shag. Small pratincole, red rumped and wire tailed swallows, grey wagtail.  

Then to Batim lake nearby for lesser whistling duck, garganey, pintail, shoveler, teal, pochard, cotton Pygmy goose, bronze winged and pheasant tailed jacana. Night heron, coot, white breasted waterhen, bronze drongo, shikra, dusky crag Martin, Asian koel, blue faced malkoha? Black eared kite.  

Alan and Yvette came back for a swim and lunch. 

Thankfully It's not quite so hot as it has been.

I'll be sending this from You and Me restaurant later on. 

These buffalo were being herded down our track.  Quick get out of their way!

Dinner by the river

Today we went to the luxury Resort Rio to get wifi connection. We feel a bit isolated without a phone or wifi.  There is business to be completed. Ie our residency permit has to be submitted with four photos and 4 copies of passport and visa.

This is not straightforward if you don't have a telephone and have to meet people. How used we have become to modern telecoms.

Then we took a tuk tuk to our friends Alan and Yvette who are long term residents Near Baga. 

We met our apartment owner, Kamal. She is a well travelled lady in her late fifties and has recently become a grandmother.  

She knows about our apartment hiccups and is sending an engineer to fix the washing machine. 

We've met our friend Ian Enlander from Northern Ireland who arrived today. We are birding tomorrow with Alan and Yvette at Batim Lake. 

Having arranged all that today we met Ian at Danny's restaurant for our first Indian meal costing £5 each including drinks! 

We didn't have tiger prawns because they were £18 for three!😧

Friday 9th - getting sorted

This is SIM card day. Off to Calangute with Vijay to Myron phone shop. As usual there were about 7 customers being handled simultaneously by 3 people. Many were complaining that their sims weren't activated yet although they'd purchased them three days ago. 

We bought one for the phone but the data cards wouldn't be in till 5pm. This would allow us 3G on our MiFi device as we used in Norway.

Walked back through the market and bought oranges, pineapple, eggs, bananas, milk and eggs. 

Back to catch up on more sleep as ankles swollen from flight. 

Back to Myron at 6pm to buy data sim which isn't working. Looks like we will have to go back a third and possibly 4th time.  This is how we spend our time!

Transit day

Arrived at the check in desk 2 and a half hours ahead of departure. There was no queue. Terminal 4 is quiet and calm with designer shops. 

The Qatar airline is very comfortable. Plenty of seat room. 6 hours to Doha followed by a thirty minute scoot around the terminal heaving with (mostly) Indians buying goods at the duty free. One stand was full of gold bagel, necklaces and other adornments. Each item was labelled by weight. 

Also on display were 3 glamorous cars- Porsche, Ferrari, and a Maserati. Men were posing beside them to have their photo taken.  Flight to Goa was three and a half hours.

Short wait to get through the immigration section and luckily our bags came out fairly quickly. There are advantages in arriving at 3am! When we travel with Thompson the baggage hall gets crammed with travellers and porters and people shoving and pushing and shouting. 

We really didn't know how we were getting in to the apartment because Kamal, the owner,  was to meet us at 8am and we were arriving at 5 as it's an hour from the airport. 

Phoned Vijay our taxi driver who thought we would arrive later so he had stopped along the road somewhere to have a snooze. 

The porter at the gate gave us the keys so we entered with ease and flopped into bed. 

Wednesday 8th Jan

...so we found out a bit more about the artists. Apparently Gilbert and George eat there every day and have the same meal! They refuse to disassociate themselves from art and day to day life - seeing themselves as living sculptures.  

Took the train and headed off to the natural history museum for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.  

There are loads of great images but this one of an underwater polar bear took my breath away the bears stay underwater to keep cool during summer months but to me it is like an image of doom for the bears. As there is a decreasing amount of ice each summer it is harder and harder for the bears to survive. 

The V & A is a great venue for lunch especially as we were  delighted by a  pianist playing Chopin. 

Muddled about high street Kensington for a bit then back to the hotel for an early night and an early flight tomorrow. 

Tuesday 7th. London

Left home early enough to be ahead of the main rush hour. The storm seems to have passed through leaving dry roads and a clear windscreen. 

Flying with BA from Belfast City Airport is a pleasure. No queues, smooth boarding and a choice of full Irish breakfast or continental! No fumbling for coins and change as it's included in the fare! This is the way short hop airlines used to work years ago!

We wandered through Covent Garden and eventually bussed ourselves to Stoke Newington and Kathryn's flat. Helen treated us to Clare's birthday dinner at a Turkish restaurant called Mangal Ogakbasi. The artists Gilbert and George were sitting behind us. Were we in good company? What do you know about them?

Sunday lunch

Lunch with Aunt Mary, 102.  

A super picnic site for gulls at the Seven Arches, Newcastle, Co Down.

High tides and strong winds

Recently we haven't been able to ignore the weather. We've had powerful storms with strong winds across the country since before Christmas. Look up this site to watch the jet stream sweeping through the stratosphere and influencing the weather for us mortals below.  http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=jetstream;sess=  

I have a new gadget to extend the memory on my ipad. .  It contains a 32 g b card and connects wirelessly to the tablet or phone or you can plug it into a computer to load video, music or photos to play later on your chosen device. Also I can use it to store camera photos. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-Connect-Wireless-Flash-Drive/dp/B00DBX371C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388783942&sr=8-1&keywords=sandisk+wireless