Agonda

Entry 7, Agonda
I had a great cycle today. Cat and the Irishman with the un-spellable name were at Willys bar last night and it was fun to catch up and chat with them again. Im certain they think I still didnt manage to get out of Colva, but here I am in Agonda!

Leaving Colva I headed for the ferry at Assolina, the road down to the ferry was quiet with a pleasant backdrop, the ferry was fun as was my conversation with a local builder as I was crossing. I decided to turn right despite there being no maps of the route I took, certainly the section carrying the bike through the mangroves is not on any map, I saw only a two scooters, there were fishermen diving for crabs in the estuary, kingfishers flying around and people waving it was idyllic until I met the work crew.

They were sleeping at the side of the road/ bridge that they were supposed to be repairing/ building, anyway I managed to get across without getting wet but sadly on arrival in Betel the secondary road was my only option and I had to leave the route through the mangroves/ estuary behind.

The route from Betel to Cavelossim was quite tough, it was hot and nearly always uphill from the moment you leave Betul which with its small harbour and fishing fleet is the first area that has been as I had expected Goa to be. At the Cape Rama castle junction it got even steeper. The view from the top was excellent if short lived as I plunged down the other side. Agonda has a wonderfully quiet beach and the wonderful beach huts are on stilts, a little expensive at Rs500(discount from Rs600), the rest are paying between 500 and 600.

The owners are friendly, the staff very helpful and the clientèle are what makes it great, everyone is quiet and a loud conversation is as noisy as it gets.

Agonda is everything I could want in a beach location and the proportion of locals to tourists is close to ideal. No crap shops, probably the best Thail Ive eaten is available at Fatimas as is excellent Fruit, muesli and home-made curd. If I can manage a return for my last week I will. Titos Coco huts are excellent, the showers could be a little better and warm water from time to time would be great, otherwise a fabulous place, good food fabulous service and hopefully cheaper when I go back. The atmosphere was excellent with the right balance of conversation and space from the other guests, the Swedes who turned up on my last day were a little intrusive, but whats new. Falling asleep to the waves booming against the beach was bliss. The beach is populated with Bison and the waves frequented by dolphins. I celebrated my New Year one night with a bottle of wine from Nasik and the owners wonderful Masala fish fry and chips of course.