Mandrem - November 9th

We get up early to avoid the rush on the buses, but it seems 8.30 is too early for this Portuguese town, as the shops aren’t open, and the buses are still running infrequently.  Still our bus to Mapusa, and then to Arambol is a lot better than yesterday’s journey, although the only bus route there is a bit of a circuitous route so takes a bit longer than it could have (it is also extremely hot if we are not moving – so when we stop for a 10 minute tea break for the driver it is not pleasant – otherwise it was fine).  We are heading for Mandrem, a less developed beach in North Goa, to chill out even more.

Mandrem is only 2km from Arambol, another more developed beach like Palolem, but because there is no bus going there the tuk-tuk drivers have you over a barrel and we get shafted on the fare.  Also he may have dropped us at a place he gets kickbacks from, but we don’t care.  The place we are in has even better huts than we had the last time for only a little more than we were paying.  And it is a full resort with all the facilities you need.   We could stay here all the time and never leave, but of course we are explorers.

But not for today, once we check in, its back to the usual combination of beach, eat, lie on loungers, drink Mango Lassi, back to the water, read, and then in the evening get ready for dinner.  We go for a quick pre dinner explore of the village, but finding a lot less than in Palolem, this doesn’t take as long.  That’s not to say that there isn’t everything that you would need here, there is just a lot less.

This makes Mandrem more to Dorota’s liking, but I think it may be too quiet for me.  I think the next few days blog’s will be of the sleep, eat, beach, eat, beach, eat, sleep variety.