latest...http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Ajay-Kauchal-One-Of-Britaons-Most-Wanted-Men-Held-In-Goa-Lancashire-Police-Detectives-Fly-Out/Article/200910415419951

For all those mocking HT on other sites - why are you still here?
Life is too short to be a member of a site you dislike so much.

_________________

Well said Fiona

I think though in all fairness the name HOLIDAY is the main aim of our forums. We are not expats-truths.

Well, you go on a holiday and get smitten by a place, then you go back and find things change slightly for the worse but you really need to find what is exactly happening in the area you choose to go back to. It so happens that most areas in Goa I have been to a few years back are becoming so polluted I would not go back there now. Surely you have to inform people about this?

For example... The area round Sun Village (green belt) is being decimated and the smell is appalling, Baga River a sewage dump, Monterio will be carved up soon... I would never have imagined this a few years back. This was a part of Goa i had anticipated going back to year after year.... not now. I will go back somewhere but I need to know EXACTLY what the score is (warts and all) before I spend my cash.

Personally, I don't do 2 week package holidays, never have (apart from using the flight, ditched the cheap sub standard accomodation). I also don't put cheap beer and cheap food as being a necessity, a holiday is about a quality experience. You get what you pay for (although in Goa you never really know what you are getting, or in fact paying for).

For anyone who has been to Goa a few times HT is possibly not the discussion group for you. I can't understand how some groups post fairly heated discussions when this on doesn't. To me this seems to be the 'Thomsons/Monarch' of travel discussions groups, good for first timers.

Neil I think you are being very unfair to people who use this forum. I have been going to Goa for over 10 years and I agree it has changed a great deal over the years, but then this country isn't such a great place to live either these days. I work in Leeds where the refuse collectors have been on strike for at least 5 weeks, if you want to see what rubbish on the streets looks like take a drive around Leeds - a so-called civilised town where people pay extortionate council tax. I think we are all well aware of the faults of Goa but personally I read the forum as I think there are some great people who contribute on here and see the lighter side of life which is what holidays are all about after all, its nice to meet up with such ones as well while we are over there and have a laugh about all the strange and sometimes quaint things about Goan life. I know I shall contine to go to Goa for a long time as I love it warts and all.

Well said BrenLiz - I couldn't have put it better myself.

I don't usually post - just enjoy reading the site preparing for my H O L I D A Y, but of late I feel this site is not so enjoyable to read (sorry mods I think you do a great job!!). Those of you that do not understand why posts are removed/deleted should refer back to the T&C's you agreed to when joining the site.

I do understand/respect the views of those who live in Goa, and it is interesting to read your thoughts/experiences, however surely you must understand why people may object to this forum being hijacked and flooded with all things negative....? After all as previously mentioned it is primarily a holiday site. Most people like to read the good and bad of their holiday destination... but looking at how some of the threads progress it seems far to "deep".

I don't think it's fair criticise those people who do not chose to go on and on about the negatives that cannot be changed...

Maybe a name change would be better..... Holiday-Moaners.... ?

why dont we have a HAPPY thread ??

only happy and positive posts to be put on it!!!!! If you dont have anything positive/happy to say dont post on it !


jane

I can see a need for people to post their thoughts if they've moved to/own property in Goa and are facing difficulties or are generally upset and want to discuss indepth their gripes. Those people should visit the mentioned link above to the dedicated expats forum, where I'm sure they'll receive expert advice and assistance. We, however prefer to stay as we are a holiday site

Mods - Keep up the good work . Oh! The people who say they "won't be back"? Pah!! They will - even if its only to lurk

I too think the mods do a great job. The forum is far from heavily censored and any prospective tourist to the region will get a good flavour of what to expect.
Having read some of the articles and posts in the link posted by Big Neil I can see why some contributors have a twisted and bitter feeling towards any form of authority in Goa but it's also apparent that many but not all ex pats and wannabe ex pats have tried to twist the law in their favour.
It's not just long stayers of course, short term tourists are just as guilty of choosing to flaut local laws too, whether driving vehicles without the correct licences and insurance, flaunting the no smoking laws or attempting to get around property purchasing laws it's all about trying to impose your on rules in a foreign land. Trouble often finds those who look for it, avoids those that don't. Personally I don't feel in the least bit threatened.

For the record, here is the BBC version of the death in Goa story
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/8327379.stm

Trying to think clearly here...I think most long term stayers in Goa, honestly, come on this site to give a balanced view of the changes which are happening. It will definately not be a positive view at this moment in time, but unfortunately we can see first hand all the pitfalls. I think, in the main, we (long stayers) worry, especially about the innocent first timers. Crime and cheating is rife and I mean RIFE..this is not speculation... It is a fact of Goa today. It must be difficult to moderate this site, but I also think that you as a public site.. HT have a responsibilty to allow all aspects of daily life in Goa to be aired. If your members get put off from going, then I think for the moment at least we may have done some good.
regards
Towpal

If your members get put off from going, then I think for the moment at least we may have done some good.

Towpal - Does this mean in your opinion Goa is not a good destination at present for a holiday.

I have been going to Goa for a relatively short time compared to a lot of people who post on the forum (the last 6 years) I recognise that it has it's faults but for me and my OH it still has everything we want from a holiday.

Surely if someone feels like they'd like to try Goa for the first time then they shouldn't be put off but go and decide for themselves whether or not it's for them. I'm interested to know why you feel (if I have understood your post correctly) that people should be put off from going.

Why are the moaners and groaners just targeting this forum ?
I also read TA, and this isn't happening there. Some posters on TA are also long termers, who give reports without the constant moaning. I can only think that the moaners here know that they couldn't get away with it on TA.
All this is doing, is to encourage people , looking for information regarding a holiday in Goa, to look elsewhere.
HT has given me lots of useful information in the past, and I try to help when possible. I hope it can continue, as it used to be.
Kind Regards to all the Team xx lassi

In my opinion...No!
I also used to be one of you... who posted on here and saw everything fantastic and nothing negative. I critized those who spoke against Goa time and time again.

For the last three years, I have spent a hell of a lot of time in Goa and my opinion has flip flopped (as they say in the Goan press).

Going back to holidays, I now watch the holiday makers and it makes me so mad to see how they are taken advantage of. I would, once upon a time ago, have stood up and say something, but sadly, I stay in Goa for long periods of time and life is very cheap here. Thats how bad it is for us.

For you, who only go for short periods of time, it may well be fine, but there is no guarantee. If you upset, annoy, don't agree or just don't do the 'right thing' when staying in Goa, then your stay may become a little unpleasant. This is not nice thing to say and this post will probably get pulled, but I feel compelled to say what I feel.
Kind regards

lassigirl...I am really not moaning n groaning, just giving MY opinion. You may agree or not, it really doesnt bother me, but it makes me feel better saying what I feel. I have no grudge against 'the team' on HT. Their rules are set and thats how it is. Just feel that that we should all have a balanced view of Goa today.
regards.

You certainly have changed your ideas Towpal, reading through some of your previous posts!
Towpal

PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:22 pm

Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 12:09 pm
Posts: 197

Jc
Each to their own opinion eh But I worry that some of these negative posts will put people off from trying Goa. You've obviously seen massive changes if you've been going a while and whilst I understand that, I still think there are a lot of tourists who do enjoy their time in Candolim, Calangute and Baga. It may not be the Goa you remember but it is still Goa

Are you another of the ex-pats who unfortunately are having problems with keeping their investments?

Going back to holidays, I now watch the holiday makers and it makes me so mad to see how they are taken advantage of. I would, once upon a time ago, have stood up and say something, but sadly, I stay in Goa for long periods of time and life is very cheap here. Thats how bad it is for us.

For you, who only go for short periods of time, it may well be fine, but there is no guarantee. If you upset, annoy, don't agree or just don't do the 'right thing' when staying in Goa, then your stay may become a little unpleasant. This is not nice thing to say and this post will probably get pulled, but I feel compelled to say what I feel.
Kind regards

Ok so enlighten us.

Why !

squigs, you obviously have an obsesion with going through peiple's history of posts, and trying to get a profile.

Don't you get it, people are allowed to change their viewpoints according to experience, and this is what is called a balanced view, or nearer to some truths.

dave's wife , you got it in one, people shouldn't be put off by accurate truthful posts, they should book their holidays ( at no small expense ) and find out for themselves - based on a balanced set of facts, experences and opinions. They sjould not be duped by misleading infomation about how wonderful everything id in Goa. Same the world over, do your research (through reliable and honest sources) and take your pick, take your chances.

I have good friends, 6th time Goa who are as happy as the proverbial Goan pig in s***t, sat at Teama's ( or some such place elsewhere) for the duration of their stay and they don't give a monkey's whether they're in the Gambia, Somalia, downtown Baghdad, so long as the beers's cheap, the craic is good, and watching buffalos eating cardboard is a charming photo opportunity.

I agree with 'towpal'; you really won't know what's hit you until you get on the wrong side of a Goan ( = Goan extended family.; they close ranks).

Property 'investment' will eventually prove a minor irritation in the grand scheme of the deterioration of Goa. Everybody gets scammed one way or another.Misplaced compassion leads to hyper inflation, and some of the genuine local population cannot afford to get by unless they scam you again and again for ever increasing amounts.

Don't think you can beat the Russians by getting your beach towel bagged on your beach bed early, they remove the beds in the night before you have a chance.

Costa Del Goa Nightmare.