After watching the ongoing troubles in Mumbai on the tv this morning,we arrived at our usual shack, Aggies, just near the bottom of Holiday Rd in Calangute. The main couse of conversation was the outrage in Mumbai, the local press was full of it and was reporting that Goa was now on highest alert as it was thought to be a prime target I decided to go for a stroll and noticed a commotion at the foot of Holiday road round about Jolly Jacks shed. There was about a dozen police all equiped with their usual large Lathie staves and about 30 labourers This, then was Goas finests, answer to the carnage in Mumbai, they were goung to move sunbeds!!! They went from shack to shack moving people off their beds and making the labourers move them till they were within 3 feet or so of the shack, all umbrellas were ripped down including the large leaf covered ones that were a permenant fixture, also any signs,or shade structures. Whilst this took place the police sheltered in the shack giggling among themselves.
Goa is experiencing it's worst season ever, I wonder after this performance at this specific time how many people thought that's it it's some where else next year for me.
We passed through Mumbai airport the day before the attack, it took us three hours from landing to getting into the domestic terminal. An hour of this was spent struggling in huge queues to get our cases through the xray machine at the exit from the baggage hall,when we finally managed, I paid particular note, and none of the police or customs, were paying any notice to the screens, but just chatting among themselves.
Next evening the terrorists simply sailed up the unguarded beach and started their deadly work. India has often annoyed me, but right now I'm spitting mad at what I've just witnessed these past two days. Alan