Shiva met us the morning after our bird watching trip, full of glee and excitement. He had taken tourists out at sunset that same day, and ‘Lo and behold, there was a sea eagle eating a vine snake on a branch, just there for us to be looking at!’ I could just imagine it, sucking it up like a piece of spaghetti!

Then the next day, we were chatting to a man who had been brushing his teeth, looking out of his window, when suddenly he saw a large Brahmini kite swoop down and take a snake from the grass outside his window. Such drama and excitement, but everyone assures us there is no danger anywhere.

John and I both nearly got killed by a falling coconut. It fell directly between us, and landed with a thump about twelve inches from both of us… but Shiva was emphatic that the coconut knows where to land, and won’t fall on heads! I suppose the two large spiders that were lurking on our curtains were fine too, if they had decided to take a walk across our sleeping bodies.

What would have happened if we decided to twitch or turn over? I suppose those fangs of theirs are just for show? Anyway John ushered them into a bucket and ran like crazy and left the whole spidery confusion outside for the night.

Sunday was lovely, and we walked for miles along the beach, and stopped to watch the fishermen haul in their nets.

It was all very laid back, as they pulled in pairs, and only the poor guy in the sea was struggling with the waves as he tried to hold the nets steady.

I was convinced the lifesaving wallahs might have had to DO something, instead of just march about in their red uniforms blowing their whistles.

The nets came up bulging with the silver darlings, mostly pomfret and maybe a mackerel variety and strange baby barracudas, with long snouts.

But in amongst the fishes was a long striped sea snake. Everyone gathered around, having a good look, then a fisherman grabbed it by the tail and hurled it on to the sand, where it wriggled about before finding the safety of the waves.

I am so glad I wasn’t swimming at the time, and looked with interest at the people who were! Fortunately they were blissfully unaware what was swimming past their legs!

Yesterday we drove to Old Goa, and stopped to admire the Basilica of Bom Jesus. Built in 1594 it was a beautifully carved late renaissance building, simple inside but grand. To the right of the altar is the slightly grizzly highlight for visitors (there were a lot of people snapping madly). The body of St Francis Xavier lies in a glass coffin, rather like Snow White.

The miracle is that he died off China in 1552, his body was covered in lime and he was transported back to Goa. BUT two months later the body was still in perfect condition, and even after a year he had the appearance of having just passed away. Truly miraculous. But of course relic hunters needed an arm, a finger, some innards etc., and so poor St Francis lies in state, but minus some body parts. His leathery remains are taken out and paraded around the streets of Goa every ten years. I too snapped.

And from one type of snapping to another. We boarded the little craft that took us off to see some crocodiles, fondly called ‘Mandovi Muggers’, and ‘Salties’.

We putted up the Mandovi estuary through the mangroves, and John was delighted to see a large stork sunning itself on a branch.

We did see some mean looking heads that slipped down under the murky water as we approached, and another that lay inert on the bank.

I was convinced that he had been ‘placed’ for us just to get the excitement. I was feeling cynical. Then we came across a large crocodile about 5 metres long, with a fat, well fed tummy digesting his dinner. He looked calm and the boatmen brought our boat right up to the bank. We all clicked and snapped and felt quite complacent. I had my arm on the side of the boat.

Then suddenly it was up and coming towards us like a streak of lightning. It just kept coming and it launched itself off the bank and then splash, it was under the boat. It missed my arm by about 2m. I was terrified. We all were. The rest of the trip was quite subdued.

So many fishermen are ‘taken’ every year and no wonder. Sitting perched on thin canoes, dangling bits of chicken legs trying to attract crabs and what not.

They just have the attitude that ‘it won’t happen to me’. Like our taxi driver, he doesn’t wear a seat belt, ‘it’s too hot, I don’t like it’. OK.

And the latest excitement is it that there is a wild leopard on the prowl quite close to us. It has already eaten seven dogs. The local people have tried to entice it into a cage using a pig as bait, but so far it hasn’t been tempted. They have also lit fires and tried to frighten it away. It has been around for two weeks already. Oh my, and we walk home in the dark from our evening meals at the local restaurants in the village and on the beach. Sometimes I forget I am in INDIA!

We did venture to Anjuna market.

This used to be the scene of the wild hippy days in the 1960s in Goa, where there was trance dancing and so on, and even now some of the vendors are Europeans selling their wares and looking laid back and wearing weird clothes.

We haggled for jewellery and T-shirts and it was all very colourful and in a way desperate. I hate the hard sell that always follows you about. If only they would just let us LOOK!

We escaped for lunch overlooking the beach, and there was a breeze and we drank fresh lime sodas,

and John photographed a lady laden down with bundles on her head, and wearing all her jewellery at once – in her nose, her ears, her neck and arms.

She looked quite a character, but not a patch on the sublime beauty of a Bollywood actress that also likes to give all her precious baubles an airing at the same time!

Sadly my Nick’s holiday here has been delayed. Katharine, his girlfriend, is in hospital with some horrible throat infection which has made her blood count soar. She is on an antibiotic drip and hopefully she will get better in time for next weekend when the flight is now booked for. This is certainly the place for her to relax and get well, smell the frangipani, swim in the waves and eat delicious fish.

I am praying that they will both arrive next Sunday as planned. Our trip to Hampi has now been postponed, but it just means that we shall have to come back next year! We both want to explore south India next time.