Palolem

 In the evening when we arrived to Palolem after cycling uphill in the heat we went for a swim and then to good old Cuba restaurant. We used to go there all the time when we last visited Palolem in May 2010.

First morning in Palolem Beach we saw a massive dead rat on the sand. Gross! Jason is demonstrating the size of it here. Lucky we didn't see any live rats and our room was solid and rat free.

Palolem is a very relaxing place. Every day was basically the same. Just getting breakfast and sometime even got to read the paper as well.  Then just laying in the sun under the burlap shade reading and swimming every once in a while. Pretty nice. 

I read these three books while in Goa. Jason read the ones that are in English. His Finnish is getting a little bit better but he can't obviously read a book in Finnish yet. Maybe one day... :)

Hemingway - To Have and Not

Stephen Fry - The Fry Chronicles

Barbara Demick - Nothing to Envy

The Hemingway book I bought in Finland before I left for Australia, just hadn't had the time to read it before. Stephen Fry's autobiography was quite funny. I found it in our hotel restaurant in Hampi. My dad has a copy at home but I hadn't read it. The most capturing was the book about North Korean people who had defected to South Korea. I thought it was very well written and I just couldn't stop reading it. Like Jason said the book gives a little glimpse on the mindset of the people from North Korea. I'm sure I will think about the book when we go to Seoul in June.

Before sunset we wanted to get a beer somewhere but no cafe was selling any. Goa had their state elections and during the voting day and a couple days after there is a full alcohol ban for all shops and restaurants. The first cafe we tried sold us take away beer anyways so we went to sit on the rocks and drink it in "secret". Apparently there is an alcohol ban to reduce riots between the two main parties. 

Jason bought new sunglasses for 100 rupees. He's happy.