8/7/2019 Beaches, Baltis and Bargains_its Heaven

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/beaches-baltis-and-bargainsits-heaven 1/3

GAZETTE www. t t g l iu e .c o m ! 5 Octo

and

iieaven

THE people, the colours,the sm ell5, the m usic, the

it, southern

I fell in love with the country ande ! visited. The

Without doubt the main attraction

Goa is beautifully unspoilt (like

all the more remarkable

lectricity.

The food in Goa

"Clients cannotbelieve they caneat and drink so

well fo r so little"

Hilary June Halligan worked for Cosmos

in Majorca for 11 years, spending the

winter seasons as a rep in Goa

believe they can eat and drink sowell, for so little. A huge freshseafood platter will cost less than£5 - and that's being extravaga ntYou can eat quite handsomely for a

matter of pennies.If you are on

a budget thenshopping in Goawill not break it.Everyone lovesa bargain andGoa is a shop-pers' paradise. Alocal tailor can

make you a fitted garment for afraction of what it would cost in the

what you want and it will be made.This is even true for jewellery whereyou could pay £200 to £300 for adiamond ring that will be valued at£1,000 back in the UK. But don'tforget to get a certificate of authen-ticity and it must have a hallmark.

I'd also advise clients to walkaround the local daytime markets orbetter still, visit one in the eveningand make a night of it. Live musicand entertainment are all includedin what must be one of the mostenjoyable shopping experiencesyou'll ever have. Beautiful sarongscost as little as 60p, while embroi-dered wall hangings cost £1 0.

And if you're not tired out by aday's shopping then there areplenty of must-see excursions.

The Regal Elephants trip was oneof my highlights. Clients can stay anight in a mud hut and then spendthe next day riding, feeding andwashing an elephant. You can even

swim with them - it's magic.For animal lovers there's also

nothing quite like a tiger safariwhere you can get scarily close tothese magnificent beasts (thanks tothe armoured buses).

A visit to the awe-inspiring13th-century Hampi is also aspellbinding experience. Here,clients will get the chance to seeendless forgotten temples, some ofwhich still have such splendours asrevolving wheels made of stone.

When it comes to resorts thereare a couple of general rules thatare worth bearing in mind.

The north of Goa tends to havemore touristy resorts, such asCandolim, Calangut and Baga.Calangut and Baga are quite livelyresorts with masses to offer thepartygoer.

In the south you have more four

Hippy h

Kera la 's backwater s

offer a nearby

a l terna t ive te the

coastal resorts

8/7/2019 Beaches, Baltis and Bargains_its Heaven

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/beaches-baltis-and-bargainsits-heaven 2/3

w w w . t t g l i v e . c o m T R A V E L T R A D E

Touring IndiaT h e H i m a l a y a s , t h e G o l d e nT r i a n g l e a n d K e r a l a

How's it s elling?Y o u r g u i d e to b o o k i n gt r e n d s t o I n d i a

NewsC o o k e r y t o u r s , r a f t i n g t r iB o l l y w o o d B e a c h e s a n d

u t o r b a m b o o b u t ?

The resorts of Kovalam and

ls, but are now very popular.

pull in the numbers. Goa has beenfamous for its beaches - and theparties that take place on them -for years, Bamboo beach hutscan be rented on Arambol and atPalolem, where you can walk to thesmall island of Canacona at low tide.Alternatively, you can join in theparty at Anjuna or Vagaton

MARKETS

Anjuna Market is probably one ofthe most famous and popular Goanattractions. Hundreds of Indian andWestern stallholders, selling every-thing from motorcycle parts, beach-wear and souvenirs, have competedfor custom every Wednesday for thelast 30 years. Nothing has a price,

so be prepared to bargain. For agentler market experience there is

also the Friday market in Mapusa,north Goa. The market is a morelocal affair where people shop forcheap clothes and produce, but alsoantiques, souvenirs and textiles.

BACKWATERS

Away from the beaches in Keralalies a vast network of lagoons,rivers and canals dotted with smallvillages, traditional boats andmangroves. Many cruises explorethe backwaters with some stoppingat important sites such as theKarumadi Kuttan Buddha Image orthe Kumarakody Temple. A boat tripto one of the remote villages allowsyou to see some amazing sceneryas well as try your har̂ d at boat

building and fish farming. You'li alsoget to taste toddy (coconut beer).

The beaches of

southern India

can r iva l any th ing

in the C ar ihhean

S A M P L E P A C K A G E

C OX & KINGS offers a 12-dtour of the spice lands of Ketaking in Cochin , the backwand th e outs tanding templeMadurai. Prices are from £1including fl ights , accommodwith b reakfas t and some mguided s ightseeing and t r an

• vvvvw.coxandkjngs.co.uk

COSMOS offers a seven-nigs tay a t the three-s ta r Her i taVillage Club, next to the beain Cansaulim, on an a ll-inci

bas is . Cos t ing f rom £739 , tpr ice includes fl ights , transfand s even n ights 'a l l- inc lus iaccommodat ion and act iv i ti

COSMOS a lso has a seven-

stay at the five-star Park HyGoa Resor t and Spa a t ArosBeach . Cos t ing f rom £955 , pr ice includes fl ights , a irport r ans fers and seven nights 'and-b reakfas t accommodat

• www.cosmos.co.uk

T I P S

• L eav e p len ty o f sp ace i n

s u i t c a s e f o r t h e i n c r e d i b l y c

h a n d i c r a f ts , fa b r i c s a n d s p i

• T a k e a f a v o u r i t e s u i t a n d

i t co p ied a t a f r act io n o f t h e

p r i c e a t T r i v a n d r u m , K e r a l a .

• D o n ' t t a k e t o o m a n y c l o t

- m o s t o f t h e h o t e l s h a v e a

e x c e l l e n t l a u n d r y s e r v i c e .

• F i lm d e v e l o p m e n t is c h e a

a n d g o o d .

WOULD SUIT

• G ro u p s o f f r i end s • F a m

w i t h t e e n a g e r s • C o u p l e s

TIME DIFFERENCE

F ive ho u rs

FLYING TIME

E i g h t - a n d - a - h a l f h o u r s

FURTHER INFORMATION

C o n t a c t I n c r e d i b l e I n d i a o n

0 2 0 7 4 3 6 3 6 7 7 o r e m a i l

i n fo @ ind i a to u r i s to f f i ce .o rg

D e d i c a t e d b r o c h u r e l i n e :

0 8 7 0 0 1 0 2 1 8 3

• www.incredibleindia.org

ewel In The Crov-n is now the UK's lowest

independeni tour operator to G O A . As well as

offering amazingly low brochure prices w e also

offer some of the best last minute deals around.

Ou r second edition brochure no w includes Kerala.

ewel In The Crown also offers antastic valuejor

money holidays to Turkey &^The Red Sea Riviera.

l^EWfor 2004/05 Sri Lanka.

8/7/2019 Beaches, Baltis and Bargains_its Heaven

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/beaches-baltis-and-bargainsits-heaven 3/3