The Family was very clear about her plans, “If you can travel to China and Kolkata by yourself, then I am making my plans for a trip to Goa after you are back.” I managed to insinuate myself in the deal by making the airline bookings. Goa may be next door, as these things go, but there is a lot that I haven’t done there. Wildlife and birds in the deep jungles of the Western Ghats in Goa was not an opportunity I was going to pass up.
There were completely unexpected sights. Like the little pond where an alligator had taken up residence, and was very possessive about. An egret landed at one edge of the pond, and the alligator immediately propelled himself in that direction to chase the intruder away from his pantry. At another edge, a pond heron was perched a neck’s length above the water on an overhanging branch of a bush. But under the watchful eyes of the croc, it didn’t dare to dip its beak into the water. Instead it snapped up every dragonfly which came within reach.
The road signs in Goa are also unusual. A ramp on to a bridge had a sign which I’ve previously seen only on steep mountain roads. Perhaps a tipsy fisherman on a motorbike needs a reminder that they are not in Kansas any more. And I’ve never seen such an emphatic sign for a speed bump anywhere else. It is not hard to imagine that this local dialect is due to the same TF.
In a Goa famous for its sosegad, it was interesting to come across a buried high-voltage transmission line where the trench was marked along its length by milestones such as the one above. The only signs of sosegad were the weeds beginning to obscure the stone. I’m glad I took this trip with The Family.
Don't hold your breath 
