"Hello. Taxi?" If we never hear those words again it will be too soon. It seems that as soon as you walk out of the hotel onto the street, every Indian in sight shouts it to you, even if it's plainly obvious that you don't need a taxi, such as if you're about to walk onto the beach with your bucket and spade.

Most mornings during the time we've been in Colva a rather rag-tag column of about 200 army cadets has walked down the beach from Benaulim. They're dressed in a variety of service uniforms and wander down the beach in a most un-military fashion. It seems they're on some sort of morning constitutional walk from their annual camp. (In Clive's day it would have been a ten-mile bash in soft sand, complete with bergen and rifle, and Clive's regaled Sarah with many a story of how fit he was in the army. In fact, the older he gets the fitter he was).

Anyway, one morning recently we noticed the rag-tag column of cadets entering a childrens' playground by the beach. Seems they were being taken over the playground activities as though they were an assault course. First they were urged up the steps to the top of the slide. "Come on, come on you 'orrible man, get up them steps" we imagined the Sgt Major shouting, followed by "Do you call that sliding? My grandmother could slide better'n that!" Next up is the see-saw. "Right you two, get on that see-saw. Up Down Up Down! Faster!"... and so on to the roundabout, swings, rocking horse, etc.

At the end we'd imagine him shouting "Some of you 'orrible lot aren't trying hard enough. What do you think this is, a playground?!" We hope we've left India before it has to rely on these particular troops for defence.

Today's our last full day in Colva because tomorrow we move on to Mangalore. We spend most of the day exploring the beach to the north of Colva. It's much the same as the beach to the south of Colva, so we do the same sort of stuff - sit around in the sun, read a book, drink beer, swim in the sea, chat to people etc. Not much interest to anyone else really, especially if you're at work or in the middle of winter, or both, so we won't go on about it.