The normally quiet Southern end of the beach comes to life with a bizarre collection of snake charmers, tight ropewalkers and market sellers who provide a colourful and vibrant scene. It was much bigger than we had expected with stalls selling everything from Tibetan handicrafts to fluorescent rave gear. However inflated prices and already bulging backpacks meant we returned home empty handed. Big Vagator beach is overlooked by the ruins of a 17th Century Portuguese fort. Its broad expanses of sand draw many Indian day-trippers so to avoid the stares serious sunbathers head for the small beach.
Children build paper statues to be burnt on the eve of the festival.
There were little signs of preparations for the festival in Calangute however, which is not surprising as it is the busiest and most Westernised of all the Goan resorts. With more hotel complexes springing up everyday, Calangute has radically changed it's image since the 1960's when it played host to the pleasure-seeking hippies that gave Goa it's hedonistic reputation. Calangute now attracts a much more mainstream set of tourists, but has plenty room for everybody. The beach is long with fine golden sand but is crowded in places with rows of sun loungers and cafes, reminiscent to a Spanish holiday resort. We spent nearly two relaxing weeks in Goa and, in hindsight, wish we had travelled around and seen more of the state but the lure of the nearest beach was too great.