In my last blog, I left you on tenterhooks, wondering what we would do next. We’d just been told that the hotel we had booked and paid for, Divine Beach Resort, was closed. The taxi driver offered to wait while we checked it out.

We pushed out way through a dingy alley, heading for the beach. We met a helpful bloke called Ronny and asked him if he had heard of Divine Beach Resort. He had indeed – infact, he was the manager of Mesi, a new hotel – or strictly speaking, a series of beach shacks –  which was built on the site of Divine Beach Resort. The original owner had shut up shop and disappeared, leaving no forwarding address. Apparently, we were not the first to turn up to check in. Fortunately, he said he could offer us a beach shack for the same price. It crossed my mind it might be a scam, but he seemed such a lovely, genuine bloke that we believed him. The beach shack was not the greatest, but it was fine for one night, and the next night we moved into a beachfront shack which was exactly what I’d hoped for. Basic but comfortable – what more do you need when you have a shady balcony with uninterrupted views down a white sand beach to the Indian Ocean?

Ronny recommended I get in touch with my booking agent to ask for a refund. I got on the phone straight away and within a couple of hours had secured a refund.

Finding that our hotel had disappeared was not the only surprising thing about Agonda Beach. Here’s a list of things which have struck me so far.

10 surprising things about Agonda Beach

Cows roam free

Cows are sacred in India, right? I knew that. But still, I didn’t expect to see cows on the beach. There’s something incongruous about it. They wander up and down in groups, or crash on the beach. Waiters come out of restaurants and feed them a bread roll or two before shooing them on. There are even special shades provided for them.

No hawkers allowed

I’d expected to be hassled by people asking if I want a massage, or want to buy a drink or a batik or jewellery. But here at Agonda, beach hawkers are banned. You will be asked if you want to go on a boat trip, but that’s about as far as it goes.

Horses roam free

As well as the cows, there are a handful of horses. Sometimes they get saddled up and taken for a ride, but the rest of the time they roam around with no collar or bit.

Hardly any mosquitoes

I was going to write ‘no mosquitoes’ but we’ve had a hot day today and I just got a bite. But compared to most tropical places I’ve been, mosquitoes are really no issue.

Dogs roam free

Wild dogs and tame dogs rub shoulders on the beach. You take a seat on a lounger and find a dog curled up asleep. Each restaurant seems to have a dog or three, hanging around, willing you to drop something. Occasionally dog fights break out but all in all they seem to get on okay and I haven’t seen any aggression aimed at humans. The first night we walked down the beach to listen to some music, I did the inevitable – stepped in a dog poo. No surprise there. David calls me a poo-seeking missile. I do tend to find them. Since then, I’ve carried a torch. If you’re wondering what happens to all this dog, horse and cow poo, you’ll be relieved to hear that a band of cleaners regularly work the beach so it doesn’t get out of hand.

Power cuts are standard

Apparently, this applies right across Goa. We’ve had cuts from a couple of minutes to a couple of hours. According to Ronny, one half of the beach has more power than the other – and we’re in the less well supplied area. So far this hasn’t caused any issues for us. The upside of this is the lack of light pollution on the beach. It looks so pretty as you walk along at night with the rows of fairy lights and candles. So far we haven’t had a cloud free night, but when we do, we’ll have a great view of the stars.

Nights are cool

Some of the huts and hotels feature air conditioning but you pay a premium for it. At this time of year, we’re hitting 33-34c in the afternoon, but the night time temperature plunges to around 23 c. There are always lovely breezes blowing off the sea. So the reality is you don’t need air conditioning , which is fortunate given what I just said about power cuts.

Downward dog is de rigeur

In the morning and the evening when it is cool, the beach is littered with people in strange positions – standing on their head, in downward dog, cross legged or swaddled up like chrysalides waiting to hatch. Yoga is everywhere and by the look of the abs on display, it gets results!

Water is in short supply

I learned to my cost that water, like electricity, is in short supply. Just before 10 pm I took a shower and was left covered in soap. In Agonda, the water goes off at night.

Turtles nest

Turtles lay their eggs on Agonda Beach! Last year it happened in February but it could happen next week. It’s amazing to me that they lay their eggs on a beach with this much activity. Long may it last.