Vix's Adventures In Goa - Part 3 (Plus Some Charity Shop Finds)

Yesterday was my first charity shop foray since March and I was raring to go. In addition to some bargains I also managed to pick up a young man who followed me around from shop to shop convinced he was in love with me, I suppose I should have been flattered but his constant barrage of complements did distract me from having a good old rummage.

Here's what I got:
Clockwise from top left: 1970s cord midi skirt (£1.49, YMCA), Fake wolf jacket (£1.50, Sally Army), Kitsch In Sync "A Consumer's Guide to Bad Taste" (Part of a 3 books for £1 deal, Age UK), Faux leather cuff (95p, Acorns Hospice), 1960s psychedelic hand towel (50p, Cancer Research), 4 rock biogs (50p each, Help For Heroes), 1930s velvet coat (£20, St Giles Hospice), Silk cheongsam (£1, Age UK)

Chazzas are still pretty cheap around the Black Country, which is the upside of living in an area of high deprivation, I suppose. I went over my usual £10 limit with the 1930s coat but it is lovely and it's pretty rare to find something so old and in such good nick.

I also bought these 1970s St Michael high-waisted velvet loon pants (£1), silk camisole (50p) and the Seventies beaded jute shopper (£1) from Cancer Research which I've worn with a beaded scarf from the gorgeous Krista,, original 1970s platforms (£10, eBay) and a chunky Indian necklace from the lovely Heather.

Ready for more of our Goa adventures?

After a week in gorgeous Gokarna we took a train up to the far north of Goa to visit Arambol, our beloved hippy beach hangout.

We visited the busy market at nearby Mapusa, where the locals go to buy their supplies. 

One of our favourite nights out is a visit to the Saturday Night Bazaar, a free all-night festival with live music, drinking and dancing, amazing food stalls and unlimited shopping opportunities.

As usual I made a beeline for the Lamani gypsies to haggle over tribal jewellery (much trickier after a few Kingfishers).

For a change we stayed in a different guest house from our usual haunt. Samudra opened on to the beach and cost £3 a night. 

When we weren't shopping or lounging on the beach we walked along winding village lanes, admiring the old Portuguese era houses.

Back in colonial times the only buildings allowed to be painted white were the Catholic churches. Although Goa gained independence in 1961 the tradition has been upheld and almost every house you'll come across will be in a fantastically vibrant shade, freshly painted prior to the start of the monsoon rains in June.

Ice cold Kingfisher, the perfect end to a perfect day.

One more instalment to go then there'll be no further mention of India until our next trip (which won't be for a while if I carry on spending all my money in charity shops).

Have a fantastic weekend, my lovelies!