Enthused by the epic proportions of England’s ‘victory’ over India, we took the bus into Margao to buy tickets for the ODI, which were supposed to be on sale from 10.30. We arrived at 11.00 and were pleasantly surprised at the modest numbers waiting patiently outside the Syndicate Bank’s – the sole outlet – door, where a uniformed guard, sporting a polished twelve bore rifle, stood to attention.

After waiting five minutes, we learned that tickets weren’t actually going to start being sold until 3.00. 10.30 was when the bank opened and official queueing could start!

Enthusiasm to watch the match drained away and we headed off to a tranquil spot for some lunch.

We haven’t been back to Palolem, yet. Too many things to do, too little time, most of my books still unread.