STAY SAFE

Goa is an ideal holiday destination for travelers and is safe ,but of course tourists should bear in mind that like any country with all its heritage and culture comes its own set of safety issues Readers please don’t be alarmed with the advice you may get here, but its just a guidelines to the dos and don'ts in Goa.

* Avoid unprotected sex with strangers, as there is always a risk of AIDS
* Western women should not walk on the beaches at night alone. If you have to, take along a companion. Goa is actually quite safe except for unsafe pockets of long-term foreign hippie tourists, be careful of them the most.
* Do not accept un-bottled drinks from strangers under any circumstances
* Do not accept rides from strangers, local or foreigners, especially at night.
* Do not indulge in anything more than light drugs, if you have to. Best is to avoid.
* Be careful when wading at the beach as undertow riptide currents can be strong in certain beaches. Avoid the mouth of all rivers (such as the Mandovi River at Miramar), especially at low tide when the flow of the water current out to sea is the strongest. And just don't get into the water at all in the off season. The safe swimming period in Goa is November to early May.
* Avoid contact with unprocessed cashew nuts as they contain an irritant ('urusiol') also present in poison ivy. The cashew apple is edible when ripe.
* Goans are very friendly and helpful, should you have any problems talk immediately to the nearest Goan shop, restaurant or bystander and ask for help.
* Travel guides can be expensive and have been known to dupe foreign visitors. Try your hand at travelling alone, buy a map and hire a taxi or rent a bike. Befriend a decent taxi driver and give him business often.
* Temperatures in winter and summer can be extreme, do not forget sunscreen.
* Beware of hawkers who always mark up their goods, up to 300%
* Beware of any scam that offers a free ride in return for a "prize". The prize will suck guaranteed
* Also beware the 'ear doctors' who are more likely to accost men than women and 'produce' some tiny revolting creature, supposedly from your ear, for which they then offer a 'cure' (it is however humorous to read the cards they print up promoting themselves)
* While travelling by train, beware of pickpockets, strangers who offer you snacks or tea, and other such people who make trains in India a regular hunting ground.
* Don't trust travel agents who say that a train is fully booked! They want you to hire a car that costs more and provides them a kick back. A better thing to do is to check out the details yourself on the Indian Railways website [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/inet_srcdest_names.html/].
* For additional information on Laws in Goa - [http://www.resorts-in-goa.com/resorts-in-goa-laws.php Laws in Goa].

'''Ambulance'''
* Goa Medical College (Bambolim) 102 or 2458725
* Goa Air Ambulance +91 98211 50889
* Indian Red Cross (Panjim) 2224601
* Esperance Clinic (Panjim) 2463185
* Margao Ambulance Trust (Margao) 2714464
* Ravi Naik Trust (Ponda) 2312608
* Ambulance And Welfare Trust (Panjim) 2227997

'''Travel Services'''
* Why Goa Tours & Travels (Panjim) +91 9881231203

'''Blood Bank'''
* GMC 2458700 to 2458716
* GMC Bambolim 2458724
* Margao 2705167
* Online http://indianblooddonors.com/

'''Fire service'''
The number to Fire Service is 191

'''Police'''
Police Head Quarters, Near Azad Maidan, Panjim
dgp@goapolice.org police@goa.nic.in
''(these should maybe be sorted and moved to appropriate articles)''
* Police Control Room 100
* Police Control Room Panjim 2428400
* Police Control Room Porvorim 2416251
* Police Station-Agacaim 2218000
* Police Station-Anjuna 2273233
* Police Station-Calangute 2278284
* Police Station-Canacona 2643357
* Police Station-Collem 2600233
* Police Station-Colva 2788396
* Police Station-Curchorem 2650568
* Police Station-Cuncolim 2763234
* Police Station-Bicholim 2362233
* Police Station-Harbour 2520740
* Police Station-Mapusa 2262231
* Police Station-Maina Curtorim 2714787
* Police Station-Margao 2705095
* Police Station-Old Goa 2285301
* Police Station-Panjim 2428482
* Police Station-Pernem 2201233
* Police Station-Ponda 2313101
* Police Station-Porvorim 2417704
* Police Station-Quepem 2662253
* Police Station-Sanguem 2604233
* Police Station-Vasco 2512304
* Police Station-Valpoi 2374255
* Police Station-Verna 2782325
* Police Station-Women's PS 2428992

'''Roadways Enquiry'''
* KTC (Kadamba-Goa) 2438034 to 2438037
* MSRTC (Maharashtra) 2438253
* KSRTC (Karnataka) 2438256

'''Official media'''
* All India Radio 2224455
* Doordarshan 2224312
* Press Information Bureau 2226929