Barred from the water, tourists find other ways to spend the day

Arambol/Morjim/Keri: Tourists, desi and foreign alike, tried to make most of their holiday at Morjim, Mandrem, Keri and Arambol beaches. They didn't let the rise in water levels play spoiltsport and found innovative ways to entertain themselves after being chased away by lifeguards from the sea.

A Russian couple who came to Arambol beach armed with swimsuits gave up hopes of venturing into the water and tried their hand at sand art instead. "We are having a good time," said the Russian couple in smatterings of English.

A German couple, Anna and Mathias, seated at a private shack at Keri beach, in their swimwear, said they would wait two-three days for the rough weather to clear. "We would have left Goa. We were not aware of the bad weather when we arrived two days ago,' said Anna. Mathias said he was keeping busy by reading, while Anna takes occasional strolls on the beach to kill theboredom.

At Morjim beach, three Russian girls played a game among themselves to make their time more fruitful as they were not allowed to go for a swim. "Sea is bad," said one of them as a sign that they couldn't go swimming.

A group of young Indian men had a race on the beach after they were reprimanded by a lifeguard for going into the water. A foreigner was seen doing acrobatics at the beach and kept some children and tourists engaged. Quite a few vendors were spotted at Arambol beach even as the flow of tourists was less than usual.