20.01.2019
This year I had the good fortune to accompany 3 rounds of the Brahmaputra River Cruise Tour and in between I got to stay in India. There is really no need to fly back to Germany for 10 days in between. 4 of those days would be travelling anyway. And the hassle with the jetlag is just not worth it. So after the first round I decided to catch up with my friends in Southern Goa.
I had booked myself an Air Asia flight out of Delhi to Goa for 05:20 the night the guests would fly back to Germany at 01:50. I had choses this flight purely for the timing, otherwise Air Asia would not have been my choice. I brought the guests to the airport and waved them off, then settled in the terminal – yes, they did let me in even though I had 5 hrs until check in. Since my flight did not show up at the display, I went to the airline desk to ask what time check-in would start. A rather bored and unfriendly girl said – 2 o’clock! Row B! – Oh, well … I found a comfortable and quiet bench – everywhere there were people lounging waiting for flights – at the very end of the terminal in the corner. I logged on the internet and did some journal writing until 02:00. I had brought a couple of Kingfisher to help me pass the time.
At 02:00 still my flight did not show up at the display, so I went back to the airline desk. This time there was an unfriendly man there and he said – But your flight is cancelled! Did you not get a message? – No, I did not! And I asked at 22:30 tonight right here and the woman then said all is fine! – But it has been cancelled a long time ago! – Well, that woman should have told me at 22:30 then! I could have gone to a hotel! And how about another flight? – We book you on the next flight which is at 12:40! – Are you kidding me? – No, the next flight Air Asia to Goa is at 12:40 and I can book you on it. Otherwise I give you a refund and you book yourself a different airline! – You pay my hotel? – No of course not! – But last-minute flights are 5 times as more expensive …
With a new e-ticket in hand I went to the door to get outside and sure enough they would not let me go outside! Once you are in the terminal building – that is it! No more getting out! But the guard told me to go to the airline, they could let me out. So back to the airline desk I went – but they send me to the check-in row. There was a huge line up, but I butted into the front – I must have looked rather angry – and I was – because I immediately got the staff’s attention. And a guy did accompany me to the exit door where I had to show my new ticket, passport and sign a registration before being allowed to go out.
But what to do now? Find a hotel for a few hours …. The only places I could think of were the chain hotels in Areocity … Looking it up on booking it showed vacancy in IBIS for € 70. Looking for a taxi I bargained one down from Rs 500 to Rs 200 for the short ride to Aerocity. Checking into IBIS was a drag. I should have known – we used to stay there with groups, but the hotel was changed because it was not nice, procedures slow and overall just not worth it. By now it was 03:00 and to no surprise they charged me a full night – absolutely no discount – at Rs 9000. That is more than € 100! No budging even the slightest bit. I took it, because I could not have been bother looking any further.
I went to sleep and got up at 09:00 again. Breakfast was not included in the hefty price, so I checked out. The guy in the night shift had offered me a free airport transfer in the morning, but the morning shift already did not know about it. But obviously word had travelled that I am not a happy camper at the moment and quickly they revised and gave me a free lift to the airport.
This time check in was open already and without any problems I went through security. I found the gate for my flight – it was in the very far end of the terminal, but at least the plane was already arriving.
Treating myself to a large coffee and a chocolate muffin I settled in to reading and waiting.
Fairly on time the plane took off at 12:45. The flight to Goa was about 2 hrs 50 min. I did a lot of sleeping and also bought a sandwich – which was not really good. In Goa my bag came quickly and in no time I had booked a pre-paid taxi to Patnem for Rs. 2000. The ride would take approx. 1.5 hrs.
Goa is a state considered to be part of western as well as southern India – so somewhere in between and rather different from the rest – I feel. It is bounded by Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea forming its western coast. It is India’s smallest state by area and the fourth-smallest by population. Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states, 2.5 times that of the country. It was ranked the best-placed state by the Eleventh Finance Commission for its infrastructure and ranked on top for the best quality of life in India by the National Commission on Population based on the 12 Indicators.
Panaji is the state’s capital, while Vasco da Gama is its largest city. The historic city of Margao still exhibits the cultural influence of the Portuguese, who first landed in the early 16th century as merchants and conquered it soon thereafter. Goa is a former Portuguese province – the Portuguese overseas territory of Portuguese India existed for about 450 years until it was annexed by India in 1961.
Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year for its white sand beaches, nightlife, places of worship and World Heritage-listed architecture. It has rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, a biodiversity hotspot. I have to admit, I have not seen much of it so far. I have been once before to Patnem Beach and way back when I was working on the sailing ship, we did the Indian Ocean Crossing and docked in Mormugoa Harbour and did a full day excursion inland … That was all …
Today I reached the beach just in time for sunset! Patnem Beach is right at the southern end of Goa. Beaches in South Goa are very quiet and beautiful. Patnem is the lesser-known and quieter sibling of the very popular Palolem Beach, has white sands and crystal clear waters. It is hands down one of the most peaceful places to hang in Goa – not that I know any other Goan places … When I came to visit my friends here the first time 3 years ago, they just told me to come here and go nowhere else.
My friends Gurli & Jeff had reserved me a bungalow at Moon Star Huts right on the beach and next to theirs. I dropped of my bags, got the Vodka out and went over to settle in our daily ritual of sundowners on their balcony. I had visited them here 3 years ago already and this has become a tradition. I had messaged Gurli to get Tonic, I would bring the Vodka. Jeff did not think that was a good deal, because cheap Indian Vodka costs almost less than Schweppes Tonic Water! But I got out the good stuff – my medicinal Duty Free stash …
For dinner we went to Seatouch right next door on the beach. The prawns in Garlic Lemon butter were the best. I ordered 5 prawns with salad only. Keep the rice, the chips, cooked vegetables! Just give me double mixed salad with it! And it was delicious!
I slept well with the ocean breeze blowing through the bungalow and the waves crashing on the beach. If anything, it was a bit cold and I had to ask for another blanket in the morning.
21.– 28.02.2019
I settled in a routing of chilling and writing on the balcony all morning ever morning. Gurli was so kind and would bring me a cup of tea over every morning, too. On the first day I went with her to get a pot curd from the small shop nearby for breakfast. The fresh curd comes in a clay pot and is very good. Jeff used all the clay pots to decorate the garden around the bungalows with.
However, from there on I just skipped breakfast entirely for the rest of my stay. Gurli went ever morning to Bone & Body for treatments and Jeff was doing nothing but chilling as well. It was peacefully calm on the beach – only the occasional resident holy cow walking past, some motorbikes navigating the beach path and the banana bread and samosa man beeping his horn to attract attention.
My bungalow was reminiscent to my good old days on Koh Tao … That was ages ago … Jeez …. 1998 to 2002 I lived in a bungalow on stilts on Mr J’s Hill on the rock. Back then I had chosen the luxury version – 24 hrs electric and a tiled bathroom – it was still dead cheap! And my bungalow then was not much different from my bungalow now. The wind was blowing trough the gaps between the wood, there was a resident gecko living under the room who was supposed to eat cockroaches and spiders, but could not always keep up and the sunset view was spectacular, too. I like Patnem Beach because it sets me back a tiny bit to those good old days on the rock …
For lunch Jeff, Gurli and I usually went somewhere. On the first day it was Little Ganesha Restaurant on the main road. The Fish Thali was excellent! Why they have a Buddha on the wall instead of a Ganesha when they call themselves Little Ganesha Restaurant is beyond me, though. But maybe I just did not see the Little Ganesha hidden in some corner …
Thali means “plate” and is the Indian name for a round platter used to serve food. Thali is also used to refer to an Indian-style meal made up of a selection of various dishes which are served on a platter. The idea behind a Thali is to offer all the 6 different flavors of sweet, salt, bitter, sour, astringent and spicy on one single plate. According to Indian food custom, a proper meal should be a perfect balance of all these 6 flavors. Restaurants typically offer a choice of vegetarian or meat-based thalis. Vegetarian thalis are a popular lunch choice. Dishes served in a Thali vary from region to region in South Asia and are usually served in small bowls, called katori in India. These katoris are placed along the edge of the round tray – the actual thali. Sometimes a steel tray with multiple compartments is used. Typical dishes include rice, dal, vegetables, roti, papad, dahi (yogurt), small amounts of chutney or pickle and a sweet dish to top it off. Rice or Roti is the usual main dish which occupies the central portion of the Thali.
In the afternoon I went to have a massage at The Brothers. I chose Deep Tissue, since it was supposed to be the strongest. The set up there was nice and the massage was OK. But I had better. For the next time I instead went to Atmanand Ayush Ayurvedic Massages near the beach. Here I selected Kerala Ayurveda Massage. The girl used equally as much oil as the one in the other place, but she was a better massage therapist. The set up was not as nice as in the other place, but that woman had strong hands and found all the right tight spots in my back. I booked a 3 massage package and paid only Rs 3000. Bargain!
On my second day we all went to Galgibagh. The Santosh Family Beach Restaurant there is my favourite beach restaurant in Goa. It is right at the end of the quiet turtle beach. We went by tuk tuk which took approx 30 min. Jeff and I did a detour to Chaudi Town – I needed to go to the ATM and wanted to buy some rum to put in the coconut. Getting money was no problem, but the liquor store was closed … Jeff knew however a local dive that sold bottles as well. It was located just across the road in a side street. Unfortunately – or fortunately? – they sold only big bottles of Old Monk Rum … Since it was only Rs 260 I bought a big one.
Galgibagh Beach is located in the south of Goa in Canacona region, approx 7 km from our Patnem beach. It is also known as the Turtle Beach and is one of 3 Goan beaches – alongside with Agonda beach and Morjim beach – where the state program of olive turtle saving and protection works and is implemented perfectly. The whole northern part of this beautiful beach is used for turtles nesting. It was as usual a hair raising 30 min auto rickshaw ride to get there – mainly because Anand, Jeff & Gurli’s regular rickshaw man, has a centuries old rickshaw which is basically held together by rust and paint. And it probably did not help squeezing our 3 Western butts on the small backseat together. The auto only goes in one – or maybe 2 – gears and at the couple of hills we had to cross, the thought of getting off and push the thing up crossed my mind a few times …
The beach strip of Galgibagh is approx 2 km long and is covered with dense pine vegetation. The place is almost empty and has a kinda sharp entering into the Sea. In the southern part of Galgibagh Beach some shacks with modest menus of different dishes and drinks can be found. Our favourite is more or less the last one in line – Santosh Family Restaurant – apparently recommended by Jamie Oliver!
The restaurant was quiet when we arrived there around 13:00 on a Tuesday and found a great table on the beach front row. Why do I like this restaurant so much? Well, the location – of course. But … they have the best local oysters there and the best Goan Crab Sukha! To die for!
First I had to choose the crab I wanted. There are always baskets full of fresh live crabs in one corner of the restaurant. They must be as fresh as they possibly can be – live is ideal – after all we are in India! They are still alive and kicking – meaning they are not spoilt. And anyway the fresher they are the better they taste!
I chose the biggest one they had today in the basket! For Rs 1300 it would come fully prepared to the table. The mud crab or mangrove crab – Scylla Serrata – is an ecologically important species of crab found in the estuaries and mangroves of Africa, Australia and Asia. In their most common form, the shell colour varies from a deep, mottled green to very dark brown. Interest in the aquaculture of this species has been high due to the high demand and price for them, high flesh content and rapid growth rates in captivity. They are tolerant of most water conditions and are generally a very hardy and entertaining species.
While the Crab Sukha was prepared I had Goan Oysters for a starter. I know, I know – do not say it – How can you eat fresh oysters in India! But I did! And I did before and they are great. Not as great as French oysters from the Atlantic, but still OK.
Oysters – the symbol of the aristocratic gourmet cuisine attracts gourmets in South Goa like a magnet. Here the aquatic inhabitants live in sweet and salty waters and can be found in estuaries as well as in swamps and creeks in shallow offshore areas with a rocky bottom. In South Goa and the neighboring state of Kerala, there are farms for the cultivation of oysters, which are not worse than the natural in quality and taste and sometimes even better. However, in Goa oysters are considered a delicacy and seeing them sold in markets is extremely rare. But here in Galgibagh oysters are always on the menu and of course I had my share.
I remember when I was here for the first time 3 years ago, my friends took me here and I say oysters on the menu – It just stated: Fresh Oysters Rs 250. So, I ordered 6. The waiter looked at me surprised and asked – You want 6? – Yeah, 6 oysters I can afford! – But there are 7 pieces on one plate … – What do you mean? – One plate is 7 oysters! – And how much would that cost? – 7 oysters on one plate is Rs 250! – Are you kidding me? – No, madam …
This time, of course I also ordered my plate and devoured them happily. The view was wonderful and the rum tasted good with them.
And before I could think about it, my Crab Sukha arrived! Here they cook the crabs perfectly – they retain all the moisture and the delicate crab meat doesn’t dry out. Sukehm or Sukha refers to as dry and any seafood can be prepared in this style. Crab Sukha is actually a specialty from an Indian coastal city from the state of Karnataka. Due to its proximity, there are a lot of food and cultural commonalities between Goa and it’s neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Sukha here is not spicy, it is prepared with lots of freshly grated coconut and a whole lot of crab.
Digging in up to my elbows I devoured every bit of that amazing dish. It reminded of that one time I worked on a sailing ship crossing the Indian Ocean from Thailand to Greece. During the stop in Kerala some of the Russian sailors bought buckets full of fresh crabs from passing fishermen, made a deal with the Philipino chefs in the galley and invited us up to crew deck, because my team had a stash of Thai beer. We sat around that makeshift table covered in newspaper and dumped the entire bucket of cooked crab on it. It was a messy meal, but it was one of the greatest crab meals I ever had – and I have eaten a lot of crab already in all corners of the world!
The Galgibagh Crab Sukha is equally delicious. I love the coconut taste of it. We would have to come back again before I leave, to have more Crab Sukha. But for the rest of the day I could hardly move, I was so full. So for dinner we only went to Magic View and shared a Mushroom Pizza and a Greek Salad between the 3 of us. And even that was too much.
One day I had to go and find a secret box, of course. There was a new geocache out very close to our bungalows on the headland between Patnem Beach and Colomb Beach to the North. This spot is especially popular with yoga and meditation people for sunrise and sunset. But I went around lunch and it was deserted. A small path was leading from behind Magic View Restaurant past some lonely huts and a meditation place to the rocky headland. It was a pleasant walk and the view across the bay was beautiful.
There was absolutely nobody there, so I could search thoroughly for the secret box. The GPS was pointing me however in another direction than the spoiler photos in the online listing. The hint was to look under the rock – and I looked and crawled under every rock – but came up with nothing. I was going to give up … Starting to walk back I noticed some more rocks a couple of meters to the side and compared them to the spoiler photo – hard to say, if those were the right ones, but what the heck, I did go and checked. Again I looked and crawled under every rock and … There it was! Well hidden under a huge rock was a good-sized proper geocache! Happy! … Until I noticed, that I had forgotten my pen in the bungalow … How was I going to sign the logbook? Crap! … I had to do a photolog. I left a travelbug behind and took a photo of the box – that had to do.
Back on the beach I walked along a bit and found a table at the small Home Restaurant to have a lunch of Fruit Salad Muesli Curd Honey and a Fresh Papaya Juice. It was a peaceful place to sit and relax and the food was very good, too. Jeff had recommended it as being the best fruit salad on the beach.
Everyday we met for sunset on Jeff & Gurlis porch. It is a tradition we started 3 years ago and had settled into this routine again seamlessly. The sun was setting around 18:30 here – by approx 17:45 it disappeared however behind the rocks towards the end of the beach.
Some days it was only us sitting and chatting, other days other friends of them would show up as well. Jeff & Gurli knew almost everybody of the longtermers in Patnem. They have been coming here for years already every winter.
We said every day that we would go sit on the beach for the next sunset … but we never did. Taking drinks on the beach is not allowed anymore in Goa and anyway, we had a perfect spot on their porch – no need to move away. But once I took my lensball to the beach and Jeff and I played a bit with it and the sunset.
I got this lensball very recently and I am still experimenting with it. But with an empty soda bottle on a fishing boat as stand and a nice sunset those photos turned out pretty well. And at least we made it to the actual beach for one sunset …
For dinner we had many options along Patnem beach, but of course we had our preferences. One of our favourites is April 20 Restaurant right on the beach. Gurli would always call ahead and make a reservation for a table at the seafront. Not that we ever stared into the dark beach in front of us, but it was nice to have the option to do so.
The food is excellent in April 20. Twice we went this time around and both times I had Seafood Mughlai which was huge and came in a heart-shaped dish. It was absolutely delicious! I suspect it was meant to be for 2 people … it was that big. I ate one all by myself, though, at least the first time we went.
Mughlai cuisine consists of dishes developed in Medieval India at the centres of the Mughal Empire. It represents a combination of South Asian cuisine with the cooking styles and recipes of Central Asian cuisine – Central Asia being the region where the early Turko-Mongol Mughal emperors originally hailed from. The tastes of Mughlai cuisine vary from extremely mild to spicy and are often associated with a distinctive aroma and the taste of ground and whole spices. My Seafood Mughlai consisted of Seafood Tikka – there were shrimp, calamaris and fish – set on top of this delicious Mughlai Sauce. Tikka refers to either pieces of meat or to the marinade in which the meat, vegetable or seafood is prepared. This marinade is made from a mixture of aromatic spices and dahi – yoghurt. The marinated pieces are then cooked in a tandoori oven. It was so good, I finished it all up – only some of the fish pieces I allowed the others to taste. You know, you have to set priorities – if you cannot eat it all, eat the best parts first. And yes, I am also somebody who leaves the edge of the pizza and eats the inside first!
Another evening we tried out a new place for dinner. We had walked past Café Inn Espresso Bar at Patnem Road the other day and they had this selective menu on display outside.
The Som Tom Salad and Chicken Green Thai Curry jumped on me straight away. So one evening we came here – even though we prefer the beachfront restaurants … The garden setting here was very nice and peaceful. The restaurant and adjacent guesthouse seemed very new. There were huge Coconut Palms in the courtyard that made a beautiful canopy. Jeff & Gurli were totally smitten by that and debating, if the palm trees had been there before or if they had planted the huge trees.
The food was very good, too – if not really Thai, though. Let’s call it modern fushion food …. It came in fancy glass bowls. The Som Tom Salad was nothing like the Green Papaya Salad of the same name in Thailand … mainly because there was no green papaya in it … It was a concoction of glass noodles and cabbage and other vegetables – but it did taste like Som Tom! It was actually very very good. The Green Curry however was nothing like green curry. It did not taste at all like it. It was a good enough dish, but nothing to write home about.
The Som Tom however was right up my alley and I did come back twice to have it for lunch in the next few days. For lunch the portions were even bigger than for dinner! And for Rs 180 that was an excellent bargain. Unfortunately, they discontinued this special menu a couple of days before I left …
One late morning Gurli and I walked to Palolem Beach, which is the next beach over. We took the footpath along the coast of Colomb Bay and over the rocks. Colomb Beach is located in a small horseshoe-shaped bay between the Palolem and Patnem Beaches. This is one of the most remote beaches of South Goa – is what they say!
It was high tide and we walked along the beach wall. There were some fishing boats sitting on the beach and very few tourists around. Actually, there were almost no people at all around.
Palolem Beach, however, was a totally different story – it is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern Goa and it is much busier than Patnem Beach. It is popular for is crescent-shaped bay, calm waters and busy nightlife. I did not even take a photo of the beach, because it was so … busy and not my style … We just walked there so Gurli could visit her dentist. Since there are many international tourists and longtermers there, a good dentist set up shop on the main road and he was busy!
For lunch we decided to go to Café Inn Espresso Bar Palolem – the same set up like in Patnem – but it turned out, they had a different chef and not the selective menu like in Patnem. We both had set our heads to Som Tom Salad … Oh well. We did find a nice table in the garden and I chose Seafood Pasta. That was actually very good pasta as well! For lunch it was rather big, though. But I ate it all, because it was good.
After lunch we treated ourselves to a nice espresso and cappuccino respectively – after all this establishment was called Café Inn Espresso Bar! And the coffee was excellent!
Gurli went back to Patnem and I took a walk further north. There was a secret box hidden at the end of the beach. I had found it 3 years ago, but I wanted to go there again – first of all I needed the walk and second that box seemed to be missing. I came prepared and was going to put a new box there. The walk was pleasant. A path led into the fields behind the beach and village. I knew the path and found it easily. That day the location was guarded by a curious herd of water buffalos. When I approached they all stood alert … and then they ran!
Sure enough in the hiding place of the geocache there was no geocache. So I got my replacement box and paper out, signed it and placed it there well hidden. Hopefully it will last a while. This geocache in Goa is actually an often visited one – compared to most other geocaches in India – well, maybe except the Earthcache of Taj Mahal …
I left the location waving the water buffalos good-bye asking them to watch over the box! I had to take a selfie there … just because … I like my hippie pants …
Having spent the last 3 weeks in North Indian winter with temperatures dropping to 9°C at night and during the day only reaching around 22°C, I was happy in the Goan heat. While the nights were sometimes a bit chilly due to the sea breeze, the days were just hot. I liked it!
Another evening … another dinner! We chose Sealand Restaurant this time. They had tables right at the beach – feet in sand. I am all for seafood and went to the counter where they had the fresh fish on display on the rocks. In the central part of the beach, there were a number of restaurants with tables right on the beach and all had there counters with the catch of the day fresh on display on ice. If in the chosen restaurant they would have had lobster, I would have taken it. But here they only had prawns and we were having those again the next day in Seatouch …
They had a proper charcoal tandoori oven going here. The term tandoor refers to a variety of ovens, the most commonly known is a cylindrical clay or metal oven used in cooking and baking in Northern India. The heat for a tandoor was traditionally generated by a charcoal or wood fire, burning within the tandoor itself, thus exposing the food to live-fire, radiant heat cooking and hot-air, convection cooking and smoking by the fat and food juices that drip on to the charcoal.
I selected a Red Snapper – or was it a Sea Bass? – I forgot … for Rs 900 Tandoori Style and ordered only salad with it. It usually comes with chips and salad, but I do not like potatoes much. So, please hold the chips and give me double the salad instead! When it arrived it looked delicious and I can tell you – it was delicious!
Jeff ordered some sort of Fish Curry which got served in a banana leaf. Clearly it had not been cooked in it, though. It looked interesting. Jeff said it was good.
During one of our sundowner get-togethers we were talking about what we could do around here other than eat and hang on the beach. We came up with taking a boat ride. There had been a new boat sitting on the beach for a while and Jeff & Gurli had never taken a boat ride before. Said and done – Before they could change their mind, we talked to Raju, the owner of our Moon Star Huts and he booked the boat for us the next morning.
We talked Jeff & Gurlis friend Larry into joining us, too. The boat fee was Rs 2500 and divided by 4 even better. We were supposed to leave around 11:00 that morning. It had to be done on incoming or high tide. The boat belonged to Magic View and was parked on their beach over in the corner. Jeff wanted them to come around in front of our huts, but eventually they called us over. The corner was more protected by rocks and it was safer to get on board over there than wading through the surf on our stretch of the beach. We all walked the 200 m across the beach – even Jeff did it after mumbling about it a great deal – and climbed on.
It was a small tourist boat with plastic chairs and sun roof. We were supposed to wear the life jackets and did so for maybe 2 min …
They drove us across the bay south to the mouth of the Talpona River. The river entrance is well hidden at the end of the beach and is only accessible at high tide. At low tide the river is too shallow for bigger boats.
It was a beautiful tour up the river. We saw little fishermen’s settlements right by the beach at the mouth of the river.
A few hundred meters further in, the new highway bridge was being built. It is a huge bridge and the workers had set cables across to pull their barrel rafts between the pillars. Now our boat seemed to be too high to pass under it and also it seemed that our boatmen were not sure which channel under the bridge to take. We had to wait maybe 10 min until another small boat was coming down the river and pointed out the right way. The workers also helped by holding the cable up for us to pass easily.
Along the calm river banks there were many beautiful houses set. Some seemed to be guest houses or privately owned houses of foreigners. They were all facing the river and had little boat docks.
The further up the river we came the more animals we encountered. There were a lot of birds – we saw Fish Eagles, Egrets, Storcks, Cormorants and such.
Also monkeys were around – we heard them more than that we saw them. But every now and again could catch a glimpse of a Rhesus Macaque or some Hanuman Langurs jumping between the trees.
The Hanuman Langur (Semnopithecus) – also called Gray Langur, Sacred Langur or Indian Langur – belongs to the Old World Monkeys native to the Indian Subcontinent. These Langurs are largely gray with black faces, ears, hands and feet. The word langur means “having a long tail”. Typically all northern Indian Gray Langurs have their tail tips looping towards their head during a causual walk whereas all South Indian Gray Langurs have an inverted U shape or S tail carriage patter. They mainly eat leaves as well as some fruit and spent most of their time in trees.
The Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. Native to South, Central and Southeast Asia, Rhesus Macaque have the widest geographic ranges of any nonhuman primate, occupying a great diversity of altitudes and a great variety of habitats, from grasslands to arid and forested areas, but also close to human settlements. The name “rhesus” is reminiscent of the Greek mythological king, Rhesus. However, the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Audebert, who applied the name to the species, stated: “it has no meaning”.
The banks of the Talpona River were lined with Coconut Palm plantations. Just as you would imagine Goa – Coconut Palms as far as you can see. They had been planted on terraces.
The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera) is Goa’s icon and much-loved in the region – the stately palm is on every tourist brochure advertising the charms of the state – but it would no longer be regarded as a tree, but a plant – since of recently. “Botanically the coconut tree is not even a tree, because it does not have branches,” Goa Environment Minister said, setting off a debate on international botany sites as the news made waves internationally. Declassifying the coconut palm has triggered massive discontent in the state. Most pictorial references of Goa include the coconut palm that once covered the coastal plains in lush canopies of swaying green.
And every part of the tree is put to use – There is a huge demand for the mineral-rich coconut water, coastal people weave coir mats, ropes, brooms, brushes and mattresses from its mesocrap and thatch and baskets from the fronds, the flesh of the nut is central to Goan cooking, going into its curries and almost all of its sweets, coconut oil from its dried kernel has many medicinal and daily uses, including in soap manufacture, dried oil cakes are manure and empty shells were used as spoons and artisans craft jewellery and other items from it. Tappers who tapped the tree for the sap (called “toddy”) from the cut inflorescences, though now a dwindling occupation, are part of Goan lore, folksongs, local theatre and films, revered for scaling the tree with ease twice a day. “Toddy” yields both the region’s famous brew, the coconut feni, traditional sugar, jaggery and vinegar, the latter a key component of Goan cuisine and even the wood of old trees is cut up for roof rafters.
For its multiple uses, the palm itself is called a “Kalpavriksha” – the tree of heaven – and each year the agriculture department sells 100,000 saplings. And virtually every household plants the palm in its backyard to take care of the family’s needs. It is cut only when absolutely necessary.
The winding river got narrower as we went upstream, but it also got shallower. After a bit more than an hour we had to turn around, because it was not deep enough anymore.
Going down stream was a little faster and we followed another boat. Their boatman seemed to know the river even better and was going faster. He also knew the right and fast way under the new bridge and in no time we were back at the river mouth.
While we had been on the calm river, the tide had come up and the wind had picked up as well. As we exited the river it got really windy and choppy. What fun that was!
I packed away my camera and arranged 2 of the life jackets under and around my backpack to protect it from the spray of the waves. I was sitting in the front and the boat had to go almost straight into the waves, so I always got the main load of the wave whilst the others were hiding behind me. No problem, I loved it! We had to cross the bay again and did so by going out into the waves and then turned towards the end of the beach going with the waves. The boatmen knew their job and we reached the little rocky bay at the end of the beach easily and got off without having to wade through the surf. What a great outing that was!
Finishing off a great day we had sundowners as usual and then tried out a new dinner location. There was Cuba Restaurant just down the beach and neither of us had ever been there. Time to be adventurous … The setting was nice and we had a good table by the beachfront. I chose Green Papaya Salad, Raita, Prawn Masala and Nan. Unfortunately we had to wait very long for our food today. But maybe that had to do with today being Jan 26 – Republic Day – Indian National Day! Surprised we were that they even served alcohol. Usually, Republic Day is a dry day all over India.
The food was very good – at least I thought so. The Green Papaya Salad was very close to the original Thai version and everything else was yummy, too. I would come back here – and if it was only for the Green Papaya Salad.
Every morning I got up relatively early. During the full moon nights the tide was very high and the waves were crashing loud all night, but those were milder nights. Some other nights the temperature dropped somewhat lower – do not get me wrong – it was not freezing. But with 35°C during the day a night temperature of like 17°C felt very cold. Especially since my bungalow had natural air conditioning! It was only a wooden hut with a gap below the roof and gazed over windows below the roof. So the fresh breeze from the sea was blowing right through sometimes. Some mornings I would just open my door and lie in bed to stare out to the beach.
There were always holy cows around. There was one big black resident bull. He would wait on the beach just outside the huts every morning, because some neighbours were feeding him kitchen scraps. He often also walked the length of the beach path munching on flowers and tree leaves along the way. Properties all had flimsy gates to keep the cows out. Those worked fine.
In fact, in India, cows are considered to be a manifestation of the Mother Goddess and a sacred animal that provides life-sustaining milk, considered the divine prasadam or holy offering. The cow is a holy, maternal figure revered as a symbol of the divine bounty of the earth. Divine products of milk and dairy have a social and religious significance. This is because these products such as buttermilk, organic milk and yogurt provide strength and nourishment to the body. Even Lord Shiva’s trusted steed is Nandi – not a horse, but the sacred bull.
The cow is also a source of fuel – cow dung is used as fuel. Rich in methane, it generates heat and electricity. Many rural homes in India are plastered with cow dung to protect the walls from extreme temperatures. Cow dung is also the perfect fertilizer which has jump started the organic farming movement in India. The ritual of burning cow dung as a sacred fire purifies the air too – besides eliminating pollution and harmful radiation. Whether you opt for science or spirituality, there are good reasons why the cow is considered sacred in India.
Sometimes that bull was lying in the middle of the path as if he owned it and would not budge. The beach path is mainly pedestrian, but often motorbikes were passing also. But he did not care. He had his siesta there.
One morning when I looked out I saw a bunch of cows standing on the beach in front of the bar next door. I grabbed the camera and in my pajamas and barefoot walked over there to take some photos. For whatever reason the cows had decided to visit the beach this morning all together.
They were standing around the bar signs – from the bar next door – advertising Cocktail Happy Hour. It looked as if the cows were waiting for the bar to open. Maybe they did …
They did think I had food for them and came walking after me! – No no, cow! I have no food for you! You just wait for somebody else!
Our resident black bull preferred beer that morning, it seemed. He was standing next to the beer sign trying to nibble on that one.
Having eaten all that good food and enjoyed massages every second day, I needed to go to Chaudi Town to get money from the ATM. I decided to either take the public bus or walk and left early that morning. Walking along the road it was actually not far to town, I walked approx 30 min. Chaudi Town is just the closest bigger settlement at the main road south and the closest place for an ATM. It was Sunday and there was a small market. Usually Saturday is market day, but probably because it had been a holiday with Republic Day the day before, there were some ladies set up selling vegetables on the street.
The fish market was as well busy this morning. Women were selling all kinds of fish and clams. I saw a fish there, I had never seen before. It looked like a sole.
Flatfish are very common in India and this one was maybe a Malabar Sole (cynoglossus semifasciatus) which is found in great numbers in the waters of the Indian Ocean and in the estuary of the Godavari – which flows into the Gulf of Bengal, for which reason it is more commonly known as the Bengal tongue-sole in English. The Malabar sole, as with all tongue fishes, has both its eyes on the left side of its head and can be recognized by its shape which is ovoid in the front and pointed towards the tail. Apparently it tastes good in Goan Fish Curry, they say.
It was a small fish market this Sunday, but it was relatively busy. There was not only fish being sold, but also all kinds of shellfish.
After I walked around it a bit, I went and got money from the ATM without problems. Since the machines only give Rs 10000 per transaction, I had to put my card in 4 times. I had to pay my bungalow the next day and we were going back to Galgibagh for more Crab Sukha as well …
My peeps in Assam had asked to bring them Goan Cashew Nuts as well. So I went to the local store in Chaudi and stood in front of the shelf in awe! – Bring me Cashew Nuts! – They had said …. Which Cashew Nuts? – Any Cashew Nuts from Goa! ….
There were shelves full of them, though. Not only did they come peeled or unpeeled or roasted – also there were salted ones and then all those varieties came sorted into at least 3 different nut sizes. And then of course packed in different size packages! I was in a dilemma!
Haha, Bring all! – I have only 20 kg luggage allowance! – I wish you could bring more! – So, bring 19 kg! – Hahaha! I could give however each guest a 1 kg package! Then you get 19 kg! That an idea? – Yes! That is an excellent idea! – Unfortunately, I only meet the guests in Delhi and not here in Goa! – You can always bring more!
Sunday is a good day to spend in Galgibagh, says Gurli. So, when I got back from Chaudi we were almost set to go. Piling into the tuk tuk again we got on the road. Sunday was busy in Galgibagh.
However, today they did not have any big crabs … I was sad! Probably with the holiday the day before the fishermen had not been out yesterday to get more … There were only small crabs today. But nevermind! I just ordered 2! Santosh himself selected them for me.
Here I was under the impression that they would cook 2 crabs in one dish … Surprise! I got 2 full dishes! Oh my! A feast! I had foregone the rice today and ordered tomato salad to offset all the coconut and crab.
And feasting I was! Jeff & Gurli had finished their food already and were lounging on the sunbeds while I was still elbow deep in Crab Sukha … I would not give up, though! I would eat it all! And I did – washing it all down with Kingfisher.
I had left my Old Monk Rum behind today and opted for a Gin & Tonic. The local Blue Ribaud Gin is not all that bad – of course it is no Bombay Sapphire, though. Unfortunately, they did not have the proper Schweppes Tonic … They gave me something that sated “Sports – sweetened carbonated beverage – Indian Tonic Water” – I can assure you – that tasted nothing like tonic! It was horrible! It tasted disgustingly like some sort of energy drink. It spoilt the Gin completely.
When I eventually finished my food I had splurged in a Vodka & Mazza instead. The local Vodka is good enough and Mazza is a Mango juice drink. That went together very well and I joined the others by the sunbeds. I needed to relax a bit and digest all this good food.
Gurli had called the tuk tuk man, but he probably got held up, he was not yet there when we got out. Jeff started grumbling again, wanted to wait and took some photos. But Gurli and I started walking along the village road a little ways. We reached the church when the tuk tuk screeched around the corner. We send him to pick up Jeff first, though.
In the evening I was still so full of food that I first said I would not have any dinner. Jeff & Gurli wanted to have a small dinner, though and wanted to go to Café Inn Espresso Bar for that Som Tom Salad. Jeff was not really for it, but Gurli just pulled him along. The walk did us all good, but once we got there it turned out that the special menu was out of the picture … We were disappointed. I could have had one of those Som Tom as well again … The regular menu was however not after our liking, so we walked all the way back to the end of the beach to Magic View. They do have the best pizza outside of Italy there, believe it. There is a proper wood pizza oven and they make all pizzas from scratch. We shared a pizza and a Greek salad between the 3 of us again. That was enough after all this good food in Galgibagh.
On my last day in Goa, Gurli and I walked again to Palolem. I needed to go to the Liquor Store and buy Cashew Feni. The Liquor Store in Chaudi had been closed still, but Gurli said there is a big one on the beach in Palolem. We walked all along the beach and sure enough found the big shop easily. I bought not only Cashew Feni to take to Assam, but also small bottles of Coconut Feni to take home as souvenir. And more medicinal Vodka had to be bought as well … Not that I had needed medicine, but everyday sundowners were a tradition.
Once we had sorted the alcohol out, Gurli wanted to do some shopping. The selection of clothing shops in Palolem was better than in Patnem. She spent some time trying on different tops and pants while I had a coconut and waited.
But I also did some looking and found a new Om-Ring. I have one, but it is too small actually and hurts my finger. Lucky, I found one a couple of sizes bigger. In the Goan heat it fit my finger perfectly – once I was back in North Indian winter I had to move it to my thumb … The old ring I just put on my pinky finger – now I have double Om! That should do dealing with the guests this summer in France!
For lunch we found a nice little restaurant Rasá. The decoration made out of old kerosene lamps caught our eyes. The menu had a Thai Green Curry bowl on it and we were sold. Since I am neither vegan nor vegetarian I ask to have it with prawns, even though it was only vegan on the menu. – But of course, we can do that! No problem! You want spicy? – Yes, I want it spicy! Thank you!
And when it arrived I was delighted. It was excellent Green Curry with noodles and prawns. Delicious! Do not get me wrong – I do like Indian food, but having so many options in Goa I had to have something different from Indian. When I am back in the North, there will be plenty Indian food again for me. And in general they make Asian food better than Western food in such small restaurants. So I am having a Thai streak …
Having had such good food we went to Café Inn Espresso Bar for a nice espresso and cappuccino. They do make the best coffee there!
Later we walked all the way back to Patnem. Plenty was to see and look at on the way. Palolem Road is a regular tourist shop paradise … But from now on we just looked.
Back in Patnem I had to do some packing – I was leaving the next morning. But I started not before having my daily afternoon Salty Lemon Soda in Seatouch Restaurant. I hate drinking plain water and do not like cola or such sweet things. Therefore I go for Salty Lemon Soda. It has vitamins and is also rehydrating in this heat. Usually I would order 2 glasses straight away and before you could think, they would have sizzled down my throat.
On my last evening we came a second time to April 20 together with Larry, a friend of Jeff & Gurli. It was Gurlis favourite restaurant on the beach and to celebrate the day we splurged in Cocktails for Aperitif. They make the best Fresh Strawberry Daiquiry here! I tell you! So yummy! I should have discovered them earlier in my stay …
I skipped the beer that night, too … Gin & Tonic it was! – They had the proper tonic water, as well! And of course I had Seafood Mughlai again! It is to die for! I offered to share with Larry – he wanted to order Fish Tikka. I told him, he could have the fish from my dish while I ate the shrimp and calamari. He looked at me questioningly and then ordered Fish Tikka anyway – but in the end he did eat the fish I left over as well …. A lot of food we had again that night.
Gurli wore her new dress – when she tried it on she had said it was so not her, but she bought it anyway. She showed it to Jeff and said – Can I wear this? But I think my belly is sticking out too much! – Jeff answered: I do not know! I cannot look past your boobs! – I guess, that translates to: You look very hot!
29.01.2019
This morning I had to pack up and pay. My taxi was ordered for 10:30. I had checked into my Air India flight already online. I chose Air India from now on, because they firstly have many flights and secondly they have a luggage allowance of 25 kg. While the ticket is slightly more expensive than the other airlines, there is no hassle with booking excess luggage all the time. So in the end the ticket price is the same.
My friends waved me off and the taxi brought me to Goa Airport. The ride was approx 1.5 hrs and rather uneventful, except for the one time the car would not start again and it took like 10 tries to get it going … Something with the electric, the driver said …
But we made it in time to the airport! Traffic was not to bad either, that helped.
When I got there I could already drop my bag. First it had to be x-rayed and sealed, though. That is common procedure at smaller Indian Airports. In Delhi you have to sign that you have no forbidden things in your check-in luggage and then they do the x-ray behind the scenes. Everywhere else they do it before and seal the bag with a special cable tie and sticker.
My flight was at 13:55 and I had much time hanging out in transit. I checked out the bar, but they were not too friendly there and the beer was too expensive. So left and I bought a couple samosas from a snack stall and an Apple Fizz and found a seat to pass the time. When it was time for boarding I noticed my jacket was gone … Crap! Where did I leave that one? I had it at security … After retracing my steps in a run I figured it can only be at the bar … And there it was! Thank you, for watching it for me! Running back to the gate I was still in time for boarding.
The flight was slightly delayed – actually taking off approx 1 hr late, but arrived in Delhi with only 30 min delay.
Good bye, Goa! – Hello Delhi! Hello winter cold!
