33 things we love about Goa

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24th January 2009 - 25th February 2009 GOA - ATD & ABD

33 Things we love about Goa

1 -Agonda Beach.
We found this beach with only a week left to stay in Goa and decided it was too perfect to only see briefly, so we came back for 4 nights. Agonda is the Goldilocks of Goa’s many beaches. Not too touristy, not too secluded, but just right. Agonda is a large bay with two large unspoilt headlands sticking out into the Indian Ocean. This gives it a feeling of being a long way from anywhere. It also means that the surf is totally flat and perfect for swimming in or simply lying about and floating in. We stayed right on the beach in a hut, soaking up the peaceful vibe of the place.

2 - The Souvlaki Shop run by Athenians Kosmas and Maria (Agonda Beach)
Although the shop was at Agonda, I felt it deserved its own heading. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE souvlaki (or Yiros’ as we call them in Adelaide). One day we were cruising along and thought we would check out this place we had seen, thinking that the souvlaki would be about as authentically Greek as the Italian food we has sampled so far in India. My hopes soared when I saw the owners looking very typically Greek and speaking to each other in a language I recognized as Greek. Alexia was as excited as me and started to converse with the couple in her native tongue, who have been coming to Goa for years and divide their time between India and Athens. I can tell you, the Souvlaki was heavenly!

3 - Jogging (Benaulim, Colva)
We spent most of our time in Goa at Benaulim Beach. The village, beach and surrounding countryside are a jogger’s paradise. Smooth roads go off in every direction and take one though such a variety on landscapes and human behaviour that often I felt I could have kept jogging all day.

4 - The price of Alcohol!
One night we thought that instead of going down to the beach we would hang out on our balcony and have a few drinks. I asked at one of the liquor stores about the price of a bottle of Vodka, and almost fell over when he told me the ridiculously cheap fee. It is one of the idiosyncrasies of India that some things that you expect to be expensive are dirt cheap and vice versa. A liter of imported liquor costs 200 rupees, while a can of tonic water costs 50 rupees.

5 - Coco’s (Benaulim Beach)
I know I have already mentioned Coco’s, but it deserves another because it really was a big part of our Goan adventure. The staff there were all friendly and highly competent, and as most of them were Nepali, people we hope to cross paths with again. The place was always spotless. This condition was tirelessly maintained by the cleanliness patrol, an extremely dignified man called Kebi. The food was amazing, our favourite meal being Kadai Mushroom, Palak Paneer and Vegetable Raita served with rice and naan. Also outstanding were the 2 for 1 cocktails ( the sign was what drew our attention to Coco’s in the first place!) . Many a Caprioska, Pina Colada or Mojito was drunk while watching the sun sink into the sea from Coco’s.

6 - Kwality Ice Cream Parlour (Benaulim Beach)
I always think it is a good sign when shopkeepers begin to resemble the product they are trying to sell. The ice-cream man at Kwality was a great example; his perfectly spherical shape reminding me instantly of a scoop of chocolate ice-cream. The ice-creams were cheap, delicious, and the names of each flavor (tandalizing tiramisou, Tender Coconut, Zesty Ginger, Very Berry Strawberry, Almond kiss and so on) always had us both in stitches.

7 -Emerciana’s (Benaulim Village)
This was our favourite place to eat in the village. Like Coco’s, Emerciana’s is run by Nepalese, who come to Goa for the tourist season and take their earnings back to Nepal in the monsoon. The food was always tasty and prepared quickly, and they even did take-away pizzas for those nights we wanted to chill out on our balcony. Undoubtedly the highlight of the menu was the lemon mint juice. It was defiantly the most delicious and refreshing beverage I have yet tasted.

8 - Scootering around (All Goa)
As those of you who know me will attest, I am not much of a petrol head. So it is with pride that I can now say that I have the ability to ride a motorised scooter. Once I got over my initial fears and stopped imagining horrific accidents, I came to really enjoy the feeling of wind in the receding hair as we raced through the beautiful countryside. The ride to Agonda was a particularly spectacular one, offering views right along the coast which made me think of a lost island paradise.

9 - Goan traffic police (caught on the way to Panjim, we wanted to get our wedding registered but the only official paperwork we received that day was a traffic ticket!)
One day Alexia and I were cruising along on our scooter when we were pulled over by two of Goa’s finest. Our crime was that the driver was not wearing a helmet (everyone rides without a helmet). The police asked Alexia for her drivers’ license and she looked at me with panic stricken eyes as her license was at the Guest House. I suggested she give them her Cypriot ID card and just as I speculated they didn’t even notice the difference. To proud to let on that they couldn’t make out a word of the Greek writing! Our punishment was a 100 Rupee fine, which after paying we were permitted to continue on our way without a helmet. We were instructed that if we were pulled over again, all we needed to do was show them our fine and we would be allowed to pass.

10. Shopping on the Beach…
…while reclining on a sunbed, cocktail in hand. A parade of colorful sarongs with elephant motifs, being carried on the heads of young Karnatakan ladies in beautiful saris and jingling foot jewelry. Kabita, Rose, Gita and all the other beautiful ladies, it’s been a pleasure!

11. Orchid Flower Shop (Benaulim)
One morning conveniently close to Valentines day I was out for my morning run when I passed a little shop called Orchid. It was all closed up because of the early hour, but I thought I would have a look around the back. A friendly lady of Portuguese appearance first prevented her dog from tearing me to shreds, and then introduced herself as the owner of the place. She said she had recently retired as the economics teacher at the local high school, and had opened up the business with her husband who had retired at an agricultural property assessor. They shared a passion for gardening. Evidence of this was the rows of pots covering every available patch of their garden. They contained a variety of attractive-looking flowers. After chatting for a little while I set up a rendezvous on Valentines Day morning and headed back to our digs, smiling at my good fortune. When the day came around, I jogged down to collect the flowers and returned them at a walk to my beloved, much to the interest of the locals who passed me with wolf-whistles and pats on the back.
ABD - It was the sweetest surprise and the most gorgeous bouquet I have ever seen, without exaggeration. What a lucky girl!

12 .Living with animals
Being a city boy the sounds most familiar to me in the morning are the beeping of car horns and the clanging of a railway crossing. Therefore I found the sounds which greeted me each morning in Goa to be a welcome novelty. The village of Benaulim is a functioning agricultural centre. Geese, buffalo, cows, dogs, cats, roosters and pigs share the roads and lodgings with their human counterparts. This gave me a lovely symphony to listen to each morning as I contemplated another day on the beach.
ABD - And the cutest Buffalo ever, lived just next door!

13. Anjuna Flea Markets (see older blog)

14. Sugarcane Drinks at the side of the road
I only dared to drink one once, it tasted pretty good to be honest but I didn’t want to risk getting the Delhi Belly again. Andy though, after trying his first sugarcane drink, made a point of pulling over each time we spotted one of those machines at the edge of a Goan Road.

15. The Book Shop in Colva
A little shop just off the main street with a fantastic selection of books. The man that runs the shop has an unbelievable knowledge on books and he can tell you what each and every single one of his books is about and whether it is worth reading or not. We where totally impressed! And an added bonus was that he bought the books back of us after we had read them for half the price. Bargain.

16. Tandoori Chicken Tika at Anthis (Benaulim)
We hated leaving Coco’s behind and rarely tried anything else for dinner. Our moto was “why change a good thing?” Yet when Maya was staying at Anthis, we often went to spend time with her and ended up having dinner there a few times. The Tandoori Chicken Tika is really something to write home about.

17. Palmira’s home made bread, mixed juice, poached egg and the price! (Benaulim)

18. The German Bakery’s Brown Bread and Samosas! (Benaulim)
On a bid to try and save some money we decided on having Breakfasts on our balcony each morning. Andy would bring a fresh loaf of brown bread from the Bakery on the way back home from his jog and I would make us iced coffees in nice flute type glasses that we picked up at a bargain price from the Muslim Supermarket.

19. The Sunsets at Benaulim Beach

20. The decoration at Hotel Venite in Panaji

21. The White Portuguese architecture influenced Catholic Churches

22. Jenga, Truth or Dare?
At “My Place” in Agonda, while lounging on big soft cushions drinking Kingfisher Beers. Andy beat me several times in a row. Then we switched to Connect 4. I was rubbish at that too.

23. Kings Beer - the real Goan flavor!

24. Jardin du Mer (Agonda)
Reclining on silk multicolored cushions watching the sun go down and snacking on yummy hummus with naan bread

25. The endless rice fields with Buffalo grazing and Egrets feeding in the mud
One day we saw the police disrupting a buffalo fight. Hundreds of young excited Goan men were running through the rice paddies to escape the police armed with lathis.

26. Hot power showers at Paul Rina’s (Benaulim)

27. The Tropical Spice Garden (see older Blog)

28. Shell collecting (Agonda Beach)
I could seriously not get over the abundance in absolutely bedazzling shells of various sizes, colors and shapes. Andrew had to literally drag me away otherwise I would have turned into a fossil myself!

29. Crab watching at Palolem Beach
Thousands of them, digging holes and pooping up from their little punctures in the sand. Some of their burrows resembled fireworks or artwork from the expressionist movement. A captivating sight, watching those almost transparent little creatures run around zanily.

30. The Breakfast and Garden at “La Muella” - Arambol
The presentation, the quality, the ambience, the portions, we could not get enough of La Muella’s!

31. Movie night on the Beach (Benaulim)
Watching Slumdog Millionaire with the waves crushing behind us and a massive moon hanging above!

32. The helpful Goan people…
…who always went out of their way to point us in the right direction when we where lost in the streets of Goa

33. Body Surfing at Benaulim
Andy taught me how to catch waves one day and once I got the hang of it I couldn’t stop. I did have a couple of extremely embarrassing moments though. Andy said it wasn’t to bad…

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Photos

Andrew and Kumar @ Coco's
Kumars Birthday