Goa Diaries - III

It's been four months since the Goa sojourn, and yet the tiniest of details are as fresh in my mind as if it were just last week that I was lounging on Baina beach. Over the years I've been on trips and holidays to different parts of the country, with everything planned and all things in place, yet somehow I have come back disappointed and not very rejuvenated from some of those trips. This one, however, was a class apart. The beautiful weather, the sun and the rain, the sands and the sea, coco-palms and the cool breeze - they don't seem ready to leave my thoughts as yet.

In the first two days, we visited a 16th century fort, a number of beaches, explored the local market and also went on two cruises. We even found out a couple of decent vegetarian restaurants in Vasco to dine at.

It was a bright sunny morning that dawned on our third day in Goa, so we consulted the only reliable local person we knew, our driver, on where to go for the day. His name was Nagraj - Telegu by descent but born and brought up in Goa - and for his ever-so-pleasant temperament, perpetual smile and humble mannerisms, he became my favourite person for the duration of our trip. He suggested we drive out to the Sahakari Spice Farm in Curti (Ponda district), some 35 km from Dabolim, and spend a day getting to know all about spices - how they are grown, their various uses and health benefits and how they taste in a traditional Goan meal savoured in the backdrop of a lush green plantation setting.

I admit I had my doubts. I was rather sullen after the family decided in favour of the spice farm and in fact planned to stop over at a well-known local temple on the way too. I was mentally cursing Nagraj to have even suggested the place, for as I perceived it, it was going to be a boring educational tour of a dark humid spice farm followed by an obviously 'spicy' meal (I have a severe allergy to spicy food). And at the steep fee of 400 rupees a person, it seemed like a raw deal to me. And hence that stone face I put on throughout the drive. Until we stepped into the driveway to the farm.

We were welcomed in the traditional Indian way - with a generous shower of flowers, a vermilion teeka on our foreheads and marigold garland around our necks. From there, we were led on to a shed where the courteous staff served us a welcome snack and asked us to join a group of foreign tourists that was being taken on a tour of the farm. I learnt a little later that our group had its fair share of German, Swedish and Finnish tourists, all excited and ever ready to be mesmerized by the extravaganza that is Indiaaah.

We were given a walking tour of a section of the farm by a short, exceedingly sweet lady who kept cracking jokes and had us all in splits. She pointed out to various spice trees and shrubs on the way and enlightened us about their uses, special qualities and trivia. We even spotted an elephant in the woods. It was a really interesting sight, watching the foreigners get both awed and scared at the elephant's appearance.

The welcome snack - a glass of lemongrass tea, a handful of cheeslings (yum), accompanied by pamphlets on the health benefits and curative effects of various spices

Those tiny little fruits are coffee beans - red in color, really small, growing in tufts. I took away a few with me as keepsakes :D

Those tiny brown holed pods hidden behind all the leaves are cocoa pods that have been harvested for the season. Chocolate, coming from a 'spice' farm - who'd have imagined!

The Portuguese Piri Piri peppers - believed to be about 2800 times spicier than our common Indian chilli. Aaaah someone fetch water!

One of the farm's own herd of elephants, used for travelling and tourist recreation purposes.

And that would be yours truly, followed by her sister and the rest of our group.

That is a vanilla climber, if I remember correctly.
For the love of ice-creams and cakes :D

Somewhere along the way, we were met by another of the farm's staff members roaming about the plantation. He had a unique talent that he wasn't shy at all to put on display - he could climb up tall palm trees and jump from one to another with such ease as to make you think he were born and bred in the jungle. He did it twice in front of us and it was such an amazing sight to behold! The floor was then thrown open to anybody who'd like to try doing the same. A daredevil of a woman tried her hand at it...a failed attempt :P but she received a lot of applause by everyone.

The pride of the farm - their very own Tarzan (or Mowgli, if you prefer). A sure visual treat! 

For INR 600, you could opt to be bathed by an elephant for a good 10-15 minutes. From the looks of it, you wouldn't have to take another bath for at least a week thereafter. It was real fun to watch this foreigner couple get repeatedly drenched by it.

There was another unique tradition at the farm (and a rather chilling one at that). When the tour was over and we assembled back for lunch, our lady guide (in the picture above) asked each of us to turn around as she poured a cup of cold water down our spines, doused with some special oil (the name of which I can't remember now) that is said to relieve pain and fatigue. Refreshing or not, it definitely was a bone-chilling and fun experience!

The lunch was simple but sumptuous. It was served as a buffet and only organically grown farm produce had gone into its preparation. It was so delicious that I, otherwise a very picky eater, took as many as three visits to the buffet table to satiate my senses. :D We were also served shots of the locally brewed Cashew Feni (a kind of liquor) which burnt the throat but left a great taste on the tongue. It was quite potent too, making me realize why it is such a major attraction of Goa.

After having had our fill, we proceeded to purchase a few bottles of essential oils like lemongrass and almond from the shop within the complex. Upon leaving, we were each presented with a cute little packet of dried spices like Fenugreek, Betelnut, Cardamom, Chilli, Cashew and Cinnamon, as a farm souvenir.

The souvenir - a very sweet gesture and the perfect parting present.

Having cast a doubt upon the wisdom of visiting this place in the first place, it would be prudent for me to admit now that I stepped out of the Sahakari Spice Farm with a big toothy grin and a lot of traditional knowledge and experience in my kitty. I recommend a mandatory visit to this place for anyone who plans on visiting Goa.

~

And with that, the Goa Diaries officially come to an end. Read the entire series in chronological order here. Feel free to share with fellow travellers and travel enthusiasts and/or leave behind comments if you liked what you read. ^_^

My first blog Award - better late than never!

I am a bad, bad person. Really bad. Because ages and ages ago (in March last year, to be a little more precise), a pretty (and?) sweet fellow blogger Priya Nain nominated me for the Liebster Award on her blog here. Thank you so much, Priya, for the honour. It was a great feeling to know you'd been following my blog and considered me worthy for the nomination.

And my sincerest apologies too, because I, having been busy with exam after exam ever since that same time, never got the time to acknowledge the award and carry it forward like one is supposed to do when one gets it. I'm probably going to hell for that. But anyhow, to make amends to my sweet nominator Priya and to carry the award forward (no matter how late), I'm going to answer the questions posed by her to me and to nominate a few of my own blogger friends too for the Liebster Award.

The rules, I have reason to believe, keep changing over the course of time as the award passes from one blogger to another across the globe. The rules as I received them are:

1. Write 10 random facts about yourself.
2. Answer the questions posed by nominating blogger.
3. Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers
4. Write 11 questions for them to answer.

So, I'll get on with it.

10 Random Facts about me:

1. I am a very particular person. I like language to be used in its purest form, I like to see people conform to some basic tenets of etiquette, I like to perform tasks as efficiently as they can be done, I can't see resources/time being wasted, I like to reach places on time and so on. I'm a giant pain in the derriere for almost everyone who knows me. 

2. I don't swear and don't take kindly to people who swear in my presence. Just can't take it.

3. I eat only about 25 things out of the entire range of food items and delicacies that are out there in the world. I just have very specific taste buds, that's all. No fancy reason.

4. I have a tiny appetite. My friends are horrified when they get to know how little I eat on a daily basis. And I have absolutely no patience and respect for the people who assume, just by my size, that I must be a big eater. Going by that logic, I should also assume that the people who are stick thin don't get enough food to eat, isn't it? Some mother of logic, that.

5. I am a psycho freak. I can read your mind, I can complete your sentences and I can make you feel like we're soulmates just by being normal everyday me.

6. I am by turns an obsessive, restless person who cannot sit idle for the love of God, and a lazy-ass sleepyhead who has no idea what she should do so she sleeps, eats, wonders at the complexities of life and watches useless movies. I cannot be anything between the two. 

7. I'm not normal. I just learned this a couple of days ago during a particularly insightful conversation with another not-normal person. They should have a support group for us. Really.

8. I have strong anti-social tendencies. I like to keep to myself mostly, I like to go for walks alone, I'd rather keep to one or two good friends at a time and I look down while walking so I don't have to acknowledge the presence of passing acquaintances.

9. I can't make small talk. And I can't stand it either. You either have something to talk about or you stay silent (and keep the bloody phone down, if it is the phrase 'aur bata' you have to resort to every 30 seconds during a phone conversation.)

10. I love writing and reading and everything that's related. It is what comes naturally to me. Whether I'm ill or sleepy or bored or super busy, if there is one thing I can always do and want to do, it is this. This isn't a fact unknown to anyone, but a list of facts about me is just incomplete without this one facet of my life. Now this list is officially complete.

Now for the questions posed to me:

Q1. Which is your favourite movie and why?

Ans. I don't have a single favourite movie, but I can pick a few for mention's sake. Here's the 3 movies I love the most, and why.

Q2. A career option you would never opt for and why.

Ans. Anything that wouldn't allow me to be myself, to follow my heart, to practise my hobbies and in general anything that would stifle me in any way. A corporate job for instance - long hours, cut-throat competition, greed for money etc. Not my cup of tea. I would only ever fit into a job that gives me immense freedom and personal satisfaction. 

Q3. Is it better to be born rich than to be talented?

Ans. To each his own. Some people just want money, no matter how, and some want to earn it through their work or talents. I'd fall into the second category.

Q4. A book you wish had never ended.
Ans. A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth.

Q5. What upsets you the most?
Ans. A lot of things actually. But mostly, the feeling or realization of loneliness.

Q6. What is your greatest phobia?
Ans. To end up unhappy in the long run in life.

Q7. What is the craziest thing you would ever want to try?
Ans. I would rather not reveal my crazy fetishes and thoughts here. Too scandalous for public revelation. :P

Q8. Whats your idea of a perfect weekend?
Ans. It changes with the mood and time. However a sketchy outline I can manage. An active start to the day with a jog and some exercise, maybe some adventure as well. Afternoon coffee alone, with a nice view to look at. Evening spent reading some good book or writing. End with an elaborate but light meal with an interesting person to converse with, or family.

Q9. Why did you start blogging?
Ans. I started this blog in my second semester of Engineering, one night at 2 am, because I was sad/bored/with nothing interesting to do/in awe of a friend who was already a blogger at that time. Basically, like every other thing you do at 2 am in the night, I did it just for the heck of it.

Q10. What is that one line or word that comes to your mind when I say the following:
Rain - Beauty, pleasure and a sense of joy in my heart.
Pizza - Either wood-fired, thin-crust, authentic Italian with olives/mushrooms on top, or bleh.
Books - Lifelong love affair.
Hate - A strong emotion, never use it for anything or anyone, or it''ll come back to you in some or the other form.

Q11. And finally-Vampire Diaries or Prison Break(this question is for TV series freaks like me).
Ans. I haven't watched the second, so can't really say if I'd like it or not. But I most certainly disliked Vampire Diaries the only time I watched it, so Prison Break it would be.

Now for my own list of nominated bloggers:

I don't think I even know 11 bloggers personally, so I'm going to take the liberty to nominate fewer bloggers but only those whom I'd like to see answering my questions and probably wake up from the deep slumber they or their blogs have been in. Let's see how many carry it forward and when (don't get inspired from me, I am a bad influence). Here's the list:

1. Sushmita at My World

2. Amul at Artistic Manifestation Under Legislation

3. Sushmit at Blogwati (Yes, you.)

4. Abhishek at Furobiker

5. Ghata at My World

And now, the 11 Questions I wish to pose to the bloggers I have nominated:

I'd like to pose the same questions to each one of my nominated friends as were posed to me from my nominator. Why? For two reasons.

1. I'm currently in my lazy phase, so I don't wish to exert my brain to come up with creative new questions right at this moment.

2. The questions are pretty much all-encompassing and I'd really like to read my friends' answers to them.

Look forward to your answers!