17.2.2011 – 2.3.2011 Family holiday

At last the long waited date when my family is arriving to Goa! We planned a barbeque with Warner to celebrate their arrival so therefore we drove to Margao market early in the morning to shop some supplies.

We bought fresh tiger prawns, beef, spicy Goan sausage and fresh vegetables. Sheekey’s chef and I cooperated in the kitchen and made an excellent marinade for the prawns consisting of garlic, coriander, lime and chili. Beef was marinated with Warner’s garlic-ginger recipe. Vegetables were grilled in skewers with just a pinch of salt. Grocery shopping for 8 persons cost me 1500 Rs, which would have given me only a package of HK sausages in Finland.

Warner and PeterPan

Uncle Bob explaining cricket rules

Anna got very ill on the first night, which was probably caused mostly by dehydration and the excitement of long flights to India. The dehydration creeps up on you especially in the plane where you don’t notice it due to the air conditioning. One thing I have learned on this trip is that you don’t go anywhere without a water bottle.  It will also save you a few stops when sightseeing or travelling on a mountain.

I also suffered from stomach cramps for a second time on this trip (first time after a hamburger in Bengaluru), after eating a larger amount of white bread. It has never been an important part of my diet so I think I’ll drop it completely. Rye bread is far tastier anyway.

The boys visiting naval aviation museum near Dabolim airport.

22.2. We packed our suitcases and headed towards Palolem in Southern Goa. Taxi there took 1,5h and cost 1200 Rs, which was more than we should have paid. I think the guys negotiating the price were a bit too soft, or maybe got hypnotized by the taxi’s “interesting” décor…

Find 5 odd things!

I found a place near beach called Sevas which should have family-sized cottages/huts. The place was at the south end of the beach; about 2 minutes climb of rocky stairs. The hut itself had 2 floors and a small terrace. The locking of the hut was nearly impossible as you could get in anyway via bathroom (sky view toilet, bucket shower, bamboo walls) but the three dogs in Sevas adopted us as members of their pack so we felt extremely secure. The barking did get a bit annoying after a view days and we were also afraid that they would scare away our cleaning lady. 

The opposite Bhakti Kutir had a far more inviting garden and huts, but also far more expensive.

Palolem beach is filled with restaurants and shops, and you may easily find a sun bed free of charge (you are expected to order from the restaurant though). What I hated about the beach was the constant flow of beach sellers with their henna, scarves, stickers and whatnot. There is not a 10 minutes peace unless you swim further away from the beach. This might be nice for families travelling with kids as there are hardly any waves, and there are plenty of activities to choose from; trips by boat, snorkeling, bodyboarding etc. 

There is one marvelous thing about Palolem; it has a Desigual shop!

One day we did one of the most touristic things to do in Goa; spice plantation trip. Place was quite close to Margao, so it would have made sense to actually do this when we were in Utorda. Well the trip was anyhow quite nice, maybe most interesting thing to see was the fenny distillery. Makes you wonder why Westerners have made booze making so difficult and expensive!

Fenny distillery

The 600 Rs entry ticket included also a lunch at the plantation in buffet style. Lunch was very nice with plenty of options to choose from and afterwards you could buy spices and oils from the shop beside.

After spice plantation Anna’s biggest holiday wish came through when she got to ride and bathe an elephant. (Also see To/In/From Varkala.)

Paparazzi rehearsal