Photo - Goan sausages in the market

You really need to single click on this photo to enlarge it and see the sausages. The strands of red are many Goan sausages, each sausage about 1-2cm in diameter. They are 2rups (3 pence) each.

Photo - Non human neighbours - pigs

 

Many of the villagers rear pigs to sell them to make Goan sausages. They are also very unpredictable and run out in the road in front of the scooter. They taste like chorizo and are lovely in chilli con carne. Probably not the best thing to be talking about when the wee pigs look so cute in this picture.

Photo - A cashew nut ready for harvesting

This is what the cashew nut is like when it is ready for harvesting. The yellow part is the fruit. It is either eaten raw with salt and pepper or used to make fenny, the local hooch. It is definately an aquired taste and one that we certainly have not managed to aquire. The actual nut is encased in a very hard shell. These shells have to be burned to get to the nut. No wonder a bag of cashew nuts are not cheap.

Photo - Stealing the cashew nuts

Behind our house is a forest of cashew nut trees. This monkey is right outside our back door, caught in the act stealing the cashew nuts. The green things you see hanging from the tree are unripe cashew nuts.

Photo - Non human neighbours - monkeys

There are several large troops of monkeys that live in the village ranging from large adults to small babies. They are seen as pests because they steal from the trees, bananas, cashew nuts, papaya etc. They jump on the roofs of houses with some force. Because the roofs are made of tiles, they can break them. Also in our house we have a skylight on the roof which is made of thin perspex. When I hear them thudding across the roof I am waiting on a monkey's leg coming through the perspex. They are also a nightmare when you are on the scooter as they are very unpredictable and when one decides to run across the road, the rest of the troop follows. Many road traffic accidents have occured because of this. Luckily Colin drives like an Indian so we have been safe so far.

1928 Graham Paige

On my daily walk on the beach, at the south end of Agonda beach, there is usually a collection of cars and trucks that have driven overland from europe. Today I noticed a very unusual car, and had to go and have a look, and from the photos above you can see a 1928 Graham Paige, with a really cool family, They are from Argentina and have been travelling round the world for 12 years in this great old car, when they started it was just the two of them, they now have 4 children travelling with them in the car. The car is amazing, still on the original wooden spoke wheels and engine. News story here from last year, sorry it's the Daily Mail - click  . They fund the trip through sales of their books, shameless amazon plug for the book. I haven't read it, but it may interest some of you out there. Spark Your Dream Book The last photo is some of the cars and trucks  that have come overland from Europe, it's always a strange collection, ranging from professional conversions to others that look like they have been put together in a shed. Overland from Europe is something I would recommend to anyone.

Photo - Chicken in the butchers

This photo was taken not long before the butchers closed so rather than being 20+chickens in a cage, there are only a few.

Photo - At the butchers

A trip to the butchers

Not long after moving into the house we decided to take a trip into Choudi, the nearest town, and go to the butcher. This seemed more civilised than picking a live chicken and watching its head being lobbed off. Well, that was a mistake.
We arrived at the butchers and lo and behold there was cages full of chickens. They were really stressed and their breathing rate was so rapid. They weren't making any noise as they didn't have the energy. I was thinking OMG, but we are just in here to buy beef and let's get it over with.
Unfortunately the woman in front of us asked for a chicken. Before I could blink, a live chicken was grabbed. I turned away but I couldn't turn my ears off to the knife cutting off the head and to the headless chicken running around frantically for a few seconds before it keeled over. All the other live chickens in the cages could see this happening. I could smell the fresh blood and felt really nauseated. I got myself outside whilst hearing Coiln shout 'do you want bacon etc'. He suddenly realised what I had seen to didn't expect any answers.
When he came out he found me nearly in tears so now when we go to Choudi, he goes to the butchers and I don't go anywhere near. This isn't any different from what happens in the UK, it's just that you are not exposed to the whole process.

Oh, while I remember, our wee cat lucy should have been called Luke. It looks like she is a boy, either that or she has some seriously hairy haemorrhoids at her back end. I think that we are so chilled out here and my nursing skills have definately gone.I'm sure I used to know the difference between a male and a femele. 

Photo - Alby's toilet

I couldn't leave our Colva holiday without mentioning Alby's toilet. Alby is a lovely Indian women who has tables in front of her house and serves great food. People who go there to eat tend to be people that have been going to Goa for many years. If you tell her in the morning what you want to eat that night, she will go to the market, buy it fresh and marinade it all day in Goan spices. Her prawns, calamari and shark are excellent. The only downside is the toilet. As you can see it is a doubler. It is an Indian squat toilet so you don't just sit on it. You have to climb up onto the toilet and squat over it. There is a big gap between the top of the door and the ceiling,so once you climb up onto the toilet you can see everyone sitting at their tables eating their food!. One consolation is that there aren't any pigs under the toilet.
This is still common in rural India and Colin reckons that is where the expression 'an auld shitty stick comes from. When you go into these toilets there is normally a stick at the door. It is a good idea to take this stick with you when you go to squat on the toilet, especially if you have to open your bowels because if no one has used it for a few days and the pigs are hungry, their snouts will come up through the toilet to grab what they see as food. You then have to whack their snouts to stop them from grabbing at your motion. 

Photo - Sunset in Colva

Accompanied by a G & T or course.

Photo - Transporting your hay in Colva

Photo - View from the balcony at Joemas

Quiet day with only one pig, one dog, one chicken and one cockrel, normally a lot busier! They all love biscuits.

Photo - Sitting on the balcony at Joemas

I'm sitting on the balcony looking into the garden. To the right of me is one room and to the left is the other two rooms.

Photo - Colin getting on the ferry

Looks like a very orginised ferry boarding but actually we got there early to avoid jossling with 20 bikes, 2 cars, the ice cream seller and any other vehicle that was fighting for a place on the ferry. Nothing like the UK where you are signaled on board and told exactly were to park. It's every man for himself on this ferry!

Photo - The ferry across the river

Even at this point, and we have zoomed in on the ferry, everyone is revving their engine ready to get off. They start embarking even before it has docked, hitting the water and then the slipway. Health and safety? What's that?

Our holiday to Colva

As it was my birthday in January we went 'on holiday' for 1 week. We went to Colva, which is about 2 hours from here on the scooter. Colva was the place in Goa that we always used to go to, until we found Agonda. We took as little as possible with us as there are several steep roads and our scooter doesn't have much power. They are designed for small Indian people, not Colin, me and a weeks worth of stuff. So Colin limited me to 1 change of clothes for a week (although he did allow me to take a bar of washing soap so that I wasn't a complete clatty midden) - imagine that girls!
The journey was going well until we hit the really steep hill. The scooter was really struggling so Colin decided that we needed to make ourselves more aero-dynamic so that I didn't have to get off and walk. He was sitting with his head on the handlebars and I I was sitting and my torso was down flat against his back. It actually worked even though our top speed was 5 miles per hour and we looked like a couple of dafties. You can drive by road all the way but we took the route where, half way up you catch a small ferry across the river. You are only on the ferry for a couple of minutes but it is really nice and scenic.
When we got to Colva we headed to Joemas cottages. Colin has been staying there since 1995, sometimes for 6 months at a time. It is an Indian family who have 4 small rooms at the back of their house in the garden. When Colin first started going there it was a Mama and her 3 sons, the sons are around Colin's age. Now the family has grown with the sons being married and 1 having 3 children. They all still live in the family home. Unfortunately Mama, who was the linchpin of the household and very hard working, had died in October at age 81. As usual they were delighted to see Colin and share news about other travellers and Indians that they've all known over the years.
It is really nice sitting on the balcony by your room as the view is just plants, banana trees and papya trees. The family have 3 dogs, a cat and also rear pigs and chickens. So all these animals wander around in front of the balcony. This year 1 of the pigs had 8 tiny piglets and the cat had 3 kittens so I was in my element. Cost us a fortune in biscuits cos I love to feed ALL the animals.
Colva is much bigger and busier than Agonda. The beach is 18kms long. It gets a lot of Indian tourists and Westerners who stay for 6 months every year. It has big apartment blocks to accomodate this, although not on the beach front. You have to cross over a bridge to get to the beach and, at that point, the beach is rammed with people, jetskis, parasailing, banana boat rides ect. However if you walk about a kilometer along the beach you find small isolated shacks with serve food and provide sunbeds and shade. We always go to a shack called Cecelias. It is run by a mother and her son, with a couple of helpers. She is an excellent cook so the food is always great.
One of the helpers in the shack is called Sharon, whom Colin has known for about 10 years. She used to be a seller on the beach, selling fruit, sarongs, jewellery etc. As selling on the beach was banned by the police many years ago she now helps out at the shack. She doesn't get paid for this but, as it is a discreet way to sell to tourists, she does it. All her merchandise is hidden on her person and it is hilarious to see her pulling jewellery out of her bra and sarongs, clothes and sunbed blankets being pulled out of her Sari. I think Colin and I are the only people she doesn't try to sell to as she knows we never buy anything. We have a really good crack with her though.
7 years ago I bought a sunbed blanket from her and I still have it. Every year, including this 1, she can't believe I still have it and complains every time she sees it. The best one though is Colin with his blue north face vest top that he has had for 12 years which he wears every day to the beach, even if he is there for 6 months. It drives Sharon mad. She told me I should throw it in the bin and tell Colin that the jealous people stole it. Then he would need to buy something from her. She also says that she knows we have arrived in Colva because she spots Colin walking along the beach to the shack, identified by his blue vest top!
We had a really nice time catching up with friends that we have known for a long time but is was really good to get back to the quiet and calm of Agonda

Photo - Natvity scene in the off sales

Colin in the bottle shop (off sales) buying a wee Xmas bottle of whiskey. Even in there is a nativity scene, which is the most prominent feature in the picture. On the right is the home of the people who own the bottle shop and on the left is the telephone from where you can make international calls

Photo - New Year fireworks on the beach

The fireworks were non-stop for about 20-30 minutes

Photo - celebrating the bells at New Year on the beach

As you can see Colin is making the most of the good wine

Xmas and New Year in Agonda

Been a few weeks since we last posted as we have had a few internet problems and we went 'on holiday' for 1 week.  Thought I better get posting as we are now making plans to leave India as our visas run out at the end of February (can't believe we have been here for nearly 6 months). We have to stay out of India for 2 months before we can re-apply for another visa. We will probably head to Malaysia and travel up towards Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. I also need to get a new passport - hopefully we can orginise that in Malaysia. Not looking forward to that as no doubt it will not be straightforward.
Anyway hope everyone had a great Xmas and New Year. We had a quiet Xmas but we more than made up for it at New Year. Xmas in Goa is a really big thing as it is predominately Catholic. It is not about having parties and giving presents, it is about celebrating the Birth of Jesus. All the houses in the village have nativity scenes in their gardens, some really quite big. The main chapel is huge and is right on the beach front. It is overflowing for midnight mass and Xmas Day mass. There were carol singers all in the village and on the beach. It was nice at sunset on the beach when all the local children were dressed in nativity costumes and singing Xmas carols.
We went to our usual hangout, Tina Beach Resort, for New Year. Tina and Ragu now have a new partner, an English guy called Michael, who we met last year when we were here in March/April. The only way to describe Michael is totally bonkers and has more money than sense!
When we arrived at the resort Michael told us that tonight everything was on the house for Colin and I. He had bought cases of imported Italian Prosecco and various French and Australian sparkling wines and champagne - probably about £30-£40 a bottle. Colin and I haven't had wine since we left the UK as Indian wine is relatively expensive and pretty crap (the toilet cleaner tasting wine is about £4 and then the prices of other bottles rise significantly  whereas a bottle of whiskey, gin or vodka is £2). We protested (very weakly)about everything being on the house as New Year is the time when the resorts make most of their money, but the lure of nice wine was too much for us and we caved in.
The only unfortunate thing that happened was that Colin's tandoor cooked chicken was raw inside. He only realised this after he had chomped his way through half of it. He just gave it back and asked for another one. I couldn't believe it, as I couldn't even eat my well cooked chicken after seeing his raw one.  After his properly cooked chicken he chomped his way through a full lobster. I thought that he would spend Boxing Day on the toilet but, as usual, iron-clad bowels Colin had no ill effects from eating raw chicken.
In our company were an English couple, a Kashmiri guy, a polish girl and Tina, Ragu and Michael. We headed down onto the beach for the bells. There was a huge bonfire and £100s of pounds worth of fireworks courtesy of Michael. Our friends Tracey and Flo, the Canadian and German couple, came to see us just after the bells which was really nice and we had a second celebration. We headed home back to the village at one thirty, rather worse for wear. Colin poured us both a wee New Year beer, I took one sip and it was lights out for me. Needless to say it took a few days to recover.

Any Herpetoligists Out There

As you can see from the photos above, we had a new visitor. Frances was lucky enough to have the snake land on her head one morning whilst going to the toilet. As the scream rattled through the house, I lept into action and grabbed my camera(well she did'nt get bitten). The snake seemed to be after the small house geckos. After we chased it around for a bit it disappeared. We asked around the village, but everyone had a different opinion on the snake, so if anyone knows the species, or somebody who may know get in touch. The last photo is of a small monitor lizard, about 18 inchs long, that lives in the roof. We only noticed itafter looking for more snakes.
Colin