Goa - Fishing in a Pond

Monday, November 24, 2014

On our way back from Colva Beach, I noticed this man sitting next to the pond with his traditional fishing stick. Waiting for a good catch.

Hope he gets a good catch. Patience and sharpness are virtue here. I guess Fish is the main course for dinner tonight :) 

Goa - Colva Beach

Saturday, November 22, 2014

The entire trip we have been exploring historical monuments across Goa. 

Colva Beach

Was getting a kind of monotonous for Namrata and she wanted a break from history.  So she decided on Colva beach.

"No ways, Not Colva" In said. to this she asked, "Why?" to this I replied, "I had been to Colva beach in my schooling days, The kind of crowd it gathered in those days was sickening and to add to it pigs too dominated the beach."

Colva Beach

Namrata convinced me to accompany her by sponsoring food and drinks for the night. To which I readily agreed.

Colva is located in Salcete, in South Goa made up of white sand and the shore covered with coconut trees. As it is a famous tourist destination there are lifeguards who continuously patrol the sea. 

Colva Beach

It was a dull day at sea. The sun hid itself behind the clouds and the strong winds blowing all around made me feel good. It was low tide and in a matter of minutes it started changing.

As we didn't carry any beachwear, we decided to talk for a few km on the shoreline. The cold water lashing on our feet made me feel good. Namrata contined to have good fun, splashing water on herself and me like a child.

Low Tide at Colva Beach

There were not many people at the beach. Which was good. I don't like crowded beaches. 

It changed my outlook towards Colva Beach atleast for that day. I didn't mind tying a hammock between two coconut trees and sipping on some ice cold beer and reading a travel guide. If wishes were horses men would ride. LOL.

Coconut trees on the beach stretch

We then headed off to Margao City to have our dinner, which was to be sponsored by Namrata. 

Goa Carnival 2012

Monday, February 27, 2012

The Goa Carnival takes place four days prior to Ash Wednesday, a day of obligation which marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent, in the Christian calendar. Lent marks the period of 40 days before Good Friday, when Jesus Christ was crucified and killed. People generally prefer to mark this period with fasting and abstinence from meat and alcohol.

This year, the Goa Carnival was to be celebrated from February 18 to 21, 2012. The Carnival is celebrated with a march of floats in the cities of Margao, Panjim, Mapusa and Vasco. It is celebrated in the villages too, but not on that grand a scale.

The Carnival is patronised by people of all castes and creeds. People come from far and wide to partake of the merriment and revelry, by singing and dancing and even cross dressing.

The carnival was first introduced to Goa by the Portuguese, the erstwhile rulers of Goa. Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule only in 1961. The Portuguese word for Carnival is “Intruz.”

My mother recollected that in pre-Liberation days, Goa used to celebrate the Intruz by singing and dancing. Families used to attend the events and enjoy themselves thoroughly.

Every year floats are floated by communities from various parts of Goa to celebrate the festival. Unfortunately, of late, the Carnival, and the floats, in particular, have become very commercial with a number of companies advertising their products via floats. This takes away the essence of the traditional floats.

This year there were rumours that the carnival would not be held on a grand scale as the Goa State elections were approaching and campaigning was on in full swing. But something far more unfortunate happened.

The Goa Carnival got cancelled because of a school bus which accidentally plunged in the waters of the River Kalki at Aldona Calvim, thus taking the lives of four children and two adults. The Carnival was cancelled on February 18 to mourn the deaths of the innocent children and the hapless adults.

Here are photos of the Goa Carnival 2012. A special thanks to Hithakshi Kotyan for the same.

Cabo De Rama Fort

Monday, October 18, 2010

I always make it a point to visit Goa during my summer holidays. On one such trip, I decided to go see the Cabo De Rama Fort also known as Cape Rama Fort. located in Cancona taluka in South Goa.

View from the top

The Cabo de Rama fort is currently in ruins. The name Cabo de Rama is Portuguese for the head of Rama. According to ancient Indian mythology, Prince Rama, from the epic Ramayana, along with his wife Sita took refuge here during Rama's exile from Ayodhya.

Fortification of Cabo de Rama Fort

Nobody knows who built this fort. At some point in the 17^th century, however, the Portuguese took it over from the Raja of Soonda.

Steps leading to the wate body or pond

My cousin Sholto and I decided to visit the fort. We took the National Highway-17 to reach Cancona where the fort is located. One has to have a vehicle if one wants to visit the fort. Those who don’t have their own vehicle can choose to hire one. There are some public buses plying from Margao to the fort but the frequency of these buses is pathetic, and it is better to not rely on them.

Entrance to Cabo de Rama Fort

There is a rampart to enter the fort. In the old days, if a visitor was expected to the fort, the rampart would have to be lowered to enable the visitor to enter the fort. As the fort is on an island, the only entrance is through the rampart. Sounds really cool, doesn't it? I had seen such ramparts in the movies of the yesteryears but never in reality. How I wish I was born in that era! Currently the mechanism for operating the rampart is not functional. It is therefore always kept lowered down to enable public access.

Coconut trees all around

After entering the fort via the rampart, we decided to survey the ruined fort. The fort has got a few cannons that are worth checking out. The Church of Santo Antonio, located within the fort, is in excellent condition. Masses are offered here regularly.

St. Anthony Chapel in the fort premises

While the fort is in ruins, the western end of the fort has steep cliffs which provide a panoramic view of the place. From the western end, one can sight plenty of coconut trees which cover the land extremely densely, making it difficult for us to see the shore. It took us around two hours to view the fort.

View from the fort

We walked on the wall of the fort to see the view from every angle. The view I liked best was the one available from the sea side. Later, we had some refreshments before calling it a day.