HERITAGE STRUCTURES IN GOA.....

The goan goverment tries its best to preserve the goan heritage and the old goan charm, as thats what attracts loads of visitors from all over india and the world to goa.
Here are a few houses which fall under the goan heritage colony which have to be regularly maintained . The exterior paint for these houses or buildings is fixed and they have to have it painted and fresh whole year round so that whenever there are visitors , they have to look great!!!
they really look too good ...


THIS IS AN SMALL ART GALLERY

THIS IS A SMALL INN USUALLY OCCUPIED BY FOREIGNERS THIS IS A TYPICAL GOAN WINDOW WHICH HAS SHELL EMBEDDED GLASS WORK

TRIP TO TIRACOL OR TEREKHOL....

Last month we were in Goa for 10 days , we planned a day trip to a place called Tiracol which has a famous fort.
We had decided on this visit to Tiracol ,which has a 16th century fort at the mouth of river Tiracol in the northernmost corner of goa as we had heard that the drive to the place, which would take us about 2 hours, was beautiful . and the ride itself would be enough to fulfill our heart and soul .
And true to what we had heard the drive to Tiracol was wonderful , we started early morning when everything was quite and the sun was just about to rise, the weather at such an hour is just great . As the sun rises you can soak the warm rays and take in the fresh smell of your surroundings.
You could see lush green trees and bushes along the way ,with the morning sun peeping through the branches . The villages were waking up and everything around was so very fresh and clean.


VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE FORT

ROAD TOWARDS THE FORT

FERRY THAT TOOK US ACROSS

SHACK WHERE WE HAD OUR WONDERFUL LUNCH

VIEW FROM THE FERRY

We reached Tiracol and sat on the beach, from where you have to take a ferry to the bank across which takes you to the fort. We had our snacks which we carried from home on the beach and just lazed around watching the water and the average activities of the people around you .
By the time we decided that we should cross over and visit the fort it was around 11.00 am and so we took a ferry across .
On the ferry we enquired about the facilities for lunch available at the fort. We where told that there were small shacks which had local families who cooked home made food for those interested , but they had to be given prior notice .That had us all excited . I think the excitement of eating was much more than the visit to the fort. So on our way up towards the fort we placed an order for our afternoon meal which the family said would take them an hour to prepare . For us any time was ok as long as it was fresh, home cooked goan meal . while chatting with them we got to know that they cater mainly to foreigners, as there were very few Indians, who eat at their place .but they were happy to have us there. They said they would cook the goan Christian type food which is different from our food as we cook the goan Hindu type food at home , so that was a good thing we would be able to taste something different we gave him a go ahead signal .

mackeral Recheiado(fried fish with red masala filling)
mackeral curry

We climbed up a bit to reach the fort , there was nothing much there except for a good scenic view. We relaxed on the lawn outside the fort and waited for the hour to pass.
On reaching the shack we were served some real tasty goan food which we were eating for the first time.

we had

Mackeral Recheiado(fried fish with red masala filling)

fish curry

rice

fish fry

It was a simple but filling meal

we left Tiracol with fond memories of the wonderful lunch that we had.

FRESH FISH......

FRESH , FRESH , FRESH .... thats what you say when you go through the fish market at panaji which is the capital of goa.

as you see here the market is always full , its packed, as a goan love their fish, they have to have it fresh everyday . its usually that the men folk that usually leave for the morning market buy some great and fresh fish and off they go home so that their wives can make delicious food

before they come home for the afternoon seista.

COCONUT - VERY VERY VERSATILE...

COCONUT is very important in the day to day cooking of goan families.
Goan food is incomplete without coconut which is used in gravies, as a garnish and even for sweets.
Coconut tree is the only tree that has loads of uses , each part of the tree is put to use .I managed to get
This article from google search.





if you see the above picture you will see the rows of coconut trees along the main road which passes thorough a village , there are many villages in goa so such a site is very very common.
here is the article which i managed to get from google.\

http://ambergriscaye.com/cocopalms/uses.html

USES OF COCONUT
The most versatile 'tree' in the world
you can make lumber out of the trunks of old mature trees
the fronds provide thatching materials for roofs and matting for floors or walls and for sunshades
the dried fibers of the nut can be shredded as stuffing for pillows and mattresses
You can weave the fronds to make nice hats to shade the sun from your face
Click here for how to climb coconut palms'.
the 'wrapper' of the palm can be used for toilet paper
The center veins of the frond pinnae can be bunched together to make a very good whisk broom or used individually as a toothpick
the heart of the small coconut palm tastes as good as any heart of palm that you can eat
the dried husk of the coconut makes the best cooking fire for BBQ's or just plain campfire cooking
the dried shell of the coconut can be made into many forms of bowls/cups or storage containers
the water can be drunk/cooked with or mixed with rum for cocktail hour
the meat can be rendered to make a very fine oil that can provide lighting at night or cooking oil or as a skin lotion.
the meat of either the green or ripe or sprouted coconut can be eaten raw as high energy snack food
the smoke of the burning husk is a natural mosquito repellent
So: if you ever get stranded on a deserted island hope that it is one that has lots of coconut trees!

MAPUSA FRIDAY MARKET....

MAPUSA FRIDAY MARKET


For those who know me, must be knowing my love for visiting a market place especially when I am on a vacation
According to me a market is the hub and heart of the food culture of the place. you get to see so many things here, the locals the local fruits ,vegetables, fish everything.

I was in Goa last week and I had this urge to visit MAPUSA which holds its weekly market every Friday. It’s called as the SUNKRARCHO BAZAAR , with Sunkrar being Friday.

DRY FISH SELLER

I bought my yearly supply of dry mackeral and prawns from the above lady

when i tried to click this lady she was very inhibited in front of the camera , she said that she had never been clicked before and was trying to avert from the camera , but i finally managed to get a good snap ... and also took the dried prawns from her (you can see it at the right hand corner.The wooden thing that is used is called a 'map' or a measure by which the dried prawns are sold).

These are the common spices used in goan cooking and were very fresh here.

THE SPICE SELLER

MAPUSA market is known for its fresh farm products which the farmers and traders from all parts of Goa and beyond ,from kudal,sawantwadi,banda Come here to sell their goods and buy some for their personal use.
I went there a day before diwali, which is the “festival of lights” in India.
It’s a very important festival of the year and hence it was all the more crowded and people were all the more enthusiastic about the purchases of the day.
You name it and you get it at the MAPUSA weekly market fresh fish, dry fish, fruits , vegetable , spices , kitchen tools everything .There are no stylish stall , no fancy lighting , no glamour it’s a simple village market place , but the produce are fresh and tempting.
What attracts me about these markets is the burst of colors that you see, the liveliness of the people, the pleasant smiles with which they address you and the genuineness of the whole thing .

village people are very simple and very different from the city bred .