India Trekker

Goa, India: It's a state in India with over 100 kms of beaches. I went there after a quick trip to Pune, India with my cousin.

This is the shot from the veranda of the beach shack I had on Palolem Beach, south end. The proprietors called them 'luxury cottages'. That made me smile but all the same the view is rather nice.

Fishing as a primary industry in Goa and it's mostly small time fishers that go out during the night in boats like this. During the day they will also ferry tourists about to make extra dollars. The fresh fish in Goa is great!

Before I headed to the beach I stayed a few days in a lovely restored Portuguese house in the town of Canacona. It was hard to get a photo of the one story house itself because it was surrounded by walls and large shrubs. The owner is an architect from Mumbai and he did a great job of restoring the building and decorating it. The spa was not operational while I was there but it really did not matter.

The house had many large verandahs that we great for lounging and reading a favourite book. I actually had a bad cold and was feeling very miserable so the peace and quiet was welcomed. The staff were so nice and felt bad that I was sick.

Breakfast was included. Dinner was optional. This is a great Goan Thali they prepared. Thali meaning a selection of little dishes. Here there is rice, dal, veg curry, seafood curry, some fried fish and prawns, roti, a red liquid that tasted strange and was suppose to take away the taste of the fish and aid in digestion.

Mowgli was Turiya's young labrador-mix. He was a rescue dog from Mumbai. The story was that a western tourist obtained him while in Mumbai but then had to leave and gave him to a rickshaw driver who was unable to keep him. Given that rick drivers are rather poor that does not surprise me. So he lived in the streets but found his way to a shelter where the architect got him and brought him to a better life in Goa. His back legs are a bit deformed. He was a very friendly young dog.

Art shot! Can't resist. These were pebbles placed into the concrete floor of the shower. They were there to prevent you from slipping. Very smart idea!

The town of Canacona has many nice houses which are painted bright colours. This is typical of Goa and also Kerala a state further south. These were all in the neighbourhood of Turiya. However they were not traditional Portuguese houses like Turiya. These were modern, recently built.