South India: Goa: Panjim Inn

Panjim Inn
Panjim, Goa









We decided to stay in Panjim for our last two nights in Goa to ease ourselves to the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, the last leg of our trip. Panjim also boasted some colonial-area architecture that we wanted to check out.



Panjim Inn is located in the old section of Panajim, which is about 45 minutes to the airport. I was not disappointed. Panjim Inn has that rare blend of history and style, at a superaffordable price. Our room had a nicely crafted four-poster bed. It came with ac and satellite tv too! It seems that this tourist inn was slowly expanded over the years, because it included distinct buildings connected by narrow hallways.

Breakfast was pretty hearty, and served buffet style. Only one type of egg (scrambled), but you can go back for seconds. As Panjim Inn catered to tourists, baked beans, toast and breakfast cereal were available too.





The area where Panjim Inn and its sister establishments is called Fontainhas. It was nice simply walking around and marvelling at how some of the structures still exist. .. it felt a bit like walking around Fortaleza, another Portuguese holding from way back. Oh yes, a lot of those tiny street-side shrines too, regardless of the creed.

Church of the Lady of the Immaculate Conception. I do not like how the photo flattens the entire shot. The church is quite a distance uphill from us. The roundabout in front of it was always full of traffic.




In the distance is a Hindu temple. It was not in our guidebook, but there were quite a few locals on their way there. It looked like a salmon-colored castle from our vantage point.

Panajim (the town) was easy to cover on foot. It had a sleepy, old-town colonial feel.

This shot appealed to me on different levels. First, was the layout of the ads. It reminded me of those old -style shingles that one might hang to advertise a local business. I also liked how the "quit smoking" ad is quite prominent and very official-looking. Next thing I noticed was the "Ayurvedic clinic" ad. Ayurvedic medicine is not is a legitimately recognized form of medicine, in the same way the western medicine is recognized by us. Later on, in Mumbai, I came across a bazaar for medical supplies, and some of them offered solely Ayurvedic herbs and oils.






Panjim Market. the produce section.

The fish section. It looks like most of the catch was pretty local---mostly small fishes, a lot of prawns, some small clams.

Fresh meats. I wonder if that was mutton.

Panjim Inn was very good value. The town itself can easily be covered in a day, so we found ourselves day-tripping back to the beach. DJKung was suffering from acute pool withdrawal, and I don't think he liked Panajim too much.

South India: Goa: Danny's Restaurant

Danny's Restaurant
Arambol, Goa



Arambol is the hippie beach of North Goa. All of the tourists we've come across prior to making here had raved about how awesome this beach is, so we were prepared to hate it.

Yet it ain't that bad... the beach was a long strip of white sand and pretty strong surf. Not too many people, which was surprising. There were a number of beach huts and restaurants facing the water, but it was really... dead. Goa, like other parts of India, appeared to have been hard hit by the events of 26/11.



So we walked a bit for a few minutes under the blazing sun. We picked a random place among the many beachfront restaurants. Danny's had your typical tourist menu of spaghetti, salads and burgers. DJKung was happy with just a cold drink and a snack, but I was feeling ravenous.

Lime soda. This is freshly mixed lime juice, sugar, salt and cold seltzer water. It became DJKung's drink of choice for the rest of the trip.

The prices for the drinks were very reasonable. I got a mango lassi (mango and yogurt drink) and DJKung ordered freshly squeezed pineapple juice. Yea... we''re on vacation and we're doin' it up! (That, and the Kingfisher beer that we had one night gave me quite the hangover.)

Thinking back to DJKung's chicken fried rice at SAS Restaurant, I ordered the prawn fried rice. It was prepared Hong Kong style, and was very satisfying.

DJKung got the fried papadum, which had a spicy veggie sauce on it (tomato?).

Considering that Danny's solely catered to tourists, we were pretty impressed by the food. After finishing the fried rice and fried papadum, we were ready for round two.

French fries. Nothing beats french fries at the beach. The catsup had a fruity flavor to it.






Shrimp tempura with fried rice. Don't it look cute! DJKung finished every bite.

Typical scene in Arambol.

It is easy to see why tourists fall in love with Arambol. The beach is wide and clean. No horse flies (like in New Jersey)! The beach huts are dirt cheap, and you can get hearty good food at places like Danny's for a song.

South India: Goa: Candlelight Restaurant

Candlelight Restaurant
Siolim, Goa

The area around Siolim is very working class, and the main street boasts a couple of thali places. At night, though, it is deserted. Antoinette from Siolim House recommended that we go to Candlelight for dinner, as it was the only place close by. Candlelight was about a ten-minute uphill walk from the hotel. For some reason, the street lights were not lit the first time we ventured forth... it was pitch-black and scary. We had the tiniest, smallest flashlight with us, so it was not much help.

The creepiest thing was that the countryside was dotted with tiny, whitewashed shrines that kinda glowed in the darkness. (Little shrines are a Goan thing--- they can be Hindu, Christian, or any religion.) They looked like tombstones on the side of the road, complete with garlands of wilted flowers. Once in a while, stray dogs would bark at us. They were not friendly barks. We realized that we were veritable sissies in this scary excursion. We were not sure if we should turn back.

We gave ourselves fifteen minutes before giving up and going to bed hungry. We were glad for being such troopers, because Candlelight was a gem.

Candlelight is a tiny mom-and-pop place, no bigger than a shed, that was a popular watering hole among long-time expats and some of the locals. It was run by this cute Goan couple, Sevrine and Anthony DeSouza. The food was good, and dirt cheap to boot. There was some outdoor seating, but the mosquitoes were quite ferocious. Indoors, at least there were some fans to blunt the humidity.

The resident fur at Candlelight.

Garlic fried peanuts.

Kingfisher beer. This is the popular beer in India. It is refreshing, but a bit on the harsh side. It is best served very cold, as Candlelight Restaurant did.

Alex from Siolim House joked that we should give our food orders first, because the kitchen was really slow. In truth, we did not mind. It was just interesting listening to the local banter. Two expats talked about having to go to Nepal to get their visas. We fell into a conversation with another expat, who just kept going on and on. Another regular, a thirty-something Indian guy, would just quietly drink his beer. Once in a while, a group of young Indian men would have a drink, and go off, maybe clubbing. Yea, no other women customers here too.

The menu at Candlelight is quite abbreviated. You can get fried prawns. Or beef/pork/chicken chili fry. Or curry fish with rice. Sometimes, they have sardines. That's it. Between our two visits, we sampled everything.

Fried prawns. They tasted quite fresh, and not like they were shipped half the world away before arriving to our plate.

Beef chili fry. DJKung liked the spice. After going almost full-on vegetarian in Kerala, he was ready for some real meat. Another night, he had the chicken chili fry. Likewise awesome.

Fish curry and grilled sardine. The sardine was available on one night. It was sweet and briny. The curry in Goa is not as rich as in Kerala, and the spice mix was different too. Went well with rice.

True to its name, Candlelight lost power twice in one night. Anthony and Sevrine came bustling out of the kitchen and lit some candles.

We really liked the homey atmosphere and local vibe of this joint. It was just great hanging out with our beers and stuffing ourselves. On our way back to Siolim, the street lights were lit. The doggies would still bark, but they no longer felt so menacing. They must be used to tourists stumbling back to Siolim.

South India: Goa: Siolim House, Part II

Siolim House, Part II





Siolim House serves serious breakfasts, which is included in the price. You get a choice of tea or coffee, fresh fruit and fresh fruit juice, toast, and eggs prepared any style. Everything is made to order --- no continental buffet table here --- so you are really forced to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Like with everything else about Siolim, their breakfasts were superb.

Clockwise from left: fresh juice cocktail (papaya and pineapple), tea, yogurt, fresh papaya and pineapple. DJKung and I were not used to the papaya, unfortunately. It had a burning sensation going down.

This is a picture from another breakfast. Fresh watermelon juice was available that day. The coffee was pretty good too!

Scrambled egg on toast.

" Indian breakfast." This was a couscous-type dish flavored with mustard seeds and kaffir leaf. Reminded me a lot of Keralan cuisine, actually.

Siolim House also serves light lunches and dinners, which you have to preorder, as everything is made fresh. On our last night, we splurged on their dinner. It was a good decision.

DJKung enjoying a predinner drink and some nibblin's.




Superfatty enjoying a predinner drink too. We both had King's Beer (available only in Goa--- the liquor laws seem pretty arcane in India; all the beers had regional boundaries where they can be sold, except for Kingfisher, the no. 1 brand)

We also chatted with other guests who opted to have dinner in-house that night. There were two English ladies, the jolly French dude, Varun and his friend from Vietnam, and Varun's mum. Varun treated us to a glass of Sula (chenin blanc?), which is India's biggest winemaker. It was crisp and dry, had a bit of a bite.

Then it was off to our own candlelit table by the pool. It was a clear night and the stars were out. It was really romantic, but DJKung and I kept giggling, we could not believe we were having this intimate, sophisticate dinner. And we were buzzed, too.

House rolls (we saw the kitchen staff kneading the dough that morning). It was chewy and buttery, went well with the rich French-style mushroom soup.



The infamous King's beer. Since this was our last night at Siolim, of course we had seconds (or was it thirds?). This was the best beer we've tried, flavorful, hoppy and pretty smooth. (The other two beers were Royal Challenge/Kerala, a watery lager, and Kingfisher, which was harsh and gave me a whopper of a hangover).

Rice with prawn chili fry and sauteed veggies. Chili fry seems to be the local Goan dish. The prawns were big, succulent and superfresh. DJKung said that this was excellent.

Steamed fish in spices and wrapped in banana leaf, rice, sauteed and fresh veggies. The fish was fresh, and the spice mix was just right.

Dessert was ice cream topped with fruit preserves and syrup. We were stuffed.

The meals we've had at Siolim were just excellent. We were truly sad that we had to check out by the fourth day. DJKung and I highly recommend Siolim House with no reservations.

South India: Goa: Siolim House, Part I

Siolim House
Vaddy, Siolim
Bardez, Goa 403 517
91-832-223-2138/ 227-2941
www.siolimhouse.com




Yea, in spite of Goa's reputation, I still wanted to visit. DJKung really was not interested in checking out the likely over-hyped beach scene. To compromise, I picked Siolim house as a respite from all the beach action in Goa.

Siolim House is rather removed from the beaches. The closest beaches are Ashvem and Mandrem, a dusty thirty minutes by car or longer by scooter. I picked this place for some good pampering and r&r. DJKung and I agreed that it was worth it.

Siolim House used to be the home of the governor of Macau, back in Goa's colonial days.

Siolim House.

Reservations are essential, since they only have seven rooms. I booked a room for us for five nights but did not confirm. Luckily, when we arrived, a room was available for three nights. Antoinette, the office manager, was very gracious and deftly directed us to some afternoon tea and cakes while our bags were brought to the room.

Estate teas. These are also available for sale. It was nice trying a different cup each time. I am not sure if the picture adequately shows these clever tea spoons (the two on the left). Basically, there is a hinged clamshell contraption. You open it and scoop up some tea, then close it and cover with hot water. One side of clamshell has perforations for the water.

Sitting room. The detail on the carved wood chairs is just exquisite. DJKung and I really dug the long-armed plantation chairs, which allow you to put your feet up. There are some architecture books that we perused.

I wish I picked this book up. It has great detail on the unique details of Goan houses (e.g., windows, pillars).

Our room, which in hindsight we realized was the smallest one, opened directly to the courtyard and the pool beyond. I am just baffled that neither DJKung or I took any pictures, because we just fell in love with the room. It had these really high ceiling, whitewashed walls and big windows with wooden shutters. The ceiling fan nicely cooled the room down and we did not need any ac. The bed was a tall, romantic, four-postered and curtained affair with crisp white linens. And the bathroom, we swear, was about as big as the room and had white marble everywhere. Very luxurious.

The pool was very nice, too. Most of the time, it was only me and DJKung just splashing around. It felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

Path to pool. The grounds, though not extensive, were lush. I saw a chico tree (unfortunately, the fruits were not yet ripe), hibiscus, gardenia.

In the mornings, the pigeons like to bathe in the pool, too. It was fun trying to scare them away.

This looks like some bird-of-paradise type plant.

The dining area was also directly across from our room, so it was easy rolling out of bed and showing up for breakfast.

This is the house dog, who we referred to as Fluffy. Unlike the local dogs, Fluffy was much bigger and had a full coat. Not surprisingly, he was always hot and would always try to find a cool spot to lie down.



Our room is to the left. Aren't those fat columns so pretty!

This is the part of the courtyard that leads to the kitchen. That structure in the middle has the remnants of an old well. We saw a lot of old wells on our forays about town.

View of the courtyard from the second floor.

The best adjective I can think of to describe this place is idyllic. We easily settled into this routine:

6am: wake up, listen to the sounds of the village waking up.

7am: get dressed, walk two blocks to the main street and pick up three newspapers.

7:30 am to 9:00 am: breakfast (see Siolim House, Part II). Read newspapers, chat with the jolly French guest.

9:00 am to 10:00 am: pool time.

10:00 am to 2:30 pm: go check out a beach and have lunch outside.

2:30 pm to 5:00 pm: back to Siolim, pool time. Siesta time for Superfatty. Afternoon tea.

5:00 pm to 7:30 pm: get Ayurvedic massage. Shower, get ready for dinner.

7:30 pm to 10:00pm: dinner and drinks outside.

10:00 pm: talk about how tough life can be, with all the decisions we had to make all day (where to eat, what to do, etc). Figure out which beach to check out the next day. Go to sleep.

DJKung and I were really comfortable during our stay here. The staff are all locals, and they took great pains to make sure that everything was to our liking. We've met some interesting people, specially Alex and Mandri, who were always so genuinely attentive. They arranged for a scooter rental for us (do not ask DJKung how it went), and then taxi trips for our beach jaunts, gave excellent tips for dining in the area, set up appointments for the masseuse, and helped us out with our inquiries for transport to our next leg of our trip. The owner, Varun, even gave us tips on hotels, clubs and places to eat in Mumbai!

South India: Kingfisher Airlines

Kingfisher Airlines

Because of our tight schedule, we've decided to fly between the provinces in South India that we wanted to visit (Kerala, Goa, Majarashta). India has quite a few budget airlines that flew in these cities. We picked Kingfisher because its website was easy to use. We did hit a snag getting tickets online, because my Visa card would not approve the charges. Amex did approve the charge, but the Kingfisher required bank verification of credit approval within thirty minutes of my booking and required that I call their toll-free US number. Which did not work.

Talk about stress! After some harried searching on their website, I found another customer service number and spoke with the Kingfisher rep, who insisted that I get bank approval. Good thing the Amex rep I spoke with smoothed everything out.

Btw, Kingfisher Airlines is part of the Kingfisher beer empire. Interestingly, its head CEO had been on trial for tax evasion.

Welcome kit: refreshing wipe, free pen, Mentos.

The great thing about Kingfisher is that they will feed you, no matter how short the route is. The meals are included in the price of the ticket. For our Kerala to Goa flight, which took two hours and involved two stops, we got two meals, and declined the third one. The attendants were able to hand out the food really fast, because everything was prepacked in these Kingfisher meal boxes that eerily looked like cigarette cartons.

Breakfast. From left: chickpeas with yogurt; basmati rice with corn and beans; mousse.

Breakfast #2: the mousse made another appearance. Tomato and cheese sandwich. Potato salad.

This meal was served on the Goa to Mumbai flight that we later took. The tomato and cheese sandwich came with a sweet bun and fresh fruit.

We were very pleased with Kingfisher and would definitely fly with them again. I would say that the only gripe I could possibly have was that flights to the Andaman Islands were hard to find at the last minute, but really, this was more our fault for booking tickets really late.

South India: Kerala: Green Palm Homes, Part III

Green Palm Homes, Part III

Yet another interesting part of our stay at Green Palms involved a trip to the local watering hole. We're noticed that Kerala in general seemed to be a mostly dry province. The sale of alcohol is heavily regulated. (Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that it is a Communist state?) In fact, they even take down your name and address when you buy beer at the mainland store.

The main exception to this stringent rule is the sale of toddy. As mentioned previously, toddy is the fermented sap of the coconut flower. I suppose that being an indigenous brew, that pretty much anybody can make at home, it would just be too cumbersome to regulate it heavily. Toddy seems to be the brew of choice here in the backwaters.

Thomas gamely brought us to the local toddy shop for a taste. All the patrons were men (no surprise), who were quite discomfited by the sight of all these tourists barging in on their local pub.

I wish we took better pictures of the place, but it was very dark inside. It was a very no-frills place --- a tiny shack with a low door, lit by a single lightbulb. There were two semiprivate stalls with rustic, rough-hewn benches and tables. DJKung went to the bar, and saw that all they sold was toddy in clear, unlabeled glass bottles. We sat with two men at one of the stalls, but they quickly left us. Too bad, we were ready to engage in some local gossip too.

Cheers! Toddy is definitely an acquired taste. I was expecting a strong local brew like the Indonesian arrak (coconut wine), which is great with ice and honey. Thomas said that he gave us the strong, day-old stuff. It was a cloudy thin liquid, just like in the picture. To me, it tasted like rice vinegar!!!

Thomas had hired some canoes for us. He also entertained us with folk songs while they rowed home. It was a magical moment, just listening to them singing along with the swoosh of the paddles going through the water. Once in a while, kids would wave at us, and we would wave back.

On our last night at Green Palms, DJKung and I went for the sunset cruise on a small motorized boat. We had the boat all to ourselves too, and puttered around the backwaters for two hours. Along the route, some people were taking their evening baths or just washing dishes. Some locals were indoors watching tv. Our guide had excellent timing. We reached a big lake and lingered there a bit and waited for the sun to set.

DJKung being amazed at the breathtaking sunset views.

We attracted some hangers-on, who I guess were either in a rush, or were just getting tired of paddling.

Hanging around in the big lake. I like how the coconut trees in the background are of different heights, like notes on a scale.

Overall, we highly recommend Green Palms. It gave us a taste of how life was like in the Keralan backwaters. I felt that Thomas has some ambivalence with how tourism in general is affecting the community. It is a fragile ecosystem--- too much tourism will certainly degrade both the environment and the people's way of life, yet at the same time, some tourism is needed to support the local economy. There is no easy answer, I'm afraid. Nevertheless, we feel especially privileged to have experienced the backwaters with such a gracious and knowledgeable host.

South India: Green Palm Homes Part II

Green Palm Homes

I mentioned to Thomas that I was interested in learning some Keralan recipes. By the first day, we were seriously into their home cooked food. Keralan cooking is heavy on coconut and warm, earthy curries. Each meal we had always had three or more dishes, always freshly made--- curried chicken, squid or potatoes, Keralan rice (with a fat, nutty and starchy grain), onions salads, buttermilk sauce, fried river fish, pickled green mango, chapattis/papadums.

Thomas' mother first gave me a tour of their backyard, where they grow five different kinds of bananas (!!!), mango, ginger, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, curry leaf, mace, tamarind and guava. She explained that when the rains arrive, they start planting their vegetable crops.

Their pantry was chock-full of spices: mustard seeds, fenugreek, cloves, chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida (for pickling), coriander, anise, cardamom and black pepper.

She showed me how to prepare two dishes. I just observed and did not take notes, hence the lack of measurements in the following recipes:

Curried chinese potato
(Chinese potato is a local tuber, about 1 inch long and looks like a miniature yautia. It tastes remarkably like a regular potato.)

Ing: coconut oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, chili powder, coriander, chopped onions, chopped chinese potato, chopped coconut meat.

1. Heat coconut oil till smoking. Add mustard seeds and fry till they release their flavor. Add curry leaves and continue stir-frying for approximately 5 minutes, until the leaves release their flavor.

2. Ad turmeric, chili powder and coriander. Mix the now curry-paste frequently so it does not stick.

3. After about three minutes, add the chopped onions, chopped coconut meat and chopped chinese potato. Stir for a bit. Add some water, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. Dish is done when the potatoes are tender and the sauce is reduced to a very thick, almost dry, consistency.

Keralan Curried Fish
Ing: coconut oil, mustard seeds, curry leaf, turmeric, chili powder, paste (made of onions, ginger and garlic), Malabar tamarind (can use regular tamarind), chunks of firm-fleshed fish.

1. Heat coconut oil till smoking. Add mustard seeds and fry about five minutes, or until they release their flavor. Add curry leaves and stir-fry for another three minutes.

2. Add turmeric and chili powder, continue stirring so it does not stick to the pan.

3. Add onion-ginger-garlic paste and continue to fry until fragrant.

4. Thin the curry paste with some water. Add malabar tamarind and some water, cover and simmer for about five minutes. Add fish chunks, cover and simmer for about fifteen to twenty more minutes, or until fish is cooked through.