Chillin at 30 Celcius

Our most recent stops have been very laid back and we are quite relaxed right now. The busy cities of India seem like a distant memory.

First, we stayed at a farm and guest house, 50 km’s from Belgaum, in a forest-jungle setting. The farm was situated on 45 acres, next to a wildlife sanctuary, and the nearest neighbour lived more than 1 km away. The birds would sing to us every morning and the sky was full of stars every night. The guest house was run by a lovely Indian family who have owned the property for 34 years, initially as a farm and recently adding two cabins and a tree house for guests to stay in. Although the tree house appealed to us (nice views), the middle of the night trips to the toilet down the steep stairs resulted in both couples choosing the cabins. David ate meals with us and helped us understand their culture better while his wife (Morvarid) cooked up 3 delicious meals a day. Their daughter (Katrina) had just completed her PhD and was helping out before moving on to a new job in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia later in the week. Both Mori and Kat joined us after our evening meal for some entertaining conversations.

During our four days at the guest house we did several hikes. On the first day, David led us through the forest on an 8 km walk to a river where we all refreshed ourselves with a swim in the cool, clean water. Another day we walked to the nearest village, 5 km’s away, where both the children and parents came out of their homes to have a look (and smile) at the ‘white’ foreigners passing by. David also guided us up and down nearby Bear Hill which had a good view of the surrounding valleys. We didn’t spot any wildlife other than birds and the large red squirrel, but there was plenty of evidence (feces, soil disturbance, remains) indicating that sloth bears, anteaters, porcupines, eagles and the soon-to-be-famous Katrina Crab were recently in the area. On another day, the ladies took a cooking class with Mori, which then formed the basis for our meal that night, and have promised to re-create some her magic when we return home. During the afternoons we played lots of games with our friends, Neal and Linda, and David somehow rose to the challenge to keep us sufficiently suffonsified with drinks. Hot water and electricity were only available for a few hours during the day but we went with the no internet, eco-friendly flow and it turned out to be a wonderful visit.

We have now moved on to Goa, back on the west coast, and it is another slice of heaven. We are staying in cabins on a crescent shaped, sandy beach (Palolem) that stretches for one kilometre. The large cove delivers warm, calm water with beautiful sunsets as we watch the sun disappear into the Arabian Sea every night. Large beers (650 ml) can be had for $2 at any of the bars along the beach, or while relaxing in the beach loungers at our resort. We have discovered the nearby German Bakery which serves up tasty and filling breakfasts each morning, and we are eating fresh seafood dinners right on the beach at night. We are doing barefoot beach walks every day, finding more lovely beaches in other coves further along the coast from where we are staying, and taking regular dips in the sea to cool off when it gets too hot. Wine is much more accessible in Goa than in other places we have been so we have loaded up with some of our preferred Indian wines. Sadly for me, when I inquired about a $5 white wine that I have come to like, the store owner had to go to the back of the store to retrieve it, explaining to me that it was a ‘cooking’ wine………my taste buds obviously have not fully recovered!

Tomorrow we will move on, further up the Goan coast to Panjim. Back to city life for a few days to explore the area where the Portuguese ruled for 450 years, and only relinquished in 1961.

Khanapur Market on the way to our Belgaum guest house. This lady was selling live chickens.

Our cabin at the Hermitage Farm and Guest House in the middle of a forest-jungle. From the main road it was a 3.5 km ride along a bumpy dirt road which ended at the farm.

The swimming hole at the end of our 8 km walk. The water was cool but felt great after our hike. Kat showed up with some cold beers which made it even better.

Our hike to the top of Bear Hill with David.

Our dining room. We used the table at the back for our daily afternoon games.

The Art Resort at Palolem Beach in Goa. There were 7 cabins all less than 50 metres from the sandy beach so we didn't wear much tread off of our sandals during our stay there.

The beach right in front of our cabins.

When we saw the fresh seafood displayed in front of the Bamboo beach restaurant it didn't take us long to find a table and order our meals.

Our beachside table. Our waiter took this picture while we were ready to start eating our fin-to-tail tuna meal gazing out at the Arabian Sea and starlit night.

We were astute enough (or lucky) to not select the cabin with a hole in the net above the roof. After hearing a loud bang, Neal and Linda discovered that a coconut had dropped from the tree above their cabin and crashed through the bathroom roof. Before we finished our glass of wine on their deck the support staff had not only cleaned up the mess inside but also replaced the roof tiles. This obviously wasn't the first time this has happened.