A Day Spent Visiting Friends in Goa

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Goa

A Day Spent Visiting Friends in Goa:

Namaste from Goa!

I am glad I gave myself one more day to spend in Goa instead of rushing back to Bombay as this provided me the opportunity to visit friends. At the top of the list was Debbie, a very old friend of Llew (and, of course, me). Llew happens to be the godfather off her son, Brett, who is based now in Bombay. Debbie runs a salon in Porvorim, Goa, and it was to the salon that she invited me. As it turns out, my Dad’s friend Joaquim and his wife Nattie, also live in Porvorim—so I would be able to kill two birds with one pebble!

Using Public Transport to Get to Porvorim:

However, I was unwilling to get ripped off by a cab or rickshaw driver. Also, I have lived in Bombay for more than four months now and I do feel like a local. Plus, in Bombay, I have mastered the use of public transport; so I was determined to find my way to Porvorim by the local bus. Besides, to my mind, as a seasoned world traveler, it is always more fun and adventurous when you travel like the local people do!

In the dining rom of The Panjim Inn, I had a cheese and mushroom omelette for breakfast with sautéed vegetables, sautéed mushrooms and potato wedges followed by fruit and coffee. Lawrence was also in the dining room—so I joined him at his table. Right after breakfast, he was leaving to catch his Hop On Hop Off bus for the second day of his touring—this time to the northern beaches. He told me that he could direct me to the public bus stand—so off we went right after breakfast.

In ten minutes, I said goodbye to Lawrence and went in search of my bus. I made one inquiry of a bunch of guys standing around: Where can I find the bus to Porvorim? And immediately, they pointed out a bus that was leaving. I ran towards it, hopped in and was on my way. We crossed the great Mandovi River on a lovely bridge and arrived on the other side. Another fifteen minutes later, I was at Coqeuiro Circle where Debbie asked me to alight and in no time at all, because her directions were so good, I found her salon—Studio Deborah—on the first floor of a building on the main road.

Visiting with Debbie:

Debbie arrived soon enough and we spent a while chatting. Because she is a skilled hair dresser, I asked her if she would trim my hair and she was more than willing to do so. Accordingly, I got my hair shampooed by one of her assistants and, in no more at all, she had given me a two inch trim all around which made my hair look so much more streamlined. Great! She would not let me pay her and so I decided to take her for lunch to O Coqeuiro, a landmark restaurant that gives its name to the circle at the bus-stop. 

After we had spent about an hour there, Debbie told me that she would take me on her motor bike to her home which was five minutes away. I was keen to see her daughter Scarlet who, following a tragic accident, about 15 years ago, has been in a coma all along. I found Scarlet much better than when I had last seen her—she was far more responsive than I remember for she stirred quite strongly when she heard Debbie’s voice and felt her touch. I spent about fifteen minutes with her and then, Debbie and I continued to chat before it was time for lunch.

Lunch at O Coqeuiro:

Debbie filled me in on whatever happened in her life since the last time we met which was about ten years ago. We ordered the most delectable Prawn Balchao with Mushroom and Cashew Nut Xacuti served with two types of Goan bread: Pao and Poi. We ordered fresh lime sodas with our lunch. It was all delicious but, as is happening quite often now, I overeat and then feel the ill-effects of heartburn. After we had spent about two mourns over lunch, I called Joaquim, my Dad’s friend, who arrived in his car to pick me up and take me to his house. Debbie and I said goodbye and as she left, Joaquim and I drove off to his.

Visiting my Dad’s Friends:

I had never met Joaquim or Nattie before but they happened to have become pretty friendly with my father just before they relocated to Goa, following retirement, about two years ago. They seem to have settled quite well in a small apartment which they seemed to have bought a few years ago. Their daughter lives close by and because she has a two-year old, they are quite pleased to be living in Goa. Everywhere I went, people lamented the fact that Goa has changed for the worse—like all parts of the world, it has become more crowded, more traffic-ridden, more corrupt, they said. I stayed with them for about an hour—and then they drove me to their daughter Guinevra’s place. Her daughter is called Jovana ! At their place, I stayed for about half an hour and then I decided to take my leave. They very kindly offered to drop me back to Panjim as they insisted that it was only 15 minutes away. So, there was I, being dropped quite conveniently to my hotel in Panjim where I reached at about 5.00 pm.

Off For a Talk at the Fondacao Orient:

My friend Ashley had called, earlier in the day, to find out if I was interested in accompanying him to a talk at the Fondacao Orient, a Portuguese cultural center, just a few minutes walk from our hotel. I told Ashley that I badly needed a nap before I set off again and indeed after a 20 minute shuteye, I felt rejuvenated.

Ashley met me in the lobby of my hotel and we walked together past the village that is known as Fontinhas where my hotel is located to the spot. The location is lovely and and the old homestead in which it is set is just gorgeous. It is an old Portuguese home with wide verandahs and wrought-iron Juliet balconies that hold a series of cultural events all year round. 

The talk I would attend was on fortified houses (including castles) and traditional architecture in Portugal, Brazil and Goa—there were actually two talks given by two different Portuguese scholars who names I cannot remember but they were both interesting. I was amazed how well attended the event was and how many folks seemed to have come from far away to listen to the speakers. A very sweet person called Inez runs the place and she introduced the speakers before the lectures began. I found myself thrilled to recognize the castle of Pena in Sintra near Lisbon that I had visited a few years ago as well as the beach-fronted manors of Cascais—also near Lisbon. I was really very glad that Ashley suggested I attend this talk with him as so many of the professors from Portugal and Brazil who had attended our conference was also at the venue. The talk was preceded by tea, coffee, juice and biscuits which allowed many of the attendees to visit with each other. Ashley knew a number of the folks as he is very well connected through his life as a former Goa representative of the Times of India based in Panjim.

Dinner at Club Nationale:

After the talk, Ashley and I were supposed to meet my Fulbright colleague Huma, who decided to join us for dinner on my last night in Goa. Again, it was Ashley who suggested Club Nationale, one of the old Clubs dating from Portuguese times that has been recently refurbished. He said that the food was essentially Goan and that it was very good. And he was right.

This time round, the three of us—Ashley, Huma and myself—shared Goan Sausage Pullao, Chicken Cafrael, Beef Rouladine (also known as Beef Olives) and Sanaas—the slightly-sweetish rice cakes that go well with Goan curries. The food was predictably good. To finish off, we shared Sera Dura and Caramel Custard and they were both good. Huma decided to treat us to the meal and did not allow us to divide the cost—which was very generous of her indeed.

It did not take us long to part company as Huma dropped me off in a rickshaw to my hotel. I did not waste too much time before falling straight off to sleep.

Until tomorrow...