Sweltering, steamy, sizzingly southern India--It was hot!
Sep 5th, 2015, 03:13 AM
#41
I'd instead recommend a boat ride as combined with a back water homestay, to get a more complete sense of the backwaters. It's nice to have the boat ride AND to sit out by your lodging, just relaxing and watching the world go by (fisherman, families, etc)--and most waterside homestays will be able to arrange the boat for you.>>
sounds idyllic. next September I have a big birthday and thanks to your input calinurse and this lovely trip report, julies, I am seriously considering suggesting to DH that we do something like this.
I realise that I will need to start my own planning thread, and I have no desire to hijack yours, but in general how far in advance would you suggest booking flights/hotels etc?
sounds idyllic. next September I have a big birthday and thanks to your input calinurse and this lovely trip report, julies, I am seriously considering suggesting to DH that we do something like this.
I realise that I will need to start my own planning thread, and I have no desire to hijack yours, but in general how far in advance would you suggest booking flights/hotels etc?
Sep 5th, 2015, 03:25 AM
#42
So enjoying this thread! We've no immediate plans to go to S. India, but plan on it within a few years, and there are so many great ideas here.
I'm with you annhig, the visit to backwaters/homestay sounds absolutely dreamy, and would make a very special birthday trip! Go for it!
I'm with you annhig, the visit to backwaters/homestay sounds absolutely dreamy, and would make a very special birthday trip! Go for it!
Sep 5th, 2015, 07:03 AM
#43
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,767
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you all for chiming in. All opinions are appreciated. While I am all for the home stay, unfortunately my husband prefers a more modern accommodation. I think my real question is whether there is enough to do in Cochin or close by for two days. We plan on spending two days touring the backwaters on different boats in two areas, with our emphasis on the smaller canals and villages, so I don't think we will lack in experiencing the backwaters. We are really not one to just sit back and lounge around...can easily do that at home by our beautiful pool or at close by beaches. For us, exploring markets, temples, and interacting with local people is more appealing. The ride from allepy to Cochin is only about an hour and we will have a driver at our disposal.
Sep 5th, 2015, 11:24 AM
#44
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
One of these days I will have a chance go get back to my trip report. To answer the questions:
We got into Cochin at perhaps 3;00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. So that gave us the rest of that day and all of the next day in Cochin. I think we could have used another day there.
As far as the backwaters I would make that a completely separate experience.
We too are typically not those who just sit around and do a lot of relaxing while taking a trip in a foreign country. But we did find in southern India that the climate really kind of forces people to take a break say between noon and 4:00.
dgunbug--Honestly having now taken three Indian trips (two in the north with drivers for a couple weeks each) and this latest one where we did not have a dedicated driver I really do not think you need a dedicated driver for this southern trip.
We got into Cochin at perhaps 3;00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. So that gave us the rest of that day and all of the next day in Cochin. I think we could have used another day there.
As far as the backwaters I would make that a completely separate experience.
We too are typically not those who just sit around and do a lot of relaxing while taking a trip in a foreign country. But we did find in southern India that the climate really kind of forces people to take a break say between noon and 4:00.
dgunbug--Honestly having now taken three Indian trips (two in the north with drivers for a couple weeks each) and this latest one where we did not have a dedicated driver I really do not think you need a dedicated driver for this southern trip.
Sep 5th, 2015, 01:52 PM
#45
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,767
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes - know we really don't need a dedicated driver this time, but my husband is having knee issues and preferred having the car at our disposal. On our last trip that was almost 4 weeks, we only had a driver for 8 days. There will be days that we hardly use the driver's services this time, but my husband figures the cost of renting a car, had he driven himself, would be just about the same. This is not to say that driving in India would ever be in the cards! I know it is so easy to get a driver along the way, but we will rest easy knowing our driver will be reliable and responsible. We once hired a driver between hue and hoi an, who could barely keep his eyes open. That was a scary situation. I imagine that we will sleep well at night after dealing with the heat which is so draining. At least this will help with the hard Indian mattresses which we have experienced in the past. Glad to hear that you can easily fill your time with two days in Cochin.
Sep 5th, 2015, 02:28 PM
#46
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Returning to my trip report and Goa....
Feb. 9
This homestay is set on a lovely river, and it was enjoyable to observe the mists over the river in the mornings. After breakfast today we decided to take the kayaks out to check out the winding river area. We had an enjoyable paddle of an hour or two observing the birds, people in the local fields, and the abundant flowers all around.
Our plan after lunch (a fabulous grilled whole fish) was to take in the market place in Mapusa. Once again we shared our taxi with a couple from France who were also staying at Olaulim Backyards. We’ve been to lots of markets in India, and, although there was variety, this one didn’t strike us as anything too special. After walking through the market, we stopped in another part of town to buy some cashews (a local specialty) at a recommended store in town.
When we were finished in Mapusa, our taxi drover took us to the beach at Mandrem so we could have a walk along the beach as the heat of the day dissipated towards sunset. We’d been directed here because this is supposed to be one of the nicest and least developed beaches in northern Goa. It was fine but, as far as we were concerned, nothing spectacular. And, we didn’t come to Goa for the beaches anyway.
Feb. 10
Our plan for the day was to go into Panjim to walk around the town and have lunch. We were enjoying the couple from France who were also staying at our homestay, and so we set off with them in the taxi once again. On the way into town we made a stop at Fort Aguada, the best preserved (not that this is saying a lot) of the Portuguese forts in the area. It is set in a lofty, lovely location overlooking the Mandovi River and made for an interesting stop to clamber around for a bit.
When we arrived in Panjim our taxi driver drove as close as he could into the Fontainhaus area and then dropped us off so we could take in the old part of town by walking through it. We wandered through the small back streets of the area stopping for photo ops and to admire the charming old houses. On our own we probably would have been a bit more adventurous and truly meandered, but we were with the French couple who seemed more intent on finding the restaurant for lunch than just wandering the back streets as we are wont to do when on our own. After checking out the prices at the restaurant that had been recommended to us, we instead searched around and found Viva Panjim which is in an atmospheric, high-ceilinged, old building and had much more moderate meal prices and fine food.
Panjim was nice for an afternoon, but we were happy that we’d made the decision to instead base at Olalulim Backyards because we don’t think we’d have had a lot to do in Panjim. Two nights in Panjim would have been more than adequate for us if we were only there to walk the old part of the city for a couple hours and to visit Old Goa.
Feb. 11
After breakfast Savvio took us for a super interesting walk around the neighborhood which is full of the colorful traditional houses one sees so frequently in the older parts of Goa. He was pointing out things of interest like original, thin shell windows in some of the old houses, local plants and flowers, and cashew trees with cashews ready to be picked. We stopped to chat with one Christian couple who own one of these traditional houses because we were intrigued by the huge piece of netting spread all across their front veranda. It turns out it is to keep the fruit bats away. The couple invited us in for a tour of their house, and it was a rare and serendipitous opportunity to see the interior of one of these high-ceiling, ancient Goan private homes. For us, this is the essence of independent travel rather than just going to all of the major tourist landmarks.
Later in the morning we were picked up for the two hour drive up to Wildernest Resort where we had booked two nights and planned to do some hiking in its quite remote location high up in the ghats of Goa near the Maharasthra border. This is one of those all-inclusive places that include room, board, and guided walks; we paid extra for their transportation services. (As I said, just having our lodging provide transportation for us worked out quite well on this trip, and most of our time we would not have needed or wanted to have a driver just sitting around waiting for us).
It was a pretty drive, with the area becoming less and less settled as we climbed up into the ghats. We’d paid a bit more and reserved a room with a balcony overlooking the beautiful valley, and when in our room we spent quite a bit of time just sitting out on our balcony (one that would never, ever pass any kind of safety inspection in the U.S.) admiring the view.
Upon our arrival at Wildernest we were welcomed and told what activities were available for us during our stay. As is typical in these places, strenuous activities are done early in the day or late in the morning because of the heat in the middle of the day. This is the typical all-inclusive package with buffet meals at set hours. After lunch we roamed the grounds a bit to see the layout of the place. Today they were offering free henna painting for guests, so I decided to get one hand and wrist done.
A couple hours before sunset we left with the group on a guided hike to some areas with great overlooks of the ghats and nice views of the setting sun. It was a nice way to wind down the day and wasn’t a particularly strenuous hike.
There was a fantastic program for guests following dinner. The troop of female dancers were performing types of dance I have never seen before, and I like dance so have seen a lot of varieties of dances. Not only were the barefoot dancers doing extremely difficult acrobatic moves and making human pyramids etc. during their dances, but they were doing these moves while balancing tall, elaborate headdresses that were lit with candles. And, some of the dancers performed a couple dances on top of mats with 4” or 5” iron spikes sticking straight up. I can’t imagine how they trained to be able to do this and how tough their feet must have been.
Feb. 9
This homestay is set on a lovely river, and it was enjoyable to observe the mists over the river in the mornings. After breakfast today we decided to take the kayaks out to check out the winding river area. We had an enjoyable paddle of an hour or two observing the birds, people in the local fields, and the abundant flowers all around.
Our plan after lunch (a fabulous grilled whole fish) was to take in the market place in Mapusa. Once again we shared our taxi with a couple from France who were also staying at Olaulim Backyards. We’ve been to lots of markets in India, and, although there was variety, this one didn’t strike us as anything too special. After walking through the market, we stopped in another part of town to buy some cashews (a local specialty) at a recommended store in town.
When we were finished in Mapusa, our taxi drover took us to the beach at Mandrem so we could have a walk along the beach as the heat of the day dissipated towards sunset. We’d been directed here because this is supposed to be one of the nicest and least developed beaches in northern Goa. It was fine but, as far as we were concerned, nothing spectacular. And, we didn’t come to Goa for the beaches anyway.
Feb. 10
Our plan for the day was to go into Panjim to walk around the town and have lunch. We were enjoying the couple from France who were also staying at our homestay, and so we set off with them in the taxi once again. On the way into town we made a stop at Fort Aguada, the best preserved (not that this is saying a lot) of the Portuguese forts in the area. It is set in a lofty, lovely location overlooking the Mandovi River and made for an interesting stop to clamber around for a bit.
When we arrived in Panjim our taxi driver drove as close as he could into the Fontainhaus area and then dropped us off so we could take in the old part of town by walking through it. We wandered through the small back streets of the area stopping for photo ops and to admire the charming old houses. On our own we probably would have been a bit more adventurous and truly meandered, but we were with the French couple who seemed more intent on finding the restaurant for lunch than just wandering the back streets as we are wont to do when on our own. After checking out the prices at the restaurant that had been recommended to us, we instead searched around and found Viva Panjim which is in an atmospheric, high-ceilinged, old building and had much more moderate meal prices and fine food.
Panjim was nice for an afternoon, but we were happy that we’d made the decision to instead base at Olalulim Backyards because we don’t think we’d have had a lot to do in Panjim. Two nights in Panjim would have been more than adequate for us if we were only there to walk the old part of the city for a couple hours and to visit Old Goa.
Feb. 11
After breakfast Savvio took us for a super interesting walk around the neighborhood which is full of the colorful traditional houses one sees so frequently in the older parts of Goa. He was pointing out things of interest like original, thin shell windows in some of the old houses, local plants and flowers, and cashew trees with cashews ready to be picked. We stopped to chat with one Christian couple who own one of these traditional houses because we were intrigued by the huge piece of netting spread all across their front veranda. It turns out it is to keep the fruit bats away. The couple invited us in for a tour of their house, and it was a rare and serendipitous opportunity to see the interior of one of these high-ceiling, ancient Goan private homes. For us, this is the essence of independent travel rather than just going to all of the major tourist landmarks.
Later in the morning we were picked up for the two hour drive up to Wildernest Resort where we had booked two nights and planned to do some hiking in its quite remote location high up in the ghats of Goa near the Maharasthra border. This is one of those all-inclusive places that include room, board, and guided walks; we paid extra for their transportation services. (As I said, just having our lodging provide transportation for us worked out quite well on this trip, and most of our time we would not have needed or wanted to have a driver just sitting around waiting for us).
It was a pretty drive, with the area becoming less and less settled as we climbed up into the ghats. We’d paid a bit more and reserved a room with a balcony overlooking the beautiful valley, and when in our room we spent quite a bit of time just sitting out on our balcony (one that would never, ever pass any kind of safety inspection in the U.S.) admiring the view.
Upon our arrival at Wildernest we were welcomed and told what activities were available for us during our stay. As is typical in these places, strenuous activities are done early in the day or late in the morning because of the heat in the middle of the day. This is the typical all-inclusive package with buffet meals at set hours. After lunch we roamed the grounds a bit to see the layout of the place. Today they were offering free henna painting for guests, so I decided to get one hand and wrist done.
A couple hours before sunset we left with the group on a guided hike to some areas with great overlooks of the ghats and nice views of the setting sun. It was a nice way to wind down the day and wasn’t a particularly strenuous hike.
There was a fantastic program for guests following dinner. The troop of female dancers were performing types of dance I have never seen before, and I like dance so have seen a lot of varieties of dances. Not only were the barefoot dancers doing extremely difficult acrobatic moves and making human pyramids etc. during their dances, but they were doing these moves while balancing tall, elaborate headdresses that were lit with candles. And, some of the dancers performed a couple dances on top of mats with 4” or 5” iron spikes sticking straight up. I can’t imagine how they trained to be able to do this and how tough their feet must have been.
Sep 6th, 2015, 11:48 AM
#49
Found wildernest I think:
http://www.wildernest-goa.com
it looks lovely. would you mind giving an idea of the cost? I couldn't find it on the website.
Really enjoying your TR and a plan is forming!
http://www.wildernest-goa.com
it looks lovely. would you mind giving an idea of the cost? I couldn't find it on the website.
Really enjoying your TR and a plan is forming!
Sep 6th, 2015, 03:29 PM
#50
annhig,
I was curious about it, too and found it on Agoda.com:
http://www.agoda.com/wildernest-natu...th-goa-in.html
Prices look very reasonable, too!
I was curious about it, too and found it on Agoda.com:
http://www.agoda.com/wildernest-natu...th-goa-in.html
Prices look very reasonable, too!
Sep 7th, 2015, 06:21 AM
#51
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Feb. 12
After breakfast today we joined the guided hike (maybe 3 or 4 hours roundtrip) to a waterfall. The guide was excellent, pointing out different types of plants and small creatures that we were not familiar with. This was a fairly strenuous hike with the need to clamber over boulders in some places. We were glad to be wearing hiking boots. Some of the women were wearing flip- flops; I don’t know how they did it.
When we arrived at the waterfall, sticky with sweat, some in the group got in the pool of water by the waterfall and swam. There was also the option to have the guide row you out in a tiny boat into the small pool of water. We declined both options and just sat and admired the setting.
We were starting to get into the southern India routine of resting in the heat of the afternoons after lunch. So, we took our books and found a shady spot by the infinity pool overlooking the valley to read a while for the rest of the afternoon. We decided we’d had enough hiking for the day and passed on the late afternoon hike to a different viewpoint than the one we’d visited the previous evening. Instead we sat on our balcony to observe the setting sun.
I think there may have been some sort of program for guests after the buffet dinner, but we passed on that and returned to our room for some relaxation on the balcony before bed.
In our opinion, unless you are just coming to spend a day or two relaxing in an attractive place, two nights at Wilderness is sufficient because of the limited guided hiking options. As far as we could tell, there is only one morning walk (to a waterfall with a pool beneath it) and two evening walks.
I looked at the website someone had linked, and parts of it do seem deceiving to me. As far as nature-related activities, we were offered a hike each late afternoon and a morning hike. At one point we did run into another couple and their guide who were off on some sort of different late afternoon walk.
We paid 7500 rupees per night for the package for two people. Our round trip transportation from Olalulim Backyards to Wildernest and the from Wildernest to our next lodging in Arco Iris was 1200 rupees (about $20). This is why I've said we did just fine using our lodging places to arrange transportation for us. And, it was much cheaper than having a driver on retainer all the time.
I know many of us think that international tourists are the target audience of many of India's resorts and larger hotels, but on this trip we saw a recurring occurrence. As at all of the larger, fancier hotel or resort type properties we stayed at, the majority of guests here at Wildernest were domestic tourists. During our trip we definitely saw evidence of India's quick-growing middle and upper middle classes who can afford to spend money on nice vacations. We also observed that fluency in English is regarded as key to aspirations of affluence for Indian families. Throughout our trip we noticed that among these more upper class, wealthier Indians family conversations with even very young children were held in English rather than one of India's native languages. In the better schools children are learning Hindi, their local language, and English. Parents who are themselves fluent in English are first teaching Engloish at home, rather than waiting for their children to learn it in school.
After breakfast today we joined the guided hike (maybe 3 or 4 hours roundtrip) to a waterfall. The guide was excellent, pointing out different types of plants and small creatures that we were not familiar with. This was a fairly strenuous hike with the need to clamber over boulders in some places. We were glad to be wearing hiking boots. Some of the women were wearing flip- flops; I don’t know how they did it.
When we arrived at the waterfall, sticky with sweat, some in the group got in the pool of water by the waterfall and swam. There was also the option to have the guide row you out in a tiny boat into the small pool of water. We declined both options and just sat and admired the setting.
We were starting to get into the southern India routine of resting in the heat of the afternoons after lunch. So, we took our books and found a shady spot by the infinity pool overlooking the valley to read a while for the rest of the afternoon. We decided we’d had enough hiking for the day and passed on the late afternoon hike to a different viewpoint than the one we’d visited the previous evening. Instead we sat on our balcony to observe the setting sun.
I think there may have been some sort of program for guests after the buffet dinner, but we passed on that and returned to our room for some relaxation on the balcony before bed.
In our opinion, unless you are just coming to spend a day or two relaxing in an attractive place, two nights at Wilderness is sufficient because of the limited guided hiking options. As far as we could tell, there is only one morning walk (to a waterfall with a pool beneath it) and two evening walks.
I looked at the website someone had linked, and parts of it do seem deceiving to me. As far as nature-related activities, we were offered a hike each late afternoon and a morning hike. At one point we did run into another couple and their guide who were off on some sort of different late afternoon walk.
We paid 7500 rupees per night for the package for two people. Our round trip transportation from Olalulim Backyards to Wildernest and the from Wildernest to our next lodging in Arco Iris was 1200 rupees (about $20). This is why I've said we did just fine using our lodging places to arrange transportation for us. And, it was much cheaper than having a driver on retainer all the time.
I know many of us think that international tourists are the target audience of many of India's resorts and larger hotels, but on this trip we saw a recurring occurrence. As at all of the larger, fancier hotel or resort type properties we stayed at, the majority of guests here at Wildernest were domestic tourists. During our trip we definitely saw evidence of India's quick-growing middle and upper middle classes who can afford to spend money on nice vacations. We also observed that fluency in English is regarded as key to aspirations of affluence for Indian families. Throughout our trip we noticed that among these more upper class, wealthier Indians family conversations with even very young children were held in English rather than one of India's native languages. In the better schools children are learning Hindi, their local language, and English. Parents who are themselves fluent in English are first teaching Engloish at home, rather than waiting for their children to learn it in school.
Sep 8th, 2015, 09:49 AM
#52
interesting observations, julies. we also ran into quite a few local tourists in Sri Lanka and they too communicated in english a lot of the time.
thanks for the tips about Wildernest - and transport. Which hotel did you ask to organise the transport - the one you were leaving or the one you were going to?
and did you book direct or through a website like Agoda? [with whom I once had a bad experience so I am loath to use them]
thanks for the tips about Wildernest - and transport. Which hotel did you ask to organise the transport - the one you were leaving or the one you were going to?
and did you book direct or through a website like Agoda? [with whom I once had a bad experience so I am loath to use them]
Sep 8th, 2015, 09:57 AM
#53
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 4,571
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Fantastic trip report, Julie !! Thank you, thank you. Writing this must take a LOT of time!
Did I miss where you give the name of the Kerala backwaters Aleppey area homestay which you don't recommend? Or is in a coming installment? Planning a return future trip, I'm eager to know which of the many it was.
Interesting observation about Indian tourists in Indian resorts. Have noticed that, even more on most recent trip in Feb 2015 than previously (specifically, at Orange County Kabini and Taj Madikeri). It puts a different spin on that vague expression about "searching for the real India." The real India is many things, people, places, of course--including what you observed re domestic tourists.
A look at reviews on tripadvisor is also evidence of ever-growing numbers of in-country tourists, as well as some cultural differences in what's considered important. (Many of these review photos reviewer in one of the posted scenes
.)
Did I miss where you give the name of the Kerala backwaters Aleppey area homestay which you don't recommend? Or is in a coming installment? Planning a return future trip, I'm eager to know which of the many it was.
Interesting observation about Indian tourists in Indian resorts. Have noticed that, even more on most recent trip in Feb 2015 than previously (specifically, at Orange County Kabini and Taj Madikeri). It puts a different spin on that vague expression about "searching for the real India." The real India is many things, people, places, of course--including what you observed re domestic tourists.
A look at reviews on tripadvisor is also evidence of ever-growing numbers of in-country tourists, as well as some cultural differences in what's considered important. (Many of these review photos reviewer in one of the posted scenes
.)
Sep 8th, 2015, 01:16 PM
#54
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
annhig--
We booked directly with Wildernest. They had wanted a wire transfer for a deposit but backed away from that and just trusted us when I told them how much a wire transfer costs someone in the US. We also booked with them for their transportation package. This is the only place we used for round trip transportation, and we did it because they are so remote. All other places we just used a lodging to book transportation to the next location.
Calinurse--
Our backwaters homestay was at the home of the man who owns the bike trip company we went on. I think they only offer rooms to people on their bike trips, so no need for you to worry about booking the place. I'll be elaborating on this as I get to the bike portion of the trip. And, yes, this is time consuming, but I want to do it for myself so that in the future I'll have this to look back at and remember. I've already forgotten a lot of details of the trip, and I know that as time progresses I'll be forgetting even more.
We booked directly with Wildernest. They had wanted a wire transfer for a deposit but backed away from that and just trusted us when I told them how much a wire transfer costs someone in the US. We also booked with them for their transportation package. This is the only place we used for round trip transportation, and we did it because they are so remote. All other places we just used a lodging to book transportation to the next location.
Calinurse--
Our backwaters homestay was at the home of the man who owns the bike trip company we went on. I think they only offer rooms to people on their bike trips, so no need for you to worry about booking the place. I'll be elaborating on this as I get to the bike portion of the trip. And, yes, this is time consuming, but I want to do it for myself so that in the future I'll have this to look back at and remember. I've already forgotten a lot of details of the trip, and I know that as time progresses I'll be forgetting even more.
Sep 9th, 2015, 07:55 PM
#55
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Feb. 13 Arco Iris in Curtoim, Goa
Nothing is too far away in Goa, so after breakfast Wildernest's driver took us on the two hour drive south towards our B&B at Arco Iris in the small town of Curtorim. I'd chosen this location because we wanted an opportunity to visit some of Goa's historic houses, and this is in the heart of that area. Set on a large front lawn, Arco Iris is a very large historic home with beautiful encaustic tile floors. It has been carefully restored to serve as both a guesthouse and a family home for the owners and their two daughters. Knowing that Arco Iris is not right in a town with eating options, we’d arranged to have lunch there after arrival.
As at Olalulim Backyards, this owner was also very helpful in assisting us to arrange a driver and an itinerary. So, after lunch we set out in a taxi to first visit the 450 year old Braganza Mansion a few towns over. We were shown around the house by the very old lady who is a descendent of the original owners. The house was stuffed full of various kinds of artifacts and was interesting in a kind of eerie time warp manner.
After this we made a stop at Rachol Seminary. We arrived at the very end of daily visiting hours and thought we were out of luck. But, the driver went up and asked if we could visit, and soon we were having our own private guided tour of this 400 year old seminary that still actively educates students. We saw both the public spaces and some of the private spaces. This was a venue that we never would have thought of visiting on our own, so we were glad our hostess had suggested this.
Sunset was approaching as we made our way to Benalulim Beach where we intended to walk now that the heat of the day was over. Once again, we weren’t particularly impressed by the rather commercialized beach. But, we did find a great, casual seafood restaurant for dinner. It was a long day, and we were ready for bed by the time we got back to Arco Iris.
Feb. 14 Arco Iris
Before having breakfast we set out for a short walk to observe the Arco Iris’ environs. We didn’t have a lot of time but enjoyed our walk around this residential neighborhood of large, lovely houses. We’d booked the taxi driver for the entire day, and he arrived mid-morning. Our first stop was the local Fab India store. Even though I am not typically a shopper, I became kind of addicted to Fab India on this trip, and I think we visited four different branches in four different cities.
Shopping done, we set out for Loutolim where we walked around the small, local market for a few minutes before visiting the nearby Alvares House, a grand mansion turned into museum. The architecture was different from anything else we’ve seen in India and it made for an interesting hour or so. When making our plans with the owner of Arco Iris, I had a list of a few things from my guidebook that I wanted to see but relied on her advice for other suggestions and routings.
Most tourists in Goa visit a spice plantation, and this was suggested to us for the afternoon. I’d read about some of these touristy spice plantations and didn’t know if we really wanted to do this, but we were told we’d be visiting a different type of spice plantation way off the typical tourist track. And, it was. We drove for quite a long time before arriving at Tanshikar Spice Farm in Netravali. We pulled up to this large, seemingly almost deserted farm that had an open-air restaurant. We were a tad apprehensive, not knowing whether the food was safe, but were soon assured by some people who were staying in the vicinity and who’d eaten there that the food was good. So, we sat down at the picnic tables and bought lunch for us and our driver. We soon found out why it seemed so quiet; all of the workers were on their lunch break and were eating and relaxing a short way away.
When we were done with lunch the young man who owns the place came out to take us on our private tour (so much for my being worried this would be super touristy). This completely organic farm has been in the family for several hundred years, and the family still lives in the original house. It was a fascinating tour because the farm produces both tree spices and ground spices. He was a great guide and showed us things like how each vanilla plant has to be manually pollinated on the precise day that it is ripe for pollination.
The tour of the plantings and barns and bee hives over, the man took us into get a look at the family compound so we could see how the family lives and how some of the spices are dried and mixed there. In many ways living conditions were no different than they were many generations ago--the floor is still renewed annually with cow dung to keep it clean and waterproof. This visit spoiled us for all of the spice demonstrations we’d see when in Kerala (there were many, and every place was anxious to show off their spice plants).
It was getting to be late afternoon by the time we were done with the tour, and we had a longish drive to Agonda Beach. Just as we’d done the day before at Benalulim Beach, we took a sunset walk along the beach. Even though there were lot of restaurants and bars, this beach with its periodic large rock formations was more authentically Indian in that there was a large cow strolling the beach. When the sun was set, we set off for a dinner out with some Indian acquaintances we’d met at Wildernest.
It had been a long day by the time we returned, we were tired, and we had to pack up so we could catch our 7:00 am train from Madgaon station. From there we would be taking the first leg of our trip on the Konkan Express down to northern Kerala.
Nothing is too far away in Goa, so after breakfast Wildernest's driver took us on the two hour drive south towards our B&B at Arco Iris in the small town of Curtorim. I'd chosen this location because we wanted an opportunity to visit some of Goa's historic houses, and this is in the heart of that area. Set on a large front lawn, Arco Iris is a very large historic home with beautiful encaustic tile floors. It has been carefully restored to serve as both a guesthouse and a family home for the owners and their two daughters. Knowing that Arco Iris is not right in a town with eating options, we’d arranged to have lunch there after arrival.
As at Olalulim Backyards, this owner was also very helpful in assisting us to arrange a driver and an itinerary. So, after lunch we set out in a taxi to first visit the 450 year old Braganza Mansion a few towns over. We were shown around the house by the very old lady who is a descendent of the original owners. The house was stuffed full of various kinds of artifacts and was interesting in a kind of eerie time warp manner.
After this we made a stop at Rachol Seminary. We arrived at the very end of daily visiting hours and thought we were out of luck. But, the driver went up and asked if we could visit, and soon we were having our own private guided tour of this 400 year old seminary that still actively educates students. We saw both the public spaces and some of the private spaces. This was a venue that we never would have thought of visiting on our own, so we were glad our hostess had suggested this.
Sunset was approaching as we made our way to Benalulim Beach where we intended to walk now that the heat of the day was over. Once again, we weren’t particularly impressed by the rather commercialized beach. But, we did find a great, casual seafood restaurant for dinner. It was a long day, and we were ready for bed by the time we got back to Arco Iris.
Feb. 14 Arco Iris
Before having breakfast we set out for a short walk to observe the Arco Iris’ environs. We didn’t have a lot of time but enjoyed our walk around this residential neighborhood of large, lovely houses. We’d booked the taxi driver for the entire day, and he arrived mid-morning. Our first stop was the local Fab India store. Even though I am not typically a shopper, I became kind of addicted to Fab India on this trip, and I think we visited four different branches in four different cities.
Shopping done, we set out for Loutolim where we walked around the small, local market for a few minutes before visiting the nearby Alvares House, a grand mansion turned into museum. The architecture was different from anything else we’ve seen in India and it made for an interesting hour or so. When making our plans with the owner of Arco Iris, I had a list of a few things from my guidebook that I wanted to see but relied on her advice for other suggestions and routings.
Most tourists in Goa visit a spice plantation, and this was suggested to us for the afternoon. I’d read about some of these touristy spice plantations and didn’t know if we really wanted to do this, but we were told we’d be visiting a different type of spice plantation way off the typical tourist track. And, it was. We drove for quite a long time before arriving at Tanshikar Spice Farm in Netravali. We pulled up to this large, seemingly almost deserted farm that had an open-air restaurant. We were a tad apprehensive, not knowing whether the food was safe, but were soon assured by some people who were staying in the vicinity and who’d eaten there that the food was good. So, we sat down at the picnic tables and bought lunch for us and our driver. We soon found out why it seemed so quiet; all of the workers were on their lunch break and were eating and relaxing a short way away.
When we were done with lunch the young man who owns the place came out to take us on our private tour (so much for my being worried this would be super touristy). This completely organic farm has been in the family for several hundred years, and the family still lives in the original house. It was a fascinating tour because the farm produces both tree spices and ground spices. He was a great guide and showed us things like how each vanilla plant has to be manually pollinated on the precise day that it is ripe for pollination.
The tour of the plantings and barns and bee hives over, the man took us into get a look at the family compound so we could see how the family lives and how some of the spices are dried and mixed there. In many ways living conditions were no different than they were many generations ago--the floor is still renewed annually with cow dung to keep it clean and waterproof. This visit spoiled us for all of the spice demonstrations we’d see when in Kerala (there were many, and every place was anxious to show off their spice plants).
It was getting to be late afternoon by the time we were done with the tour, and we had a longish drive to Agonda Beach. Just as we’d done the day before at Benalulim Beach, we took a sunset walk along the beach. Even though there were lot of restaurants and bars, this beach with its periodic large rock formations was more authentically Indian in that there was a large cow strolling the beach. When the sun was set, we set off for a dinner out with some Indian acquaintances we’d met at Wildernest.
It had been a long day by the time we returned, we were tired, and we had to pack up so we could catch our 7:00 am train from Madgaon station. From there we would be taking the first leg of our trip on the Konkan Express down to northern Kerala.
Sep 10th, 2015, 03:05 AM
#57
julies-- thank you for such wonderful, detailed reports! Your choices are fascinating and I want to follow in your footsteps!
When I do return to India, I will be studying your trip reports carefully for great ideas. You really do turn your trips into wonderful adventures!
When I do return to India, I will be studying your trip reports carefully for great ideas. You really do turn your trips into wonderful adventures!
Sep 10th, 2015, 08:12 PM
#60
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Glad I am helping people out. As you can probably tell by now, we like to have variety in our trips and usually don't do the standard itineraries or options.
When I get some time, I'll get back to writing some more.
When I get some time, I'll get back to writing some more.
