It has been a busy week but we got a lot done and are settling into more of a routine!
We went to a neighboring town of Panjam for a day to do many errands. We went to the market which was an adventure - I didn't know what half the veggies and fruits were. I will post some pictures soon of the neatly stacked piles - especially the garlic, a thousand little heads all stacked up!!!! The fish market was not as pleasant with the the flies all over everything. The fish were normal except for the little shark. We bought two pounds of large prawn for $8. They are in the freezer awaiting a feast. We also went to the movies to see "Ice Age III" and I had popcorn! It was a large complex and I felt like I was in Syracuse! We finally got Nicole a new pair of glasses - she has had a clump of red clay stuck on for a nose piece for 6 months! We went for a fish plate lunch and I had large prawns ( they don't know shrimp ). They are great and cheap! Nicole eats the heads but I refuse!!!!! She had a case of the trots and we had to pull over a few times on the way home - I have been fine so I think she is rethinking the head sucking!!!!
We had her neighbor Jane and her two teenage kids over for dinner - they wanted pasta so Nicole made red pepper, mushroom cream sauce over penne. We had fresh broccoli on the side with garlic bread. She bought a chocolate nut torte at the bakery and we had vanilla ice cream - very American dinner! The teens would not touch the broccoli, as typical. They all speak great English as they are Catholic Indians and go to Catholic school. ( Goa was a Portuguese settlement up to 1940 I believe. There are crosses, chapels and churches everywhere. The native language even sounds very Spanish. You can hear the influence in the music also.)
Jane told us of an old abandon quarry right up the hill by her house.. she also told us a woman had died from a cobra strike two miles down the road that day! Nicole and I decided to explore the quarry the next day - I think she secretly wanted to spot a python!!!! We did see a few very small snakes and lizards but nothing scary.
It really is a beautiful spot at the top of the valley looking down at the rice paddies. The top was flat and barren and a few water buffalo were grazing and giving us strange looks - they really look prehistoric! The pits are huge and you can see all the marks where they quarried the rock with hand tools. All would have been great but Nicole saw a little trail and decided to go home a different way. We were totally lost in the jungle - we found mountain streams and glens, I was sliding down on my butt at one point, and eventually returned back to the top and retraced our steps. There were monkeys in the trees but kept their distance. We saw big nests that turned out to be a solid moving mass of wasps!!!!
BUT.......the best was, we saw the largest peacock I have ever seen in a tree. It was so large the tail almost hit the ground. By the time I got the camera out, it had jumped down into the valley and we couldn't see it. It was a spectacle!!!!...but no photo! I will have to go back and hope it is it's favorite perch. So we survived with no cobras!
We went out for a quiet dinner at the beach hot spots. They had a group of local boy in a band trying to be American. "One oklick, two blay blay, three oklick, rock! Let us rock around the klick tonight!" They were pretty raw....but then Elvis and his friends showed up. The crowd was many American Indians on holiday, British and we meet another Scotsman! When the band stopped playing they asked if Elvis would play and there was a large jam session of all the good local players! It was crazy. They played for an hour or so then everyone just sat around chatting - when we finally left, the whole place was closed up! They just left us there and went home - it was 4 in the morning! We slept till eleven and now have to get ready to go out tonight because Elvis plays for real tonight! Nicole needs to get a job so I can sleep more!
I think you can just click on comments to contact me rather than email! Try it!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday Trek
Nicole and I went to the beach north of Goa. There was a phenomenal rock formation the locals call "the Elders." I want to go back many times in different light! We climbed the hills above looking for sweet lake but our directions were messed up!
The sweet part was we had dinner on the beach with the warm winds from Africa fanning our banquet. Look for the pictures - it is difficult to tell we are outside - Angus joined us! Angus - he is Scottish and he is definitely not ccrraaaaappppp! He is a former choir boy singer, then violinist who sold his instrument when he was 18 for hashish! He is an inventor, musician of synthesized music from world sounds, an the owner of the blue painted house which will be a retreat resort. Cool dude! He has much knowledge of the local spots and important information like where to buy something that tastes like cheddar cheese and who has Nutella!
Sat. night - we did go see Elvis again! He was good but then a drummer came into jam and it got wild!!!!! We left as soon as they stopped playing and went for BBQ. I had a big fillet cooked on the coals right next to me with a simple BBQ sauce - it was delicious!!! Yum - beef! $5.00!!!!!
The sweet part was we had dinner on the beach with the warm winds from Africa fanning our banquet. Look for the pictures - it is difficult to tell we are outside - Angus joined us! Angus - he is Scottish and he is definitely not ccrraaaaappppp! He is a former choir boy singer, then violinist who sold his instrument when he was 18 for hashish! He is an inventor, musician of synthesized music from world sounds, an the owner of the blue painted house which will be a retreat resort. Cool dude! He has much knowledge of the local spots and important information like where to buy something that tastes like cheddar cheese and who has Nutella!
Sat. night - we did go see Elvis again! He was good but then a drummer came into jam and it got wild!!!!! We left as soon as they stopped playing and went for BBQ. I had a big fillet cooked on the coals right next to me with a simple BBQ sauce - it was delicious!!! Yum - beef! $5.00!!!!!
Quick Note From Nicole
Namaste! Just a quick note to confirm that Mom is doing fantastic! She hasn't been sick, although we've kept her on mineral water (in refillable bottles, so less waste!). She hasn't seen any big spiders yet, so no panic attacks, but she hasn't been shy about walking through the jungle. I've been feeding her well with fish and fresh local vegetables, some local bbq, and feni (fermented cashew fruit juice!). My kittens and the dog absolutely love her.
Only thing is that she sleeps a lot. I've never seen her sleep so much, she is notorious for never napping! Here - she's a total slug! But monsoon does that to you... it's lovely to sleep in the rain... guess she needs to make up for all those sleepless nights...
Only thing is that she sleeps a lot. I've never seen her sleep so much, she is notorious for never napping! Here - she's a total slug! But monsoon does that to you... it's lovely to sleep in the rain... guess she needs to make up for all those sleepless nights...
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Fabulous sunshiny Friday!
It was total sunshine this morning! I dragged Nicole's white butt out of bed and made her take me to the shrine down the road from us! It is the highest point in the river valley and you can see the ocean. Stone stairs lead us to the top where the view was great and ocean breeze was refreshing.It was interesting looking down at our neighborhood and all the rice paddies! We saw a few temple roofs we had never seen so penciled them in for another day.
Our next stop was a Catholic church also on our road. The big find was a cemetery in the back! There we discovered Valencia - she was laying there drying out - her front tooth missing! I believe, as in Italy, you only get your plot for ten years or until the next family member dies. So Valencia was dug up to dry. Isn't she pretty!
We stopped back at the house to make breakfast and feed the kittens. Nicole has been feeding me very well. Breakfast is usually eggs or a grain cereal like oatmeal only spicey with onions, tomatoes and curry leaves! We found a loaf of sourdough in the market and are enjoying that as toast!
We headed out for the old Portugese fort that stands on a high hill at the mouth of the river? It is basically just walls but the views were great and hope you can get the effect in the pictures. We headed south to one of Nicole's favorite beaches. There were many people partying and enjoying the first sunshine in a couple weeks. We had a few beers and hummus on the beach and watched a few German men try to master the art of surf fishing ( Kyle could have schooled them). We got a little sun burned but it is okay because now my mosquito bites don't seem so red and swollen! They say the first ones are the worst then the body stops fighting! I am taking malaria medicine but "they say" the mosquitoes in this clean area are harmless because they have never bitten diseased people!
It was a long day - we came home and Nicole made a delicious beet, cucumber and pomegranite salad. We tried to watch " Who wants to be the next Joseph?" ( and the techicolor dreamcoat). It is British - is it showing there? Not impressed but Andrew LW is on the panel. We were both soon sleeping! I'm not sure who turned the TV off - maybe the cats!
Today Saturday is again sunny. We are getting laundry done along with housework. We must bathe and get ready for our night out on the town. We are going to listen to Elvis again and Nicole has told many friends to come so it will be great fun again! Cheers!
Our next stop was a Catholic church also on our road. The big find was a cemetery in the back! There we discovered Valencia - she was laying there drying out - her front tooth missing! I believe, as in Italy, you only get your plot for ten years or until the next family member dies. So Valencia was dug up to dry. Isn't she pretty!
We stopped back at the house to make breakfast and feed the kittens. Nicole has been feeding me very well. Breakfast is usually eggs or a grain cereal like oatmeal only spicey with onions, tomatoes and curry leaves! We found a loaf of sourdough in the market and are enjoying that as toast!
We headed out for the old Portugese fort that stands on a high hill at the mouth of the river? It is basically just walls but the views were great and hope you can get the effect in the pictures. We headed south to one of Nicole's favorite beaches. There were many people partying and enjoying the first sunshine in a couple weeks. We had a few beers and hummus on the beach and watched a few German men try to master the art of surf fishing ( Kyle could have schooled them). We got a little sun burned but it is okay because now my mosquito bites don't seem so red and swollen! They say the first ones are the worst then the body stops fighting! I am taking malaria medicine but "they say" the mosquitoes in this clean area are harmless because they have never bitten diseased people!
It was a long day - we came home and Nicole made a delicious beet, cucumber and pomegranite salad. We tried to watch " Who wants to be the next Joseph?" ( and the techicolor dreamcoat). It is British - is it showing there? Not impressed but Andrew LW is on the panel. We were both soon sleeping! I'm not sure who turned the TV off - maybe the cats!
Today Saturday is again sunny. We are getting laundry done along with housework. We must bathe and get ready for our night out on the town. We are going to listen to Elvis again and Nicole has told many friends to come so it will be great fun again! Cheers!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Midweek adventures
USE THE LINK ON THE RIGHT TO SEE PHOTOS - if some don't show we will work on them and get them smaller to load better!
Wednesday we packed up the two small kittens and headed to Panjam. The have a vet clinic there and they saw the sick kitten. They could not draw blood because the kitten is so small it would greatly weaken him. She considered he was epileptic but also anemic. We had managed to get a urine sample because Nicole has a litter box but no litter! So we are waiting for test to come back and trying to make the kittens eat their food with "geritol" in it! THEY KNEW! I had to add cookies and feed them by hand!
The town was very pretty - very Portugese and similar to Spanish. The big cathedral looks very similar to the Spanish steps in Italy. It was an adventure but was pouring the entire time. We went to a bakery, the Bombay store, and had a great mutton stew with onion bread!
Nicole and I decided to take a nap. We were exhausted - Elvis came over for drinks and gave us a personal concert the night before - we laid down at 5:30 pm and woke up at 7:30am this morning. I can't believe the brats let us sleep!
Today I worked on farming. I took some bamboo poles, grown on the property, and made some channels to redirect the water to the ditch in front of the house. I am very proud of my water management skills and go back out after every downpour to make sure no loose depris is clogging my flow pattern! (I saw my first kingfisher today - it is like the parrot of India - A big shock of teal on its wings and a yellow orange belly - it sits on the wires and dives down for fish in the irrigatiion ditches!)
Nicole wants to run errand and take me to a fish stand for lunch! Bye for now!
Wednesday we packed up the two small kittens and headed to Panjam. The have a vet clinic there and they saw the sick kitten. They could not draw blood because the kitten is so small it would greatly weaken him. She considered he was epileptic but also anemic. We had managed to get a urine sample because Nicole has a litter box but no litter! So we are waiting for test to come back and trying to make the kittens eat their food with "geritol" in it! THEY KNEW! I had to add cookies and feed them by hand!
The town was very pretty - very Portugese and similar to Spanish. The big cathedral looks very similar to the Spanish steps in Italy. It was an adventure but was pouring the entire time. We went to a bakery, the Bombay store, and had a great mutton stew with onion bread!
Nicole and I decided to take a nap. We were exhausted - Elvis came over for drinks and gave us a personal concert the night before - we laid down at 5:30 pm and woke up at 7:30am this morning. I can't believe the brats let us sleep!
Today I worked on farming. I took some bamboo poles, grown on the property, and made some channels to redirect the water to the ditch in front of the house. I am very proud of my water management skills and go back out after every downpour to make sure no loose depris is clogging my flow pattern! (I saw my first kingfisher today - it is like the parrot of India - A big shock of teal on its wings and a yellow orange belly - it sits on the wires and dives down for fish in the irrigatiion ditches!)
Nicole wants to run errand and take me to a fish stand for lunch! Bye for now!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday
It was suppose to be a quiet day. We went to Jane's for chai! When we arrived home, Nicole's rescued kitten was in a bad way. It was in a reverse fetal position, it had lost all fluids including sinus and was cold as ice. It was dead! I dug the whole and dropped a shovel full on it but Nicole
made me wrap it up and hold it as she sped to the International Animal Shelter. No one was there so she sped to a next town to get a drip to replenish the fluids. She parked on a side street in front of an open bar. There were many drunk men staggering around and some women with too much makeup on! She leaves me there for 15 minutes that seemed like two hours. I was thinking if she never comes back should I just drive away but it is a standard shift and we were on a hill so I waited for her. We sped back to her house while avoiding every cow and dog in the county along with drunk men on their scooters trying to remember where they lived. The cat is comatose! It has no color, is stiff and cold but laying on a hot water bottle! I consider it dead but am along for the ride!
We are up and down with it all night - got no sleep - but the little bugger pulls through. At one point I thought it was blind but he appears fine now. She thinks it was renal failure. This has happened before but he is going to a real Dr. tomorrow so we may find out more after a few tests!
We had to sleep in late so treated ourselves to a trek up the waterfall just up the road. Photos will be coming. It was beautiful, cooling and relaxing. We walked a little further and got caught in a downpour but had an umbrella this time. It is warm so really is not a problem!
There are some great smells coming from the kitchen! The fishman passed again today so I know that is a main ingredient. She made me scrambled eggs for brunch with tomatoes and onions! Yum! She is taking good care of me - my stomach has been very calm so far!
made me wrap it up and hold it as she sped to the International Animal Shelter. No one was there so she sped to a next town to get a drip to replenish the fluids. She parked on a side street in front of an open bar. There were many drunk men staggering around and some women with too much makeup on! She leaves me there for 15 minutes that seemed like two hours. I was thinking if she never comes back should I just drive away but it is a standard shift and we were on a hill so I waited for her. We sped back to her house while avoiding every cow and dog in the county along with drunk men on their scooters trying to remember where they lived. The cat is comatose! It has no color, is stiff and cold but laying on a hot water bottle! I consider it dead but am along for the ride!
We are up and down with it all night - got no sleep - but the little bugger pulls through. At one point I thought it was blind but he appears fine now. She thinks it was renal failure. This has happened before but he is going to a real Dr. tomorrow so we may find out more after a few tests!
We had to sleep in late so treated ourselves to a trek up the waterfall just up the road. Photos will be coming. It was beautiful, cooling and relaxing. We walked a little further and got caught in a downpour but had an umbrella this time. It is warm so really is not a problem!
There are some great smells coming from the kitchen! The fishman passed again today so I know that is a main ingredient. She made me scrambled eggs for brunch with tomatoes and onions! Yum! She is taking good care of me - my stomach has been very calm so far!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The first weekend!
There was a stoppage in the rain - occasionally! It cleared Saturday morning and we took off to see the rice paddies across the road and the little temple down the way. We barely made it to the temple ( which turned out to be a shrine) and were caught in a downpour! You could hear the Indians thinking that the Americans don't know enough to carry an umbrella! It soon passed and we were off to see the water buffalo plowing the fields, we explored an old estate that was in ruins and were careful to watch the ground as not to step on a snake! There were some monkeys jumping in the trees but a man in the nearby house was doing everything he could to make noise and drive them away. That usually means banging on pots and pans but can also include a cap gun and firecrackers! I finally got some good pictures. So far, Nicole has only let me take photos of her three kittens.
We bathed ( in a bucket ) and headed out for a big evening on the town. We went to TAKE 5
jazz club!!!! I was not really expecting too much but it was a superior musical experience.
Elvis was in the house. He is a Goan boy who plays a Bruce Springstein guitar he bought in Chicago. He was utterly amazing. He could tune his guitar electronically - I had never seen that - a built in gadget! He played with another accoustical dude that did all the singing. They were playing "Three dead in Ohio" when we came in - then rifted into solos. They occassionally slurred over words they didn't know but were great! Their blues numbers were a highlight.
Nicole, of course knew everyone and the owner, Virage, sat us down at his table and started ordering food and drinks that continued all evening! We started with chicken and beef spicy dishes and by the end of the evening were eating shrimp and calamari. He insisted we try his seafood soup of the day then a brownie with chocolate sauce arrived with vanilla ice cream. I starting drinking coconut rum with fresh pineapple juice but was accused of liking girly drinks and joined Nicole in choking down whiskey and water!!!!! We were not charge a penny - he was mad when Nicole left a tip for the waiter! Having Nicole in the window is good for business is his theory!
Elvis was thrilled we gave him a couple standing ovations - he knows he could be a superstar but just wants to hangout and play in Goa. We are already planning on going back next weekend so I will get a picture! He is a cutie! The Goa beach area is definately like a hippie hangout!
Sunday we went on a nice ride and saw where the river by her house enters the ocean. The surf was rough and pounding. We went to dinner (a delicious vege and rice meal)at Angus' house which is a resort in progress. It is an artists retreat and meditation camp! Look forward to the pictures - three story house with wrap around staircase. The walls are blue with green follage airbrushed up the walls and dolphins higher up! Inside there are garden scenes with many
bubbles and butterflies - total fantasy images. He has a swinging bed hanging from the ceiling and has ordered sliding wood panels (like japanese paper sliding doors) but wants to put stained glass in. He picked my brain for ideas and if we can find the materials - especially the glass - Nicole and I might start work on a simple flowing design to carry across the wall of doors! Cool! We could start and Nicole could wrap it up over the winter! It mainly depends on if they can get colored glass other than a few basic primaries.
Monday is a day of rest!....bland food and a nap!
We bathed ( in a bucket ) and headed out for a big evening on the town. We went to TAKE 5
jazz club!!!! I was not really expecting too much but it was a superior musical experience.
Elvis was in the house. He is a Goan boy who plays a Bruce Springstein guitar he bought in Chicago. He was utterly amazing. He could tune his guitar electronically - I had never seen that - a built in gadget! He played with another accoustical dude that did all the singing. They were playing "Three dead in Ohio" when we came in - then rifted into solos. They occassionally slurred over words they didn't know but were great! Their blues numbers were a highlight.
Nicole, of course knew everyone and the owner, Virage, sat us down at his table and started ordering food and drinks that continued all evening! We started with chicken and beef spicy dishes and by the end of the evening were eating shrimp and calamari. He insisted we try his seafood soup of the day then a brownie with chocolate sauce arrived with vanilla ice cream. I starting drinking coconut rum with fresh pineapple juice but was accused of liking girly drinks and joined Nicole in choking down whiskey and water!!!!! We were not charge a penny - he was mad when Nicole left a tip for the waiter! Having Nicole in the window is good for business is his theory!
Elvis was thrilled we gave him a couple standing ovations - he knows he could be a superstar but just wants to hangout and play in Goa. We are already planning on going back next weekend so I will get a picture! He is a cutie! The Goa beach area is definately like a hippie hangout!
Sunday we went on a nice ride and saw where the river by her house enters the ocean. The surf was rough and pounding. We went to dinner (a delicious vege and rice meal)at Angus' house which is a resort in progress. It is an artists retreat and meditation camp! Look forward to the pictures - three story house with wrap around staircase. The walls are blue with green follage airbrushed up the walls and dolphins higher up! Inside there are garden scenes with many
bubbles and butterflies - total fantasy images. He has a swinging bed hanging from the ceiling and has ordered sliding wood panels (like japanese paper sliding doors) but wants to put stained glass in. He picked my brain for ideas and if we can find the materials - especially the glass - Nicole and I might start work on a simple flowing design to carry across the wall of doors! Cool! We could start and Nicole could wrap it up over the winter! It mainly depends on if they can get colored glass other than a few basic primaries.
Monday is a day of rest!....bland food and a nap!
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