MY SHORT OCTOBER TRIP TO GOA

It’s been a year since dad passed away and as is customary I recently went to Goa to attend his first death anniversary mass and blessing of the grave, which was held on 12^th October 2013 in  Galgibaga our little virgin village on the south/west end of Goa.

Below are a few recollections with pictures of the 6 days I spent in Goa.

11^th Oct. 2013

Early morning touch down at Dabolim Airport by Jet Airways from Kuwait via Mumbai.  Although not practical due to the change of aircraft and airport, it was the only option I had as Air India direct flight to Goa was fully booked.  In any case choosing between both these airlines is like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea.  The weather was pleasant in Goa with the airport a little wet from overnight October showers, but as most tropical places, very humid.  Straight from the airport Mandy (my daughter) who joined me on the Jet flight from Mumbai and I attended the first death anniversary mass of Placido (Polas) Fernandes a wonderful person and our cousin from Navelim who like dad had also lived a long and fruitful life.   It was nice attending the service at 8:15am at the jam packed Our Lady of Rosary Church, and thereafter a visit to the really well kept cemetery to pay our respects. 

The well maintained Navelim cemetery 

I have some great and nostalgic  memories of Navelim  where  I did my early schooling at the Perpetual Succor Girls Convent as a young boarder  and would spend pleasant weekends at Uncle Polas’s  house with my cousin Luiza Maria who took good care of me.  The ties between our Navelim Cousins and us have gotten only stronger after my brother Marcel married Julia her sister’s daughter.

My sister Gina also flew in from Abu Dhabi for dad’s mass and that evening the first of our guests arrived.  Mum with the help of our cousins and neighbors had prepared a sumptuous meal which everyone enjoyed.  I had carried a bottle of  Cockburn Special Reserve port wine which the ladies shared while we men stuck to our good old scotch and soda.   If you ever want to buy a good bottle of port wine, try this brand, you will not regret your choice. It’s available at most duty free shops including Mumbai.

Cockburn and sumptuous dinner  

Our guests that evening included my uncle Francis Barretto (mum’s bro) who is like the God-father of our whole clan and gets VIP treatment especially from mum, Fr. Peter Gama a close family friend who has been to Galgabiga on many earlier occasions along with first time visitors the great Fr. Concessao who is currently the parish priest of Taligao church and a gentleman by the name of Celso who is a retired Gulfie but much into the service of the community and church.

Highlight of mum’s dinner were of course her sannas which were walloped with the sorpatel and aad-mass she had prepared of our own pig who was sacrificed to satisfy us.

Traditional Goan sannas with toddy prepared by mum

12^th Oct 2013

Everyone was up early as Dad’s mass was at 8:00am, and Marcel (my bro) and his wife Julia visited the cemetery early morning to ensure everything was in order.  It was nice that our village priest,  the calm and soothing Fr. Simon Fernandes had requested the villagers not to deck the graves with too many flowers and candles as they are basically wasted and environmentally unfriendly.   Just a single bouquet is what we ordered and it made sense.

Dad's grave

The mass was celebrated by Fr. Concessaio along with Fr. Peter Gama, Fr. Mariano Goes (our ex-village priest) and our very own Fr. Simon Fernandes.   The highlight of course was the beautiful choir led by my cousin August and his wife Cheryl Cardoz along with Sylvia Monteiro  and Erryl Alvares on the keyboard.  Really regret not video graphing the mass, if not for anything else but the Goosebumps the choir game me and the short but powerful and to the point  sermon of Fr. Concessao.  When I first met Fr. Concessao the previous evening, I had no idea of his public addressing skills although I have heard a lot about his powerful sermons and healing touch.  But, yes the man is really good and I am grateful to my uncle Francis for sharing him with us and our village.

Again mum arranged a feast for lunch, although part of the food was ordered through our cousin Romaldin from Loliem, who has successfully started her own catering service.  Her food is like home cooked and judging from the orders she has been receiving, the sky is the limit for her.  It’s so nice to see someone like Romaldin who is just a housewife, making a profitable enterprise of her culinary skills.

Romaldin catered the lunch

Our Navelim family, my Aunt Pauline and her husband, my cousin Sylvia and her husband Rui, my great brother in law Darryl Nunes, and Zinia’s family,  our cousins August & Cheryl, Assis, Remiz, our mother’s side Barretto family and our neighbors all attended the lunch and enjoyed the desserts prepared by my sister Gina.  It was also a pleasant surprise to see my friend Joe Boy, along with other Kuwaitkar friends including Gasper Almeida, Tony DÇosta, Michael Fernandes Duarte Ferrao and his dad,  who were visiting Galgibaga for the first time.   Die hard promoter of Galgabaga that I am, I proudly took them around showing our beautiful virgin village and the beach.  Were they impressed? … I believe they were.

Was nice to have my friend Rui with us

Our Navelim cousins

Lunch time

Family

My uncle Francis making sure everyone is taken care of

That same evening I attended the wedding of my friend the dashing Alwin Dçunha (bro of Goan soccer star Alvito DÇunha) from Sanvordem.  The wedding was at the Royal Paradise hall in Curtorim and was well attended by over 600 hundred guests.  Alwin married the daughter of famous Goan tiatrist Anthony San and I spend the evening trying to recognize the many well known Konkani stage artistes who attended the celebration.  My good friend Jose Rod who much to our despair has kept himself out of the limelight proposed the toast and also sang the traditional Saud.  It was a nice evening spend in the company of Duarte and his parents.  I only wish guests in Goa would arrive in time for weddings and not leave immediately after the buffet is served.

13^th Nov 2013

Today was a relaxing day in Galgibaga after all the hectic activities of  the previous day and I decided to take my sister Gina and Mandy to visit the Chapoli dam in Canacona.  The dam is situated in the hills close to the Chapoli tribal village and one of the most serene and beautiful spots in Goa.  Not many people know of this place (thank God) , as it gives you a sense of calm and belonging.  After a few photos, we decided to have dinner in Palolem at my favorite joint Baba Italy.  Baba Italy uses a wood oven and the piping hot 4 cheese pizza is something to die for along with their cheese garlic stuffed naans.

Simple villagers tending their cattle in the hills of Chapoli

Mandy & Gina at the beautiful Chapoli Dam  (Location: not to be disclosed)

Wood baked oven fresh - piping hot pizza at Baba Italy (Palolem)

14^th Nov 2013

Got up at 4:00am and left for the airport to drop Mandy who had to be at work in Mumbai at 9:00am.  With the convenience of air travel, one can be in Goa one day and the next in Mumbai, just like that.  Took Gina and Mum along with me as it was also the ‘Fama’ in Colva and having heard so much about it, we decided that we could not skip it, especially since we had special prayer request to Infant Jesus for the good health of my bro in law Ignatius Rebello who was not keeping too well in Mumbai.

The fama is an amazing experience with thousands of devotees in their feast best standing in long queues to venerate the image of Infant Jesus.  After standing approximately for one and half hour in the well organized and orderly queue and making our offerings, we proceeded to the fair to buy grams.  Was lucky to pick a kulne (clay pot) used for making traditional Goan curry from the fair which I carried to Kuwait with me.

Devotees venerating the statue of Infant Jesus at Colva Fama

After a nice breakfast at Longunihos one of the oldest Goan icon restaurant in the heart of Margao where you must try their sausage roll   and prawn patties, we drove to Rachol to visit an old friend.  Lunch was at Sharda Classic in Fatorda.  Sharda Classic is a wonderful place for traditional Goan fish curry rice and if you are ever in Margao you should try it.  It can get quite crowded during lunch hours but still worth the wait.  The exact location is close to Fatorda Stadium, just behind Chowgule Maruti Service Center.

Who can ever forget the Longuinhos symbol?

Since it was over a year since mum had been out of the house, I decided to take her and Gina to see a Konkani Drama at the Pai Hall in Margao.  Rosefern’s ‘Que Sera Sera’  was being staged at 3:30pm and we enjoyed it very much.  Roseferns , king of centuries as he is fondly know,  has kept the tradition of the Goan tiatr alive and kudos to him and the many others who entertain the Goans day in and day out.

15^th Nov 2013

While checking my Indian Driver’s license, I realized that it had expired in July 2013 and immediately visited the Government office in Canacona.   Renewal of your license is easy in Canacona, provided you take a local agent who will charge you anything between Rs.500 to Rs.750, you can get your renewed license by 3pm in the evening.  If you try on your own, you might take a little longer.  So I opted for the agent and he filled in my application and after a visit to the local doctor to confirm I am of sound health and vision my license was delivered to my house at 4:00pm by the agent.  Who says our Government is not efficient?

That same afternoon I drove to Panjim for my mandatory visit to my In-laws and we decided to do lunch at ‘Casa Bhonsle’ the new restaurant opened just above Café Bhonsle by the same owners.  Here’s my short review (score out of 5) for those who would like to visit this place in future:-

Location  - 3 out of 5  (Parking can be a real problem during lunch hours)

Ambience – 3 out of 5 (café atmosphere, with lots of noise)

Décor – 3  (not too bad)

Food – 3 out of 5  (Their speciality is the thali which costs Rs.150/- but I have eaten better)

Price – 2 out of 5 (pretty steep)

Casa Bhonsle thali Rs.150/-  (excluding VAT 12.5% & Govt S. Tax 4.94%)

Kingfish Masala fry Rs.350/- (excluding taxes)

Squids butter garlic Rs.250/- (excluding taxes)

chonak Rava Fry Rs.350/- (excluding taxes)

We were four of us for lunch, including my bro-in-law Darryl, his wife Cherry & my sister-in-law  Quintina .  We ordered 3 thalis and a plate of butter garlic squids, a plate of Chonak rawa fried, Kingfish masala fried,  1 fresh lime soda, a soft drink and one large old monk  and the bill was Rs.1790/-

What really shocked me as the VAT on the drinks.  Can you believe that a peg of old monk was actually more than the price of a full bottle?   And we paid a total of Rs.279.54 on taxes alone. The despair of Goans and the slowly building discomfort with the Parikar Government is quite evident when you see the type of taxes the Government of Goa has decided to impose on those who can afford it.  The below bill will give you a fair idea of how much we paid for alcohol, which I believe is daylight robbery.

Casa Bhonsle bill...check out the VAT 22% and VAT 20% & Govt Tax 4.94%

16^th Nov 2013

And the day finally arrived when I had to pack my bags and leave for Kuwait with a heavy heart.  Mum had prepared a Chibud bakri (Goan mash melon) and it came out wonderful.  Don’t know how she does it, but I feel even if we learned the recipe, which I noted down incidentally, we will never get the perfection in the bakri she prepared.

Chibud Bakri baked overnite on charcoal embers on top and bottom 

this is now - Salad, dessert, and decent containers

This is one year back - ugly shapeless disposable with one yogurt and chocolate bar

The flight by Jet Airways was uneventful although I must confess their in-flight dinner menu has improved considerably.  I can pat myself for that as last year I had sent a written complaint to them on the poor food quality, presentation and disposables used in their flight and had received a response that they would look into it. 

All in all a good trip!!!!

Julio Cardoso