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03 October 2013

India - Goa (14)

We have been very lucky to visit Goa "out of season" as we have experienced lovely Indian dishes at Averina Beach Resort/Holiday Inn, Goa.
At the moment, there are only a handful of Westerners staying here - most of the guests are Indian which makes for a far more authentic experience food-wise. During the season from November, no Indians stay here - Brits, Russians, Europeans etc so the food changes to more Continental.
After breakfast, we headed down the road with our cameras to view the many fishing boats on the River Sal. There must be hundreds of these on this river, some bigger than others. We saw one coming back, listing to port quite badly. The Coast Guard Navy ship stopped them and climbed on board. We don't know why - for the fish catch check or for a safety check? They were on board for quite awhile but then let them carry on to moor further upriver. This road has a number of restaurants, such as Fisherman's Wharf. We also passed a very rustic type of lodging in huts - looks interesting but the standard of hygiene in the preparation of the food would worry me!
There were a few very modern and well-kept houses plus the "shack" type dwellings. Everybody seems to live happily together. Although the owner of Bryson's had warned us about the stray dogs, we did not encounter any problems. Skin and bone with ribs showing, they look extremely unhappy.

James also spotted a snake, with a mouse in it's mouth, thinking that I would scream and freak, he kept quiet! I saw it just as it was slithering into the
bushes. Long and black, I must try and find out if the snakes here are poisonous. Creepy!! Don't venture off the road!!
We were caught in a minor rain shower just as we headed back to the hotel. With high humidity today, the pool is calling as soon as I finish this blog.
Reading the local papers is always so interesting and here are some snippets from today's 3rd October 2013:
CCP impounds 226 stray cattle since June.
The City of Panaji states that there are nearly 2000 stray cattle in the state and since the implementation of the scheme 4 months ago, 226 cattle have been impounded. Impounding only takes place between 6 pm and 6 am so as not to cause further traffic disruption.
On our tour the other day, we passed a new athletic stadium which is being built for the 2014 Lusofonia Games.  Floodlights have just been installed.
Apparently, 2200 Goans have been deleted from the Voters Roll as they have acquired foreign passports.
I say get the Indian Police to South Africa - a truck driver who collects waste, found a red beacon on the dump. He thought this would be great for his truck so he attached it to the top of his cab. Nope - even though it was not working, it is NOT allowed so his vehicle was attached by the police. Only Cabinet Ministers and high ranking officials many use a beacon on their vehicles. Poor guy - such a minor offence.
Sand Ban destroying poor man's dream home:
There is a total ban on sand extraction and transportation in Goa currently thereof so building a small house is becoming a problem.
Influx of Nigerians into Siolim give locals reason to worry:
Nigerians are willing to pay higher rent and they are accused of bringing in drugs so locals are not happy. It seems that the entire drug Mafia is now in Siolim. Most are living in India on either expired or forged passports.
33% of slum population have no basic facilities:
Many slums remain unrecognised by the Indian Government. These people live in unhygienic conditions without proper sanitation or drinking water.
One in five persons is from the "scheduled caste"
India will be the most populace nation by 2050:
A new French study has revealed that India will overtake China as the world's most populous nation by 2050.
Current stats are as follows:
China = 1.3 billion people
India = 1.2 billion people
US = 316.2 million people
then Indonesia and Brazil.
Leaders are also very much against legalising prostitution and have closed down "massage parlours" in places.
"We don't want Goa to be a hub for criminals,racketeers, drug-peddlars and gamblers"
Well done, I say.
I love the Indian newspapers - they are informative, interesting and not all doom and gloom. A wonderful read.

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