Goa with me to see crocodiles!

It was time to break up our tours in India with a  little off road excitement.  This excursion provided just that with a three hour boat ride on the Zuari river and Cumbarjua man-made canal.  

We berthed in Mormugao Harbor near the city of Vasco da Gama.  As in Kochi, the Portuguese established a trading center in 1510, but here, they ruled for 450 years until the state of Goa was finally ceded to India in 1961.  We don't have a decent photo of the harbor, but I can tell you that it is where barges come to die.  We saw probably 50 or more in various "ship-yards", but I held no hope that the ships would ever be rehabilitated.  

We had a small group on this tour, so easily fit on this open air boat to start our search for the Mugger species of crocodiles.  The story is that they were introduced into this region in the 16th century by the Muslim Abil Shah of Bijapur as a barrier against enemy soldiers.  They are actually fresh-water crocs, but have adapted to the salt water of this river.


Our guide, Antonio, on the left and the boat pilot on the right were sharp-eyed spotters of these smiling reptiles as they lay along the shore well camouflaged by the mangrove roots.  

I lost track of how many we saw--somewhere around ten.  They are a challenge to photograph since they blend right into the mud of the riverbank.  When we got closer, they slid into the water so quickly, sometimes all I got in the photo was the splash.
This was the scene where we disembarked from our river boat.  With a little help from 3 or 4 sets of hands, we were able to scramble up the muddy bank and walk to where the bus met us. 
David took this picture of workers across the river loading dredged material into a truck
by carrying it in bbaskets on their heads.
We went to the Tropical Spice Plantation in Ponda.  This bridge over a marshy area was a pretty interesting walk--but with our practiced sea legs, we managed well enough.  
I got a kick out of these quackers who came to welcome us.
Our knowledgable guide took us on a short walk where we could see many spice and fruit trees and vines.  In the photo above, going clockwise from the upper left: the bark of this tree is cinnamon; vanilla beans grow on a vine like this; nutmeg fruits which are also the source of mace; the large citrus fruit called pomelo, the biggest tropical fruit--jack fruit, made up of hundreds of fleshly, edible flowers, it is usually about the size of a watermelon.

Going clockwise again: she's showing a cashew apple with the seed at the bottom.  The nut has a double shell containing an allergenic phenolic resin.  The fruit portion is double distilled to create an alcoholic drink called Feni.  The chili's in the upper right photo are called "bird's eye".  Next photo is of lemongrass.  The tough outer leaves are removed and the tender inner shoot is used.  Peppercorns, shown in the corner, grow on a vine.  In the past centuries of the spice trade, they were valued more highly than gold.  The flower is on a cardamom vine.  The pods are third in value by weight after vanilla and saffron.  Lastly, since I've never been to Hawaii, this is the first time I've seen a pineapple growing on its parent plant.  

                                                                                                        Probably the most striking contrast in "Incredible !ndia" (as their slogan says) is the beauty of the fabrics used in the traditional women's clothing next to the garbage strewn streets.  

                                                                                When we get back to our "home away from home", we always breathe a sigh of relief to get out of the heat and humidity.

Comments

  1. I loved the pictures and information about the spices!!

    I hope you got to eat a pomelo. It is so delicious!

    Am I the only one commenting here?

    ReplyDelete

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