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.
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.
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.

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.
I loved the pictures and information about the spices!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you got to eat a pomelo. It is so delicious!
Am I the only one commenting here?