Food and Stay - South Goa Monsoon 2017

The thrill of the windy and cloudy weather in Goa during the monsoon season is accentuated by the unpredictability of the rains. While sometimes it may rain several times a day in short, sharp bursts, at other times it may rain buckets for hours. Walking the desolate beaches wrapped in the haze raised by the agitated sea is one of the nicest experiences ever. It's also a bit like living on the edge. Will it, or won't it pour?

Walking about 45 minutes braving the risk of rain is indeed a thrill. The walk from the Royal Orchid Beach Resort to Fishka Restaurant is partly on the beach up to the Majorda life guard structure, and then on narrow, winding lanes. Maybe one or two cars and three or four scooters may pass you in half hour, so light is the traffic density. Guest houses and restaurants along the way are mostly shuttered, except for the large Pentagon.  

It was a weekday, and Fishka presented a rare sight of all tables being unoccupied. It gets a little busier at about 1.30 p.m., and slightly so on weekends, when several local families show up. 

The weekday fish thali at Fishka is certainly worth sampling, with the large piece of 'rawa pan fried fish' topping the rice. Several varieties of curries surround the mound of rice, including the twangy and supposedly healthy 'kokum' based drink. The 'kokum' fruit is a speciality of Goa and South Maharashtra, and is one of the remedies for digestive ills mentioned in the traditional Ayurveda system of medicine. 

Yet another long walk, slightly longer, is the walk from Royal Orchid to Martin's Corner in Betalbatim, about an hour away. The initial part of the stroll cuts through the haze floating on the beach, all the way to Sunset Beach south of Majorda. 

The stroll inland is rather pleasant, you get a chance to admire the moss covering the walls by the streets. 

Martin's Corner during the weekend appears like it is the high season. The restaurant is full and the service is high class, as usual. A large painting by Goa's famed painter Mario Miranda, my school mate though senior by several decades, adorns one of the walls. Good opportunity to take a picture in tribute. 

The food is, as always, excellent. We order salad, calamari in Rachaedo masala, and then fish and vegetable curries made with Ambotik and Xacuti masalas. 

Well, that was a super meal, wasn't it? Martin's Corner is actually set in a large, old house, and the inside is worth taking a look at. 

The walk back was a feast of green until we hit Sunset beach, with the sun attempting to peep out from behind the clouds now and then. 

The all-weather restaurant nearest to Royal Orchid is the well known Zeebop, situated by the sea. The view is fantastic, the grey sea is not too far away. The restaurant is covered in thick sheets of plastic. The makeshift doorways are opened and closed several times every day in tune with the rains that are invariably intense. The direction of the rain tends to be angular, pushed relentlessly by the powerful South West monsoon winds.   

Evenings and weekends see a few more guests showing up, which is good for the business. Zeebop appears to be a popular venue for corporate gatherings of large groups reaching up to over 100 people. 

Waiting for the drinks and food to arrive is no problem at all, the ambience of this kind is not commonly found. 

The views at dusk are amazing as the sea gets shrouded in inky darkness punctuated with the lights of tankers and other cargo vessels berthed in the harbour in the distance. 

The menu is quite varied, worth researching. 

A small Bar and Restaurant is located right behind Zeebop, a sleepy local place that goes by the rather uncommon name of Xaxticar's. 

The other restaurant we go to quite regularly is Baltons, located about 100 metres south of Park Hyatt along the street. The decor is simple and impressive, and always well maintained, as it has been over the years that I have known Tony who runs the restaurant. Baltons is open 365days, and I don't think Tony goes on a vacation. 

Dinner choices include Cafreal, Xacuti and the coconut based Goan Masala curry dishes.

We stayed this Monsoon trip at the Royal Orchid Beach Resort in Utorda. Having travelled to Goa since the early 1980s and been brought up on a diet of guest houses and modest, family run hotels with the well-known warmth and Goan hospitality, the thought of staying in a 5-star resort does not particularly appeal to me. Our stay this vacation was the result of a family suggestion. More than a suggestion, it went like this "Here is the link, please reserve this resort!".

We were pleasantly surprised, indeed. The staff in all the departments were extremely courteous and made us feel at home, smiling all the time. The sprinkling of non-Goan staff had obviously learnt the art of hospitality from their Goan colleagues. The rooms were maintained very well indeed, which is a huge challenge given the extreme humidity.   

The resort itself is not that large, containing about 70 rooms, with a neat garden and a well cleaned swimming pool. 

Should you find yourself at a loss and wish to do something interesting, the management organizes 'Feed the Duck' events every morning and afternoon. 

A little bridge connects the property with the beach, a nice landmark should you get lost among the overgrown vegetation along the beach. 

We definitely had the privilege of being allotted one of the two best rooms on the property, Room 422, the other similar room being its mirror image across the garden. A large balcony provided adequate opportunities to admire the garden and peer at the beach about 100 metres away.   

There's a strange attribute of darkness, it somehow manages to amplifies the sound of the crashing waves. The roar seemed to get louder as the evening went by.   

The view from breakfast was quite pleasant, overlooking the pool and looking far away at the sea. The sun actually managed to shine weakly on a few occasions. 

Finally, Royal Orchid did NOT turn out to be an impersonal 5-star resort, much to the contrary, the feeling was closer to a typical Goan, family run hotel. 

A good time was had by all. The highlights were the long beach strolls on desolate beaches, risking the rain all the while. And the always interesting local masalas, of course. 

See you next time, in Goa or at another holiday destination. 

Related post: South Goa - Monsoon 2017

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Kenna wind, kenna rain - Goa Monsoon 2014

The drive from the airport and southern parts of Goa towards the north crosses the River Zuari. The bridge is like a familiar, reassuring welcome board that seems to say "Welcome to Goa". We know we have arrived! It's early August, and the early morning sun has managed to peep out. For how long, it is impossible to tell.

Looking over towards the west, the river seems to be all swollen up with the water from the late Monsoon rains. Clouds stretch all the way up to the sea on the horizon, and the water looks turbid and agitated. The rainfall pattern in 2014 has been strange. The pre-monsoon rains hit on time, around early June. However, the monsoon went quiet for over a month, picking up steam once again towards the end of July. 

In contrast, the year 2013 was that of incessant deluge between the end of May and the end of July. 

The fields are their usual brilliant green, they seem to be absolutely loving the sun's early morning rays. Not entirely clear and bright, but not too bad, either. 

Destination: Chalston Resort on Calangute Beach, the venue of the fifth edition of the reunion of the Goa Chapter of the Old Boys Association of St Joseph's Boys' High School, Bangalore. For some (like yours truly), the meetings and festivities are typically preceded by a few days of doing whatever one typically does in Goa, a lot of nothing, strolling around and sampling varied menus in the permanent shacks and restaurants. The monsoon driven sea presents a scary sight, as always.  

Gazing at a bunch of cows one evening, I wondered, "Where have they come from, where are they going?". The thought of following them crossed my mind, but then the option of lazing on the lounging chair on the lawns seemed a more comfortable option at that time. 

Souza Lobo is the most familiar restaurant in the vicinity of Chalston Resort, located about 300 metres south. A convenient lunch option, or even an early dinner option, since the after glow of the setting sun stays on for more than 30 minutes, enough for a quick walk back to Chalston. Tuna Salad remains one of our favourite options.

The sole Vegetarian in our family often prefers a hot, not-at-all-spicy Veg steak.

Seafood is yummy at Souza Lobo, both the Grilled and Curry versions. There is no dearth of curries on the menu, ranging from Ambotik to Caldin to Xacuti to Vindaloo to the 'Goan' curry, the latter being a middle-of-the-road offering in terms of spice levels.

Crowds do land up in the Baga-Calangute areas on Fridays and over weekends.

The famous 'Calangute steps' is the most popular converging point for locals and package tourists who arrive in 20-seater 'Tempo Travelers' and 40-seater buses. Their typical schedule consists of wading in the water in clothes ranging from 'Y-fronts' and 'banians' for the men, to 'sarees' and 'salwar-kameez' for the ladies. Large, multi-level 'tiffin-carriers' are opened out, filled with multi-course lunch. The remains are littered on the beach, along with whisky and beer bottles, which appear to be the most commonly consumed liquids.

The Government has put in place 'beach-cleaners' these days, to clean up the bottles, wrappers and food left behind. The litter is a result of the notoriously filthy 'what-me-worry-not-my-beach' attitude of hundreds of package tourists visiting beaches at the rate of one every two hours. The 'Calangute steps' area has been remodeled, resembling a couple of flyovers. The well located Goa Tourism Development Corp hotel visible in the background has also gone through a makeover over the past year.

The scene only a few hundred metres from the 'Calangute steps' presents a study in contrast, allowing one to ponder peacefully about life and the quickly passing seasons.

Well, in about three months from now, thousands of tourists would be back. Scores of beach shacks would spring up. Good for the economy. The nasty water-scooters and other mechanized boats would also be back, polluting the water and the air. Terrible for the environment. So, the off-season is a lovely time to stroll the beach in peace. Junior carries his Canon camera and lenses in a small, water-proof, camera backpack. The backpack survived a camping and hiking trip in Tanzania a few months ago, and was extremely good at keeping the Goan monsoon rains out, as well. We did get caught occasionally in a few short, sharp showers! 

Our typical stroll was about 1.4km. from Chalston Resort in Calangute to Emannul Shack in Baga, a 'permanent' shack run by my old friend Robert, located mid-way between Mambos and Titos. 

Emmanuel is a lovely place to settle down, both during the season or the off-season. The mornings and afternoons would flow gently by, punctuated by unpredictable, at times extremely heavy showers.

Robert's menu is quite vast, ranging from Goan to Continental to Indian dishes.

Yes, tuna salad, again!

The ubiquitous Coconut Feni, would simultaneously flow gently by, with lime squeezed for taste, keeping pace with lazy mornings and afternoons. Which reminds me, I missed asking for a few slices of green chilly. From past experiences, a dash of green chilly adds a pleasant 'twang' to the unique, sharp flavour. 

The most productive occupation would consist of gazing at the sea, clouds and the waves that would sometimes leap 20 feet up on the cliff.

Dry periods would signal time for the migrant labourers to emerge from the shack, accompanied by the faithful canine shack mascots.

Tourists stroll by every now and then. The relatively quiet beach seems to be a good occasion to audition for a Bollywood take. First, it's 'her' turn to get behind the camera. 

Next, roles are reversed. 

Then it is time to compare notes - images, I mean. Good enough? Looks like it. Let's go on. 

Moments of nothingness continue. The shack lad draws out a thoughtful doddle on the sand. Junior goes to the water's edge for a stroll. Right then, another picture gets clicked. Thumbs up, a visitor seems to be saying, I'm all set. 

The lazy afternoon wanders gently by. We glance occasionally towards the skies. I wonder what odds the bookies would have decided on. When is the sky going to open up? Will we have a few seconds to run to the dryness of the shack? 

An occasional large group wanders by. They stay for perhaps 30 seconds, look around, click a few pics, and return to the safety of the area where the mini-buses and big-buses are parked near the Tito's area.  

Meanwhile, the number of pieces of squeezed lime pieces in the Coconut Feni drink continues to rise. Next time, a few slices of green chilly should add to the thrill!

True to form, the skies open up about five or six times during the course of a typical afternoon. Each time we would return to the pavilion, with  bag and baggage, waiting for the rain to 'go away'. 

Some lunch, maybe? One afternoon was all Xacuti time. Fish Xacuti and Chicken Xacuti, with rice. The lunch was in two phases. Phase 1 was under the umbrella on the beach. The downpour started about 10 minutes into our meal. Fortunately the skies provided adequate warning by way of a few warning drops, and we had time to run in.

Phase 2 of our lunch was indoors. Sometimes the rain would stop in about 5 minutes or so, but it would be too cumbersome to go back.

The shack dog would also lie on the sand in the comfort of the dry shack, waiting for the downpour to subside.

The heavy plastic sheets would be pulled down by the shack staff with every deluge, and then pulled up after a few minutes as soon as the rain let up. This routine would be repeated with every downpour through the day. 

Finally, it was time to head back. Our destination was Chalston Resort, a walk of about 1.4 km according to the Nike app on the smart phone, glancing up at the skies every now and then.

The Old Boys' reunion provides the opportunity to say hello to familiar, long lost faces and to join in the festivities. It's not always easy to recognize class mates from several decades ago. Time has taken its toll!

The meeting hall is rather unique. It's the beach front restaurant at Chalston Resort, all fortified by thick plastic sheets, barely 15 metres from the sand.

Sunday is filled with music, song, dance, acrobatic shows (by a Tanzanian group) and lots and lots of mostly coastal food. It feels good to walk 1.4 km back to Robert's Emmanuel Shack with Junior and Nephew at the end of the event, getting a little wet in the rain, soaking in the monsoon atmosphere (literally!).

A quick look at the monsoon powered sea is all we have time for the next morning before leaving for the airport.

It has been several Goan monsoons in a row for me. I get reminded constantly of the 'pome' we had learnt in school: "And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees, When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas."  It's the 'cloudy seas' bit that has particularly made an impression on me. The boundaries between the ominous clouds and the angry sea get erased for a few months as the sea seems to roar in glee.

The latest brand campaign for Goa Tourism, unveiled in Sept 2014, plays on the word 'kenna', which means 'sometimes' in the Konkani language. The message alludes to Goa being a destination of contrasts. The monsoons play up to the 'kenna' tune: 'Kenna wind, kenna rain, kenna clouds, kenna sun'. However, always Fish, always Feni! 

Thanks for reading so far. Besides, I hope you enjoyed the little glimpses of eating 'kenna' under the umbrella, 'kenna' inside the beach shack as the rains played out their usual monsoon game.

See you next year, for another look at the 'cloudy seas'!


Oh, in case you are interested in taking a look at Goa and South Maharashtra during Jul-Aug 2013, please click here for several posts.

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