Review: Baba's Wood Cafe, Panaji

I have been in Goa for good 8 months now but have hardly tried eating out and lot of it has to do with the fact that I am vegetarian and Goa is primarily known for its sea food. 

Last week I was happy to discover Baba's wood cafe, very close to Latin Quarters of Fountainhas. Located in a quaint lane, first thing you see is the designer furniture shop with aesthetically displayed furniture and art work from many local artist. Some parts of the walls have been painted to make it look like a small town. 

On the right is a kitchen with a blackboard displaying the special dishes of the day, giving a very European look to the place. At the end of the Kitchen is a traditional oven where Pizzas are baked on wood fire. 

Maria, the owner of this Cafe told me that they are the only authentic Italian cuisine in Panaji. I ordered a Pizza, and loved it. It had vegetables, just a hint of cheese and was thin crust baked right in front of me. I also tried lemon shorbet - it was a bit too sweet for me, but it could be because I am off sweets and tend to feel it more than others. Next time, I want to try their soups, salads and of course pastas and Gelato. 

I also realize this is a place very popular with locals specially for the Italian wines that they can taste here.

If you like Italian food, head to Baba's Wood Cafe when you are in Goa.

Bridge over River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

There are places that have historic stories in their wraps and its takes a filmmaker to unravel them and present it to the world. I saw this phenomenon in Schindler’s museum in Poland and now in Kanchanaburi province of Thailand. Film Bridge over River Kwai brought the world focus on to this small bridge – a part of a historic rail link built during World War II. Though the film was shot in Sri Lanka, the place got its due with the blockbuster film.

A dark metal bridge, about 70 years old with two rectangular panels between the arched one standing on the quite River Kwai may not attract any special attention but for the fact that the tourism in this region is so linked with the Railway line that this bridge is an integral part of. The prisoners of war mainly belonging to allied forces built this rail link that was built to link to Burma to ultimately reach India. The pathetic conditions that they worked under and the speed at which the rail link was built is well documented in the hellfire pass museum that I would write about in a bit.

You can walk on this bridge. Small metallic platforms jetting out of the bridge let you look at the river from a vantage point. The riverside restaurants make a beautiful site on one side of the river while a giant statue of Buddha looks over from the other bank. Bang in the middle of the bridge on a platform a young man was playing flute, adding music to the ambience. Narrow colorful boats provided color to the monotony of the river and made an excellent shot from the top. I visited the bridge twice – first time at dusk and then at dawn and it was charming both the times. In the morning as I was walking towards it, I saw a train passing over it and that made me feel as if the visit to the bridge is complete. I also felt it is not just a monument but also a living heritage – something that I have started championing lately.

Some literature on the Internet tells me that the original bridge that stood next to a wooden bridge was destroyed in the world war bombing. The one that exists now is the restored version of the original and the remains of the original bridge are kept in the war museum. Hmm…so did I walk on the original bridge or an imitation of it?

A well-maintained cemetery in the town pays homage to about 7000 Prisoners of War who lost lives during WW II. These are not the real graves for they are too close to each and too small for human adults but more like memorials arranged by nationality. To right of entrance are British and to the left Dutch and Australians. Many visitors come looking for the graves of their ancestors. It looks beautiful and evokes an emotion of homage. I liked the local cemetery right next to this one that had memorial stones in pistachio green and some messages written in Thai.

There are many resorts and hotels on the river Kwai. I stayed at the Felix River Kwai Resort in room that overlooked the river through the leaves of coconut tree.

Go Goa XIX: Walking with Birds in Maina, Curtorim

One fine morning while Goa was still waiting for the rains we walked through the narrow streets of quaint Maina village close to better know Raia and Curtorim. It is a typical Goan village with narrow roads passing through the paddy fields. While the fields look like a green carpet on earth, the blue sky provides the contrast and the clouds here and there move around to provide the eternal change. Hills Stand on the horizon as if guarding the fields. Coconut trees loom on here and there. Water forms natural ponds and attracts many birds.

There is an absolute quite except some one off villager passing by on foot or on cycle. We spotted many birds with the help of Goa's bird expert Pankaj Lad of Canopy Tours, but could catch only a few with the camera and here are they for you:

Baya Weaver

Little Cormorant

Indian Pond Heron in Flight

Little Green Bee Eater

Purple Swamp Hen

Rose Ringed Parakeet

White Breasted Water Hen

White Browed Wagtail

List of some other birds spotted at Maina include:

Lesser Whistling-Duck     
Cotton Pygmy-Goose    male in breeding plumage 
Indian Spot-billed Duck     
Indian Cormorant     
White-eyed Buzzard     
White-breasted Waterhen     
Purple Swamphen     
Bronze-winged Jacana     
Asian Koel     
Greater Coucal     
Common Kingfisher     
Stork-billed Kingfisher     
White-throated Kingfisher     
Pied Kingfisher     
Green Bee-eater       

Black-rumped Flameback     
Rose-ringed Parakeet    nesting in coconut trees 
Common Iora     
Common Tailorbird     
Ashy Prinia     
Baya Weaver    several nesting 
White-rumped Munia    

Thank you Pankaj for this lovely walk.

Thailand’s New Latitude Wines

East is exotic for various reasons, but wine is not a part of those reasons. So when we were told we are driving out of Hua Hin to do some wine tasting, my curiosity went up by a few notches. The road leading to Hua Hin Hills Vineyard was deserted and passed through many fields, hillocks that eventually gave way to rolling hills forming layers of peaks and valleys.

We were led to a plush restaurant overlooking the 500+ acre vineyards with hills in the background and a golden stupa or was it a temple standing tall on one of them. There were wooden barrels used in the décor. A wine counter had three layers of glasses lined up for tasting. Soon we were served white, rosette and red wine in these glasses. The connoisseurs of wine made their opinions and I heard words like ‘light bodied’, ‘adequately dry’ and honestly I could understand them very little. But the wine bottles in a large glass bowl filled with ice and in 3 different colors of wine in glasses looked beautiful. Grape juice was served for people who did not taste wine.

Technically called Siam Winery, this winery produces the romantically named range of wines called Monsoon Valley wines since 1996. We were told this is the oldest and the largest winery in Thailand and the owner is more famously known for his Red Bull energy drinks. Thais love red wine though the wine specialists say the weather is more suited for the white wine. What I found most interesting is that they export about 70% of their wines to Europe, about 20% to Japan & Hong Kong and the rest about 10% is consumed locally. Royal Shiraz made especially for the king is not sold to anyone else and like everything else in Thailand this winery also believes that they are prospering with the blessings of the king.

I learnt a new term ‘New Latitude Wines’ – Now these are wines that are made from grapes grown outside the traditional winery latitudes. Traditional wines with a perfect recipe are made from crop grown within the latitudes 30-50 and this obviously does not include tropical countries like India and Thailand. The wines that are now produced in these regions are more experimental as they exploit new technologies and innovations. In fact winemaker Kathrin Puff says that new latitude wines teach the right to be wrong and are still juvenile while the old wines have stories set in tradition and location. You can also read Frank Norel who is credited with coining the term New Latitude Wines.

Following the west, wineries are becoming an integral part of tourist circuits and that means providing some entertainment quotient to the visitors. So here at Hua Hin you can go for an elephant ride around the vineyard – this is the home of Asian elephants after all. You can go on a guided tour with the vineyard staff who will explain you the various crops and the wines they are converted into. It is a nice drive through the vineyard though if one can afford time a walk would be more beautiful. There is an old house standing in the middle but we were told that visitors are allowed only during the daytime and they must leave before evening. In between the lines I sensed a safety issue on the road leading to the vineyard and this place is good one hour plus drive from Hua Hin.

It was an unexpected experience in the exotic east.

Go Goa XVIII: Budbudi Tal aka The Bubble Lake, Netravali, Goa

Clap and the lake bubbles, is the famous legend associated with this tiny lake that actually looks like a small temple pond with a structure standing in the middle of it.

Tucked away in the middle of spice farms, in the village of Netravali, Budbudi Lake is a rectangular step well style lake is an artificial lake that would have been constructed anywhere between 300-400 years back. It is a fresh water lake and gets water from the underground springs and has outlet at one end from where the water goes out and is used by the farmers around for irrigation.  We were told that when it was being constructed, a layer of sand was stuffed below the surface and that sustains aquatic plants on its base that emit methane gas. When this gas tries to escape, it comes up in the form of small bubbles. Visually the bubbles look beautiful when they pop up and create concentric circles through the ripples they cause. The lake can keep your eyes engaged for a long time as you keep looking for the nest bubble spot. You can also create bubbles by jumping on the stones around the lake or by clapping – basically anything that leads to vibrations in the lake.

There are small tiger fish in the Budbudi lake – the ones that are used by saloons for pedicure. I sat with my feet in the water and within few minutes the fishes were nibbling the dead skin on my feet. It tickles a bit but then you start enjoying it. If you can keep your feet stationary, fish would flock to fill all the space available on your skin.

The small rectangular laterite stone structure is the middle is dilapidated now but it might have been a part of the temple. A white colored stone among the many fallen stones on it, is believed to be Shiva Linga. You would need a local with you to point this out. I somehow felt this might have been a place for Tulsi plant as the temple belongs to Krishna and it is not unusual to have a Tulsi bang opposite the main temple. Standing next to a recently built temple of Gopinath, Budbudi Lake actually is the remnant of the beautiful temple that would have stood in place of the current temple. In the farm next to this lake, we actually saw the saved wooden pillars from this temple and they were not just beautifully carved but had aged very gracefully too. One look at them and you would be tempted to see the temple standing on these pillars but what you see today is concrete and tiles.

Tanshikar spice farm located next to this lake is a good place to stay or eat. They have few mud cottages and they conduct trekking tours around Netravali, besides selling spices grown on their farms. You can see the 200+-year-old mud house that the Tanshikar family continues to stay in.

Netravali is almost on the border of Goa-Karnataka, good 90+ kms South of Panaji, but the drive is very pleasant through the villages flanked by fields on both sides. Your mobile phones will not work unless you are on BSNL network, in which case, they may. So, go with all the directions in hand and not depend on your GPS systems.

Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

I have never been this up close and personal with tigers, getting within a few centimeters of them. Some of my fellow travelers even patted them and played with them, I did not have the courage, but after a while I was comfortably moving around with many tigers tied to various trees in an open dusty ground. Standing there I realized the difference between reading and hearing about some experiences and actually being a part of them. I was scared and excited at the same time. Some instinct gave me the courage to stand there with ease and click pictures and videos, may be it was the chains around the necks of these big cats or was it the volunteers in shining pink color or the monk who was treating them like children and playing with them. I did go a bit white every time they opened their mouth and showed those long sharp teeth sometimes to yawn and sometimes to make a bit of noise. At the same time, when I saw their movements being restricted by the chains around their neck, it felt sad. I felt an empathy for them with an impulse to open their chains.

Before entering the temple I has read the details outside the ticket window in Shuddh Hindi that spoke about how the tigers are trained to live with the humans from a very young age and why the allegation of them being drugged is false. I came back and read many views of the earlier travelers and I found most western media being very skeptical about animals being maltreated for the purpose of tourism. However there were undercover reports too that said they found nothing to prove the use of any drugs or any bad treatment of animals. What is my view – well animals looked healthy, though some had bruises and cuts on their skins but that can be because of living in the wild. They were definitely tamed or were they too used to humans and cameras. The show that is put up for almost 2 hours every afternoon is obviously to make money, I am sure tigers are least interested in being patted by the petite humans or having cameras clicking them from all angles. I saw them being fed with spoon and even water being given from old Coca-Cola bottles – as a mighty animals I am sure they would like to go out and hunt but then does it hurt them if their food walks up to their mouth – I don’t think so.

We were told that there are about 140 tigers in this 2-decade-old monastery that is officially called Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, and the reason the display for visitors happens around lunch time is because this is when tigers are at their laziest best after they have been well fed. Makes sense though they make you sign a declaration that you enter the sanctuary at your own risk and the temple will take no responsibility in case of a mis-happening. If one wants to see them in a more active phase, there are programs where you can see them playing in not so restrictive environment, feed them and make them exercise. Towards the end, you can walk the tigers to their canyon, pat them while walking or hold their tail or leash. I did walk with the tiger but at a safe distance with many people between the tiger and me.

Many international volunteers work at the temple and they actually act as a wall between you and the animals and keep an eagle eye on what you do with the animals. The day we went, there was just one monk and it was all volunteers handling the show.

As per the dress code of temple, you are not allowed to wear bright colors as they can excite the animals. Since this is also a monastery, though visitors do not get to see the temple or the living area of monks, women are supposed to wear clothes that cover their shoulders and knees and men are also not allowed in shorts as it is considered disrespectful to the monks. You are also not allowed closer to tigers with any bags on you. Fair enough.

It is an experience to be so close to tigers though the controversies are bound to tear you apart on the ethics of the whole program.

Thailand - Almost First Impressions

I was in Thailand exactly after 15 years. While standing in the Visa on Arrival queue I was flipping through pages of my passport and realized in 1999 I had traveled to Thailand exactly on the same dates 21-27^th July – weird co-incidence. That was when I still working in the corporate world for a flamboyant American company that took us around the city and on cruises over a weekend. This time I was on a trip on the Invitation of Tourism Authority of Thailand. Kanchanaburi, Tiger Temple, Bridge of River Kwai, Hua Hin and some classic Bangkok were on the itinerary this time. So here are some near first impressions from the trip:

1. Thailand is absolutely safe for tourists and travelers. Though there is a drop in the number of tourists, the sheer numbers at the attractions and on Bangkok streets were enough to give me confidence that tourists are well taken care of in the country, no matter what their personal struggles may be.

2. I liked the fact that they link tourism to not only economy but to happiness of their people and their visitors – as they have their tourism campaign around Thailand Happiness and as their Naval Chief mentioned in his press conference.

3. Shopping in Thailand can be addictive. As someone who hardly shops except for small souvenirs like Fridge magnets, I shopped quite a bit and I do blame it to the environment that presents so many options to you that you get sucked in. Weather you regret or enjoy it later is a different matter.

4. Thailand follows dress code and expects its visitors to follow the same when they visit any place that is connected with the King or the Monks. For women this means no sleeveless, no shorts / torn jeans and for men it means no shorts and no torn jeans. This is the way they show respect to the king and the religious leaders. As someone who believes in the continuity of the cultures, I respect this code. I only wish they communicate it to visitors in advance, so that they come well prepared and not have to pay for the same at the venue.

5. Each day of the week is associated with a color, and the day you are born, that is your lucky color, makes me an Orange person – a color I do like. King was born on Monday so you always see his portrait surrounded by yellow color, and Queen’s in blue as she was born on Friday.

a.      Monday – Yellow

b.      Tuesday – Pink

c.      Wednesday – Green

d.      Thursday – Orange

e.      Friday – Blue

f.       Saturday – Purple

g.      Sunday – Red

6. You can see the portrait of King and Queen in most public places and also in shops that sell them. Of course the portrait are from their younger days as they are now 87 and 82 respectively. We were told that birthdays of King and Queen are a national holiday.

7. Colorful Tuk Tuks and Jeepanis are the highlight of local transport across Thailand. Bike Taxis are available in Bangkok, though my fellow travelers’ experience said they could be pricier than the taxis that can be found anywhere and can be identified by their bright colors like Shocking Pink, Bright Blue and Sparkling Red. The way taxis and bikes were driven, I never felt out of India.

8. The bus that took us around had massage chairs – that means we could get a short and gentle massage while we traveled from one place to another. I found it very interesting, though I am not sure how effective it would be.

9. There were no international banks I could see anywhere, all the banks were local. Last time around I remember having many global banking brands here.

10. Seven Eleven and Tesco-Lotus are signs that you can see on all highways. Lotus I believe is the local partner of retail giant Tesco.

11. Elephant and Lotus are key iconographic elements and can be seen in all kinds of places – and I was told elephant is seen as the vehicle of Indra.

Now, its time to sit and write the detailed posts on the destinations I visited.

Go Goa XVII: Pre-historic Rock Art, Pansoimol, Goa

I came to know about these rock art carvings at the Goa State Museum and had put it on my to be visited list, but it was an article in the newspaper with pictures of this rock art that made me get up and drive down to this rock by the river Sharawati and admire them first hand. It is a long drive from Panaji  - good 70+ kms in the southeast direction. We were thankfully staying at Arco Iris and the drive was about 30 kms from there, but since we were searching for this it took us almost an hour to reach the place. Till the village of Rivona and Colomb, we could follow a straight road when a small hand painted board on the right directed us to take a right turn. After this we were on a road that was not kuchha but it was not pucca either. After following some fallen ASI boards we reached a dead end and all we could see was a small rivulet and a thatched hut there. We got down and a man in tomato red T-shirt stepped out wearing a welcome smile almost like the one you expect from a cast away when he gets to see a human being after a long time. He was the ASI guard for the site and we crossed his office cum hut to reach the huge rock, where his own cloths were spread out to dry.

He enthusiastically started showing us the carvings, some of which were not very visible so he drew an outline with the water to make it stand out. He started with a set of three carvings that depict the human birth. A sperm, a placenta and a lady just after she has given birth. This can be easily linked to pre-historic mother figure or the fertility cult. This was followed by a dancing figure balanced on one leg making me think if this could be the earliest version of Nataraja. There were numerous carvings of humped bull and a few deers and one peacock that we could see. There were many types of hunting equipments and animal traps carved out. A pair of feet accompanied most prominent figures. There is one place with three feet carved together and another with two giant feet carved together. There are many figures that you cannot make out. A part of the rock has a lot of carvings that are confusing to an untrained eye.

Most curious carving is a labyrinth about meter or so in radius that is so well carved that you wonder what would be the purpose of this. Among all the petroglyphs, this one stands out the most. Some reading on the Internet tells me that it is potentially the oldest known representation of a labyrinth. Similar carvings have been found around the world and many of them have been found in India including some on the temple carvings but all of them probably are from a period later than this one. ASI guide said many people from nearby villages come and offer milk on this labyrinth and some of them even sit on top of it and meditate.

Backdrop of the rock is the shallow Sharawati flowing on a bed of colorful pebbles and rich green tall trees – providing a perfect contrast for the rusty tinge of the laterite stone.

What makes this place even more unique is that such carvings exist in South India on granite stone and in central India on sandstone, but this is the only place where they have been found on the hard and iron-rich laterite stone. The deep engravings in precise formations also indicate the presence of appropriate sharp equipment to carve. I am not an archeologist, but to my knowledge these are the only carvings that are not on walls but on a horizontal surface akin to having carvings on the floor. The site has existed in open area for ages and gets submerged in the waters of the river during monsoons. I am not sure if anything can be done to preserve this precious heritage, but the least that can be done is to have some brochures printed or boards displayed so that visitors can make some head and tail of the carvings and know about them from authentic sources.

I was told that Nand Kumar Kamat of ASI discovered this place in 1984. Discovery basically involved removing lots of mud and cleaning the rock. Apparently a round of cleaning is done after every monsoon now. Archeologists believe these carvings can be anywhere around 8000 - 9000 years old belonging to Mesolithic period. Technically the place is called Pansoimol or Usgalimol, but I did not find a board using any of these names. It seems there are more such rocks in this area but there was no way for me to find out where. While driving back from the rock, I realized I might be driving on some of the petroglyphs. Some distance ahead there was a huge cut in the rock creating a kind of artificial lake that had emerald green water – looking beautiful, but probably a result of mining in the area.

If pre-history or rock-art interests you, this is a must visit place in Goa.

Review – Arco Iris, Curtorim, Goa

Curtorim is a small village off the main city of Margao in South Goa, almost touching the backwaters of Zuari River. Unlike villages of North Goa, South Goa villages still remain with the native population more or less. So, you see big houses from bygone era in different states of conservation. Some have been well maintained, some constructed afresh and some make you feel you have walked into the 19th CE. As we were driving towards Curtorim, I wondered how it would be have a house restored to experience the erstwhile living and Arco Iris turned out to be the perfect reply – a majestic house in lime yellow color with wide pillared corridor running all around it and a patio to sit and admire the sheer nature in front of it. 

We entered the house to see the beautiful living room that to my delight had a small library with well-stocked books and some vintage furniture – the typical Goan chairs made for the leisurely lifestyle. Dining room with its triple tall doors overlooking the landscaped garden outside, gentle music playing and aromatic incense engaged all the senses. We were led to our room called ‘Violet’ that had a private balcony cum sit out right below a mango tree. We later discovered that there are 7 rooms in the house and they have been names after the seven colors of rainbow. There are hints of the name of the color in the room, but colors do not shout from the room. Yellow room has a laterite stone bed with beautiful glazed tiled adding the design element. Indigo room on first floor has a nice sit out with an opening that looks into the sky and we were told that early risers can meet a lot of birds in this space. A part of Blue room has been left exposed to give the feel of how the house was with bare laterite stones. Bathrooms are the most luxurious part of the property; some of them so huge that you can make a hall out of them – wonder if they can be converted into something like Roman baths.

Each room had a pile of 15-20 books and that is what made me fall in love with the place even more. The collected art pieces from different places are aesthetically displayed all over the property. Plants – in pots, in bottles and on earth are all around you all the times. We spotted many butterflies in the garden and in the seasonal lake around the property.

The Ganesh family i.e. Ganesh, Bennita and their two daughters Trusha and Trikaya are the hosts that add so much more to your stay at Arco Iris. Their stories of restoration of the house over 3 years that is pictorially documented on the wall of their hall can leave you mesmerized about their commitment and their ability to take up a tough challenge. You can sit and chat with them on many topics and for visitors they act as guides helping with options to explore in Goa. 

As part of Neemrana hotels they hardly need any promotion, but I think this is an ideal place for creative people who may need a secluded, serene yet not empty space to work. It would be a good place for creative workshops like writing retreats, painting sessions etc. Bonus is that you get home made food and that really helps when you stay for longer duration.

We really enjoyed our South Goa exploration that included Budbudi Tal, Spice Plantation, Rock Art, Rachol Seminary and a Birding Walk, with Arco Iris as our base.