Goa, the land of sun and sea. Our closest escape out of Maharashtra and where you will almost always bump in to someone you know. India's smallest state known mostly because of its beaches, Goa is India's most touristy state.
For me, Goa is divided into two parts - North and South Goa. North Goa is the more crowded, 'Boom Shankar' kind of place where you will find a mix of the young kids and families from Bombay, Pune and tourists from neighboring towns along with the foreign tourists of course. In the South, there are the seasoned Goa travelers (who prefer not to be stuck in traffic jams on New Years Eve), old Russian couples who are way past their bikini wearing days but still flaunt it like they got it, the seasoned foreigners who either live in Goa or have traveled enough through it and lots of south Indians from neighbouring states.
What you like depends on what kind of person you are. If you don't mind the crowds, then North Goa is the place to be. There are more places to eat at, more shacks on the beach to sip your poison and watch the sun set. If you prefer no one on the beaches at 8am or 8.30pm and like to pretend you are on a private beach then head down South. Having already covered enough of the North on a previous visit, we decided to stick to the South.
This post is a collection of a few pictures I took on the beaches of animals (including humans), the sun, and the lovely vegan food I had.
Goa boasts two vegan/vegetarian restaurants Bean Me Up and Blue Planet. I was fortunate enough to manage to visit them both during my short trip. Both restaurants have many options for vegans and they are very different experiences in their own ways.
We also ate at Palacio Do Deao in Quepem. It is a heritage house built in the 1700s being managed by an architect couple. They live in that house with their kids and invite you to sample a traditional Portuguese lunch cooked by the wife. It begins with a tour of the house by the husband where he describes how they went about restoring the house and the garden to look like it did. Most of the furniture and architecture is still intact from the original house. A traditional portuguese meal usually consists of a lot of sea food and meat, but you can inform them about your preferences before hand and they will accomodate. They went out of their way for my vegan request and made so many different varieties. You will see them on my plate.
This post is a collection of a few pictures I took on the beaches of animals (including humans), the sun, and the lovely vegan food I had.
Fields and fields of Sugarcane en route NH17
Trucks packed with sugarcane headed to the factories
A pretty Kingfisher poses
@Bean Me Up - Apple-Banana-Peanut Butter Smoothie. Yum!
@ Bean Me Up - Vegan 'chicken' Burger
@Bean Me Up - Tofu Brownie with Soy 'Cream Cheese'
@Blue Planet - Passion Fruit, Papaya Smoothie and Avocado Chocolate Smoothie
@Blue Planet - Vegan Carrot Coconut Cake with a Chocolate Topping
@Blue Planet - Wholemeal bread with Cashew Butter
The entrance to the mansion
Library
The Living Room
An ornate table in the living room
Antique fruit basket in the garden
Vegetable Fingers with Chutney
Sauteed Mushrooms
Lunch included a salad of Avocado and Lettuce, Sauteed Carrots and Basil, Beans and Coconut, Sauteed Daikon and leaves and some Kohlrabi
They also served us a Portuguese style Cauliflower in Coconut Milk Curry with local brown rice
@The Flea Market - A million flavours of tea!
Sunrise
Ahem!
One of the many dogs I saw enjoying the water
Beach Bum
Fetched!
