Part two of my Gap Yah. A fab internship at Video Volunteers between September and December 2011. I found a cute but strange place to stay in Arpora (kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, everything was painted blue), quite close to the VV office in Baga, and had my scooter transported from Pune so I didn’t have to rent one.
Living in Goa is a wonderful feeling. Alcohol, as everyone knows, is ridiculously cheap, and if you’re low on cash but are at an expensive restaurant, the only thing you’re most likely to afford on the menu is beer and rum. My favourite meal in Goa though was simple and economical fresh fish thali. Small joints all across Goa sell these for just 50 rupees, and one plate usually comprises a heap of rice, a slice of fried fish, dried prawns/clams, a small portion of green veg, pickle, an fish curry. If you’re lucky, you might even get a papad thrown in. Value for money? I think so.
Khotigao, South Goa
As part of a Video Volunteers field trip, community correspondents and staff members visited a fellow community correspondent Devidas Gaonkar’s village in the South of Goa. Khotigaon is a beautiful tribal village bursting with colour in every corner. My dream come true.
Devidas set up a village screening of the short films that he had made. Each of these films addressed a problem faced by the villagers, but hardly any of them had seen his work. The screening drew a huge crowd, and Devidas gathered the much needed appreciation and support that he needed from his community.
Mapusa Market
Inter-state buses to North Goa halt at Mapusa, a crowded little town just 20 minutes from Baga. I would visit Mapusa once every week to fill petrol (bottles of petrol that you get in Baga/Anjuna/every coastal village are just too expensive) and to get some shopping done. And Mapusa Market is perfect. It’s quite a nice break from the beach scene as there are almost no tourists here. Although it looks like any other Indian market from afar, there are bursts of Goan culture everywhere, such as the women in floral printed dresses selling flowers, or the smell of fresh local breads and cakes wafting through the air. There’s a GREAT reastaurant called Xavier’s in the middle of the market that has the most delectable prawn puffs and beef steak. It shuts at 8 in the evening, though, and even by early evening sometimes they’ve managed to sell all their food.
Panjim
Such a pretty city!
Panjim is a great place to visit for a couple of days. It is incredibly picturesque and has some ridiculously cheap but great places to eat and drink. There’s a stall near the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception church that sells mouth-watering egg pav with a chicken or beef curry. Yummmm.
I thoroughly enjoyed riding up and down the large hill in Panjim which has all these spectacular looking houses as well as a beautiful view of the entire city.
Wednesday Flea Market, Anjuna
The morning after
Ashwem Beach
Bliss
Hovering all over
