You’ve come to Goa and your adrenaline is pumping. You have so much energy and seeing the tall coconut trees and clear blue skies makes you even more pumped up. DAY 1 Use all your excitement to start your first day with a trek! If you were in awe of Goa’s natural beauty from the get-go, be prepared to fall even more in love. There are a plethora of organizers who take you to gorgeous places like the famous Dudhsagar waterfalls or some more hidden places that most tourists haven’t even heard of.  The sights of the green foliage, chirping birds, and fresh air will surely make your heart sing. There are high chances that a delicious local lunch is part of your tour package. After you come back and rest, head out in the evening to a beach. If you’re tired, relax on the warm sand and relish the scenery. Otherwise, draw out your thirst for adventure again and try out exciting watersports. Parasailing gives the most thrills as you’ll get to glide in the air and watch the frothy waves below. If you are in North Goa, have a delicious local dinner at Florentine’s where there is a […]

Recently, I came across a news story about a record-breaking bloom of 28 Brahma Kamal flowers in Goa. The spectacular sight of its prolific blossoms in the video took me on a trip down memory lane. We, too, had this beautiful plant in our garden, lovingly tended by my grandmother. Commonly referred to as ‘Bramhakamal’ in Goa and likely across the country, this plant is scientifically known as Epiphyllum Oxypetalum. Belonging to the Cactaceae family, it is an exotic plant native to the rainforests of Central and South America. Interestingly, it has no botanical connection to the true Bramhakamal species, scientifically named Saussurea obvallata, which is found and revered in Uttarakhand and the Himalayan regions. The slight resemblance between Epiphyllum Oxypetalum and the original Bramhakamal may explain the confusion between the two. Also known as the Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus or Queen of the Night, this flower truly lives up to its regal title. In our garden, this plant held a special place in my heart. Its slightly puffed, elongated leaves distinguished it from the other greenery. The celestial blooms appeared rarely, usually between July and September. One of the most unique aspects of this flower is how it unfurls its […]

A cool breeze blows and the water laps gently against the river bank. A man walks towards the river carrying his floating net. He gets into the boat and uses his strong arms to expertly row to the desired spot to cast the net for catching fish. SHERYL GONSALVES | NT GOGOANOW This happy-go-lucky Goan is Prakash. He goes fishing 2-3 times a week as it is one of his ways of earning a living. During his childhood, he had a tough life as his parents struggled to feed him and his seven siblings. From a young age, he was a keen learner. Just by watching different people at work, he was able to pick up various other trades like carpentry and vegetable cultivation. He has observed that during the summer there is more fish to catch. According to him, the months of April, May, and June are the best months to fish. During the rainy season, he avoids fishing as the river waters get choppy. In the past few years, fishing has become a bit tougher for him because of crocodiles and seals. Seals move very quickly to steal the fish they catch and even come to bite them. […]

We have all heard about the famous Goan fish thalis, prawn curries, sorpotel, chicken cafreal, and vindaloo. Now it’s time to celebrate the sweets of Goa. The people of Goa still make traditional sweets from recipes passed down from generation to generation. Here are some of the famous traditional sweets of Goa: Bebinca This is a type of layered pudding. The ingredients which usually go into it are all-purpose flour, eggs, sugar, coconut milk, nutmeg, and ghee.  It takes time to prepare this lovely dessert as each layer has to be baked first before adding the next one. Bebinca usually has 7 to 16 layers. In many places, it is served with vanilla ice-cream. You can eat all the layers at once or peel one layer at a time and savour each one. Dodol Dodol is made using coarsely ground raw paddy rice flour, black jaggery, coconut milk, and cashew nuts. The coconut is ground and the juice/ milk is extracted. It is traditionally cooked on firewood.  The end result is a pudding-like sweet which almost melts in your mouth. It is mostly made for Christmas. Sugar isn’t used and so dodol gets its taste from the delicious Goa jaggery. Its […]

The Goa Book Fair & Children’s Literature Festival is all set to bring together book lovers and storytellers RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT KURIOCITY Imagine a place where children can enjoy stories, meet their favourite authors, and explore books that spark their curiosity. That’s exactly what they’ll get at the Goa Book Fair & Children’s Literature Festival, scheduled from February 27 to March 3. A new addition to the annual Goa Book Fair, which has been running for two years, the Children’s Literature Festival is organised by The Dogears Bookshop, Margao, in collaboration with Publishing Next. According to co-founder of The Dogears Bookshop and the festival Leonard J Fernandes, it aims to create a dedicated space where children can engage with books, interact with authors, and develop a love for reading. He believes children remain drawn to good stories and engaging illustrations. “They’re selective about what they read and often influenced by their friends’ choices. They prefer books that engage them, which they can relate to and understand,” he says. Further, he stresses the importance of children’s literature in developing a love for reading. “Studies show that reading a wide range of books helps children think critically, research better, and spot […]

For the first time in Goa, an eco-farm will be opening which consists of more than just a farm or spice plantations. People can come here and admire the farm and get thrills as well. The construction of SharvRaj Eco-farm at Padoshe Sanquelim in Sattari taluka will be in five phases. The first phase will be inaugurated on 9th March 2019 at 4 pm. It will be open to the public from 10th March 2019 onwards.  The first phase is built in an area of 10 acres. The farm consists of horticulture, rainwater harvesting, vegetable cultivation, borewell recharge, different types of irrigation methods, medicinal herbs, water management, organic fertilizers, and more. Those who love adventure will be able to find it at the eco-farm’s adventure park which has features such as Burma bridge, climbing net, rope net crossing, catwalk net, sliding net, log swinging bridge, tyre climbing, and rock climbing. Their water park facilities are a water play station, family slide, spiral slide, multilane slide, and so on. Another attraction of SharvRaj Eco-farm will be the thrill rides- sky cycling (the first in Goa) and zip lining. Other activities include horse rides, bull cart rides, archery, etc. They will be […]