A leisurely stroll on Palolem beach, South Goa

It was the end of October and the sea was calling. We love South Goa and that is where headed.  By the time we reached Colomb beach and checked into Secret Heaven Resort, rested and cleaned up, it was 4 pm. Time to head to the beach for the evening walk and a look at the sunset! 

It was a short walk of 10 min. from the resort to the opening to the path which leads to the Palolem beach. This path is through the trees, over the rocks; a small adventure in itself. there are no street lights or lighting of any sort. better to avoid after dark.

At the end of the path, there is a creek to cross. Depending on the time of the year and whether it is high tide or low tide time, there will be water in the creek. There will be a makeshift bridge made of wooden logs or bamboo, but since it is soon after the monsoons and the tourist season has yet to start, the bridge is not yet put up. So, that means one has to wade through the slightly murky waters. If one looks at the whole thing as adventure, this fits in perfectly. Fancy footwear will not take kindly to the hike and water ...

Finally there is light or sand at the end of the trek! and the beach beckons! Only a few beach shacks are up and running. Most others are under construction. Though it was Diwali long weekend, there were very few tourists, Indian or foreign. What a blessing! And it was a low tide! the water was cool under the feet. I love walking in the shallow waters... picking up shells etc.

I love Palolem beach for its white sand, flanked by low hills on either side; the shape of the beach is a crescent, which looks so much more pretty than a straight line!
We walked to the end of the Palolem beach. There river Shanti joins the Arabian sea. It is a small river, with water coming down the hills during monsoon. There were a few boats for sight seeing and some fishermen's boats too. It was a picturesque sight!

Evening sun with its golden light, illuminating the surroundings, was a sight to behold. We were very lucky to be enjoying these scenes...

 

By the time we headed back, it was dusk and sunset was spectacular! Retraced the same route, walking in the water and stopping and looking at the coconut trees, the hills in the distance and the sea...

Those were some special moments to cherish, knowing fully well that next time I walk on that same beach it will be a different experience.

Secret Garden resort at Colomb bay, Patnem, South Goa

The Diwali weekend saw us heading South Goa, specifically towards Patnem - Palolem. We love those beaches of white sands and at this time of the year, expecting less tourists. 

We had booked a hut in Secret Garden Resort on the net. I was excited about this holiday!

After reaching Palolem, and crossing the Mosque, take a right turn and 100m. from the turn, there is the resort. It was easy to find. 

Secret Garden Resort is equidistant from both Palolem beach and Patnem beach, about 5 -10 min. walk. 

It is a sprawling resort  on a 2500 sqm. of land; all of it sloping. Mr. Nazir, the proprietor cum everything else he can do with his hands, said when he took this land on lease 6 years back, was thick over grown jungle. He was lost where to start and how to proceed. There is a street light just inside the property, and ss he was pondering about the location of the main entrance to the property, it struck him, why not have the gate right under the street light; it will light up the entrance through the night and takes care of the lighting issue! That is an example of Mr.Nazir's way of thinking and functioning. He tried to make it eco friendly, from the use of recycled / reused wood, boards, doors, windows, etc. in the construction of Secret garden. 

It still has a jungle look, (especially soon after the monsoon), though carefully cultivated trees (several fruit bearing ones like guava, papaya etc.), bushes (bamboo etc.), and shrubs (all kinds of crotons and elephant ears etc.). He also grows vegetables on the terraces. They are more or less self sufficient during the tourist season.

Originally from Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, while working for a travel agency in New Delhi, Mr. Nazir visited Goa, 20 yrs. ago with a friend. He was so enamored by the serenity of South Goa, that he decided to settle down here. He opened a beach shack on Palolem beach, serving Kashmiri food. By the way, he is a top class chef himself. He says, within a year, his beach shack was listed in Lonely Planet; customers would line up for his food.

When Palolem got crowded, he moved to Patnem beach, opened a shack / restaurant with the name Secret garden. After running successfully for 2 yrs. the landlord wanted to sell the property. So he had to vacate again. This time, he decided to stay put in one place, and develop his business. That is Secret garden resort came to be. 

As can be seen from the picture above the main entrance / gate is still covered by the blue plastic sheets, to keep off the rain water. Soon, the original wooden gate will replace this one, I am told.

From the main entrance, first he made the central pathway. There are gentle steps to climb up or down; plants lining either side, trees forming a canopy.

There are a total of 12 cottages / huts, named after flowers, like Rose, Sun flower etc. befitting the resort! To maintain privacy, there is a gap between the huts.

Each hut has a front verandah; some cane furniture to relax in. Inside the hut, the furniture is functional, eg: a clothes stand, a wall mirror, a side table, and a small shelving unit. the attached toilet is minimal but adequate. There are wash basin, western style WC, a shower etc. A mosquito net and mosquito repellents like coil or plug in varieties will also be provided. though a ceiling fan is provided, one does not need it, as it got cold in the night since the property is on a hilly land and huge trees all round...

Monsoons have just ended, so the blue tarpaulin sheets have yet to come off. Talk about being in the lap of nature, one wakes up to all kinds of bird sounds, and come out of your hut, you will see a host of butterflies flitting about. What sights and sounds!

 

I saw the largest elephant ear leaves here. papaya trees in bloom!

Except the months of monsoon, ie June to Sept, Secret Garden is open from October to the end of May. Since the property comes inside the CRZ limit, ie. 349m. from Colomb Bay, it has to be dismantled during monsoon.

While Mr. Nazir manages the guests, the huts, kitchen, Monica takes care of their 3 yr. old son, home and online bookings etc. It is an interesting story how they met. She was from UK, touring North India, where his friend directed her to stay at secret Garden if she is in Goa. She meets likes him, goes back to UK, and returns for good.
We would love to be back to taste Mr. Nazir's food, as the kitchen was not operational yet.  
Here is a happy couple, working hard, doing what they love to, living close to water, land, vegetation ...

For bookings, go to:
 http://www.secretgardenpatnem.com/reservations.html

Multiple Sources of Income

Desire more money?

I had once attended a workshop on ‘Prosperity’ by a trainer from Louise Hay teachings. I was struggling with finances back then, and the 25 others who attended, all seemed to have some sort of issue with money / earnings / savings etc.

Among others things, one topic which caught my attention was ‘How to have more money?’

For example: You have a job and earn a decent income, but somehow feel it is meeting your needs but there is not enough surplus. Or the job is unreliable and how to meet your needs in case there is a downturn. Or you have been wanting to buy / upgrade a vehicle/ electronic item etc. But don’t have the money, Or simply want to have more savings and investments. 

Back to the question, ‘How can one have more money?’   

The answer is to Have Multiple streams of income!!! And this has changed the way I looked at money since.

First let us look at why multiple streams. Some of you must already be struggling to manage one job or one source and two sources in some cases. You already tried working longer hours and it was eating into your other duties or not producing nearly enough income; or tried getting a better paying job, which may not have been so easy, so on so forth. So, you may want to ask that you are finding it difficult to increase one income leave alone several incomes?

It is not as difficult as it seems. First let us understand -

What do I mean by Multiple streams of income? It simply means income from several sources.

You may say that you spend all your week days at a job and get a salary, where are these other sources of income coming from. Valid question.

1.       You may already be receiving income from few other sources other your salary / wages / commissions (whichever is your main source of income), which you are not aware of.

Eg: Interest on savings bank account. It is too less to be counted? May be...

2.       Cash gifts that friends and family give

3.       House hold items you were planning to chuck, but some one pays for it and takes it off your hands etc.

From the above examples, you will notice that money is coming from other than your primary source. These are all incomes. They may not be much in terms of amount and may not be regular or consistent, BUT they still are INCOMES. Become aware of them! The point is not whether a source of income is big or small. Never look down on small amounts of money. Remember that money grows with time. A small amount over a longer period grows to big amounts. I look at it another way, small amount fulfill smaller goals, but goals nevertheless.

Maintain a record of your incomes with dates and sources. You will notice to your pleasant surprise, how much it all adds up to, by the end of the year; Rs.240 in quarterly bank interest goes unnoticed; Rs. 1800 at the end of the year is something! 

Possible multiple sources of income could be:

1. Interest on savings bank deposits
2. Interest from fixed deposits
3. Cash back from insurance schemes
4. Cash back from purchases
5. Dividends from investments in stocks
6. Dividends from investments in Mutual funds
7. Interest from investments in government securities or Bonds or company CDs
8. Rental income from real estate investments
9. Rental income from any of your possessions
10. Income from sale of securities / stocks (if you made a profit)
11. Income from redemption of mutual fund schemes (if you made a profit)
12. Cash Gifts from family and friends
13. Income from 2^nd job / weekend job / odd job
14. Income from royalties (on books, music, content, art etc.)
15. Income from internet or blogging
16. Income from teaching classes (music/art/driving/cooking/sewing/computer skills or anything else)
17. If you have skills and monetise them, you can build a study source of income over time

      These are some of the streams I am working on. Do you know of any more? I am very interested. Do drop a line.

Thanks for reading. Rest in the next capsule ....

Trip to Divar Island, Goa

In the book The Artist's way, Julia Cameron asks the readers to do the task of writing down what constitutes an Ideal Ideal day in their lives, without any restrictions, whatever the heart desires, ideal environment, relationships, job, etc.

Hubby and I went on a day long trip to Divar Island last Sunday. I was happy; I was satiated; I was proud of myself; I was replete with joy!!! It struck me that it was the ideal ideal day for me. first time ever everything happened exactly how I would have liked and desired!

Thank you Julia, I know now experimentally what you mean by ideal ideal day. I no longer have to imagine or plan for it. 

Divar is an Island in the Mondovi river near old Goa. In fact the tops of the old Goa churches can be seen from Divar. It has a quaint old world charm. It felt as if time stood still. If Goa is laid back, Divar is tranquil and leisurely. There is well populated, with proper residential buildings, beautiful churches, temples, school, and civic buildings... 

1. There is no Road to Divar island, only ferries. We got in at the old Goa ferry point. Two and four wheelers along with pedestrians travel by ferry. It was a novel experience for me. takes about 5 - 7 min to cross the river. It being september and monsoons still active, the river was flowing to the capacity and it was fun going on the ferry.

2. One has to wait patiently until the ride starts...

3. Excited anticipation reaching the island on other side of the river.

4. During high tide, water gushing through the sluice. Along with water, fish are also getting swept away with the force of the water, perhaps.

As we kept going, we saw fishermen with their lines in the back waters of Mondovi, patiently waiting for their lunch / dinner, to bite?

5. What lovely views of the surroundings! It was green everywhere; and water everywhere, exactly how I like...

7. The beautiful Church of Our Lady of compassion was a landmark. It was closed by the time we reached. The interiors are for another trip.

8. St. Mathias Church was another great monument constructed in 16th century.

9. Our Lady of Candelaria Chapel is an interesting edifice. It has a semi circular dome and window opening through which sunlight lights up the interior.

10. The Holy Spirit Church is smaller than the others, looks different from the others but equally enchanting... There is no ornamentation or ostentation to the structure. The bell tower is an interesting feature.

11. There is aboard indicating Saptakoteswara temple site. We did not find a temple, but what we found was -

 

 A beautiful tank filled with rain water. It is till under excavation by the archaeology dept. The temple must have been somewhere close by. The walls of the tank have very pretty niches.

 

12. Some of the residential buildings bear the style of traditional Goan Architecture; sloped roofs, verandahs, porches etc.

13. The island was green, a soothing sight for the sore eyes!

 

14. Different birds and butterflies everywhere. Not to miss the amazing sounds of the birds. I spotted a huge kingfisher bird.

15. There was also Aqua farms, farming prawns I was told. It being a Sunday, we did not see much activity.

If you a nature enthusiast, lover of birds, love to stay by the water, dig old monuments, Divar Island is for you. It is beautiful through out the year but more so in monsoons. We spent a whole day jsut driving around, or gazing into the distance, photographing and sketching, basically whatever we felt like. 
Spent a leisurely Sunday on a tranquil island with a perfect partner, Can you ask for more? Not me, I am content to just be..

Mhamai Kamat Residence in Panjim, Goa

Mhamay Kamat Residence is right in the centre of Panjim City. Behind Old Secretariat, across from Abbey Faria statue and the building next to Clube Nationale, is the 400 year old Double storied  in white and yellow ochre is the ancestral home the Mhamay Kamat family. 

 

If you are a passerby, you cannot make out that it is a residential building, as there are a couple of garment and textile shops on the left end of the building and an office on the first floor. The windows are shut and I havenot seen the main door being open.   

It is a well maintained traditional looking Goan building. On this day of Anant Chaturdashi, 11th. day after Ganesh chaturthy, the building comes to life with lights, garlands and mango leaves adorning the front door. The doors are thrown open to the public on this day. 

A corridor runs along the front wall around a large courtyard. This is easily the widest corridor I have seen in a residential building. It circles the central courtyard. There are rooms and hall opening out of this corridor.

Mhamai Kamat residence is a large sprawling building.

When I went visiting in the evening, it was raining hard. The rain water from the sloping roof was emptying into the central courtyard. It is more like a garden than a courtyard, with trees and plants, soaking up the rain / storm water.

The plinth is raised by a couple of feet. The foresight of the architects of those days is to be appreciated. The raised floor level keeps the monsoon rain water out of the house. 
The coloums are thick giving the impression that they will take any amount of weight from top and they are here to stay for many more centuries.

For the first time ever, I saw double corridors ie. two rows of corridors. If you look closely at these photos, the inner corridor becomes the corridor on the first floor. They get adequate light and ventilation through a gallery like ambience. it will also connect the ground and first floors.

The staircases and railing are of solid wood. One cannot see any sagging or cracking in any of the wooden rafters or beams.

Series of photographs in black and white adorn the walls of the corridor. Most of people in them are the family's ancestors. One can see their attire, for both men and women.

There is another courtyard adjacent to the kitchen. There is a Tulsi plant in a planter in the middle of the courtyard. There are some more corridors running outside the kitchen and living quarters.

Today being the festive occasion, the house was abuzz with activity. Food was being prepared for the 1000 odd people who come for Harati, Puja and Prasad (Dinner). This tradition of opening the house to guest and providing dinner for such large numbers, has been in the family for a long time.
Cooking in the large kitchen, on fire wood over temporary stoves, we saw several large pots.The place was filled with smoke and smells!

The hosts were very polite, answered all our queries, showed us the house and requested us to stay for dinner after the offering to the deity. They had already laid out wooden seats for the guests. Dinner is served on plantain leaves, for the first few batches. Later on, buffet will be arranged for the rest.

The large puja room was like a temple, full of flowers, lights and priests. The puja will be concluded the next morning, with harati and offering of prasad. 
Else where in the corridor, Statue of lord Dattatreya was installed and every thursday, puja is performed. 
It was heart warming to be present on such an auspicious day, among such humble and friendly people, in such a grand old house reverberating with positive vibrations .....
Long live such traditions ....