Well, I'm writing this from a Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800 waiting for lift off at Doha Airport in Qatar. There are two decks on the aircraft and a member of the Qatari royal family is on the upper level. We saw him board the plane, ahead of everyone else, with a team of bodyguards surrounding him. The plane is new, clean and comfortable and it looks like we're in for a good flight experience after an uneventful hop from Goa.
Our last few days in Goa saw us on board the small blue and white boat that is hired by Mr Kamat, who took us up the Zuari River in the early morning. We do this trip most years and it's a very relaxing way to spend three hours. The Zuari has mangroves on the river banks and it is home to crocs, fish, bats, birds and many other species of wildlife. To date it remains unspoiled but from time to time there are plans put forward to build a yacht marina, a new bridge and a large fishing port. Mr Kamat believe these proposals would damage the fragile eco system that currently exists.
We paid one final visit to the wonderful market at nearby Mapusa for last minute shopping and to soak up the atmosphere. Friday is the main market day in Mapusa and the open spaces and alleyways are crowded with vendors from all over Goa. Stall holders call out loudly hoping to sell their products to the passing shoppers. The fresh fruit and vegetables stalls pile their goods high and orderly in a wonderfully colourful display. Fruits sellers in one area and vegetables in another. One large covered hall houses baskets full of flowers, loose or strung together, to take to the temple and hang on a shrine. A smaller covered area sells hot fresh baked bread rolls of various shapes and sizes. Fish, meat, rice, chillies, & spices, sit alongside small shops selling plug in electrical goods, towels and bedding, opticians, cafes, watch sales and repairs, goldsmiths, metal goods, plastic ware, lighting spares, stationary, luggage, cobblers, tailors and a hundred and one sari and clothing shops. Everything can be found in Mapusa, and if one stall holder doesn't have what you require then his friend is sure to have it.
Sunday was packing day........always a worrying time. Will the zips close on the suitcase? Only just. Then at 17.30 Umesh, the housekeeper from the Marinha Dourada Hotel (where we used to stay) arrived, along with his wife and child. Cookery lessons commenced and we were taught how to make coconut and cashew masala. Afterwards we served up the tasty mixture in bowls and complimented each other on the delicious flavours.
And that's it for this trip, so it's over and out from Wi Fi in the sky compliments of Qatar Airways.
Helen
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