Captain's Blog November 2010

The year is fast coming to an end and looking back at the month gone by I don't see too much being done but we've been at it every day, working to get Kalizma shipshape for Christmas and New Year.

m/y Kalizma

1st to 15th it was frequently still raining so our varnish jobs were hampered by that somewhat. Luckily it rained mostly in evenings and night time.

2nd Saini left for Mumbai to arrange his visa in order to fly to UK for doing his MCA Chief Officers ticket.

Mapusa Market

6th - 7th was Diwali weekend but the weather was not in favor at all for us. Thunderstorms and passing showers made the festival very gloomy. On the other hand in Mumbai I got call from Saini and it sounded like on a warfront by the sound of all firecrackers going off. At least some people were enjoying it to the max.

Ruins St. Augustine & Augustine

12th I visited Mapusa market to see what the hype was about. It was large and lot of tourists were there and hawkers were selling same wares as on the beaches. Maybe the pricing was somewhat cheaper. In terms of food stuffs we thought the assortment was a bit on the poor side and very basic compared to the market in Panaji that we normally use for provisioning.

Ruins of St. Augustine

13th I went with Augustine to inspect a yard for possible small boat monsoon storage in Old Goa. Nice clean place but in the end it was ascertained that Linse could not be accommodated there.

After this we made a short detour to check out the ruins of St. Augustine cathedral. Building was originally started by twelve St. Augustinian friars in 1572 and completed only in 1602. Today only the 46m tall bell tower remains standing as the St. Augustine order was ousted from Goa in 1835. The site is very impressive and tells the magnitude of the church and actually a pity that it was let to fall asunder by itself due to neglect in 1842. In 1931 the facade and part of the tower collapsed.

Boat yard in Velha Goa

18th I came down with a severe case of Delhi Belly and was bedridden for a day. It passed with help of Thai herbal medicines.

22nd I had lunch at Infantaria, great bakery but the food was bland. I had pasta and it arrived soggy and over cooked.

24th I got Asen back after her fracture incident in Mumbai. Her foot was now fully healed after 6 weeks recuperation. She is now like a Duracell bunny, full of energy to resume duties.

View at Mayonna Creek bar & restaurant

26th I had lunch at Mayonna Creek bar & restaurant on Baga beach. The restaurant is actually along a small creek and has a nice setting to it. Food was also not bad although I think I ordered a wrong dish that I thought tasted horrible in my mouth.

30th we got a quick visit from the Owner. Just a couple of hours of enjoyment but at least he got to see his yacht before rushing onto more pressing matters.