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Today we've spent a wonderful day at a spice plantation where everything was grown organically. The excitement of learning that peppercorns grow on a creeping, almost ivy-looking plant, in little bunches, is indescribable. Look at the pictures and see! Vanilla is hand pollinated, making it the second most expensive 'spice' in the world after saffron, which grows in Jammu and Kashmir and other cold climates. Vanilla is also a creeper but has to be grown on non organic supports e.g. wires, as it is non-symbiotic, destroying all it hugs. Fascinating!It's been really interesting picking black cardamoms, cinnamon, green cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves, peppers off living plants and trees rather than getting them out of plastic packets. We saw the sibling plants of turmeric and ginger. And Balwant mustard oil definitely attracts flies to me so I gave that up and am using coconut oil which is slightly heavier but less attractive to insects. Coconuts are in abundance here as well as banana trees. Sweet basil or Tulsi is everywhere. Chikku and Caju and Supari or Betel Nut trees are abundant. Apparently one caju tree produces 150 caju apples that each contain what we know as one cashew nut. The apples are used to make a lethal local drink; they are manually triple distilled to produce feni wine which is a white spirit type drink. Yuk!
We also visited a few catholic churches...Goa, unlike most of India was not colonised by the British but by the Portugese, since the 16thcentury. The ancient church of St Francis Xavier in Old Goa attracts pilgrims and tourists. There are photos on the site if you're interested, we haven't got much enthusiasm for churches since they are so architecturally resplendent and commonplace in England. St Xavier's was quite a unique building and churches - away from the altar appear to be austere in comparison. The guidebook suggests that the basilica is the best example of baroque architecture in India. The story goes that after dying on his way further east, the travelling Saint wanted to be buried in Goa but his coffin on the journey back was misplaced. On locating the coffin and opening it the body was perfectly preserved and the arm wrote a message. My brain started humming loudly at his point so my version of events is grossly inadequate. But apparently had a lucky peek into the Vestry and saw someone receiving communion from the priest there on the day. Laxman our taxi driver was very enthusiastic about us getting a picture as we were very lucky the door was open that day. Despite being a Hindu he recalled with enthusiasm the story of Old Xavier and the miracle that led to his body parts becoming relics.
Opposite the ancient church was a newer church. This contained religious artwork by students. On this note there was plentiful old artwork in the old church but it was not preserved with the same zeal as we have seen in England. It depicted biblical stories as well as portraits and statues of Xavier himself. We saw a contemporary lifesize waxwork of Jesus looking surprisingly healthy carrying the cross. Artistic and devotional license I suppose.So all in all a relaxing, if touristy, day. Finished off by... yes you've guessed it a yoga session... which the yoga master promised me will cure me of my diabetes if I do 5 minutes everyday... should I have got that in writing, with a moneyback guarantee, you think?
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