Not Another Curry!

Today was yet again another jam packed day, as we had a many places to visit. First stop was Helen's house, a very kind and caring woman from England who was creating a holiday home for orphans in her back garden. We talked to her about her experiences so far and the reasons for creating this home, and it was interesting to hear about her thoughts. We have to admit, her house was extremely luxurious, complete with chandeliers, several bedrooms and a huge garden for the children to play in. To think that a person is putting in all this time, effort and money to improve the lives of children is touching.

After our look around Helen's home, we made our way to the spice plantation. Weren't quite sure what to expect from this tour of the spice farm, but it had to be worth it to be on our itinerary. On our tour, we learnt various facts such as that banana is from a grass. Yes, that surprised us too, as did the fact that saffron is the most expensive spice, followed by vanilla.

I would not recommend the tour of the spice plantation if you have a fear of spiders, because the ones we encountered were ginormous. We had to be careful not to get a face full of cobwebs!

On our travels, we came across a young man. We had heard of the one who could climb trees, and this was him. As we stood around him, he jumped onto the 50 foot tree, and sprung his way up in less than 3 seconds. It was amazing to watch as he swung at the top of the tree, leaping to another tree, and sliding his way down. To prove how hard this was, Sammy had a go at it, but simply could not make any progress. The climbing man must have had years of experience and practise to allow him to climb the way he does and shake the coconuts down from the top.

The highlight of this trip was the interaction with the elephants. We were allowed to touch and feel them, which has to be said they felt very strange - almost like a wrinkly rubber-like texture. Unfortunately, we did not get to see them bathe which would have been a great sight, but being so close to one is an experience in itself.

Afterwards we had lunch (another curry!!), and had the chance to buy some of the spices we had seen.

We briefly stopped off at the hotel, but then set off for Palolem Beach. On arrival, the setting looked spectacular. Our timing could not have been better, as we sat in a local bar and watched the sun set behind a nearby island. It was a good time to reflect on what we had done so far, and what would be happening next. This was also a great time for photos, and a chance to see some of the local fisherman selling their daily catch.

To give us a break from all the curries, we decided to have dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. This was an unusual yet interesting dinner, as we sat on minute seats, almost on the floor. We all had pizza or lasagna, and afterwards did a bit of shopping in the market. This was our first chance at bartering, which is surprisingly fun. Wish we could do it back in England!