February is a carnival time in Goa, as I have mentioned a few times over the years. The Goa Carnival parade can be seen in Goa on four different days in four different cities, which most often are Mapusa in North Goa, Panjim and Vasco in Central Goa and Margao in South Goa.
I blogged about the Viva Carnival -event for the first time in 2006 with authentic Nokia mobile pictures and you can still see those carnival pictures here.
As I recall, the same year 2006 I had also filmed a huge carnival parade in Panjim with a film camera, but because of some misfortune with my travels I lost all those stunning carnival images with the camera film roll.
Carnival parade and audience in Margao, Goa, India, 2013
In 2013 I again posted fresh carnival pictures from Goa and now, seven years later, it’s finally time for the video. You can watch the full 20 minute carnival video here!
The video shows how local children, young people and adults have gathered along the streets in Margao to watch the carnival parade including traditional fishermen and farmers from Goa with their respective outfits and also Goan folk dancers. In addition one can see for example young people demonstrating on behalf of local farmers, tiger protesting on behalf of Goa’s nature, local sex education, men dressed as oriental women, Smurfs, Indian and European cartoon characters and young girls and boys dancing with each other.
From this video I made you will get a little glance of what the carnival in Goa, India, looked like in February 2013:
A few years ago I traveled to the East coast of India to discover a small town called Pondicherry, also known as Puducherry. Puducherry is located some tens of kilometers south of Chennai along the East coast of India.
Hotel Sunway Manor and entrance
I chose to stay in a hotel called Sunway Manor, which was a four-star hotel located by a main road called Hundred Feet Road.
Double bed in Hotel Sunway Manor
My room was spacious and tidy and there were two chairs and a table in addition to the bed, TV and the desk. From the window I was able to see the tops of the palm trees further in the horizon and also the sun rising from the East.
The hotel room service was impeccable and on some afternoons one could find an elephant folded of towels on the bed.
Hotel neighborhoodSunway Manor hotel swimming poolHotel swimming pool
There were two swimming pools in the inner yard of the hotel: a large pool for adults and a small pool for children. There were also a few sunbeds with shadows around the pool, and the shadows were really needed as the sun was shining hot almost all day.
However, in the indoors the climate of Pondicherry did not bother as the hotel was fully air-conditioned.
South Indian and French breakfasts come together
Puducherry’s common history with France was evident only in the hotel breakfast, where the morning buffet menu included traditional South Indian breakfast along with French delicacies such as pancake, croissant and toast. Fresh papaya, watermelon and fruits along with pongal were also served.
South Indian buffet dinner
The hotel’s buffet dinner was a wonderful discovery trip to South Indian meals, but a few Indian dishes common even in Finland were also served, and the dishes were not too spicy.
Masala Dosa alà Hotel Sunway Manor
For a small hunger one could order masala dosa from the room service, and it was brought with coconut and other chutneys. My experience was that masala dosa may look as modest as in the photo attached and still taste good.
Boddhi statue at Hotel Sunway Manor
I was very pleased with the hotel, and if there was something to improve, it would have been having a roof terrace and the sea near by. However, the location was by a major road, and one could have an air-conditioned taxi from the hotel, or even pick up a yellow rickshaw in front of the hotel if one wanted to get to the beach. However though, for cultural reasons, sunbathing was only possible by the hotel’s swimming pool.
The best thing about this hotel in my humble opinion was its SPA, which refreshed the tired and flabby Finnish skin totally. Ayurvedic facial treatments and massages given at the Bodhi SPA, together with high quality ayurvedic SPA products, alleviated the prickly heat problem which is often experienced in them tropical climates. And the customer was able to continue her journey with good memories.
Here’s a short video by me of the Sunway Manor hotel in Pondicherry:
Find your own hotel in Pondicherry, India
(Ad: The following chapter contains 2 affiliate links marked with a *star)
From the following link * good hotel in Pondicherry you can find more information about this Sunway Manor hotel. You can find more than 600 other * accommodations in Pondicherry here, in case you are searching for cheaper hotels or bed and breakfast in Pondicherry, India. Note: By booking a hotel through this starred affiliate link attached, you are giving a positive feedback to this travel blogger.
Check also my ework INDIVUE – a Trip to India, which will guide you throughout India. More articles from the East Coast of India are coming, so subscribe to my blog to be among the first to read them!
The year 2019 came to its end and now it is time to pick the best café of the past decade in South Goa. Not counting the beach restaurants makes it a bit easier thing to do.
German Bakery products such as lemon cake, chocolate walnut cake, honey peanut cake, cheesecake, carrot cake, croissant and vegetable pastry
The winner is a small cafe in Benaulim called German Bakery, which has existed for as long as I can remember. A restaurant with the same name and a bigger size has also operated in North Goa at least one decade ago, but this article tells about that small cafe in the village of Benaulim in South Goa.
The winner is a small cafe in Benaulim called German Bakery, which has existed for as long as I can remember. A restaurant with the same name and a bigger size has also operated in North Goa at least one decade ago, but this article tells about that small cafe in the village of Benaulim in South Goa.
German Bakery is a great place to go if you need change for the Indian masalas and Goan bebincas, as you will find Western cakes, buns, breads and pastries over there.
Ginger-lemon-honey tea in German BakeryVeg sandwich in German Bakery
That modest café German Bakery has four tables and chairs alongside Benaulim’s grocery store, and the tables are almost always full. Still, one can always find room, at least after a little waiting. A grocery store is located on the other side of the café and a pharmacy in the other side.
German Bakery has clients for every occasion, but most often you hear English and Hindi spoken. The cafe is about 700m from the Benaulim beach and approximately the same distance from the main road and Maria Hall, which is a well known building in that region.
The baked products are manufactured elsewhere, and they are not spoiled with price and neither will they spoil the tourist’s stomach, if moderately eaten. In the café itself they make tasty vegetable sandwiches, ginger-lemon-honey tea, omelette and juice made of freshly squeezed fruits, among others.
Café staff
Their customer service is good and it is amazing, how they cope with their friendly customer service with smile in their face day in day out, regardless of the weather. They must be really doing what they like to do.
Even though the café is modest in appearance, the level of hygiene is mostly good, considering that there is constant traffic around with passing cars, scooters, cows and dogs.
The endless stream of tourists and locals will keep the viewer, the café customer, interested, and no television or even a friend is necessarily needed.
Occasionally, an exciting addition to the customer is brought by sudden power outages, which, without a warning, darken the environment for a moment until the lights come up with the backup generators in the near-by shop. Little bit later, the electricity in the whole village starts working again.
Although gluten-free products were already available in Goa‘s local stores one year back, German Bakery had not yet invested in them, at least in January 2019. However, for a gluten-free diet, there was tea and coffee, fruit juices and omelettes available in the café.
My absolute favorite in the German Bakery was their ginger-lemon-honey tea, and I recommend you to try it, though I’m still not sure if honey should be mixed with hot water or not. But it tastes good anyway.
Couple of walls by the German Bakery served also as bulletin boards promoting eg. local concerts, yoga classes and more. INDIVUE has also been seen there.
INDIVUE chose German Bakery as the best cafe of the past decade in South Goa
If you’re planning to travel to Goa, check out the travel guide in the link!
