Fontainhas Old Latin Quarter in Panaji / Panjim, Goa

Goa.

When did you fell in love with Goa?

Me?

When watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hei

I have such a high expectation on Goa after watching the movie and I bet some of us still do, but I was disappointed upon arriving, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t Goa in general that I was disappointed of, it was just the beach. I was given the impression of pristine and picturesque beach but when I reach there I was unimpressed. Perhaps I didn’t venture more or further, perhaps there are other wonderful beaches. Perhaps.

But what I was overwhelmed was - Panaji, the capital of Goa.

Panaji is a rich Portuguese influence city with its tiled roofs, baroque churches, colourful villas and home, and of course cobbled streets. Staying here in Panaji (as the beach site area was too expensive) was not what I expected, being warned that it is a distance walk from the bus station, an hour bus ride to beach and that the guesthouse was a bit hidden and far back from the Old Latin Quarter or Fontainhas kind of dampen and lowered my expectation, in fact, I felt worried. Until I saw the quarter, the day we took a stroll aimlessly, the day we decide to dine at one of the villas enjoying the local dailies, the day we chill; doing nothing. No thing.

The locals are super friendly, the environment is pretty safe, the culture is rich… all to my liking, wondering and wandering is fun. I spend half a day just walking and checking out the galleries, oh yah! There a few galleries here too. Just small ones. You get local handicraft shops, probably a handful yet you’ll enjoy browsing. Unlike those touristy places, come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing any tourist on some of the days we were there.

Other thing that caught my attention was the locals doing yoga, eateries with local ambience, nice expensive villas (for those who can afford), the converted kopitiam; now a Goa Café amongst other thing. As I was strolling in the evening, my pictures did not do it justice but I swear the ambience is fantastic. Especially if you like old architecture and culture. Don’t give this a miss.

One thing I wish travelers get to experience the same way we experienced was local wedding (again me failing to snap any pictures), during this we get to listen to their music which is Portuguese or Latin in nature, more upbeat and danceable. I too feel like joget joget. Hahahhaaaa…. I should just volunteered myself to joget together huh. 

Here is the Goa Portuguese Folk song /dance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PavrtiIMtgs 

Sounds familiar?
Like our Malaccan Portuguese song right?
*smile*

Chinese fishing net at Fort Cochin

No cities.

No shopping.

Just my net,

My sunset,

And me.

I’m a very simple person.

As long as there’s sunrise and sunset in my travel itinerary, am a happy girl (singing to Pharrell Williams’s  Happy).

I lied.
I got the architecture, the art, the culture, the people, AND the sunset, all in Fort Cochin. And it was as good as paradise (not that I have been to one). I did browse thru on Fort Cochin and I decided to only focus on one thing, the Chinese fishing net. More intrigued by the name than the net itself (why is it called Chinese but located in India?!! #confuse), here I learnt that there is 2 versions of the story of its origin; it was introduced by the Chinese explorer Zheng He, while the other version said that it was introduced by Portuguese Casado settlers from Macau. Whichever the version is, am glad it made its way to Fort Cochin which later on begin a great tourist attraction.

Alfonso de Albuquerque was granted the permission by the Rajah of Kochi back in 1503 after helping Cochin fought against Saamoothiri of Kozhikode and it remained in Portuguese possession for 160 years. Later came in the Dutch and captured Fort Cochin and remained under them for 112 years, before the British took control. With this great colourful history, coupled with a rich blend of culture that intertwine for more than 2 centuries, it is no surprise that when one takes a stroll here, the presence of past are strongly felt, the air of opulent antiquity swept.

First, I strolled by the beach looking for the ideal spot before the sun sets in, little did I know, the daytime view is not as ‘beautiful’. The beach was filled with seaweed, according to the local it is depending on the season. It is not always presence. So, tak pe lah kot kan…

Bump into street stalls where I was captivated with handcrafts and felt in love with some of the door knobs, was thinking of getting one each but my practicality and rationalization kicks in, reasoning out that my luggage can’t handle more than what it has. As you have guessed, I regretted till now. Sigh… Sometimes impulse purchase should just take charge, and gamble with the consequences.

Vasco da Gama; a name often heard, being the first European to reach India by sea thus linking Europe and Asia via the ocean route. He is a Portuguese explorer during the peak of colonial periods that was once buried in St Francis Church also the oldest European church in India.

I hunted for a good spot to capture the sunset view like those I saw on google site and postcards, none of the place I got fits the desired visual I had in mind, until I started to chat with one of the fisherman, this your gentleman offered for me to sit at his fishing stilt. Doubt at first, I gave in and nodded as I wanted so much to take the sunset pics and I got it. As I was leaving the place feeling rather happy and satisfied, the gentleman asked for ‘tip’ (lahhhh…. Kena bayar ke?), well…. I paid lor, nasib baik puas hati hehheheheee….

  

I got my ferry ride here *smile*.

Can you see the Chinese fishing net? Well, apparently there is a sunset cruise for you take a better photo here. Google lah...

How to get to Alleppey Houseboat?

Travelers have been asking me I tips on how to purchase a boathouse package in Alleppey.
So here goes.

Alleppey or Alappuzha is located in Kerala state, in southern India. My journey starts from Bangalore moving towards Mysore where I discover how Hindu ad Islam architecture culture intertwine, then we proceed to Alleppey to experience a boathouse stay. The standard and constant questions I have been receiving are (i) How to get to Alleppey (which is a bit hard to answer as it is highly depending on from where the person travels from) and (ii) How much did I pay for my boathouse or houseboat. So, for those who are dying to know about this 2 questions (not sure how much I can be of help), here goes…

(i) How to get to Alleppey?
This is a tough one, normally I choose to ignore as there is no exact answer to this question. How do I advise as I travel from Mysore and I travel as I please which is kinda hard for me to advice (I shall try nevertheless). I took a bus from Mysore and arrived superbly early in the morning in Alleppey Bus Station and waited for the Boathouse Agent office to open. Simple right? Yup! It is that simple.

#TravelTips 1 : Yes. The bus station is safe at least when I was there. We lepak-ed at the bus station while waiting for the Boathouse Agent office opens.

#TravelTips 2 : There are a few shops inside and outside the bus station selling waters, newspaper and titbits. Get yourself a bottle of two bottles of mineral water or juices before the boat trip.

(ii) How much did I pay for my boathouse or houseboat?
I paid RM200 per person for an overnight trip; full board, some says its cheap and some says it is expensive. Well, it is very much on how you see it, glass half full or half empty *wink*. This is what I learnt and gathered…

#TravelTips 3 : Most websites displayed RM300-400 per person / per overnight trip, am equally surprise. No comment on this.

#TravelTips 4 : There are a few type of boathouse, you can either charter the boat, then there are also 2 rooms boat, 3 rooms boat etc. Options are limitless, so are the sizes.

#TravelTips 5 : RM200+ is during peak season, and RM100+ for low season.

#TravelTips 6 : You can attempt a walk-in bargain at the agent office, that’s what we did. Just make sure you have a great back-up plan.

Just in case you are not spending any nights in the town, you can get postcards and souvenirs at the shops around the river banks near the bus station. The people there are very friendly.

Aishwarya Residency - Where to stay in Mysore, India

Everything you wish not to happen in a trip,
.... happened to me.

My hotel room was canceled on the day I arrived.

The view from my hotel. 

Yes, it was that shocking and scary, first time experiencing this and it have to be in India. A country which I prefer to have a fool proof plan, a plan with multiple back-up plans; Plan A, plan B, plan C…. Plan Z if need be. The problem arises  due to double booking in the system, but the good thing about Booking.com was that they called and proposed a few other hotels, unfortunately for me is that they called me as I touched down in Bangalore enroute to Mysore. Abit too late I guess.

#TravelTips 1 : The phone number key-ed in during booking should be available and switched on when traveling to receive last minutes changes on flight or accommodation booking, and family emergencies.

Having said that (obviously my mood wasn’t that good), the tuk-tuk driver that we took was helpful and helped us search for new hotels and we get to check-out the rooms before committing. I have to admit that despite I was not in good mood and all, the room we got and the hotel we selected was good, in fact better than good; it was great! My Mysore stay was perfect.

#TravelTips 2 : Keep calm and don’t get agitated despite that your mood ruined on the first day. Sometimes the changes is for the best and as for me, it was much better.

#TravelTips 3 : Hunting for hotels or rooms on the spot can be to our advantage, we can check on locality and cleanliness, and make our decision then (konsep redah ni ada bagusnya).

Clean ans spacious. 

Staircase and elevator available. 

#TravelTips 4 : We can try negotiating for better price, rooms or breakfast during our recce.

Roof top dining available.... love this. 

This is the best place at the hotel rooftop, if one plans to stay long in Mysore of which I highly advise you should (the weather here is always cooling and windy, kid you not!), bring a book and just laze here for a day or two.... just lepak and chill. Siap ada hammock hokkay!

The sky is always blue here, clean and clear. the road is safe and halal food is at abundance. Really easy to move around. Mysore is a great place to include on your trip to Southern India.

My other entries on Mysore
Things To Do in Mysore - Mounted Police/Mysore Palace/Government House/Masjid-e-Azam/St Philomena's Church
Things To Do in Mysore - Chamundeshwari Temple/Chamundi Hills/Lalitha Mahal Palace
A day at Tipu Sultan Fort, Mysore

Aishwarya Residency
2932/A, Off Bangalore-Nilgiri Road
(Behind Kalyan Jewels | Near Suburban Bus stand)
Mysore, India

For Trip Advisor Reviews, please click HERE.

A day at Tipu Sultan Fort, Mysore

We were ‘lured’ by our tuk-tuk driver to visit Tipu Sultan fortress lcoated slightly outskirt of Mysore city, and from there we are able to view Mysore land and beyond. That’s a good bait I said to myself, for a history lover and curious-cat like me, I will, obviously jump to it. And the tuk-tuk driver knew that we will say yes before we could even blink, in fact faster than the speed of light, I mean, even superman will be impress. Ahaks.

The journey took around half an hour or so, as I said before, Mysore is clean which makes the journey outskirt super pleasant. We then reach the small entrance where our journey and adventure begin *wink*. Before I start, let me share about Mysore briefly.

Srirangapatna is like a island fortress surrounded by Cauvery River consist of 9 attractions.

The tuk-tuk driver took us up a small hill so that we can view the surrounding and that is when we realised the scenery was awesome (and windy too), feasting out eyes as far as the Masjid-E-Ala, Bailee’s Tomb, Scott’s Bungalow and everything else. We realized that there is a fairly small village located inside Srirangapatna which made us feel as if we were brought back into the time.

The Kingdom of Mysore is situated in southern India was founded in 1399 and  was ruled by the Wodeyar family, it initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire. The kingdom reached the height of its military power in the 18th century under the de facto ruler Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. Famously known as the Muslim ruler of the South Indian state - Tiger of Mysore; Tipu Sultan is a fearsome war leader, having said that he is also a Madrasa scholar, soldier and poet.

Jamia Masjid or Masjid-e-Ala

Jamia Masjid is situated near the Bangalore Gate. It was built in 1784 by Tipu Sultan after he ascended the throne of Mysore. Ninety-nine names of Allah was inscripted inside the mosque. Intricate Persian calligraphy decorated the mosque walls.

Jamia Masjid also houses a madrasa or a religious institution within the premises of the mosque.

Kids from all over southern India were sent here to learn religious study, I even walked around their kitchen, common room and the picture above is where they learn the Quran. Donations are welcome to help the mosque and kids.

Tipu Sultan’s Death Place

This is where Tipu Sultan’s body was found enroute to Water Gate from Masjid-e-Ala. For more story click HERE.

Tipu Sultan's Palace

I was very disappointed as we are not allowed to go in, it is gated and guarded. This is the palace foundations remains after siege in 1799.


Colonel Bailey's Dungeon

The dungeon is named after Colonel Bailey who died here during imprisonment in 1780 AD by Tipu Sultan. When I heard that there would be a dungeon, I was all excited thinking that I will need to crawl inside a smelly tunnel underground, I guess I was wrong as dungeon is properly cleared and cleaned up for tourist view.

During the siege of Srirangapatna in 1799, one of the cannons rolled back, pierced the ceiling and fellinto the dungeon. The feeling was rather eerie when I was there but clean though, the cannon picture can be viewed in my Instagram, *smile*.

Daria Daulat Bagh

Daria Daulat Bagh also known as Garden of the Wealth was built by Tipu Sultan and it is made of teakwood. This is one of the most beautiful building I have ever seen here and we were not allowed to take any picture inside it. I was so devastated about it, grumbled all the way.

The paintings, carving, architecture is very intricate and colourful, especially the history. Do be careful of the crowd as it allows everyone to walk in one direction and it is strictly guarded by


Gumbaz (Mini Taj Mahal)

Like Taj Mahal, this mini Taj Mahal is also a mausoleum of Tipu Sultan, his father Hyder Ali and mother Fathima Begum. Built magnificently by Tipu Sultan himself, and the one thing that I noticed is that the corridor supported by pillars of black hornblende, very beautiful and really impressive.

It is a Persian style mausoleum designed with magnificent garden and the Gumbaz stands on an elevated platform at the center of the garden.

The whole area takes half day to two-third of the day so you need to plan well, we had a late lunch on the way back to our hotel as we have to take a late bus to the next city in the evening. There were a few other places that we missed out of which I wish we had more time. Overall I enjoyed the history and the sites and I do encourage everyone to cover this area especially you history lovers.