Spices brought the Europeans to Asia. John encourages tourists to get back to nature and explore the rich spice plantations located in the heart of central Goa around the temple town of Ponda. Some spice plantations are located further in the eastern Bicholim district of Goa.
A trip to any Goan spice plantation is very refreshing and rejuvenating to all the senses. One can learn how local spices and herbs are grown organically. Some of the spice plantations that form part of the itinerary John organizes are Rustic Plantation, Savoi Plantation, Tropical Spice Plantation, Sahakari Spice Plantation, Pascoal Spice Farms and Abyss Spice Farms.
On reaching the spice plantation John will guide your way over the river way by bridge or by boat depending on the season. At the entrance of most spice farms, you will be given a warm Goan Traditional welcome and offered a refreshing herbal drink. Once inside you can at once inhale the fragrances of fresh spices such as nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, black and white pepper, coriander, chilies, and betel nut. Interspersed in this plantation are also fruit trees and vegetables such as cashew, custard apple, banana, citrus fruits and pineapples. You also get to see the art of how Betel Nut pluckers climb these trees, over a hundred feet above the ground and then swaying from tree to tree.
Afternoon lunch is served mostly in an open air environment on hygienic & green banana leaves which are biodegradable. The food is generally fish curry and rice with local vegetables which will spice up your appetite. The desert mostly comprises fruits. You also get an opportunity to sip the local brew called feni or urrak, which is brewed from Cashew apples or coconut.
According to John, most of the Spice Plantations in Goa are located near lakes and streams, so you can do some boating and fishing too. Enjoy birding by the lakeside, or just relax by the water bodies of the plantation. Watch the cuckoos, owls, hornbills and parrots flock to the trees that dot the Spice Planation in Goa.
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