World Environment Day 2012

It's World Environment Day tomorrow!
What are you doing? I have at least one non-green activity lined up for the morning- driving class. This country has Left Hand Drive, which means I'm on the wrong side of the road. Ok, it's the correct side over here. But where I come from, it isn't!
I had to answer a theory test, before which there were classes. One topic is Eco-friendly driving habits. It's even a chapter in one of the books the RTA gives you upon registration. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. No, really.

What else? Oh, if you are in Goa, see if you can attend the Friday Balcao on the 8th of June from 4pm. to 6pm. at Goa Desc Resource Centre, Liberty Apartments, Feira Alta, Mapusa.
This time's topic: Need to promote a Green Economy for Goa.

My suggestions for tomorrow? Use public transport, especially if you have been affected by the recent petrol price hike. Plant a tree. Or grow nachne- I love cookies with nachne in them. Enjoy the smell of damp earth. Take an extra long whiff for me. Go for a walk.

Cherish the world.

birding in Goa - 2

Last time I introduced you to Lloyd Fernandes, who runs Birds & Breakfast. Here's a little more information...

Lloyd's busiest period is from November to March, because that is when the two-legged visitors arrive- birds and people! Goa plays host to several migratory bird species and people, usually foreigners, come to see them. They arrive with long lists and tick off what they’ve seen, making notes about where they’ve seen which kind, how many times, etc. They have lists for each region, each country, and even each county, monitoring species and numbers. Lloyd believes that Goa too should have some sort of ‘bird audit’- this will help keep track of the birds of Goa and encourage people to watch them.

Every business needs publicity in order to grow. So far, Lloyd has relied purely on word of mouth. He recently started blogging to make himself and his work accessible to more people. Birds & Breakfast is also accessible on Facebook.

So, should you feel like waking up early one morning to gaze in awe at the birds, Lloyd’s the person to go to. He’ll even feed you!

birding in Goa- part 1

Most people in the bustling village of Calangute have tourism-related businesses. Lloyd Fernandes is no exception. The owner of several vehicles, he will ferry you to and from a place. He will drive you around Goa so you can see her natural and historical wonders. Besides these rather mundane activities, he will (if you are so inclined) take you bird watching.

Lloyd owns and runs Birds & Breakfast, which are exactly what he delivers. Each group that comes to him gets a custom-made experience, based on the kinds of birds they want to see and the places they want to visit. You walk through forests, stand beside lakes- just watch the birds, with Lloyd softly pointing out something you don't want to miss, like a golden oriole or Indian Pita (not the bread). And after that, a simple but delicious breakfast of tea or coffee, bread, boiled eggs, homemade mango jam, honey, and fruit.

Lloyd has been doing this for fourteen years now. He’s had a number of interesting bird experiences in that time: he’s held the chick of a red-wattled lapwing, seen a drongo eat a sunbird, and, in his own backyard, watched a pair of tailorbirds raise their young. The first group came to him in 1997. They gave him his first pair of binoculars and a book by DrSalim Ali. There’s been no looking back. Learning from and alongside the avid bird watchers who have hired him, Lloyd has seen over 400 of the birds that can be found in Goa. He can even recognize more than half of them by the sounds they make.


Next time- how you can get in touch with him!

robin and i

I love James Herriot and Gerald Durrell. They make the natural world come alive and sparkle with humor.

While I am nothing like them (in the first place, I’m a girl. And I’m not British), I love observing, and if possible assisting, creatures around me.

The Magpie Robin has figured prominently in my life- my sister and I tried to rear a chick once; we watched a pair come to eat big black ants under our evergreen tree; we saw their wee speckled eggs in a hole in a guava tree brought down by a storm; I’ve listened to robins imitating the song of the Tickell’s blue flycatcher.

And now I have watched a magpie robin dart at a gecko and fly off with its tail. That was the most vicious thing I’ve ever seen that little bird do!

And they say Robin’s just Batman’s gay partner! Pfft!

How to get around 1

What's the best way to travel in Goa? That depends on your requirements:
1. Is it a day trip or an overnight one?
2. Is the place near by or far away?
3. Do you have a lot of time or are you in a hurry?
4. What's the parking situation like?

If you picked the first part for the first three questions, public transport is the way to go.
Public transport would also be the way to go if the trip is during the day to a place that's far away and has limited parking options.

PROS:
It's cheap! Depending on where you want to go, it could even be cheaper than a liter of petrol. I shall demonstrate- Calangute to Panjim, return bus fare= 26 bucks. Petrol to cover the same distance?At least 100 bucks' worth.
You don't have to focus on the crazy idiots on the road.
If the scenery is what you really enjoy, the bus gives you a vantage point few other vehicles can give.
No parking problems.
Fantastic for the environment! (Big PLUS in my book)

CONS:
You can't carry too much stuff with you. (So ditch the beach umbrella.)
The conductor might think you are sardines, or might overcharge you. (Remedy: Check the fare table that is supposed to be displayed near the driver's cabin)
Bus timings- not all display a schedule, but you can always ask the conductor when the last bus (or the penultimate one) leaves.
The sheer amount of time spent travelling: Shuttles, 'Express' and 'Direct' buses take roughly the same amount of time as a private vehicle would, but these wonder-buses run mainly between the cities and towns. Think of this as a pro- all that time with your friends and family, all the incessant badinage- you know you've missed it!

PRO/CON:
For you listening pleasure, the music choice of the conductor/driver. (I can now identify/sing along to many songs from Hindi movies I've never watched.Yay! My name is Sheela...)

I try to travel by bus as much as possible. I see more of Goa that way that I would if I were hunched behind a steering wheel.

Next time: Private transport.... oooooooooooh!

Goa calling

As a young adult, probably working at your first real job, something that is usually difficult to maintain control over is funds. You’re finally earning! Hurrah! There’s all this stuff you want to buy and see and do and now you can do it all with your own money. Or can you?

It’s a little harder than it first appears. You need to save- someday you might be out of a job. You might want something BIG like a house or a car. Do you put the smaller things that Life is supposed to be made of on hold till you achieve the bigger things?

That logic doesn’t quite make sense to me.

I want to travel. Sure, someday I’d like to see the Sphinx, and roam with the animals across the Savannah. For now though I don’t have the moolah to do that. Besides the obvious factor of funds, I’m also concerned about the impact jetting around the world will have on the planet. The best solution I’ve been able to come up with so far? Try and see as much of the state I live in as possible.

And what do you know? I live in a place many people love visiting- Goa.

Can traveling within this tourist’s paradise be economical and eco-friendly? There’s only one way to find out…

friday balcao

" Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children." - Kenyan proverb

FRIDAY BALCAO
on 23rd October from 4pm. to 6pm.
at Goa Desc Resource Centre
No.11, Liberty Apartments,
Feira Alta, Mapusa Goa.

TOPIC: Climate Change: preparing a Action Plan for Goa.

SPEAKER: Open Discussion

You can express your viewpoint
by attending the Friday Balcao event
but if you cannot attend, then please send your
views and action plan suggestions by post to
FRIDAY BALCAO Post Box 78, Mapusa 403 507
or by email to goadesc@bsnl.in