We were up before dawn this morning to head out in a 20’ wooden boat to go dolphin watching. Iftach almost didn’t get out of bed but thankfully he changed his mind. There were four other tourists heading out on the boat with us but first we had to get it into the water. The boat sits on 4-5 pieces of wood, like railway ties, on the sand and as it is pushed towards the sea the ties are dragged from the back to the front in a domino effect. I’ve seen this practice many times before in Arambol and other beaches in Goa by the fishermen who use the same type of boats to catch their bounty. Iftach and I helped the two locals (the boat driver and the spotter) get the vessel down the lengthy strip of sand thanks to the low tide.
Figure out what's wrong with Naomi's early morning picture:
Launching the boat:
Soon, after a minor delay getting the 7-8 horsepower outboard engine running, we were under way and just in time as the sun was just about to rise over the jungle to our east. Catching the sunrise on the water is always something special.
Me, my Adam's Apple and the sunrise:
Gorgeous sunrise:
Iren working her best "I'm looking at dolphins" look...too bad it was fake:
Naomi excited to see dolphins:
We cruised out of Palolem’s sheltered bay and headed north around the small connected palm tree covered island out to the dolphins’ playground. It didn’t long for the standing spotter to locate the smart sea dwelling mammals. It was probably a school of about 20-25 dolphins. We mostly just saw them coming up to breathe but I was lucky and did catch a glimpse of one guy jumping clear out of the water but unfortunately the other three in my group missed it.
Sadly the best pic we snapped of them:
After about 15-20 minutes of watching the dolphins, the boat headed towards a couple of beaches that were advertised in the tour. Honeymoon was the first stop followed by Butterfly Beach. Both were small strips of sand and no one in the boat was that bothered by them so we didn’t even land. I think the boat operators use these stops as a backup plan just in case no dolphins are spotted.
The local fishermen in action:
Returning on the boat:
An hour after launching we were back at the beach. Iftach and Iren headed back to the guesthouse for some more shuteye while Naomi and I opted for breakfast at Fernandez follow by a wander along the beach to the south, an area we hadn’t explored until now. We walked through a couple of small beach resorts that weren’t open for the season yet. One sported a gaudy statue of a masculine looking mermaid who looked like she was a member of the East German shot put team in the 1980s.
Starting our walk:
Looking back across Palolem:
Me...gophering:
Naomi posing with the shotputter who's obviously very cold:
Looking north across the bay:
What a gorgeous place!
This was a strange mannequin in a store on the street...
That evening the four of us returned to the Cafe Inn for a traditional Rosh Hashanah dinner. I can’t say that I’m at all familiar with Jewish traditions so I was intrigued to find out what’s involved with this celebration of the coming of the Jewish New Year.
All of the tables were arranged together in a large U shape. Naomi explained to me that this signifies the connection between all of the people present. Having not seen too many foreigners on the beach, I was surprised at the number of individuals who showed up, filling the place to capacity. Of course almost everyone there was from Israel or at least Jewish but there were one or two other “guests” like me.
Rosh Hashanah Dinner:
Iftach and Iren:
Me and Naomi:
The dinner began with some prayers led by a guy in his 30s who didn’t look like he was a rabbi but from what I could tell he did a good job (not that I could understand a thing that he said as it was all in Hebrew). All of the men had to stand at one point and cover the crowns of their heads. Most, including me, simply held a napkin on the noggin...I guess that’s good enough. This was followed by some small ceremonial appetizers that were consumed in a specific order and each signified something such as horse radish to drive enemies away. One of these was a slice of apple dipped in honey (for a sweet year) which I’ve never tried before but is quite tasty.
Dave, meet Fishhead:
Our Jewish appy tributes called the "Kiddush":
Singing at Rosh Hashanah:
We had signed up for the dinner the day before and had preselected our entrees but nonetheless I think the kitchen was a bit overwhelmed by the number of mouths to feed as the different entrees came out over a long period of time. Some people were completely finished their meal while others waited and tried to control their salivating. All in all I enjoyed the dinner. I think a few people weren’t totally impressed due to the disorder and delay in the food but I think hats off to the local Indian restaurant owner who took the initiative to try and cater to the omnipresent Israelis in Palolem (I’m sure he made a good bit of coin out of it too).
Naomi excited to finally see food...even if it's just mashed potatoes!
I ordered lamb something...trying to figure it out:
After dinner, Iftach, Iren, Naomi and I walked done to the beach. It was a clear night and after only being near the water for a couple of minutes I spotted a streak in the sky. I immediately recognized that it was a shooting star and almost certainly the best one I’ve ever seen in my life! It was bright and left a good sized trail behind it as it tore across the heavens. It was visible long enough for the others to see it thanks to my crescendoed yelling: “whoa...Whoa...WHOA!!!!!” I think that Iren appreciated how good it was but my excitement fell slightly on deaf ears with Naomi and Iftach...but at least they saw it and perhaps when they’re old and grey they will look back and realize that it was a rare sight to see. What a great finish to a great day!
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