THE THING ABOUT Goans of a breeding from a distant past is that some of us cling to things that bind us to Goa in different ways. A few things are specific, the sea air, the beaches, the coconut groves, mango orchards, the curries, million or more and iconic cuisine (I exaggerate, yes, but it felt like that sometimes), the cashew feny, urak from the coconuts, the churches (but not necessarily some of the priests), the towns, the cities, all those unforgettable Christmas and feast day sweets, fishing on those very old boats, walking everywhere, the jingle jangle of the baker's delivery bicycle, paddy fields that are lost forever, just being there in the old days when there were lots and lots of Goans and the restaurants were catered mainly for the Goan tastebuds and lots and lots of things. Friends tell me that these days things are not so good and the face of Goa of old has changed considerably but the country is still there but there are changes ...
One of the reasons Goans were particularly attached to the East African countries was Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and other countries along the Indian Ocean coast had so much to offer that was familiar to Goa.
It would be no exaggeration to say that Goans pretty well felt at home in their second home.
Besides the mangoes, I think it was the love affair with coconuts that won most hearts.
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