Spice Plantation in Goa

Goa really does have some wonderfully touristy things. I don't know how you can go to one of the world's premiere spice growing regions and ignore the spice markets and spice plantations totally. So off we go to the spice plantation. Cab far, non Indian resident fare, pre-paid lunch, more nickel and diming, and we're there!

One of the many things I picked up in India is a real love for cardamom. I liked it before, but it's a potent spice. Bite into one of those little capsules and it's a strong flavor. Perhaps too strong. I love it. It shows up in a lot of Indian dishes and in north india in chai and I get a huge kick out of chomping right into one of those powerful spice pods! One thing I didn't know (learned on the tour, I'm such a crappy tourist sometimes) is that cardamom is one of the world's most expensive spices. I can't remember where it ranks, and I'm not sure who's ranking it, but the tour guide had said something about.

I should take some time here to mention the tour. Our tour guide was a little Indian girl (probably about 30, but she looked 15 or 16) and gave us an over rehearsed under enthused tour. Most of the tour was about herbal remedies for things rather than cook this delicious dish with this spice, but still kind of interesting. However, it was monotone, flat, too fast to retain any useful info, and jokes were thrown in there, but totally deadpan. It was a shame because I actually liked a couple of them...
For example:
Concerning Peri Peri chillies, which are amongst the hottest chillies in the world. (I think they rank just below habeneros on the scoville scale) She said "These chillies are a cure for people you don't like. Just put two in any sandwich."
No laughter. Come one people, that wasn't so terrible for a joke. It's just that our girl didn't deliver it as if she meant it.
Second example: Concerning Fenny...
"The fruit of the cashews is left to ferment, then distilled twice. And if you people drink it you will be ready for take-off."
Ok, that one is not so funny, but I like the idea that she's making a jet fuel joke about homemade rotgut!

Anyway, I got to pet an elephant, eat some love apples (about which a british woman said "I'm not feeling the love..."), eat some raw coffee beans which was a fairly bizarre experience, and see some spice I'm not accustomed to seeing grow. We were fed lunch which was quite tasty and at the end of the tour the "brave people" were allowed to try the homemade fenny. Of course both Yvonne and I wanted to try more rotgut! Actually, it wasn't bad at all. It wasn't jet fuel, it didn't smell bad, and we weren't ready for take-off. It was essentially cashew flavored vodka. I've had much worse. Also, I didn't go blind, or lose any sight (not even from blackout).