St Francis Xavier, the Incorruptible

Anu and Karishma at the Church of St Cajetan, Old Goa


Basilica do Bom Jesus, Old Goa, where the body of St Francis Xavier is kept

St Francis Xavier was one of the missionaries who founded the Jesuit movement. The Jesuits are famous for being one of the earliest organizations to spread Christianity to East Asia (in the 16th Century). They were the first missionaries to venture into Japan and Borneo, among other places. St Francis Xavier died from a fever on an island off the coast of South China during one of his missions. He was buried on a beach on the island. When they exhumed his body after about 3 months to be transferred to a more permanent place, they found that the body had not decayed. His body was then transferred to Malacca (which was under Portuguese rule at the time) and kept there for about a year before being transferred permanently to Old Goa where his incorruptible body is still kept. While the body is incorruptible, many parts of his body have since been removed as relics and are now spread all over the world. Nope, we’re not allowed to see the body, only the casket, but I’ve heard that the church offers the body for public viewing once every ten years. And no, I don’t know when that is.


Church of St Francis of Assisi (this is a different St Francis from St Francis Xavier)


Interior of the Church of St Cajetan


Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus opposite the Se Cathedral, Old Goa


Church of St Francis Xavier of Assisi from the main Old Goa road


Little terrifier, in Old Goa




Basilica do Bom Jesus from different angles


Interior, Basilica do Bom Jesus


The Casket of St Francis Xavier

Palm Fringed Beaches and White-Washed Churches

Anjuna Beach, Goa, India

Our one last trip before the monsoon hit India this year. Bloody hot in Goa, coz it was the peak of summer, right before the monsoon. The bad news was that parts of Goa wore a semi-deserted look, the foreign tourists had more or less evaporated, (the urban beaches, where most locals favour, were still full of locals), breakfast was impossible to find as most restaurants including hotel kitchens were closed in the morning (unlike peak season), and the famous Wednesday Flea Market and the Saturday Night Market in Anjuna were closed for the season. The good news was that hotels were clamouring for guests, hence cheaper, and the beaches were not as crowded. Many of the hotels had actually closed down in preparation for the rainy season, some were removing curtains and linens to store for the next tourist season, so there you have it – our little Goan adventure.


Justin at Vagator Beach, Goa


Having a splashing time at Vagator Beach


Vagator Beach


Family photo at Anjuna, Goa


Deserted Anjuna Beach


A beach side cafe at Anjuna


Deserted Anjuna's Wednesday Flea Market


Sunset at Anjuna, Goa


Anjuna Beach Resort, our hotel for the trip


Feeding the little cowboy


Baga Beach, lots of locals, lots of activities


Another sunset pic, Anjuna

Respite from the Sun

Monsoon on the Pune-Solapur Highway, Kurkumbh

Finally, the monsoon is here. Bad news for construction work, good news for construction workers (especially the lazy ones). No change for me, rain or shine, it’s work as usual since I’m involved with everything. Anyway, see what the monsoon can do from the photos below.


Daund in the monsoon (Sep 2010)


Same view of Daund, crackling dry (Apr 2011)


Daulatabad Fort after the monsoon (Oct 2010)


Daulatabad Fort in the dry season (Mar 2011)

Malls, Malls and even more Malls

Mirdif City Centre, Dubai


Souk Madinat Jumeirah

Here’re pictures of the lesser known malls of Dubai. No scarcity of malls in Dubai, if only Daund has one, just one measly one, please...


Dubai Festival City


Mercato Mall, Jumeirah, Dubai


Khan Murjan Souk, Wafi City Mall

Gold Souk

The Gold Souk, this is what Dubai is famous for. Before the Burj Khalifa, Ski Dubai and the lot, people come to Dubai to buy (and sometimes sell) Gold. There’re streets and streets of gold shops, blocks and blocks of buildings dedicated to the trade of gold. Gold crowns, gold belts, heck, even chainmail made out of gold can be found. No wonder Dubai attracts the rich and famous (not to mention the seedy) from all over the World. It's all very peaceful and crime-free, but imagine, a pirate’s den of the modern world, where the bandits and the pirates of world converge... I’ll probably make a movie out of this if I’m a movie maker, call it ‘Bandits of Arabia’ or ‘Pirates of the Somalia’... something like that.


Shops of gold, Gold Souk, Dubai

The New Justin

Justin in Pune, Gloria Jeans Cafe, Inorbit Mall

Hello everyone! Here're some recent pictures of our little naughty monster after his haircut. Looks just about right for the Shaolin Temple.


Justin, Shaolin boy


Justin, doing what boys do best


Justin at our Daund apartment








Justin and the Adventure of the Clothes Rack, Daund, Maharashtra

Daund in the Dumps

On the road to Daund (the little bit of buildings far at the back near the horizon, that's Daund!)

Who in the right mind would make a shift from a city like Dubai to a small town like Daund, in rural India? We did, and we are enjoying everyday of it. From the green farms and fresh smell of manure, to the daily power cuts from 7am to 3pm. No more friggin desert sand and artificially watered trees. This is natural living at its best!

No air-conditioners, no malls, no cinemas, no restaurants of note, no unhealthy fast food like McDonald’s or Burger Kings, just acres and acres of farms, and an industrial area sitting next to our Project office spewing out funny smelling gas.

Work-wise, I am good, leaving the house daily at 6.30am and returning back by 9pm, 6 days a week and half a day on alternate Sundays. But it’s construction, and timing is somewhat flexible. Sometimes I may put in a little less, sometimes work a little later to show support at night or in the wee hours of the morning, but most of the time, as with most exploitive industries like construction, working less is out of the question.

Family-wise, we’re good here as well. Our little monster is growing up mighty fast and running all over the place. Wife has her hands full with the little critter, since the husband is most of the time not around to be with the family or to see his little monster grow up. It may be a matter of time before the kid forgets who his father is. And the wife forgets who the husband is.

Best decision ever made, moving from Dubai to Daund. Just wondering when this fiasco in the Middle East will end... It better be fast or it’ll be the end of our happy family life.


Anu and Amrita with our car at our apartment in Daund, Pune District, Maharashtra


The neighbourhood kids


Our living room


House of the Buddha's Palm, there're red palms and swastika prints all over the house. There're on every wall. Local custom.


Typical scenery from the area, Daund to Patas road


Viaduct across the Bhima River, the river flanking Daund


Our little monster in a petrol station on the Shirdi Road. Shirdi is the abode of the first (original) Sai Baba and is a major pilgrimage point in India. It's about 160km away from Daund