Turtles on our beach
Why our lights go low after 10 pm, and what to do if you see a nest.
A morning with the Talpona fishermen
At 6.30 am the canoes come in. Here is what they bring, and what ends up on your plate.
Every morning in the season, before most guests are awake, small canoes come into the bay at Talpona. They went out before dawn with gill nets, and by 6.30 they are pulling the boats up the sand.
The catch changes through the year: mackerel and sardines in October, kingfish and pomfret in the cooler months, prawns and squid when the sea allows. Our chef, Anthony, is usually on the beach with a basket. He buys what is fresh and plans the lunch menu around it.
Guests are welcome to walk down and watch. Please ask before taking photographs, and stay clear of the boats and ropes as they are hauled in. The women who sort and sell the fish are happy to tell you the Konkani names if you ask.
At lunch, that catch becomes fish curry rice, rava-fried mackerel, a prawn balchão or a whole pomfret recheado. If you want something special, tell Anthony in the morning, and he will look for it on the beach.
