Goa is one of the smallest states in India. It was originally a Portuguese colony, as a result, it has a large Christian population. It is famous for its beaches, and we have been staying here, right on the beach, in a small guest house. We will stay for Christmas and New Years then return to Delhi where we will catch our return flight to Thailand on Jan 10. One of our favourite activities here is to watch the fisherman.
Early every morning local fishermen push their boats into the water. It is a labour intensive process! They drop one end of the net on shore, and one group of men hold that end while others paddle out in a large semi circle. The other end of the net is handed off to another group of men on shore. Then each group hauls the net into shore. The enclosed semi circle gets smaller and smaller as the net is drawn in, and the fish are trapped within.
Once on shore the fish are separated by size and type, placed in baskets, and carried away to market. Sometimes women carry the baskets away on their heads, other times men balance the baskets on two poles and carry them away.
When the nets are emptied, they are washed in the surf and loaded back onto the boat. Then men push the boat out of the water onto the shore above the high tide line. To make it easier to slide the boat ashore, they place greased timbers under the boat. Lastly, all of the men who helped are given a bag of fish as their payment for job well done.
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