We docked this morning in Mormugao, a port in the Indian state of Goa. Goa was a Portuguese colony and the last state of India to gain independence from foreign occupation, in 1961. The Portuguese influence still shows strongly in the brightly colored buildings and homes in the area.

Today’s excursion took us to the Tropical Spice Plantation, a few kilometers north of the town of Ponda.

After three days in one of the most densely-populated cities on the planet, it was a refreshing change to get out into the countryside. We even caught a fleeting glimpse of monkeys in the trees beside the road.

Crossing the low bridge over the lakebed to get to the farm was a little unsettling. The bridge planks were rounded halves of trees, covered with burlap and then a layer of rubber. The footing felt a little unsteady!

The “tourist” side of the operation is a pathway through a verdant maze of various types of spice plants and trees. The real (working) plantation is behind the main operation. When you enter, women throw flower petals over you and mark your forehead with a crimson teeka dot.

Our excursion leader was an expert in herbal remedies and medicinal uses of spices and herbs in Indian tradition. He started off by explaining to us how the locals ferment and then distill the juice from cashew apples (the fruit of the cashew tree, what’s left after you remove the nut) in clay pots. The product is a powerful liquor called feni.

He pointed out various herbs and spices along the way and told us about their medicinal uses. “Ladies and gentleman, this is ‘The King of Spices.’ What is it, you ask? Ladies and gentlemen, the King of Spices — the spice that the Portuguese loaded entire ships with to go back to Portugal — is pepper, black pepper. Yes, pepper truly is the King of Spices. Black pepper is useful for the curing of amnesia. Powder some black pepper, mix it with honey. Take one spoonful after your afternoon meal and one before retiring, and in several months you will have the memory of a child.” Or “If you suffer from hereditary diabetes or diabetes caused by excessive weight, eat 10 curry leaves every morning, and in two weeks your blood sugar level will be back to normal again.

It was interesting to see spices and herbs in their natural state, although we were visiting at the wrong time of year to see them ready to be harvested. In the photo above, the woman has dug down and uncovered a rhizome of turmeric. When the plant above ground withers, the turmeric is ready to be harvested.

And vanilla, which grows on a vine. It’s the most expensive of the many spices to grow in India.

And cinnamon, which is the inner bark of a tree (the one in the middle of the photo above). It was incredible to smell it fresh from the tree!

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch of various curries (I’m sure with fresh spices) in the visitors center after our tour. The bread roll (pao) is a legacy of the Portuguese, rather than the flat breads you find in other parts of India.

We made it back to the ship by 4 pm — exhausted, even though we’d only done very little walking. But it was very warm and humid, and our guide’s voice was a natural soporific.

And we caught a beautiful sunset just before our ship undocked. Next stop is Colombo, Sri Lanka, on September 12.