KingfisherWe climbed this morning into a somewhat precarious wooden narrow boat (our seats were two plastic garden chairs facing each other) and glided on the water through the omni present mangroves on the backwaters of the Chapora river, brightened by the blue reflection of the kingfisher, the whiteness of the big crackers, the black drying of the anahingas, and the sinister brown of  basking crocodiles.Croc Fishermen The wonder of the trip was the peace and quiet - no car horns, no dogs, and very few people. We came across some fishermen checking their nets, with an eagle swooping in and out of the trees above to see what he could pick up. We finished up by being taken to see a black and white kingfisher, and then back to the hotel for breakfast. Off to the sea at Vagator for the traditional week-end task of finding some new and different shells, and then a leisurely drive back to Colvale in time to see the water buffalo procession as they swam along the opposite bank, snorting and snuffling, with their attendant egrets sitting on their backs.Water buffalo Dinner was quite a trek away but so worth it when we finally found the restaurant. Matsya is run by an extraordinary young Israeli chef Gome Galily. We had spoken earlier in the day to talk about food preferences, and then he decides the menu so we had no idea what to expect. This had been billed as 'the best restaurant in Goa;' and certainly lived up to expectations. Polenta and steamed crab, a pizza with raw fish, a small pancake with mushrooms, wonderful mussels in a piquant sauce, fresh snapper cooked to perfection, and a wonderful pudding with strawberries and cacao. What an amazing talent, and the whole meal accompanied by delicious wine, a sitar concert from a  very talented half French half Spanish musician and great company - what an evening!