Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: New Year in India (2016/17)
Portuguese legacy
The day began with a good lie-in. I reckoned I'd had around 11hrs sleep in total - not a bad effort to recover from two consecutive short nights. The only downside was that we arrived for breakfast at the peak time of 0930, and found the experience thoroughly chaotic. I had fried eggs on toast plus some freshly cut pineapple, while Bruce went native by choosing dosa (a South-Indian crepe) and traditional accompaniments.
Goa is India's smallest state by area and one of its least populous, yet it has the highest GDP per capita of all the states and one of the highest growth rates. While the state's economy features a healthy mix of activities, tourism is the single biggest earner, with Goa attracting 12% of all foreign tourist arrivals into India. It was ruled by the Portuguese for four and a half centuries, from 1510 to 1961. This European heritage combines with the state's attractive beaches to form a major draw for visitors. We had already briefly experienced one of the beaches and now wished to waste no time in seeing some of the famous Portuguese architecture.
We negotiated the hire of a taxi for around five hours, first to take us to the World Heritage Site of Old Goa to see the historic churches, then on to the state capital Panaji (also known as Panjim), and finally back to our hotel. The 45km journey northwards was nice enough, but at 1hr 40mins felt really quite slow. In fairness, the country roads were narrow, winding, and very busy, with all manner of hazards and obstructions along the way.
Upon arrival in Old Goa, we began with two neighbouring buildings that together formed the most important objective for the visitor. First there was the Basilica of Bom Jesus (Good / Infant Jesus in Portuguese). Dating from 1605, this grand baroque building is believed to contain the remains of St Francis Xavier. And secondly, just a short walk away, was the Se Cathedral ('se' meaning 'see', in the sense of 'episcopal see', in Portuguese). Consecrated in 1640, this building remains the active cathedral of the RC Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, and its archbishop has the honorary title of Patriarch of the East Indies. Photography was allowed in both churches, but posing for pictures was frowned upon. (In the age of the selfie, however, the restriction didn't stop the practice from happening.) It was interesting to observe that part of the cathedral complex had become an archaeological museum.
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| ABOVE: The Infant Jesus Basilica, busiest of all the tourist sites in Old Goa | |||||
| BELOW: Se Cathedral, seat of the Patriarch of the East Indies | |||||
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| Time for a cold drink ... I know how you feel! | |
Not realising how close at hand our next targets were, we then returned to the taxi, which at least provided an excuse for a quick refreshment. We asked our driver to take us to the Church of St Catejan, originally known as Our Lady of Divine Providence. Dating from the mid-17th century, this was Corinthian in style with baroque altars. The notable landmark of Viceroy's Arch stood nearby.
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THIS PANEL: St Catejan's Church and (far right) the Viceroy's Arch |
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Having seen the major sights of Old Goa, we then took a relatively short ride in the taxi to the present-day capital, Panaji, where we had a look around the historic central area known as The Market.
| BELOW: Exploring the Goan state capital, Panaji | |||||
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Soon beginning to feel the growing hunger pangs, we managed to find a local, family-run restaurant (Amboli
Spice) for a most enjoyable late lunch featuring the inappropriately
named dish known as Bombay Duck, which is a fish! We also
had a very tasty Goan clam dish, which contained shredded coconut
and an amazing blend of local spices. It then seemed like a reasonably fast run back to
our hotel at Cavelossim Beach - but then I remember how I used to
notice, even as
a young child, that return journeys always seemed so much faster than the
equivalent outbound leg.
After a short rest, we repeated the
previous day's routine of a walk on the beach followed by a
'sundowner' beer. On this occasion, however, my ankles were feasted
upon by local insects! Later, we had drinks and dinner at Mike's
Place, a very popular venue located little more than 100m from
the hotel gates. With decent food, a nice wine and an agreeable
atmosphere, it was a marked improvement on the previous evening, and
an excellent way to bring down the curtain on a memorable first full
day in Goa.
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