Gorgeous Goa

After our lovely sojourn in the Kerala State, we were flying to Panjim, the capital of Goa State, on the coast of the Arabian Sea. But first, we had to catch our plane.

Our huge airport dosas

As it was mid-afternoon, we ended up at the airport for lunch. We chose a dosa each and crikey, they were huge – but oh so delicious. Good airport food.....who knew?

Our flight arrived in Goa very late at night, so we purchased a pre-paid taxi ride to our accommodation to simplify the transport process. But the taxi driver was manic. It was dark, with lots of roadworks, yet he seemed to think he had to pass everything else on the road at a frantic speed, and with much violent braking.

Leigh had to tell him we didn’t need to go so fast!

Eventually we made it safely to our accommodation, Hosperdaria Abrigo de Botelo, a gorgeous guest house in the Fontainhas or Latin Quarter of Panjim.

Hosperdaria Abrigo de Botelo 

It was midnight by the time we arrived, so we were let in quietly and quickly retired to bed. We were delighted to find that our room had very high ceilings and so was cool, and it was quaint and clean. Aaaahhh wonderful!

The next morning, we met our charming hosts Sharon and Roy. Over our time there, they were so helpful and we shared some great conversation. Their guest house was a delight to stay in as they have such a beautiful old building with lovely rooms, and it is so well cared for.

We soon set out to explore the neighbourhood.

Fontainhas street showing Portuguese influence

The Portuguese came to India in the 15th and 16th centuries and established themselves in the Goa area. Many of the buildings in Fontainhas reflect the Portuguese style, with bright, colourful buildings on narrow streets and lanes, without footpaths.

After walking around for ages, we found a restaurant in a tiny lane serving typical Goan cuisine, and stopped there for lunch. The menu highlighted seafood, as Goa is well known for it. So we chose Chungdi Jhola, a saucy, spicy prawn curry dish. It was delicious.

Goa’s Portuguese occupation also brought about the introduction of Christianity in India and a plethora of churches and convents were built. Many are still standing and are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Bom Jesus Basilica - Old Goa (UNESCO)

So to see this group of UNESCO churches, we took a taxi to Old Goa, about 30-minutes out of Panjim. The collection is impressive, but we particularly enjoyed the Baroque style Bom Jesus Basilica.

There was a funeral going on there so we couldn't take photos of the church interior. But the adjoining buildings are stunning. We also visited St Catherine's Chapel, Igreja de Sao Francisco de Assisi, the Church of Cajetan and the Church of St Augustine - all wonderful.

After that, we wound our way through the mountains and small villages, and visited two particularly beautiful and large Hindu temples.

Shri Mangeshi Temple, Mangeshi village, Goa

The first one was the Shri Shantadurga Temple, built in 1738. The second was the 450 year old Mangeshi Temple in Mangeshi village, one of the largest and most frequently visited temples in Goa. 

Leaving the churches and temples, we headed deep into the hinterlands of India toward the Western Ghats, a series of hills that are UNESCO protected due to their diverse biosphere.

We went there to visit a spice plantation.

We had a very interesting tour and explanation of many different spices and their uses, followed by a nice lunch.

Marg at the spice plantation

While there, we got chatting to a young Indian couple who live in Delhi. They were in Goa as it’s a holiday destination for Indian people, and they said that they like to get into its cleaner air.

They also liked the casinos in Goa. There are several floating casinos sitting along the riverbank, and they tend to be large, and themed. We had a long chat with that young couple, and it was interesting to hear their views about life in India.

Returning from the spice plantation, we passed an area alongside the motorway where salt was being collected. The tide comes in and floods the man-made pans, then the heat causes the water to evaporate leaving the salt behind. It is then harvested.

Salt collection near Panjim, Goa

We saw a number of small salt heaps in the fields, and one or two very large heaps sitting alongside the road. The salt from those was being bagged for local consumption. Bags were 10 kg and cost around 100 Rupees (approx NZ$2).

That night back in Fontainhas, we found the charming Verandah Restaurant and had dinner there. It's in a beautifully restored Portuguese style house. We sat on the first floor veranda in a delightful temperature with our G&Ts and another fantastic Goan seafood dish.

It was a convivial night, as the people at the four tables on the verandah all got chatting. We met a woman from Bombay (now Mumbai), a couple from Chennai, and another couple from Germany. We had a lovely evening.

Leigh at Sinquerim beach, Goa

The following day, we grabbed a taxi to see some of Goa’s world-famous beaches. 

We went to Sinquerim beach, the first of a string of beaches stretching up the coast. It was a beautiful golden sandy beach full of sun-loungers and umbrellas. 

We paddled in the Arabian Sea which was very warm. Then we visited a string of old forts along the coast. 

The lovely rotund tower at Fort Aguada, Goa

Goa has over a dozen historic forts left over from the Portuguese and British Colonial periods. We visited three of them, enjoying clambering around these amazing fortified structures. We particularly liked Fort Aguada, with its very rotund white painted stone tower, and great views out over the Arabian Sea.

The weather was wonderful and we'd had another great day in beautiful Goa. 

Afterwards, we found a restaurant that had wee balconies overlooking the street, and great food.

Marg on a balcony at Cafe Vanite

It’s been lovely here, but it was time to move on. The next morning, we caught a taxi at 5am to catch an early train. As we had no time for breakfast, our taxi driver kindly stopped at a local bakery (part of a house, not a shop).

He introduced us to the baker, who had just taken the first batch of bread rolls out of the oven. We readily bought some and munched away – lovely hot bread rolls – yuuumm!

Ninety minutes later, we arrived at the train station to catch the train to Hosapete, our next stop. 

The above blog is part of our 2 month tour of India. The first blog on this tour is called “Off to Delhi".