Blogs from Goa, India, Asia - page 123

OLD GOA Today we caught the local bus from Panaji to Old Goa, much to the consternation of taxi drivers outside our hotel, but to the benign interest of the students and workers setting out on their day. As our bus left the depot, signage on the road conveyed a warm welcome from the communist party of India, whose workers were on a one-day strike citing a range of grievances versus the banking industry. For my part, I extracted an agreement from Penelope that there would be no detour for a bit of picketing as a part of the travel experience; we were going to Old Goa. Up to the mid-eighteen thirties, Old Goa was known as the Rome of Asia because of the large number of churches and convents there; and rivaled Lisbon for status ... read more

OUT OF MUMBAI INTO GOA WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16 Coming at you from Panaji, Goa, having left Mumbai at midnight on our first train trip of the journey. Turns out the best way to master boarding at Mumbai’s grand Victoria Station is to say yes to the enquiry: “ Coolie? ”, as your taxi arrives, which our driver knew and so answered in the affirmative for us. Anyway, our man, I’ll call him our porter, shepherded us to the assembly room for 1st class AC passengers, returned once the train was ready for boarding, deciphered the reservation chart which was incomprehensible to us, took us onto the train and installed us in our double, double decker compartment, with nary a question from the officials supervising boarding. Our companions were, first, an Indian gentleman, dressed and sleeping in ... read more

Goa is an ideal place to just chill out. Once you've seen Old Goa with its reminders of past Portugese rule, there's really only the beach - at least that's the case here at Bambolim. At some of the bigger and more touristy resorts there are discotheques and shops close by, but here there's only the hotel and a couple of beach bars. The day after we arrived - Tuesday 10 January I think - we went on the hotel's bus with other guests for a long afternoon and evening excursion. We stopped briefly at a Hindu temple, then continued to Old Goa. There, the clean wide streets, lawns and buildings had a distinctly European feel - not much of a surprise really as this was a Portugese colony until as recently as 1961. I believe ... read more

As part of my visit to India, Priya insisted that I visit Goa, the former Portugese colony on the Arabian sea that is now a beach resort with an international reputation. I've read the story somewhere on the web, but basically, after Portugal returned Goa to India in the early 1960's, a vibrant bohemian culture developed out of the remaining Portugese, various other westerners drawn to the tropical paradise, and the native Goan Indian population (most of whom converted/were converted to Catholicism under the Portugese). This cultural mix, the beautiful scenery and the tropical climate gave birth to an easygoing way of life and an interesting musical tradition blending eastern and western music. Goa gradually became a destination for people, westerners and Indians, looking for a relaxed beach holiday (much as we view the Caribbean in ... read more

after two and a half months of straight backpacking, we were plenty prepared to take in what India has to offer. people we have met so far during our travels have said that they either LOVE or HATE India. although it is very different from any other country we have experienced thus far... we already LOVE it! India has a warm vibe that is almost contagious. at least to us. for many travellers, the pollution, extreme poverty, constant haggling, and high risk of diarrhea deters them from seeing the true beauty of this magical country. each state in India is soooooo different with a rainbow of languages, customs, religions, food, clothing... culture when it comes down to it. this sub-continent is SO big we are overwhelmed with our short stay. so what do we do? we ... read more