One Day in Goa

It was just one day, a stop on cruise itinerary. We had organised a driver for the day and instructed him to take him to some of his favourite places and anywhere we had to go. But… we were not interested in shopping and if he attempted to take us to one of the ubiquitous tourist shopping centres we would not get out of the car, nor would we give him a tip. He was very amenable and off we went…

First thing you can’t help noticing is the feral bulls. They’re very mellow, almost amiable… lean and lanky, they can be found ambling along the road, or rummaging in rubbish tips…

Cathedral Se – Goa was occupied by the Portugese and this part of India is mostly Catholic. We did not actually visit the cathedral as a much bigger attraction was just across the road. But it made a wonderful photo.

Basilica Bom Jesus – home of the mortal remains of Saint Francis Xavier. Roman Catholic gaudiness meets Indian gaudiness for a blinding tribute to… hmmm, not sure what, but it was gold on gold on gold…

The actual remains of St Francis Xavier – through those little window are his actual body, minus a few bits and pieces purloined along the way by other churches in need of sacred relics.
View of the main church area. It is still an active church with regular services. One thing I noticed in India – things that are old are still in use. If not, they decay so rapidly, are reclaimed by the jungle, they soon disappear. This same day we visited the ruins of a cathedral that had been used until the 1930s. I thought it must have been abandoned at least 500 years ago, but very little can survive in the heat, rain, humidity that is western India unless it is continually looked after, maintained and repaired. This church was built in 1594. It’s got a lot of love and care over the centuries.
The beach – the Arabian Sea. We had the best seafood of our lives here. Days pass so quickly when you are in port for just one day. Back on ship, we watched the fishing boats come in at the end of the day.    A little further down the harbour it becomes more urban. We had the most incredible, melon coloured light.

I thought the big oil tanks looked like giant hat boxes.

Added a wee bit of glow to this sunset shot… I really loved the day in Goa. We also visited Mumbai and Cochin, but Goa was my favourite. I would love to return and spend a few weeks there and really explore it. Who knows – maybe one day.

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