On the hallowed grounds of Goa - II

This post is the second one in the series of three about my Goa trip. If you visit the first post, you will see that it was written in April 2011. The trip took place in January 2011. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to write the posts quickly enough due to a variety of reasons (which I won't go into). Given the significant time gap, the details of the trip are quite blurry in my mind. But still, I have tried to put into words everything I could.

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The next day saw us heading to the southern part of Goa with the intention of visiting the well known tourist places in Velha Goa, more commonly known as Old Goa. Old Goa is known mainly for the magnificent churches that grace the scenery. Grabbing a quick bite in Mapusa, we set off for our next destination. While the previous day had been all about discovering new places, today was going to be a stroll down the memory lane. All the places on the list today were places that I had been to earlier and had some great memories associated with them.

A drive of about 40-45 Kms brought us to the Mangueshi temple. The Mangueshi temple is one of the biggest and famousest temples in Goa. Known for its serene surroundings and grand Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, this temple is a major pilgrimage site in Goa. This was my second visit to this temple, and definitely less eventful than the last one. My last visit here was made memorable here thanks to a visit to one of my friend's relatives' house. This house, situated in the vicinity of the temple, was a revelation, partly because of the old fashioned way it was built - complete with a courtyard and a Tulsi plant inside - and mainly because of the scenic backyard. The backyard is really a garden with a variety of trees - none of which I remember now. Five years after I last visited that place, the details are a quite hazy, but the one memory that still lingers is the stillness. No chattering of people, no humming of machinery, no clanging of bells, no voices; complete stillness punctuated by the chirping of birds, the occasional cracking of twigs under our footsteps, and the rustling of leaves. The silence that engulfs you is soothing yet exhilarating, a complete contrast from the daily humdrum of the life that we lead in the city. You feel like a giant in Lilliput, completely oblivious to the chatter of insignificantly small beings. Unfortunately, this time around, despite being urged by my friend, it was not possible for us to visit his home due to time constraints.

Bidding adieu to the temple, we made our way towards Old Goa. The first stop in Old Goa was the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This is one of the oldest and most popular churches in Goa. Located in the midst of huge lush green grounds, this holy place of worship is a treat for those who love the baroque architecture of old. Apart from the exquisitely adorned altars the floor has been inlaid with stones bearing words carved into them. This church is famous for the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. The ground surrounding the church is dotted with a cross here, an old well there, and of course lush greenery everywhere.

From the Basilica of Bom Jesus, we made our way across the road to the Se Cathedral. Situated right besides the Archaeological Survey ofIndia office, this is reputed to be one of the biggest churches in India. The architecture of the church is a mixture of Gothic and Portuguese architectural styles. The main altar in this church is occupied by Catherine of Alexandria. The wall are adorned by various old paintings. The lawn surrounding the church is beautifully manicured and is well maintained. The lone tower of the Se Cathedral houses a gigantic bell known as the 'Golden Bell'. The bell has received this name thanks to its rich tone. If the stillness of the forest makes you feel like a giant, the magnificence and vastness of the churches dwarf you in comparison.

Once we finished with the churches, we made our way to a nearby hotel for some lunch. This turned out to be quite an interesting event. Not the lunch itself - the lunch was quite ordinary with limited fare since we were one of the late comers - but the antics of the staff. As I said, we arrived late for lunch, but as it turned out, we weren't the only ones. There was a fleet of customers waiting to be served, and the hotel staff looked to be short in supply. As we were having our lunch, the hotel owner started losing his temper seeing the lethargy of the staff. And by the time we paid our bill and got out, there were plates being smashed, angry swear words being exchanged, and blows getting rained upon each other by both the owner and the staff.

Once we had satisfied our hunger, we moved on to our next destination. Now our friend, who was visiting Goa for the first time, had heard a lot about Dona Paula. This is one of the most popular places in Goa for Water sports. Besides the water sports, there are also many hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops present here. But the biggest attraction here is the story of Dona and Paula. There are various myths and facts associated with Dona Paula, all of which can be found on Wikipedia. The physical layout of the place consists of a harbor and a rocky outcrop which culminates in a spacious observation platform. There are steps carved made in the rocky outcrop to lead you to the top. As beautiful as this place was, I was eagerly looking forward to our next destination.

Next up was the Fort Aguada. Fort Aguada is a Portuguese fort built on the Sinquerim beach. It is a vast fort built with ramparts overlooking the sea and a prison to hold captives. Fort Aguada is named so because of the fresh water spring built inside the fort to provide water. Aguada is another name for water. Unfortunately, the visitor timings are restricted to 1730 hours only. We reached the fort just as the government officials were closing the gate. Given that we wouldn't be able to visit the fort the next day, this was a big disappointment. So with time to while away, we decided to explore the surrounding area of the fort. Now to the left of the fort, there is a curtain of trees hiding the end of the cliff. We made our way to the edge of the cliff and were greeted with a massive coastline stretching as far as our eyes could see with a couple of lighthouses just warming up for their night duty. Having taken in the sights and clicked a few snaps, our friend suggested that we have a look at the lighthouse situated right besides the fort.

One of my wishes (amongst a million others) was to climb up a lighthouse (using stairs of course). This particular lighthouse provided an opportunity for a price of 10 bucks (50 for foreigners). After listening patiently to warnings regarding not leaning on the railings and coming back in 15 minutes, we finally started our ascent. The view from the top was breathtaking as we could see the inner layout of the fort, the coastline on either sides of the fort, and the sea shimmering in an iridescent display of red, orange, and yellow. Even as I write this, I am torn between choosing the best way of watching a sunset: sitting in a shack feasting on delicious seafood and a pint or sitting atop a lighthouse, the breeze blowing strong, and not a worry in the world to trouble your heart.

The lighthouse ticked off the list; we proceeded for the most famous tourist spots in Goa: Calangute and Baga beaches. However crowded these beaches may be a Goa excursion is incomplete without a visit to these places. As expected, both the beaches were chockfull with people with barely enough place to walk. After a few unsuccessful attempts to enjoy the beach, we decided to have dinner and head home. We found a small place which served the most delicious fish curry and rice and had dinner there. Dinner was accompanied by an amateur artist belting Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi classics. He did a decent job and the legends would have given him a nod of approval.

Our appetites full, and our bodies tired from the day long excursion, we returned back to base for a good night’s sleep.

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You can find the photos here.