Goa, August, 2003
Howdy, Folks!
This
installment includes a trip to the local market, and a few short side trips
to other parts of Goa.
Panjim city, ten minutes away, has a large municipal market which fills a few city blocks. It's an endless maze of corridors and passages where merchants rent stalls or floor space to sell their stuff - food, house wares, clothing, most everything, seven days a week. It is very easy to loose your bearings if you take too many turns, somewhat like a casino where you cannot see the sky or street.
Panjim city, ten minutes away, has a large municipal market which fills a few city blocks. It's an endless maze of corridors and passages where merchants rent stalls or floor space to sell their stuff - food, house wares, clothing, most everything, seven days a week. It is very easy to loose your bearings if you take too many turns, somewhat like a casino where you cannot see the sky or street.
Below is an example of a old style
Portuguese house. In our area, and others, these homes are being rapidly
replaced with... well, large piles of poorly organized building materials
(some call them houses). In the last 15 to 20 years the land prices in Goa
have increased enormously with a frenzy of money coming from all places outside
Goa; India as well as abroad. Residential properties have a huge vacancy
rate, with so much speculative building and owners who spend much of the year
outside Goa. Only when you travel to the areas where 'real Goans' live do
you see the older style buildings.
Calangute
Beach is one of Goa's better known beaches, known to some as the most crowded
and overpriced. During the monsoon season, which is off season, there is
a lot of activity, but not crowds. People do come by the busload all year
'round. The beach near us in Dona Paula is protected by Mormagao Bay. The
waves at Calangute come straight in from the Arabian Sea with tremendous force
this time of year. The beach is steeply sloped and the waves break quickly
and furiously. The sand and palm trees stretch far, allowing 20 minute walks
to either side.
In
early August we went to the farthest north corner of Goa, Tiracol. The drive
is only about 40 miles, but takes 2 hours. On the way we pass through Saligao,
where one of my favorite buildings in Goa sits. It is the Mae de Deus (Mother
of God) Church. Then we pass through many small and smaller villages. Finally
a ferry takes us across the Tiracol River.
In
the 1600's a fort was built at Tiracol by a local ruler, perhaps the famous
Shivaji. When the Portuguese spread their area of control one hundred years
later they took over Tiracol and gave it a nice facelift. They also squeezed
a lovely little church inside the compound. Some years ago the fort was
converted into a government run hotel, which was a great idea with poor execution.
Two years ago it was given another facelift by a new manager, this time with
all the right touches. It is now the perfect destination for a getaway weekend.
Truly a magical place.
On
the drive back we passed by some good looking spots:
That's
it for this installment. More in September...
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