Entry #30

Where in the world are we?... Goa was liberated from 400 years of Portuguese colonial rule in 1961 by the Indian Army. Margao is Goa's second largest town. There are plenty of forts, mansions, churches and museums. But we found a much more laid-back atmosphere. No one honks their horns, the temperature is much cooler, you can take a casual walk along the beach and watch the sunset in the evenings. Old Goa, Margao and the surrounding area would remind you of Puerto Rico or some tropical island. Is this really India?




Day 2 . . . Margao


First stop was the covered market. This is the commercial hub of Goa. Margao's bazaar is a labyrinth-covered market. I think you could buy anything here.

The box-shaped stores, stocking housewares, produce, and sacks full of tumeric, form the walls of the market. You can bargain for betel leaves, lime paste, baby clothes, incense, spices and cheap Taiwanese toys.

The Braganza House in Chandor Village was one of our favorite stops. It is one of the oldest heritage houses in Goa. This colonial mansion is more than 350 years old and was built by the wealthy Braganza family for their two sons, Menezes Braganza and Pereira Braganza. It is still inhabited by descendants of the two families.

The Braganza House has two wings. This is the east wing and it is called the Braganza Periera House. This descendant still lives in the beautiful mansion.

Private chapel. Braganza Periera House.

The ballroom. Braganza Periera House.

This is 91 year old Mrs. Aida de Menezes-Braganza. She is happy to give you a tour of the west side of the mansion, called the Menezes Braganza House. She is posing under the portrait of Francis Xavier Braganza, her ancestor.

The Menezes-Braganza home contains rosewood furniture, porcelain tiles from Macao, Italian flooring, Flemish wood, rare Chinese porcelain, Belgian and Italian chandeliers, and houses the biggest private library in Goa of leather-bound books (5,000) in English, French and Portuguese.

Church of Our Lady of the Rosary.

View from a hilltop of the Mandovi River.

Fishing boats along a quiet, little beach.

The Marriott in Old Goa where we enjoyed modern comforts.

Kent and Carol and the ruins of St. Augustine.

* * * * * * * * *

Coconut palm. This versatile tree plays an essential role in Goan life. Seaside clumps help protect villagers from the sun, wind, and monsoon storms. Inland, more than half of Goa's agricultural land is devoted to coconut and cashew production, something the Jesuits encouraged. Tended, watered and fertilized, an acre of coconut palms will produce 7,000 nuts a year against 1,000 in the wild. The juice of green (unripe) coconuts is a refreshing drink. Ripe nuts have their fibers twisted into ropes, fishing nets, and rigging, or woven into coir matting. Shells become fuel or eating-bowls. Coconut milk and the kernel are used in cooking; dried and pressed, they produce valuable coconut oil. The timber is used for building, its fronds for thatched roofs, fish traps, mats, and baskets. Sap is tapped to make jaggery (raw sugar).

Entry #29

Go to Goa! ... is what all of the travel posters say, so we did! We had been in Hyderabad for meetings, so we decided that we had earned some "r & r".

Day 1... Old Goa

Goa is a very small state in southwest India. It is sandwiched between the Western Ghats (mountains) and the Arabian Sea. It is an area that brought trading wealth, new cultures, peoples and religions. Arabs, Romans and later, Europeans arrived bringing Judaism, Islam and various forms of Christianity. The local merchants' sources of wealth are pepper, cardamon, other spices, cashews and rice. Tea comes from the Nilgiri Hills and coffee from Karnataka's plantations. In Old Goa, Ponda, Margao and Panaji you can visit monuments, mansions, temples, forts and never-ending beaches.




Basilica of Bom Jesus (1594-1605) was built by the Jesuits. It is a World Heritage Monument. To the right is where they lived. St. Francis Xavier came to India with the Portuguese to spread Christianity in India.

Inside the church is St. Francis Xavier's elaborate mausoleum. It was given by the Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III. Inside the casket, a light shines on St. Francis' body (right behind the six glass windows). Every ten years, on December 2nd, his death anniversary, they bring him out for public viewing.

Alter in Basilica of Bom Jesus.
It is known for its artistic woodwork in Baroque style.

SE Cathedral or, Cathedral of St. Catherine was built by the Dominicans, 1562-1619. Originally it was a small chapel but today it is the most imposing church in Old Goa and considered the largest in Asia. It is famous for its vaulted interior and Golden Bell.

Alter at Cathedral of St. Catherine.

It houses Goa's best museum with a collection of sculptures and portraits of Portuguese governors. This is probably a ship typical of those that landed at the nearby ports.

Church of St. Cajetan (1655-1700).

Its dome was modeled on that of St. Peter's in Rome.

Alter - Church of St.Cajetan.

All of the above churches are only a few blocks from each other!

Chapel of Mt. Mary.

View from courtyard - Chapel of Mt. Mary with a view of Old Goa.

View of the valley and the Mandovi River. Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi to the left and Cathedral of St. Catherine to the right.

Church and Monastery of St. Augustine (1602) is made of pink laterite stone. This is the 152-foot-high church tower. It included eight chapels, 100 or so carved granite tombstones, and monastic buildings. Evidently there was a substantial community that once lived here.

The grounds and buildings of St. Augustine Church.

Aguada Fort - Goa's strongest fort, built in 1612 on the cliffs. It defends Aguada Bay and the mouth of the Mandovi River. Built using the latest Italian engineering theories of low, broad walls, wide moats and cylindrical turrets, it surrounded two villages and had 79 cannons. Aguada Fort provided water to the ships at anchor.

The lighthouse at Aguada Fort was built in 1846.

See Entry #30 for Day 2.

Entry #28

Hyderabad...is the capital of Andrah Pradesh, the "state" that we are located in. It is the 5th largest city in India and it sits on the river Musi. Hyderabad was founded in 1589 by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutab Shah of the Shahi dynasty. It has a mild climate (which is why we like to go there) and its most famous landmark is the Charminar.

On one outing we toured the Salar Jung Museum established by Nawab Salar Jung III. It has collections of priceless antiques and relics from Indian, European, Asian and Far Eastern countries. The most famous item is the "Veiled Rebecca", a delicate marble statue of a woman seen through her veil. Unfortunately they did not allow cameras.

On another outing we toured the palaces and grounds of Chowmahalla Palace.

A beautiful courtyard on the grounds of Chowmahalla Palace.

Chowmahalla Palace was built about 1780 during the Asaf Jahi rule.
It was renovated in 1911.

It is a complex of palaces, courtyards, fountains and gardens.

Durbar Hall features a pure marble platform on which the Taqt-e-Nishan, or royal seat, was laid. There are 19 spectacular chandeliers of Belgian crystal.

There are four palaces on the grounds. They are called the Afzar Mahal (2 story), Mahtab Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal and Aftab Mahal. Naturally, we got confused about which one was which.

Displays of every day life.

Chowmahalla Palace is now used for cultural activities.

An entrance and courtyard.

Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls.

We watched as he removed all of the pearls from the cotton thread, which is how they come from the show room, and strung them onto a silk thread. And not one fell on the ground!