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.

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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).