Port 32 Goa, India

Shubhechchha (Konkani), Śubhēcchā (Marathi), Abhivaadan (Hindi), Śubhāśayagalu (Kannada), Salam (Urdu), Greetings!

Today is May 6th, 2024!  We awake to find we’re approaching the port of Goa. The water is a little unhappy today, slightly choppy, but the air is still and humid.

I have a tour today. Joy does not – she wants to go shopping! I’m going to see the “Highlights of Goa”!

Stepping off the gangway, the dancers are still prepping in their little shack. Welcome to Goa!

There is a large Portuguese history here (151 years of colonization), and it is present in the music and outfits greeting us!

All of the buses are ready, and all of the tour guides stand ready for us. I have never seen anything like this -usually only a couple of the tour guides are holding up their tour number lollipops, but here all of them are!

I find my bus and meet Edgar, the tour guide. Soon we are on our way!

This scene catches my attention and amuses me. This corner must be the gathering tree for the locals. There isn’t any bus stop sign. And the local police don’t appear to have any issues with the group!

This is a common sight on the roadsides – trash accumulates wherever no one specifically lives. Edgar tells us the locals blame tourists for dumping their trash. No one feels compelled to clean it up!

This is alcohol central – Sebastian and Co.!  Prominently displayed are Johnny Walker, Heineken, and Jameson Irish Whiskey! There is also Crazy Cock Whiskey, and Goa Brewing Company’s People’s Lager! But what’s going on with the building next door?

Heading inland, we see the New Zuari bridge ahead. It is a beautiful suspension bridge! And the road crossing it is Route 66!  Prime Minister Modi liked the sound of the US Route 66 name so much, he copied the name for this road!

As we approach Route 66 we see a series of posters akin to the old Burma Shave signs, but these are advertising the Deltin Hotel and Casino!

Nearing our first stop, Edgar passes around a postcard showing the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier. His body is fully on display. But Edgar tells us we will not be seeing him. The body and silver coffin are going through periodic maintenance. I am fine with this – what I see in the postcard is a decaying body I don’t have a real desire to see.

We arrive at this fabulous structure, built with the red laterite we saw in Mangalore. Massive buttresses hold the tall sides in place! This is Bom Jesus, a Jesuit cathedral.

The facade of Bom Jesus shows more variety in the stone selection, giving more color to the front of the church.  Here we also see how wide the buttresses are to provide that lateral support to the tall nave of the church!

Where I took the previous photo of the facade, I noticed the bottom of a shoe in the dirt. I chuckle when I realize this is a lost “sole” in front of the church! OK, OK, I hear the groans, boos, and hisses…

No photography is allowed inside the church, except for the coffin of St Francis Xavier. Before I enter the church doors, I snap this photo of the interior. This reveals a beautiful altar with incredibly ornate columns!

In a hall in the back of the church we see this coffin. It was made in 1744 for the first presentations of the sacred relic of St Francis Xavier. But this coffin is wood with silvered cloth covering. Later, a real silver coffin was created with a glass side for viewing – that was shown in the postcard.

Here is the stand where the silver coffin should have been.

Leaving Bom Jesus I see this great map! Bom Jesus is in the lower center, and this map is in the circle drive at the center. At the upper center are the Church of St Francis of Assisi and the Sè Cathedral. I’ll go there next.

This is the side of the Church of St Francis of Assisi. Of note are the two octagonal towers at the entrance.  We don’t get to go inside this one today. But to the right of this is…

…Sè Cathedral! Construction of this began with the Portuguese as a commemoration of the Portuguese victory over the Muslims in 1510. The victory was declared on the birthday of St Catherine, so the cathedral was dedicated to her! It originally had two towers, but one collapsed and was never rebuilt.  The existing tower houses the “Golden Bell” – not made of gold, but has a clear tone that can be heard for miles! The cathedral is described as having a Tuscan exterior…

…and a Corinthian interior! This is a beautiful, soaring structure!

The six panels of the reredos (alter screen) behind the altar depict the life and martyrdom of St Catherine. The bottom left panel shows her neck being cut, and bottom right panel shows her head and headless body being carried to Mount Sinai by angels!

I found the 7th Station of the Cross!

The sides of the nave host incredibly large chapel niches!

At the center of this niche is the Chapel of the Cross of Miracles! It is reported an image of Jesus Christ was seen here in 1619!

Let’s zoom in so you can see what the Cross of Miracles looks like.

We head to Goa ‘s main market. What Highlights tour would be complete without a visit to the city market?

On the outside is a food market where the meals are cooked fresh! No one here looks like they’re happy…

The strings of flowers are garlands used for ladies to adorn their hair, for ceremonies such as weddings, and for offerings in the temples.

I find a guy busy creating the flower garlands! I ask if it is OK for me to take this picture – he nods and holds up the garland he’s working on, but still does not smile!

The center of the market floor is buzzing with activity! The fruit corner is lovely, with huge stacks of fruit!

I love this mural that stands above the stairs!

Here’s a wider view of the market floor. You can see a different mural above the stairs on the other side!

Here is that other mural! I really like the woman selling fish in the lower right corner arguing with the man while the cat runs away with a free fish!

As we leave the market, I catch this sculpture that we could see from the highway approaching the market. This is “The Acrobat” and seems like a wonderful expression of pure freedom!

The wellness walkway, Yog Setu, has this fabulous footbridge with black silhouettes across the arch depicting various yoga poses! It has statues of Yog Purush and Purna Yogi on either side.

Zooming in a little closer, we can see the various yoga poses adorning the arch, and the two statues, one red, and the other green!

This seems familiar – casinos on the water are legal in places where land-based casinos are not! Out on the river we see a floating casino. This is Big Daddy! Is this really a boat? Or is it just a glorified barge served by ferries delivering gambling passengers? It appears to be permanently anchored.

Here’s another one! Here we see the Majestic Pride Casino! The locals can come to these boats to enjoy a beef steak or pork chop that are otherwise banned in India. As a former Portuguese colony, steak and pork are allowed but are limited to the casino boats.

This big fish is actually the MV Royale Hotel!

And last, but not least, is the Deltin Royale Casino and Hotel that we saw in the “Burma Shave”-like posters we drove by earlier.

Our last (and lunch) stop is a visit to house of the Oliveira Fernandes family.

This is the house we’re going to visit! This home hails from the days of the Portuguese colonization of Goa and is 250 years old.

The recent master of the house is revered in the parlor. Meet Otto de Oliveira Fernandes! There have been 7 generations of Oliveira Fernandeses living in this mansion!

We spend some time exploring the parlor while lunch is being prepared. From the beautiful tilework on the floor to the incredible borders on the ceiling and upper walls, the decor is extravagant! Chinese influence is seen in the cornice moldings over the doors, windows, and mirrors.

We see a couple of bedrooms – this is the best one, in my opinion!

We reach the dining room and see the amazing spread they provide for our lunch! Time to grab a plate! Some of the offerings are samosas (veggie and beef), a beef log, shrimp rassia, and assorted bowls of fruit including watermelon and banana!

We are invited to head to the courtyard to enjoy our lunch. Outside we see a collection of birds roaming freely around the courtyard!  There are chickens, roosters, ducks, and turkeys!

We get to sit in the shade! A small, tented stage is set up for a couple of musicians!

I notice the restroom sign. I have to say I agree! (I really do! wink wink)

Our musicians arrive! The guitarist and primary singer pays a visit to our table!

The duo entertains us for almost an hour! Recognize this song?

Cartoon scenes surround the courtyard.  These are colorized versions of black and white cartoons by Goa cartoonist Mario Miranda. These are classic scenes of Portuguese life in Goa! I selected two related to the Oliveira Fernandes family. This first shows Otto with a band of his friends serenading his sweetheart very late at night, much to the chagrin of her parents! (A young man wooing a woman would gather his friends to accompany him for events like this for moral support.)

Couples gather on the beach to party, sing, and play games, but there is always a matrimonial-minded mother (far right) chaperoning the evening!

After lunch, the bus brings us back to the ship. Here we pass the Goa International Airport!

The beach is lined with fishing boats of all sizes! I hope the tide reduces how far the crews have to haul the boats to get them afloat! Insignia is on the other side of the hill ahead!

Soon we are heading out to sea!

It’s time to say farewell, phairavel (Konkani), niropa (Marathi), bidaee (Hindi), vidāya (Kannada), aludu (Urdu) to Goa!

Next stop – Mumbai, India!