Goa

Weather at Goa seems pretty fine today as compared to the previous. Indian Tan decided to extend the bike rental and we rode out in search of more adventure at Old Goa, which was situated about 30km away from Arambol Beach.

It was interesting to note that the Portuguese came to Goa in 1510 and brought Christianity here with them. It was spread over the state and it wasnt hard not to see a church around the street whenever you turn a corner. Old Goa was the old capital of Goa, and it was also called “Rome of the East” from the 16th to 18th century when its population exceeded that of London’s. The reign was short lived though, when outbreaks of cholera and malaria finally forced the abandonment of this city and the capital was afterwards shifted to Panjim.

Visted the Wax World which boasts a collection and exhibit of life size figurines which includes Mahatma Gandhi, many legendary Hindu gods and even that of of Michelangelo’s Last Supper. The quality of the art is not world class but nevertheless, It was worth the 30 rupees entrance fee.

Just down the road from the wax museum is the Basilica of Bom Jesus. The Tan&Tan has no idea what that is all about as we being Buddhist but apparently, this church is famous throughout the Roman Catholic world. Its rather grizzled and grizzly long term resident, the Basilica’s vast, glided interior forms the last resting place of the Goa’s patron saint, St Francis Xavier who in 1541 embarked on a mission to put right the sinful, heady lifestyles of Goa’s Portuguese colonials. He died on the island of Sancian, just off the coast of China. A servant is said to have emptied four sacks of quicklime into his coffin to consume his flesh in case the order came to return the remains to Goa. Two months later the body was still in perfect condition - refusing to rot despite the quicklime. The following year it was returned to Goa, where it was then pretty much declared as a miracle.

The body or corpse as I should put it, is supposed to be still with its flesh intact but the coffin is placed at a height in the church which no one would have to chance to take a closer look at it. So we really got no way of knowing how well preserved or how true the story goes.

Can't see the corpse, only the coffin

Visited the Se Cathedral next, supposedly the largest church in Asia, standing at over 76m long and 55m wide. The construction of the church began in 1562 but it wasn’t finish until some 90 years later. It is said to house the largest bell in Asia too. But at the time of visit, there was a mass going on hence we did not managed to have a chance to visit nor view the interior of the church.

All in all, it was pretty much a day well spent looking at all the attention deserving architectural structures, and we rode for more than 100km on the scooter. We had a close shave when our scooter ran out of gas, but luckily it happened right in the middle of a village, right smack in front of a local grocery store that sells diesel. Heng man! was wat we thought. Because we covered some pretty deserted rural areas, abandoned villages, and long highways. Huat ah!

We went back to the beach house and watched how Germany owned Argentina.

The next day was just another day of drinking, eating, watching tv, blog updating, bookreading and more relaxing by the beach house. “This should be the way a holiday trip should be like”, as I was telling Indian Tan aka the hardcore Traveller.

A rare moment of repentence after eating too much

Overall Goa is a nice place to just chill and nua. haha

A little on Goa - The state of Goa is India's smallest state by area, located on the west coast of India. Goa is a rather popular tourist destination because of its rich history and geography. The people of Goa or rather the Goans are pretty friendly and laid back. It is also very much well known for its idyllic tropical white sand beaches and warm tropical waters for those who looking for a place to just relax.

However, we were told by our host that we were there at the wrong season and apparently its the monsoon period and its the town all low for this period. Come at the right time of Nov to Feb will very much see yourself at a party scene with many lounging in sun chairs by the beach and partying till the wee hours with some booze to go along with. Not only these, but the beaches will be crowded, with music ranging from pop rock to relaxing beach jazz blaring from all the beach front restaurants and cafes. So, it might be a blessing in disguise to have hit the beach at the wrong season as we got to have pretty much the whole beach and restaurant to ourselves during our entire stay there. We got a taste of real life rural living with the vilages exploring and it was a pretty cool experience to reckon with on the whole.