The Macau of India
There was not as much Portuguese influence in Goa as Macau, but some of the buildings found in this city was a reminder of its history. The effect of the past was also seen in the religion as many practiced Christianity. I thought of Macau as there are a lot of floating casinos in the town. The food in this region was delightful, since I had been craving seafood. They love their fish, prawns, squid and crab here, along with coconut in everything. I was really hoping to find some Portuguese tarts (葡撻) here but that was asking too much :). I spent a couple of days in Panjim, the north of Goa, and then ventured to the south. The north of Goa is more known for the party life, whereas the south is for the beaches. I was wandering to one of the minor beaches in the north when I stopped at a frozen yogurt and French bakery. They had legit food here because it was owned by a French patiessire. The manager offered to give me a ride around town on his bike when he found out it was my first time here. I covered the gas, which was a good mutual arrangement. We got accosted at all the sites because we both didn't look Indian. He was from the Sikkim area so the Indians guessed he was from China a lot. Then, they were shocked he could speak Hindi and changed their guess to Assam, the northeast region of India. As for me, the usual story...blah blah blah Japan, no, China, no, Korea, no, Vietnam...hmm that was a new one. At Fort Aguada, we roamed around a Punjabi film set. I had to laugh at they way they ran and also their facial expressions. Good stuff.
On the way to the southern city, Margao, I found a tourist information center and was recommended to check out Palolem beach. I got there and decided to park there for a few days to totally unwind. I got lots of reading done, tried and failed at surfing, and watched the Ganesh festival get underway. I waited around for them to bring the big Ganesh into the town but missed it since I don't run on Indian time. So I went around the area and watched some people welcome it into their homes. Depending on the size of the idol, it was kept at their home for one to three days and then dropped into the ocean. The bigger statues that were kept in the town centers were worshiped for ten to twenty days before they were also deposited into the ocean. Environmentally friendly? Not so much, but they have been improving over the years or trying (check out this article).
There was not as much Portuguese influence in Goa as Macau, but some of the buildings found in this city was a reminder of its history. The effect of the past was also seen in the religion as many practiced Christianity. I thought of Macau as there are a lot of floating casinos in the town. The food in this region was delightful, since I had been craving seafood. They love their fish, prawns, squid and crab here, along with coconut in everything. I was really hoping to find some Portuguese tarts (葡撻) here but that was asking too much :). I spent a couple of days in Panjim, the north of Goa, and then ventured to the south. The north of Goa is more known for the party life, whereas the south is for the beaches. I was wandering to one of the minor beaches in the north when I stopped at a frozen yogurt and French bakery. They had legit food here because it was owned by a French patiessire. The manager offered to give me a ride around town on his bike when he found out it was my first time here. I covered the gas, which was a good mutual arrangement. We got accosted at all the sites because we both didn't look Indian. He was from the Sikkim area so the Indians guessed he was from China a lot. Then, they were shocked he could speak Hindi and changed their guess to Assam, the northeast region of India. As for me, the usual story...blah blah blah Japan, no, China, no, Korea, no, Vietnam...hmm that was a new one. At Fort Aguada, we roamed around a Punjabi film set. I had to laugh at they way they ran and also their facial expressions. Good stuff.
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| I was walking through a park and this guy decided to land on my hand. |
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| The film set at Fort Aguada. |
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| With the actors. The film is due to release in mid-December. |
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| My Crab Xec-Xec with Goan bread dinner (sorry for the poor focus). |
On the way to the southern city, Margao, I found a tourist information center and was recommended to check out Palolem beach. I got there and decided to park there for a few days to totally unwind. I got lots of reading done, tried and failed at surfing, and watched the Ganesh festival get underway. I waited around for them to bring the big Ganesh into the town but missed it since I don't run on Indian time. So I went around the area and watched some people welcome it into their homes. Depending on the size of the idol, it was kept at their home for one to three days and then dropped into the ocean. The bigger statues that were kept in the town centers were worshiped for ten to twenty days before they were also deposited into the ocean. Environmentally friendly? Not so much, but they have been improving over the years or trying (check out this article).
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| Spray painting the idol the day before the start of the festival. |
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| A hijra with her dog, Julie. I found her sari very pretty so I asked for a photo. |
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| A Brahmin conducting puja to welcome Ganesh into the home. |
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| Transporting the Ganesh idol to the beach. |
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| The colossal mess at the beach. |
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| Sending the idol out to sea after more puja. |
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