Final Days in Goa

Friday, Dec. 16, Mangalore to Goa

I checked out of the hotel at 9:10. All hotels here have a 24-hour checkout policy. If you check in at 9:10 a.m., then checout is at 9:10 the next day.

I really had nothing to do, so I walked. I went north, then across and back on a different road. Then I went east and looped around the same way. There ws nothing worth seeing, but it passed the time. At 11:45, I stopped at a cyber cafe. At 12:50, I ate a vegetarian plate--soup, papadam, fried flatbread, 3 vegies, rice, lentil sauce, etc. It was very filling. As usual, I had a lime drink to wash it down.

It's now 1:50 p.m. My train is at 2:40 for Goa. I hope it's on time. I'm a little worried about tonight. The train arrives about 8:45 in Goa, and I don't have a reservation. There's an inexpensive hotel near the train station, so I'm hoping they will have a room. Right now, I have no secondary plan, but I will look at my guidebook again. I wish it weren't Friday; weekends are more likely to be a problem than weekdays are.
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It's a full train. I'm so glad I was able to get a reservation last week. I'm not sure where everyone is going or why. A muslim family in the next seating area has huge suitcases and boxes. The only places they could have put them is on the bed berths, since they were too big to go under the seats. How will they sleep when it's time for that?

I'm about an hour from my station. In this air conditioned car, the windows are heavily tinted making it impossible to read the station signs. Six men across the aisle from me have said they will let me know ehn my station is coming up. I'd hate to miss it.
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The train was 40 minutes late arriving, but at 9:05 I stepped off it and exited the station to a rush of drivers--motorcycle, motorcycle rickshaw, trishaw, and taxi--all pushing and yelling trying to get business. I might have taken one at that hour, but it was all a turn-off for me. Instead, I walked. It was about 3 km to town, and I took a wrong turn at one point and had to backtrack. People along the way, although surprised to see a tourist walking at that time of night, were friendly and helpful. I walked to probably the second best hotel in town and got a room (one of less than a handful still available at that hotel) at 10:30.

Saturday, Dec. 17, Goa

I got COLD last night. I had to turn off the ceiling fan and cover myself with a blanket. The TV showed a low of 18 degrees C (67-68 F). That's the first time I've been cold in a long time.

Then I had a HOT shower and shave this morning. It's been over 3 months since I've enjoyed those. I feel so good and clean.
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It's 11:30, and I'm in a hotel a Panaji (Panjim). Both places I checked had rooms available. What a relief. I'm at the Manvin's Hotel. I have a nice, clean and big room with a wonderful view over the Municipal Gardens and past the old tile roofs to the river. Now I can relax and enjoy Goa.

Most people come here for the beaches. I may go to one for part of a day, but they don't really interest me. I'm more interested in the Portuguese heritage--the architecture, the food, etc. It will be interesting also to see if there are any christmas concerts or programs that I can attend.
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Panaji is a nice town. There's an old section with narrow streets and the feel of places like the French Quarter in New Orleans; there are churches like those found in Brazil; there are nice shops, bakeries, and restaurants; etc. It seems quite different from the rest of ndia. For one thing, the people look less Indian; there's a strong influence of Portuguese genes, I guess. Second, saris are seldom seen' most women are wearing western dress including pants and jeans.

I had a late lunch--a paper masala dosa t a place where they are a specialty. It was HUGE and tasty. Then I skipped dinner and ate pastries from two local shops. One was a thin dough rolled tightly and sliced and baked. They were soaked in hone and tasted like the special Christmas cookies David Cordova's sister, Josephine Sheppard, used to make. I had two of those and will go back for more tomorrow. From another place, I had two balls--one a very sweet, crumbly treat and the other a coconut-nut mixture with the taste of some type of liquor flavoring.

Sunday, Dec. 18, Panaji

Being a big tourist area, Goa has more touts and beggars than I've experienced in Kerala. They haven't been too assertive, however. In fact, they are rather good natured. I talked with a wallet salesman who seemed genuinely interseted in a conversation and didn't make a final sales pitch when we parted. The encounter that remains on my mind the most was with a man of about 40-45 who said he was from Bangladesh, had his luggage stolen in Kerala (including his passport), had come here thinking there was a consulate where he could get help only to find he must go to the embassy in Delhi, is an engineer, had only his watch that he could offer anyone, and needed help to buy a train ticket to Delhi. I WANTED to believe him, but I had to tell him I've heard versions of this story at least five times over the years (which is true; it's a common ploy). What bothers me is the chance that he was telling me the truth. But the watch looked cheap, and he offered no ID such as a business card. A person really in that situation would think of alternatives to begging on the street--going to a fellow engineer's office and asking for a temporary loan, going to a mosque to seek assistance (assuming hi's muslim, since h's from Bangladesh), begging for 5-10 rupees to telephone his family to wire money, etc.
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I went to Old Goa this morning after having an omelet and toast at my hotel. ld Goa is a World Heritage Site and consists of a cluster of churches, convents, and ruins. It was full of tourists by the time I left, but it was rather quiet when I arrived at 10:15. I had rather peaceful visits in the museum and the churches. Interesting in the museum were the sati stones marking the practice of widow burning. In the Basilica of Bom Jesus is the tomb of St. Francis Xavier, an elegant marble and jasper gift of the Medici family.

On my return to Panaji, I went back for more pastries (called Kaja) like the ones Josephine Sheppard used to make. I had them with a mango milkshake. Then I bought 4 mandarin oranges which I ate at the park.

A street salesman had a bag just like the one Evy and Arvind gave me last year--the one I am carrying and using now. I will continue to use the present one, but it has already been repaired once and is showing wear and tear. I bought the new one and put it in the bottom of my suitcase ready for when the present one finally goes.
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I went back to Old Goa. I didn't intend to. I wanted to go to Ribandar, a waterfront village of old homes halfway between here and there. I couldn't tell where to get off though, and no one near me knew the place by that name. So I went to Old Goa and then caught another bus back. Both buses were packed. I had a seat in the first one, but people were pushing and leaning against me all the way. I had to stand and push against people myself on the way back. That's the story of bus trips in India.

Panaji has a long waterfront promenade, so I walked the length of it and back while watchign the sun set. Then I went to a nice restaurant for dinner--the Venite. I ordered butter garlic bread as an appetizer. Then I had pork vindaloo with rice and mixed vegetables. I drank a Kingfisher beer with it all. It was a very stylish place--great atmosphere. An Australian man was at a table next to me, and we visited back and forth for 1 1/2 hours while I ate my food and he had his mixed seafood platter. We talked about traveling, Australia, footy, Bangkok, etc.

The church near my hotel was having a Christmas celebration tonight. A choir was singing Christmas carols and there were booths with games and food. (The food looked good; I was sorry I had already eaten.) I got an apple drink and sat with two men from Kashmir who own a fancy gift shop in the next block from my hotel and who also happen to live full-time in my hotel. It was nice to hear christams carols. Also many buildings have lights making it feel like Christmas here. I could feel the spirit of it all tonight!