Goa, India

Our third stop in India was Goa. Goa was a Portuguese colony for 450 years. It has a different heritage than the 2 other places we have visited. It's very Catholic. It also has a lot of buildings from 100-200 years ago that reflect the Portuguese style. The weather however is the same...steamy hot. 15 minutes outside and you need another shower!

Goa is in a jungle. We drove thru some of the passable parts of that jungle, but our guide said there were other places that were impenetrable. He also said the jungle was filled with snakes and we should not explore it. I don't know if snake means cobra, but I understand the warning!

We visited 3 old Catholic Churches that are considered "world heritage sites." Well our guide visited 3, I saw one...St. Catajen. It was huge and white and not moldy like so many buildings. The altar was carved teak that had been gilded but over the years the gold has worn away. Nevertheless it was stunning. Outside the church I saw a woman sweeping. A bit more sweeping could be done in India.

We also visited the "state store" for all of our shopping needs. I did not find anything I wanted but there were a lot of scarves, rugs, and fancy jewelry for sale. Outside the store were the nest of hawkers selling everything else from postcards and pictures to puppets and fans. Don't go to India without your fan as its really needed.

We drove to the capital of Panjim. Along the way I saw a "Toilet Complex" something that was new to me! I am always amazed by all the forms of transportation available. There are public and private buses, cars of all sizes, tuk-tuks, scooters (carrying the whole family) and the highly decorated lorries as well as trains and rusty boats. All cars on the roads drive no faster than 30 miles an hour with one hand on the horn ready to blow it in an instant. There are few signals but lots of speed bumps called "speed breaks" that do a good job slowing down speeders. There's not a lot of graffiti but there are billboards and signs everywhere.