Goa (Part II: The Undiscovered)

Undoubtedly one of my favourite pictures

     Of course riding through narrow streets and pleasing my gustatory senses were not the only things I did in Goa. I also did some traditional tourist activity of sightseeing but at non traditional tourist places. During my trip I visited several famous and infamous churches, temples and saw lots of wonderful buildings. Within the small state of Goa you’ll see an array of structures with varied influences and the best part is that they preserve these influences. Not that I’m an expert on architecture, but Portuguese influences are very evident through the bright colours, windows with characteristic grills and arched doors. Even some of the new buildings I saw, displayed strong Portuguese influences. While on our way I couldn't help but notice the magnificent new South Goa Collectorate building . Painted in loud yellow the building stood like a big chunk of well guarded gold and the lights just embellished the sight. The beautiful painted glasses and the perfectly mowed lawn just added to its beauty and made the building nothing short of a monument.

Chunk of Gold!
The new South Goa Collectorate building.

Buildings are red, skies are blue
cities like you are very very few!

Classic Portuguese color combination with arches and painted windows.
Could it get any more Portuguese!

Loved the symmetry and the color.

To talk about the old churches in Goa, well there are many. The popular ones like the ‘Basilica of Bom Jesus’ and ‘Church of St.Francis of Assisi’ located in Old Goa are always on tourists’ checklists and of course they are worth the visit, but there are several more amazing churches which tourists don’t really know of. In fact the non popular churches are more of an experience than just sightseeing. I call them experience because they are not just a treat to the eye but also for the soul. Some of these churches like ‘Monte Carlo Church, Old Goa’ and the supposedly haunted ‘3 Kings Church, Velsao’ are usually closed round the year and are so deserted that the peace and serenity of the place haunts you even during the day. There was this incident at the Monte Carlo church when I felt the urge to peep through a hole in the closed door of the church. As I approached to do so I felt someone was peeping back from inside! A shiver ran down my spine and I ran off. Of course there wasn't any one. It was just my imagination and the memories of Hollywood horror flicks at play. Most of the big churches were built during the Portuguese era which is vividly evident through the architecture.

"Feel like taking a peep?"
Monte Carlo Church, Old goa

'The Scream'
Locals say this '3 Kings Church, Velsao' is really haunted and inflicts bad luck upon visitors. 

Random church and definitely has a haunted tale associated with it.

'Basilica of Bom Jesus'
The extremely beautiful and one of my favorite churches

'Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church', Panaji
or simple the church from Josh Movie.

The inner cities of Goa are very rarely visited because they do not have beaches. But what they do have are beautiful green fields, coconut and areca nut trees and beautiful temples. Huge temples are a major part of Goa and the premise is spread over a small to large area. The ones with large area are called ‘sausthan’ like Mangueshi, Mahalaxmi, Shantadurga or Kavale, Ramnathi etc. Most temples throughout Goa show Nagari, Islamic and Portuguese influences in architecture and are usually built of red sedimentary stones. Beautiful design, big halls and deepmala (tower of lights) are some other characteristics of these temples. Most houses and buildings here are still made out of red sedimentary stone.

This one's a newly made temple in Ponda

Mahalaxmi Mandir, Sri Mahalaxmi Sausthan, Bandora, Goa

Shantadurga Temple, Kavale Sausthan, Ponda, Goa
My first handheld panorama and i just loved it.

 Another beautiful place I just have to mention is the Safa Masjid, Ponda. Built in 1560 by Bijapuri ruler Ibrahim Adil Shah, this masjid has stood the test of time and the Portuguese. It is amongst the very few masjid that the Portuguese were not able to destroy. One the day I reached Goa, I spotted this masjid from a distance on my way from the bus stand to my aunt’s house. That’s when I decided that I just had to visit this place before I left Goa. I couldn't find time during the first 5 days of my stay but on the last day I just took out the bike and went looking for the place. I had a fair idea of its location. Yet it took me a while to find it because trust me, the streets in Goa can be very confusing.

Safa Masjid, Ponda.
One of my favourite shots of this trip. Loved the simplicity and symmetry of the picture.

I guess this post has turned out to be more like a boring afternoon theoretical lecture but I wrote what I saw. Next time any of you are in Goa do reserve a day for visiting such places and do your homework on Goa rather than just relying on your guide.

Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC H50 prosumer camera.

Goa (Part I: The Unseen)

  “The landmark created by nature!” A very apt tagline chosen by Goa Tourism Corporation. When in Goa you feel like being in Nature’s arms with rivers surrounded by beautiful red soiled mountains covered by the sheath of green trees and soft golden sand complimenting the breathe taking coastlines. It is a pleasure for the eye and the soul.  Hence I take pride in saying that I have my roots in this beautiful state. During my recent visit to Goa, thanks to my cousin and tour guide Siddhesh, I was lucky to experience some of Goa’s wonders which tourists are sure to miss. Contrary to popular choice, I preferred going beyond beaches, booze and sea food and yet had a blast. From rarely-visited-almost-haunting Churches to local ‘Cafreal’ Chicken specialty joints, I had the time of my life clicking these places and tasting local cuisine.

'You might be new, you might be old
But when i'll paint you, you'll glitter like gold!'

A beautiful Sunset can be witnessed from more places than just the beach!

I'd call Ponda a city of mountains! The red dot on left hand side is the rising moon.

  In a span of 6 days I and my cousin traveled more than 400 km within Goa. On the very first day we went on a little road trip on a narrow road running through a mountain amidst the morning fog. Breaking the morning silence was the struggling sound of the active engine which was trying to carry a 150kg load against a pretty steep gradient. After an initial climb it gave up and then one of us had to get down so that the other could take the bike to the top. Apart from this entire hustle bustle there wasn't a single sound, just green trees and thick fog which made me think whether this is what heaven felt like. Also probably the fog played a key role for me to come to that conclusion. On another occasion we were to go to Madgoan and took a shortcut. The road was lonely and it was almost sunset. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit scared at that time. But the thrill to be riding on such a road suppressed my fear and the cool breeze calmed my nerves. Anyways point to be noted here is that Goa provides you with many such great roads. So are you ready to give up a day on the beach, hire a bike and explore? Petrol in Goa is cheaper too!

Imagine a bike ride through this!

Up above the world so high
Hiding behind the curtain, tell me why?

  Some additional info about Goa’s streets – they are very narrow and at times have an open drainage running alongside. Avoid running your bikes into those. In the interiors of the state, cattle are in abundance and cows and buffalos often find home in middle of the street. They enjoy dropping cakes as a souvenir for passersby. A good point about driving in Goa is the absence of traffic signals. Absolutely none! (Except there was one installed in Panaji but isn’t functional most of the times).

I just loved this picture. It shows nice flow, dynamics
and supports my statement of cattle intruding human space!

Frames, barriers and distances! Aren't all man made?

Another useful and fun mode of transport is the Ferry boat.
 Best part is that it is free for people and 2 wheelers.

  I being a Goan non vegetarian, sea food isn’t a new thing for me; in fact it a part of my staple diet. But apart from this Goa offers an array of foods to tickle your taste buds. The first egg that it hatched for me was the authentic Italian Pizza at a local restaurant ‘Da Tita’ near Verna founded by an Italian who recently passed away. They offered handmade thin crust Italian pizzas made in a coal-wood oven which is a rare privilege these days unless you shell big bucks and the price was half of what we pay here in Pune. How I wish I lived near that restaurant! Another day I went to this remote place in Madgoan and had something called ‘Cafreal’ Chicken Pav, something I never would’ve known of if it weren’t for my cousin. It was kind of a chicken burger but with thick gravy instead of a patty. And on yet another occasion I had Cafreal chicken which originated from the Portuguese colonies in the African continent and introduced into the Goan cuisine by the Portuguese. I also had fried squids for the very first time thanks to my cousin and Anton, a friend of his. Apart of all these main dishes, Goans feast on a lot of bread. They have several types of bread – regular bread, pav, poli, uunde, kakan etc. And I just loved each of them. They differ in size, shape, taste and texture, and taste and smell best when they are just out of the oven!  In this process, the foodie in me didn't not allow the photographer in me to click pictures.

Below are some other pictures clicked during this journey:

Hide and Clap!
Some places in Goa can be really scary. 
(The image is highly pixelated because of cameras limitations.)

The women of the Christian community are usually seen adorning such a dress.
Again i liked this image for its dynamics! Just loved the effect.

Not much of a bird watcher but did spot a few!
Jungle Babbler (Left top), Cattle Egret (Right)
Black headed Night Heron (Left Bottom)

Beautiful isn't it? Trees, paddy fields, buffalos and birds living in perfect harmony!

Funny story! You can't be a part of the above said harmony.
Turns out buffalos get really agitated by unknown intruders.
Trust me, I could see death in those agitated eyes! I literally ran off with in a few seconds.

Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC H50 prosumer camera.