Monday, November 03, 2008

Goa

November 3, 2008

I had a lunch of Prawn curry, my first non-veg meal. At 2 pm we had a tour of Old Goa, , Miramar Beach and a one hour boat cruise.
Our first stop was the Mangueshi Temple, where I witnessed several blessings and heard beautiful chanting. Out of respect, I didn’t take pictures.

Our next stop was in Old Goa, the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a 16th c church, one of the Unesco World Heritage sites. The body of Saint Francis Xavier, the founder of the Jesuits, lies here. There is an interesting legend about the body.
I took a few pictures outside and inside the basilica and the Professed House next door with its cloister. We only had 20 minutes in this site. We spent lots of time in transit and some in traffic.

At about 5pm, we were at the beach of Miramar, where I had enough time to walk straight to the water and dip my feet in the Arabian Sea. Something wonderful happened there; several young couples approached me to have their picture taken with me.

At six we boarded the Princes de Goa boat for a tour of the Mandovi River. Barely off the jetty, the DJ invited the young kids to dance; the entertainment included Goan folk dancing and more disco dancing. I tried to concentrate on the river view. The boat had some snacks and drinks. So after the tour, I headed out to dinner and enjoyed a chicken vindaloo.

After dinner I bought a couple of bags; one for me, and another for a gift.

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