Goa-2

Watch Your Step

Oyster Shell Window

Priest's House-1780

Jan. 19, 2013-Goan Along

Not only is our old van gone but we have a small bus that's high enough to see the sights & has enough leg room for me to type. Sahid came through.

On our way to our first stop he took the time to inform us about Goan customs. For example, you can recognize a Hindu married lady a few ways. She'll wear a black & gold beaded necklace and/or have a red dot on her forehead & red spot at the hairline. It shows that her husband is alive. If a widow has no children chances are slim she'll re-marry. She's considered "used". But if she's rich it's ok to marry her. Materialism strikes again. If the wife dies the man has to wait a year to re-marry. If he doesn't find anyone in a year he has to wait three more years.

Cows are sacred to Hindus because of the 36 million gods many lived in the cow's stomach. Secondly, every part of a cow is utilized. And third, when a mother bears a child & has no milk the cow's milk saves the baby. Wandering cows belong to people. At sunset they go home. But bulls & buffalo are stupid. They're untied in the morning & either the owner will go with them or he'll send a cow wearing a bell along. The cow knows when to return & the bulls follow the sound.

And this is for our granddaughter Alex who doesn't like bridges. As we were going over a bridge Sahid told us about when it collapsed right before it was dedicated whereupon the president who was supposed to do the honors died of a heart attack. Sahid then assured us there were no traffic lights in Goa. They rely on traffic police who direct with hand signals. It's an honest approach & I noticed less horn blowing here.

There's illegal bull vs bull fighting here like cock fights but it's not a fight to the death. It's just for gambling.  Police know about it but arrive after it's over. The fights are held in a different place each time.

Sahid is very opinionated & particularly dislikes Russian tourists. He claims they start drinking in the morning, are drunk all day, don't respect Indians, & are bad tippers. Russian tourism increased after India & Russia signed a pact. He also said that Russians dress immodestly  & were the impetus for signs keeping non-Hindus out of temples. He won't take tips from them because the amount is insulting & he gets paid a day wage from the company. He also encourages them to go on elephant rides since he gets a 50% kickback. He's a go-getter & also sells insurance. He calls it as he sees it. Don't feel sorry for him. His father is a very successful real estate investor & his wife has two post grad degrees in computer science.

Portuguese Influence

Before the 12th century, Goa was entirely Hindu. In the 13th century a Moslem prince came here for business & conquered the region. Moslems were too strict & the people didn't like them.  In 1475 a Goan went to Cochin & invited the Portuguese to come & make him the ruler. It took a couple of attacks but in 1510 it worked. The Portuguese decided to stay & build a fort. 

After a long drive to South Goa we passed colorful Portuguese style houses with rooms to rent for tourists. We walked on the beach which was surprisingly acceptably clean. No need to watch our step to avoid human excrement. Ever-present cows kept us company so I guess cow poop was a potential hazard. Most of the swimmers were foreigners since 60% of Goans don't know how to swim including Sahid. We were directed to the "facilities" in a ramshackle hotel. The steps leading to the lobby were almost un-navigable. They'd have been condemned & torn down in the U.S. We had to grip the hand rail going down & couldn't avoid touching the mystery crud on it. As we safely arrived at the bottom we Purelled.

We  have now seen old farm implements in every country we've toured . There's such a similarity from place to place I can't tell one locale from the other. The ones we saw today were housed in a two year old museum built by a man who collects 17th century antiques. I was thrilled to know they used "bulla" carts way back then.

Portuguese, unlike Goans,  built their houses at least a meter above ground. What didn't Goans get about monsoons, rivers, & flooding?  The 450 year old house we saw at our next stop had the requisite oyster shell window panes. They were not only decorative but also let in light & air. A member of the family who stills owns it was our tour guide. It's now occupied by the 9th generation of that family. The furnishings are original with scads of Chinese artifacts. Furniture & silver were manufactured & carved locally. Chandeliers were from Belgium or Venice. Rooms were built to catch any breeze with open walls & lots of windows. One mosaic floor led to another in what must have been an idyllic life. Ah, but there was always a threat & behind the shutters at each window was a slot where a gun could be inserted in case of attack. The one enemy they couldn't defend against was the government. In 1962, a year after the  Portuguese left, the government instituted land reform & all the acreage the family held was confiscated. Left with only the house & becoming poor overnight, they had to open it to tourism. They also make the banquet hall available as a catering facility for five-star hotels.

Lunch was at a restored home built by a priest in 1780. Our hosts & the people who restored the house, Ruben & his wife, live there with their children. She's the much over qualified cook holding two graduate degrees in microbiology. The house was charming & modest in scale & decor. Ruben traveled to Portugal & researched the period & archives for records of the original house & gardens & has tried to be true even to the room colors. Originally there was only river access but silt has collected over the years. There are no ceilings in the wide hallways with a 3-6 ft. gap to the tile roof for air circulation. We walked through their living quarters & the TV & Leggos contrasted with the colonial decor. Fado music played to set the atmosphere as it would have been when the priest lived there. The singer moaned her heartbreak as we were introduced to food he would have eaten & a purple drink made of the kumkum fruit & sparkling water.

As we walked to the bus we passed a church where a wedding was about to take place. The couple, attendants, & some guests were waiting to go in & didn't object to our picture taking. Although the wedding was described by an attendee as Portuguese Catholic style, female guests were mostly in glittering saris. We were actually invited into the church but only stayed a few minutes. It looked like it was going to be a long Mass. We walked toward our bus & I heard a bellowing noise. Two cows (one might have been a bull) were deadheading across our path in a mighty hurry.

We were delayed getting back to the hotel. There was a traffic jam on a two lane road. No problem. It was instantly turned into a five laner.

Sahid is of the opinion that OAT has the Goa itinerary all wrong. He thinks we should be staying on the South end of Goa where the sights are since OAT travelers aren't interested in the honky tonk & discos at this end. He also thinks our tour today shouldn't be optional but included as part of the trip extension. There's nothing else to do here.

We're trying to organize a trip to Banjim, the city, on the way to the airport tomorrow and have to pay extra for the time we use the bus. We don't have to be at the airport until 1:30pm & it's silly to sit around the hotel. Mumbai here we come.

Toby