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|Indian retreat|Back to nature|CSM|
Capital Cruise - Goa, April 2005.
Tuesday afternoon/evening excursion
"Visit the World heritage monuments at Old Goa. Have dinner on a 19th Century dhow as you cruise down the river"
We met the coach on the main road at 1315, picking up several more passengers en-route before arriving at Old Goa. This was the Portuguese capital, once boasting a population of 250,000 before a cholera epidemic left just 50,000 survivors who eventually fled to the present day capital, Panjim.
First we visited 'Basilica of Bom Jesus', which is famous for containing the tomb of St. Francis Xavier. Construction began in 1594 and was completed 9 years later. One thing to note, all shoulders should be covered whilst inside.
Next we crossed the road to the Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The doorway is all that remains from the original 1521 Church, the remainder dates from 1661. Thereafter we ventured the short distance to Se Cathedral, which at 76 metres long and 55 metres wide, is the largest Christian structure in Asia. Work on the construction began in 1562, and it wasn't finished until 1652 (mainly due to Portuguese monetary problems). The Cathedral tower houses the famous Golden Bell, which is the largest in Asia weighing in at 4 tonnes. It is also famous for its unique sound.
After we boarded the bus to be taken a short distance to a departmental store called 'Habitat', but not the one we know and love in the UK. The main highlight was the fact it was air conditioned.
Twenty minutes later we travelled to the Mandovi river, here we joined our sailing vessel, a 19th century dhow. The dhow sailed down the river for 1 ½ hours, until we reached the Goan capital, Panjim. En-route we had a delightful buffet crammed with local dishes, this we ate whilst enjoying the wondrous scenery.
We arrived in Panjim around 6 o'clock and took the quick bus ride from the quayside to the town centre. We had an hour to look around the capital, so we went to look for the main attraction, the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception which dates from 1619. At first we couldn't find the church although we were told we were going in the right direction, then when we gave up and decided just to have a look around, we found the church! Unfortunately the Church was closed, but it was still worth the climb up.
Next we looked around the town until it was time to go back to the bus, which then returned us to our hotel.
In conclusion, the excursion was very enjoyable. Old Goa, filled with its ornate churches and not much else, is a must see. The guide did a sterling job explaining its history as he led us around. The river cruise was a pleasant amble down the river whilst eating a fine buffet whilst enjoying the landscape. Panjim, the capital of Goa, is a small affair but worth a visit, if only for the shopping.
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