GOA, INDIA

March 31, 2023

Goa, the smallest state by area in India, is a very interesting place.   It is the birthplace of our friends Ajit and Asha Desai who still have a home there but live in the U.S.  Unfortunately we were in Goa for only about 10 hours so we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked.

Goa was a Portuguese colony for 450 years until 1961, some 13 years after India became an independent country.  This was the first region in India colonized by a European country and the last to get its freedom.  Today Goa is a resort destination for people in India and for foreigners.  In fact it was a destination for hippies in the 1960s and 1970s because of its many beaches and laid-back lifestyle.  Today, it is arguably the most prosperous state in India with the highest GDP per capita in the country.

Our ship docked near the town of Vasco da Gama and we rode a coach to Paniji, the capital of Goa where we had about an hour to roam around.   Goa has many casinos and Paniji is the launch point for several floating casinos.  After our walkabout, our bus took us to a World Heritage Site of 3 beautiful churches and a Basilica built by the Portuguese in the 1600s.  Our photos are mostly of the churches we visited on the tour.   

                             

                              Haus Cumberland Hotel in Paniji where Bourne Supremacy was filmed


                              Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church in Paniji


                                              Launch point for Big Daddy Casino in Paniji


                                             Basilica of Bom Jesus built by the Portuguese in 1594


                                                      Statue of St Francis Xavier in Basilica


                                             Catholic Church of St Francis of Asissi completed 1661


                                             Church of St. Cajetan est. 1656

                                                   Temple in Vasco da Gama, Goa, India





 

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