Today was the most thrilling day in Goa! I had registered for a nature tour of Chorao with a group called Soul Traveling. I was very excited to spend the whole day adventuring with Ritchie!
We woke up very early (well one of us did since I slept through my alarm) and drove to the ferry point. I have seen cars board the big ferries in Europe but the ferries looked so tiny here and as if they would just sink. I kept asking Ritchie if he was sure that we were supposed to drive onto the small ferries. When the ferries arrived they let down a ramp and the crowd rushed on to the boat. They didn’t even dock the boat or anything, just let the ramp down.
The morning was still cool as the sun rose and glittered on the river. Charoa is the biggest island in the Mandovi River and is most known for housing the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary so I was very excited to go birding. The tour guide Koonan led us to a canoe where we would begin our adventure.
The canoe took our group of 11 people through the mangroves of the island. Our bright blue boat contrasted the bright green of the water and the mangroves. It was so peaceful to be out this early in the morning and not have a sound present. There were many birds along the way that Koonan pointed out. We saw tall slender cranes, kites, and even the Kingfisher that is on the beer bottle. The scenery boating through the waters was breathtaking and so picturesque. It was perfect and I loved the serenity it offered.
Following the boat we drove to one of the largest temples on the island of Chorao. The Devki Krishna Bhumika Mallinath temple dates back only to 1934 as the original temple was destroyed when the Portuguese took siege of the island. When the Portuguese came in, the deity that was inside was smuggled and passed around to locations where the Portuguese would not have bothered to look. These included boats, basements, and more. The original deity is now housed in a museum but for 300 years, it was kept safe from Portuguese destruction. The temple itself in terms of architecture is quite simple and very colorful. It is made up of 3 different temples honoring different gods. Off to the side there is an orange and white tower. Legend has it that couples before they are getting married come and stick rose petals around the lotus on top of the turtle. If the rose petals fall, it means the couple will be together forever.
Breakfast was held at a local's house who served us a home cooked Goan meal. We had polem which was basically a mix between a dosa and uttapam, a bean dish, and then a poi as well. It was all very good and I enjoyed trying new foods. The family introduced themselves and the food they had prepared with a brief history. The family owns an acre of land where they grow most of the food they consume and we had an opportunity following breakfast to walk through their orchards. I thought it was fascinating to see how pepper grew on the tree.
Our next spot was a small walk to the top of a hill through a forest. The ground was littered with teak leaves that had a fabric appearance as they fell and a large crunch when you stepped on them. Concealed by the teak leaves was a feni colmb. This is where the ripe cashew fruit is smashed for the making of cashew feni, the signature Goan drink. As the fruit is smashed, the juices pour out through a small opening where it is collected into clay pots for fermentation.
Along the walk up the hill, Koonan kept pointing out sections of flat ground which he said to remember for when we reached the top of the hill. At the top of the hill was the Chapel of St. Jeronimus which belonged to a part of a seminary. All that remains is a circular building. Koonan brought us around the building to where a small picture of the original seminary that was destroyed in 1886. The picture looked nothing like it does today. The only confirmation that such a massive structure was built here was that the chapel matched and the flat areas we had seen on our way up were likely where the seminary was built. The seminary was massive and it was very sad to see that nothing except the chapel remained.
Having seen the first stage of the feni making process, it was now time to taste the feni. Koonan took us to a local bar that had an upstairs patio for our group. First, he had us all taste the feni plain. I had tasted feni as a child and hated it so I had low hopes. Just the smell of feni had me turn up my nose and the taste had me gag. It was so foul! It was too strong and did not have a good flavor. I didn’t even finish my sample and left it to make a cocktail. For the cocktail, we added Limca and lime to the feni. Since feni does not hit right away, people would add a whole chili so that if you forgot how much feni you had, the burn of the feni would remind you. The chili was so spicy I could not even take a sip without the smell of the chili hitting my lungs and breaking into a coughing fit. The chili was a no for me. I had barely any feni in my drink so i was bearable but overall my opinion has not changed from when I last tried it with mom in 2013.
Koonan took us to a church as our last stop on the trip. The church was bright white with a yellow trim and had a cemetery in the back. Due to the limited space in Goa and on the island of Chorao, bodies are only allowed to be buried for 3 years. After that the bones are dug up and disinfected and washed with feni to prevent the spread of germs. Washing bones in feni is a much more appropriate use for it if you ask me. After that, the bones are placed in a box on the wall. I was inspecting the names on the graves to see if I could find any Saldanhas but all I saw was De’Souza, Rodrigues, D’Silva, and Fernandes. On the back wall there were only a few intact boxes and in some of the cubby slots, a bag of bones had just been thrown carelessly. Someone commented that those people might not have been able to afford anything more.
Following the tour, Roopa joined Ritchie and I for a last lunch in Panjim. We stopped at Cafe Bholsa for puris. I compare puris to small bhaturas with potato bajji and mushrooms. The bajjis were good and surprisingly heavy. One bhaji was a banana one that was slightly sweet.
Roopa and Ritchie left me with the driver Sydney for the rest of the day for him to drive me to the airport in the evening. Now it was time for me to wander. The first place I wanted to stop at in Panjim was the church of immaculate conception. The main reason I wanted to stop at this church was since it had a very similar design to the one I had seen in Portugal with the criss-cross walls leading up to the entryway. Sadly I could only look at it from the outside since they were doing some construction.
Nishant had said I must go to 31st January street and try a pastel de nata so that is what I did. The confectionary was located down a very cute lane that was decorated with lots of flowers. It had such a cute vibe! I was excited to try pastel de nata after eating nearly 2 a day in Portugal. Sadly the pastel de natas were nothing compared to the ones in Portugal and it even looked rather sad.
The 31st January road is located in the Fontainhas district which is the old Latin quarter. The houses here all maintain the Portuguese style of architecture and are painted very bright colors. I loved the narrow streets with each house painted a different color. Each house had tons of plants in front as well giving such a cute hipster vibe to the town. Even the bar looked like a church with its Portuguese architectural style. I hope they maintain the old style even in the new builds as it gives the place such charm.
I wandered the streets for hours admiring the bright houses and getting lost among the lanes. I came to a beautifully painted bridge that was decorated with all sorts of flora and fauna. Along the way I saw massive bougainvillea similar to ones I had seen in Portugal! I love all the little resemblances to Portugal, especially having gone not too long ago. My favorite building has to be this hostel that was painted with the Portuguese Azulejo designs on it. Anjali later called me to tell me that her friend had been the one who painted it!
As I wandered I saw the remnants of the Narkasur left. One had been burned completely except for the toes which I thought was funny. Other funny sites include a cow knocking on someone's door.
I had no plans to visit Old Goa since I had done a comprehensive tour with my mom when she had brought me in 2013 but my flight got delayed so I had time to kill. The first place I started with was the Church of St. Augustine. The Church of St. Augustine was built in 1572 by the Augustinian monks and is a large complex with a seminary, convent, library, cloister, and dormitory. However by 1832, the Portuguese had banned the religious order and 10 years later the church collapsed and pieces were auctioned off. Today the church stands in ruins with the bell tower most intact. I remember the bell tower very well from my last visit here.
Ritchie had been raving about the Museum of Christian Art (MOCA) so I paid a visit. The museum was rather small but had lots of religious artifacts from paintings to things used in the mass. My favorite part of the museum was the church itself which was located in the back of the museum. I liked all of the gold that made up the decor behind the altar.
The most famous church of course was the Bom Jesu. It is known as the most highly decorated church in Goa and houses the body of St. Francis Xavier. It was built in 1594 and what stands out is how the body of St. Francis Xavier still remains intact after more than 400 years. I remember from last time learning how they would bring his body down for viewing every year on his feast day. That was until someone decided to bite off a toe to see if the body was in fact real.
The Bom Jesu is also one of the only churches in Goa built without a facade as the building maintains its brick structure. Although brief, I enjoyed my walkthrough of Old Goa before it was time to head to the airport.
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