Goa, Baga beach to be specific!

We’ve been busy doing cultural Goa things.

Tuesday we did Panaji (or Panjim). Let me start off by saying that we underestimated the heat here and so we didn’t leave until 10:30. Biggest mistake ever. By the time we got there it was so hot we had to keep stopping for something cool to drink and a break from the sun. It’s a town right on the water so it’s relatively cool and the streets are windy with cute little houses in colors and styles like any Mediterranean town. It was a cute little town but not worth spending the day there. We’d meant to go to Old Goa but by the time we had lunch it was too late and too hot to go and walk around. It was kind of a bummer because Old Goa used to rival Lisbon in terms of architecture and culture. What’s also interesting is that Goa is Catholic and so there are a lot of beautiful churches. It surprised me until I turned my brain on and said, “Oh right. Portugal.”

Wednesday we did our cliff walk again and made it to the Wednesday flea market in Anjuna. It was so cool, I’ve never been to an open air markert that large outside of the Paris one. It stretched as far as the eye could see in three directions and was right next to the water so it was cool while we shopped. The colors everywhere were gorgeous. I love how rich everything is here, especially in the bright sun. And so, of course we bought things to send home with Debbi-a couple of wall hangings and hanging threads of handmade birds. They’re very cute and I’ll show them to you once Debbi brings them to the States.

Thursday we walked all day. Let me repeat that: we walked ALL day. From 8am until 3pm we were out in the sun. We went to the Aguada Fort which is a fair ways away. First it was a two-ish hour walk to the end of the beach and then another hour uphill to get to the fort. The fort was really interesting. It was built by the Portuguese when they first landed here and it also has an old lighthouse. It’s this massive structure and although it’s in ruins it’s still in remarkably good condition. You can still clamber around the old walkways and sit in what remains of the towers to look out at the ocean. We mainly saw Indian tourists there so that’s probably why it was free to go in. That and I don’t know if there’s anything of significance, other than the archaeological value. The walk back was brutal because by then it was close to 1 and boiling even on the beach. I also pulled a hamstring because I’m lame which is why we spent today by the pool. Oh. And I got sunburned. My poor shoulders and little cheeks are red and hurt. I hate sunburns. I’m blaming the doxycycline for this one.

On the food front we found this great restaurant called Fiesta and it was so good we went two nights in a row. It’s Italian and oh man. I usually don’t like pasta but it was delicious. I had a spicy penne the first night and then a salad and vegetarian lasagna the next. The salad was so necessary, I was in heaven. We haven’t been eating very many fresh vegetables because we were cautioned against it while in India- the whole water thing and we’ve been so sick that it seemed prudent to listen to the warnings. We also had dinner at a place called Britto’s tonight where I had my first Indian food in over a week and it was so good. Fish vindaloo and the vindaloo was the real deal and very spicy even though it was really touristy. I was almost sweating, it was so hot. I’m so going to regret it tomorrow but for today it was delicious.

All in all I’ve liked Goa and will be slightly bummed to leave. I mean, it’s a beach town with a pretty beach and less pollution than I was expecting. It helps that our hotel rocked and had a pool.

So tomorrow we go to Mangalore as our first stop on the way to Kerala. Wish us luck!