Getting Our Religion On...
Our first overnight reminded me of the mental and physical challenges of sleeping and moving around on a train. Not our best nights sleep, but certainly PJ’s most interesting to date. After having breakfast aboard the train, we boarded our buses for a trip into the beautiful City of Old Goa. For many years, Old Goa has been one of India’s foremost tourist spots, with many making the trip down to enjoy their beautiful beaches and vibrant social life. In fact, Old Goa still accounts for well over 10 percent of India’s tourism income, which is more impressive when you consider how relatively small Goa is in relation to size of India as a whole.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, Old Goa’s population was bigger than London and was considered the “Rome of the East” as the former capital of Portuguese India. There is a real sense of grandeur when you are in Goa, with it’s towering churches, cathedrals and beautiful seaside views. But there was a time that Old Goa was not so fortunate. The City of Old Goa was all but abandoned in the 17th Century when an outbreak of cholera and malaria swept through, leaving it a proverbial “ghost town”. Luckily, some of its most impressive landmarks were able to survive and have been well looked after since its civilization started to rebuild around the start of the 20th Century.
There is much to admire in the City of Goa, and if you consider yourself to be religious or someone who just loves a beautiful church every now and then, this is the place for you. As the story goes, there were 13 churches built in the Old Goa as a way of proving to the Pope that the Portuguese - who governed Old Goa - were open to all religions and all faiths. This is however, a deeply Catholic city, as evidenced by two of their most well knows gems: The Cathedral of Santa Catarina and the Basilica do Bom Jesus.
Presently, those that worship still visit Old Goa - often in the tens of thousands for major religious observances - and their main point of interest is the Basilica do Bom Jesus, a beautiful Baroque-style building completed in 1605. It is the final resting place of Frances Xavier, the celebrated Roman Catholic missionary and the “unofficial Patron Saint of Goa”. I should also mention - being a graduate of a few fine Jesuit institutions, that this church also pays great homage to the Jesuit order and the symbolism lies everywhere you turn.
We happened to visit Old Goa on a Sunday, so we were able to really immerse ourselves into their Sunday services and observe first hand the deep devotion those who were attending the services felt.
After this first stop, we continued on to tour Old Goa by bus and learn more about its rich history. Because Goa was discovered by the Portuguese, there remains a very strong Portuguese cultural influence throughout the City. In fact, Goa is one of the few cities in all of India that is not governed by religious laws, but rather, governed by the Portuguese Royal Court. These are the laws that citizens are expected to abide by, religious beliefs aside. The Portuguese came to Goa in search of black pepper, which was used doing ago as a preservative of meat. This was a highly coveted spice and became one of the largest and most profitable trades for its residents. Currently, the biggest industries in Goa are mining, fishing and - as I’ve mentioned before - tourism.
Our tour guide for the day was amazing and - as a resident of Goa himself - gave us some really great insights into what it truly means to be a Goan. He told us that there are 5 things that you absolutely have to love if you are a Goan:
Food. This includes a hand made Chorizo that is so spicy, that if you are not a Gan, will most certainly give you what Goans refer to as “Roaring Rectum”. His words, not mine….but it does not sound pleasant and I am not willing to find out what that’s like.
Siestas. He calls this a necessity. All Goans do this, no matter how successful…how important….how popular….how busy. All hearts and minds need to take a rest each day. No exceptions.
Futbol. Though most would assume that Cricket would be the most loved sport in Goa - as it is throughout most of India - those who live in Goa put most of their passion for sports into Futbol. He told us that if you are a Goan, and you aren’t watching Futbol on the weekends….all day long….there’s something wrong with your brain.
Music and Dancing. Our guide shared with us that Goans are a very social group and venture out to the bars and clubs often - sometimes up to 5 days a week. Because it is viewed as such a hot tourist destination - he even compared it to Miami Beach - the nightlife is also an important aspect of their economy.
Feni. He told us he saved this as “the best for last”. Feni is a cashew apple juice flavored alcohol which - “if made properly” - can hold up to 48% alcohol. That’s not a misprint, folks. Goans apparently drink it with a mixture of 7UP and Pineapple juice. He said anyone who is not a Goan that has ever tried it, either likens it to “tasting like rocket fuel”….or did not survive long enough to have an opinion on it.
He also made sure to mention that the very famous Stella McCartney lives in a very large mansion on the top of one of the foothills of Goa and spends quite a bit of time “out and about” enjoying its culture….and more obviously….the robust nightlife. So - there you have it - for whatever that little nugget of information is worth.
Once we finished our tour of Goa, we headed back on to the train for what is referred to as “an afternoon of leisure”. This basically means, the train needs to make up some time and we are done with activities for the day….so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
I think I’ve said enough here…so I’m going to throw it over to PJ to finish things off.
PJ - take it away:
Hi, PJ here. There’s not a lot to talk about in a Goa standpoint, so let’s just jump into it:
1) St Augustine and Bom Jesus. These are both churches and I’m not that into church history. St Augustine had 15 different altars, but the real highlight was the balloon on the roof. All I really have to say is that when I first read about Bom Jesus, I pronounced it as “bomb Jesus”- until I learned that Old Goa is heavily Portuguese after being captured by them long ago, so it’s pronounced like, “bom-HAY-zoos”.
2) The Goa Tour. What to talk about Goa with-than Goa itself? As I’ve mentioned, the Portuguese captured Goa many years ago for spices- specifically pepper- and Goa today still has many elements of that. Another surprising fact is that a big chunk of Goans are Roman-Catholics, although I am pretty sure that most are still Hindu, if I was listening correctly. Also surprising is that Goa’s alligators/crocodiles (whatever they are) aren’t as mean as in the States. The real animals you should worry about in Goa are cobras, leopards, panthers, and... sloth bears.
That’s all I have to say! Goodbye for now, although you will hear from me in later blog posts to come.
