Sunday, May 27, 2007: Arrival to Goa

I landed in Goa yesterday afternoon (Saturday) around 4 pm. David, my friend from home, landed shortly after me. We will be traveling together for the next few days. Sameer and his driver picked us up. Immediately, I realized how different Goa is than Hyderabad. The weather is distinctly more humid. The people are more laid back and less traditional. The combination of the tropical climate, beaches and Portuguese influence remind me very much of rural Costa Rica. Sameer's family home (or should I say compound) here is exceedingly beautiful. He lives on a large piece of land with beautiful vegetation and landscaping. On his grounds, they grow mangos, a variety of spices, herbs, an assortment of flowers. The interior of his home is decorated with an eclectic collection of art, furniture and sculpture from all over the world - particularly Africa and Asia. We hung around his home for a few minutes and then headed north to Calangute where Sameer's family has just finished a new residential condo development. We stayed in one of the empty apartments. Calangute is a more lively area crawling with international travellers and no shortage of bars, restaurants, clubs, good music and beautiful sandy beaches. We went for a great dinner on the beach. The seafood here is unbelievable. The tiger prawns we ate were the size of my hand.In general, Goa feels 100% different than Hyderabad. Goa itself is a state. The main city in Northern Goa is Panaji with most tourists staying in Calangute. North of that is a bit less travelled by the average tourist. It is known for drugs, raves and the infamous psychedelic Goa party scene, where the pot-smoking hippies go. The main city in central Goa is Vasco de Gama (named after the Portuguese explorer who discovered this beautiful place). this is where the airport is. Sameer's family lives right outside Vasco. As far as size and density, Goa is relatively small and much less populous. By car, Goa can be covered in a matter of hours.Today, we woke up and drove around for a bit exploring Panaji (another major northern city) as well as Old Goa. Interestingly, Goa is covered with Catholic churches; a reminder of the Portuguese occupation and Spanish inquisition. The churches are all fairly simple yet striking. Typically, they are a basic white or creme color with a primary color accent and Spanish styling - lots of porticoes, arches and Mediterranean tiled roofs. To this day, many of the locals (Goans) who have extended roots here are Christian rather than Hindu. That said, its not uncommon to see a cross next to a Hindu Shrine. Old Goa is known for having two of the largest and most beautiful churches in the area, which we visited. Being a Sunday they were swarmed with visitors but definitely a great site to see. The grounds surrounding the church were absolutely beautiful - covered with flowers, trees, and well-manicured parks. Pictures coming soon. The highlights of the day began at lunch. We had a traditional Goan feast with Sameer's family at their home in Central Goa. They have a large staff, as expected in India; at least twice as many servants as family. They cooked up an incredible meal and everything was homemade, fresh and lots of the food was grown at their home or at the farm they own nearby. Coconut is a major ingredient in curries, yogurts, and desserts. It may have been the best meal yet. We finished with Alfonso Mangos for desert that were grown at their home - best of my life.After lunch, we drove South to Sameer's farm. Its known as the Mangal farm and it was incredible. There they grow a variety of plants, flowers and spices which are exported to Bombay and Delhi. They also have 1.5 lakhs (150,000) cashew trees from which they harvest cashews but more interestingly produce two Goan alcohols - one known as Feni - made by fermenting the chestnuts. Sameer and his family have set up an Artist's residency and camp on the farm. Local artists from Goa as well as artists from Bombay and Delhi have traveled to his farm to live, eat, sleep but most importantly relax in beautiful seclusion and gain inspiration while they create masterful paintings. Sameer's family has also opened a Gallery in which all the paintings are displayed and sold. We met with some of the artists. The program is only a few weeks old but it is very impressive.I have plently more to write about but not enough time. More to come tomorrow morning. As one would expect of me, I have lost my wallet and credit cards so I have to figure all of this out now.Hope you enjoyed this quick summary.