Goa, India

Thursday, December 7, Goa, India

This morning, the ship docked at 8:00am in Goa, which is not so much a city as it is a province of India. The name of our seven hour tour today was “Tastes of Goa”.
For the first part of the trip, we visited the Basilica of Bom Jesus, completed in 1605, with a brick baroque facade featuring Doric, Ionic and Corinthian architecture. The Basilica contains a tomb and partial remains of St Francis Xavier, who spread Christianity in the Portuguese colonies.

From the Bom Jesus Basilica, we walked a short distance to the Se Cathedral. The Se Cathedral was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque over a Muslim army, leading to the capture of the city of Goa in 1510. Since the day of the victory happened to be on the feast of Saint Catherine, the cathedral was dedicated to her. The Se Cathedral's tower houses a large bell known as the "Golden Bell" on account of its rich tone. It is said to be the largest in Goa, and one of the best in the world.

Next on to the more than 450 year old Shantadurga temple in Goa, dedicated to Goddess Durga. Legend has it that Goddess Durga acted as a mediator for stopping a fight between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, and saved the world from being destroyed with the anger of the two. The Shantadurga temple has an idol of the goddess, flanked by idols of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. The idol of the goddess is also shown holding two snakes, which represent Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.
The original Shantadurga temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in the year 1530. The new Shantadurga temple also holds guesthouses for pilgrims and devotees for spending a few nights, and features a fire-pit for carrying out ceremonies.

The “taste” part was a delightful buffet lunch of local foods served at a pineapple farm and spice plantation. Before the current owner bought the land, multiple previous owners tried to grow various crops but were unsuccessful due to the incompatibility of the temperature and type of soil. This owner, through multiple experiments, found that it was ideal for pineapples plus a limited number of spices and as a result, was able to turn the property into a successful commercial business, as well as a
successful tourist destination.
On arrival, the ladies were given a flower wreath and the foreheads of both men and ladies were touched with something that left a red dot. Next, they gave us a glass of the most fantastic fresh pineapple juice. Then, just before they opened the buffet, they brought around a warm, lemon type drink. This was followed by shooters of cashew nut juice which tasted like a combination of vodka, tequila, and the worst Grappa you have ever tasted. We were then given a choice of beverages. Peter and I had a local beer. Lee and Heather had a soft drink.
After lunch, we were led by an enthusiastic young lady on a 20 minute tour of the spice plantation. Along the way she picked leaves and beans and berries, and explained what they were all about and passed them around so that we could all smell them. At the end of that tour all the spices they produced were available for sale and it was actually quite busy. After a 45 minute, sometimes very bouncy bus ride, we were dropped off back at the ship.
The entertainment tonight was "Tuxedo", a fresh take on the music of the Rat Pack, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole and many more, backed up by a live orchestra.Læs mere