We were welcomed to the Goa Port this morning by an enthusiastic band, costumed characters, and giveaways of hats, drinks, and maps. It was the biggest welcome of our trip so far! Our tour guide met us and off we went, toward Panjim, where we visited local markets of fruits and vegetables, flowers, and fish. The fruits and vegetables and flower pavilion was particularly fragrant. Our tour guide bought locally grown sugar bananas for us.
Our next stop was in Old Goa, to see the churches of Bom Jesus and the Se’ Cathedral. The Portuguese came to Goa in 1510. The spice trade was quite lucrative at that time. They founded universities, churches, and encouraged the local people to accept their culture. Goa remained under Portuguese control after India became independent in 1947. India “liberated” Goa from the Portuguese in 1961, with Portugal offering full citizenship to everyone wanting to move to Portugal. Goa became an Indian state in 1987. Old Goa has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our last stop of the day was at a spice plantation, where we took a tour and had lunch. The spices grown on the plantation included nutmeg, pepper, cardamom, ginger, basil, and several others. All interesting and we learned about several medicinal uses we weren’t aware of. We’ll be doing more research!
