Is This India? Goa (12/11/08)

Goa, on the west coast of India, does not feel like the rest of the country. Under Portuguese rule until 1961, Hindi is rarely spoken here, and instead of Hindu temples, the lanscape is dotted with huge Catholic churches. Homes are sprawling Portuguese estates, and the atmosphere is laid-back beach casual and decidedly European. I felt incredibly comfortable in Goa, certainly in part due to my wonderful hosts.

I stayed at the hotel of a friend of a friend, and I slept better in Goa than anywhere else- maybe the fresh ocean air is what did it. My first day here I met Father Ronniw at his Portuguese Catholic Retreat center, and he gave me the history of Christianity in India in a nutshell. I visited my hosts' home--an incredible house--and was welcomed by Christmas music playing and a large artificial Christmas tree complete with all the trimmings. From there we attended a family party, with family having flown in from London and Portugal for the holidays and wedding season. We enjoyed a delicious Goan meal and I slept very well that night.

I spent a day with 2 people my age (SO NICE) and we had a ton of fun traveling around Goa, visiting churches and museums, getting a bit lost, eating ice cream, and we visited a seminary where another priest shared his perspective on Christianity in India. This seminary was at a church that had several school and an orphanage, and the priest mentioned that the seminary had missionaries in Orissa. After another day of family, food, and fun in Goa, including an incredible dinner beachside, I was off to Mangalore, another coastal town.