GOA, India » This is the kind of place it’s easy to get into. People speak various languages — Konkani, Marathi, Hindi, English — but nobody demands one be made the True Language, and nobody’s killing others over it.
People have many religions — 66 percent Hindu, 27 percent Christian and the rest Muslim, Sikh or Jains — but nobody demands one be made the True Religion and nobody’s killing others over it.
The Christians are almost all Roman Catholic, and they used to call this "the Rome of the East" because of all the elegant churches.
In appearance — well, if you were hooded and "rendered" here by the CIA — you’d think perhaps you were in southern Laos, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta or Indonesia but with many unbroken miles of beach, baroque architecture and crumbling forts left from 450 years of Portuguese occupation, palm fruit liquor, heavy alcoholism, distinctive cooking and 2 million tourists (heavily Russian until lately when U.S. and European Union economic sanctions hit over the crisis Ukraine).
Downsides? Sure. It’s South India, so even in winter the daytime temperature can climb into the 90s. But there’s no shortage of air conditioning.
It’s India, and although Goa’s the smallest and one of the richest states, there’s depressing poverty.
And the natural beauty is being marred by the construction of midrise concrete buildings along the coastline to be apartments for in-migrating locals and second-homes for foreigners. Hotel building has slowed because the Russian tourists have run out of money and the Brits, who say visas are too complicated and expensive, are going elsewhere.
There are the all-pervasive security measures in all of India these days — magnetic and hand screenings everywhere, a result of the jihadist attack in Mumbai in 2008.
| SISTER STATE IS A POSSIBILITY
A "sister state" relationship between Hawaii and the India state of Goa may be in the future — that’s according to two Goa news agencies, the Daiji World and the Herald.
They quoted statements from Goa Gov. Mridula Sinha and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar after a meeting last month with U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D, Hawaii) in the Goan capital city.
The governor was said to be "excited with the proposition and agreed to work towards formalizing such an initiative."
A statement attributed to Gabbard’s office said "Governor Sinha believes that Goa and Hawaii are truly sister states as they have several similarities, including population."
Goa is a coastal state, and its economy is heavily dependent on tourism.
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Don’t post any pro-Islamic State items on social media or insult any religion. It gets you arrested.
And getting there takes about 21 flying hours from Honolulu.
But overall, Goa is a plus. Here are the particulars:
» Old Goa Town. I had expected more "spectacular" from a place founded in the 12th century by Muslim Brahmani and then grabbed by the Portuguese. It’s mostly churches left behind by the Portuguese. The town was done in by the Inquisition, syphilis, malaria and cholera. By 1760 everyone was fleeing. But 20,000 came back eventually because it’s where the nonbeach tourists go.
They come to see the Basilica of the Bom Jesus, Se Cathedral (largest church in Asia) and the ruins of St. Augustine church of 1602. If you come on a Sunday, you’ll swear another 20,000 are there as sightseers. There can be a two-hour wait to get into Se Cathedral for mass at 7 and 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Four hours at the Basilica when the alleged desiccated remains of St. Francis are put on display. Some scholars say the remains are actually those of a Buddhist monk, but don’t say that out loud in Old Goa Town.
The only hotel, the Heritage View, is barely a hotel at all. Most visitors stay at the nearby Goan capital city of Panjim and visit Old Goa Town by hired car. Parking’s a nightmare.
» Panjim. It’s properly called Panaji now, but the historic name stuck with the locals. It’s Goa’s capital, on a wide bay formed by the Mandovi River. This is where you’ll want to spend most of your time, exploring the old Portuguese alleyways, tree-lined modern-day streets, tile-roofed houses with dangerous-looking wooden balconies, potted flowers, palm trees, Arabian Sea breezes, restaurants and shops.
I suggest you consider Christmas here. It may be heavily Hindu, but the Catholicism hung on and you’ll see many Christmas trees, hear secular Christmas songs and watch the pastry chefs at Cidade de Goa Resort hauling out their gingerbread buildings and Yule logs.
There are a dozen good hotels and inns and a half-dozen exceptional restaurants. Panjim also is known for its floating casinos and many bars. A popular drink for locals is feni, made from coconut fruit and diluted with Sprite or lemonade. The beer of choice is Kingfisher (ubiquitous billboards advertise that and Johnnie Walker scotch). The most popular nonalcohol drink is the lime soda, salty or sweet.
Top shopping can be found at FabIndia, Barefoot and Bombay stores.
If you prefer beach to town, you’ll be better off in the suburbs of Dona Paula and Miramar. Wealthy Goans and foreigners love the high-end resorts such as Goa Marriott, O Pescador, Prainha and Cidade de Goa. They run in the $200-and-up range around Christmas and in March-April.
Among the better excursions is south to Utorda Beach for swimming and fresh-catch lunch at Zeebop by the Sea outdoor cafe. The fish and shellfish are whatever been’s hauled in that morning.
Further south at Benaulim is the Goa Chitra Museum, a house complex displaying all the artifacts of country life in the Portuguese time (they left in only 1961, marching and sailing away rather than face the new Indian army). Then at Chandor, a must-see is the 450-year-old home of Portuguese viceroy Luis de Menezes Braganza. The descendants still live in the back rooms. The front ones are open to the public to pay the taxes and upkeep through "donations" (you get serious stink-eye if you don’t donate or leave just a couple of bucks).
And top off this country swing with a visit to the Savoi Spice Plantation in Savoi-Ponda.
Eats? I can highly recommend two places in the capital. The Black Sheep Bistro has innovative local food created by chef-owner Prahlad Sukhtankar, who was the executive chef for the Lodge at Koele and the Manele Bay hotels on Lanai in 2006 and 2007. There’s also the small, cozy Viva Panjim, which specializes in Portuguese and Goan cuisine, served in a heritage house’s reception room. For riverside dining there’s the Quarterdeck. Goans eat dinner late — 8, 9 or later. Most restaurants do not open until 7:30 p.m. and close at about midnight.
Environmental threats? You bet. The main concerns are unmanaged beach development, untreated sewage and iron ore mining. And billboards are everywhere.
You’re unlikely to see many animals on your visit. Water is always scarce for them outside the monsoon season, and now much of the dry-season water is drained off for hotel pools and golf courses. There also has been much deforestation. But generally, it’s gorgeous jungle.
Give Goa a try. It’s a very different part of India. I suggest flying from Honolulu with a two- to three-day stopover in Mumbai. The crush of people and cars there will help you appreciate the relative laid-back nature of Goa, a one-hour flight away.
If your budget permits, do stay at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace hotel on the seafront with a view of the Gateway of India monument and all the touring boats. Best hotel I’ve ever used! To-die-for food in the hotel at the Souk and Masala Kraft restaurants. But it’s not cheap.
For outside eats, lunch at Brittania & Co., a nontouristy place with biryani dishes at about $3. Just behind the Taj hotel is the well-used Leopold’s Cafe.
Bob Jones, a MidWeek columnist, is a former reporter, war correspondent and television anchorman.
