Panaji, Arambol, Colva, Palolem (Goa)

Places of Interest - India

Palolem-Goa-India-Palmtrees-Sun-Beach-Portugese-Boat

introduction

Goa is the smallest but best known state of India and is (in)famous for its popularity of mainly Western backpackers who come here for the beach and the sun. The state was for centuries, from 1510 to 1961, a colony of Portugal and the capital of the Portuguese colonial empire in the Far East. In no other part of India the past is so noticeable; a quarter of the people here are Christians, a minority speaks Portuguese and the state has dozens of (Catholic) churches.

But make no mistake the state is everything but a Western colony. Today it is a good mix with Hindu temples, beautiful beaches with resorts but also with (old) hippies and a combination of Christian prayer buildings and nice cities in Indian style. The biggest challenge will be his "beach" village chooses to stay.

Highlights

Panaji:

Panaji is the capital of Goa and has an urban population of around 60,000 people.

Often enough the city is only visited by tourists to use it as a "transport hub" but this is actually a shame because Panajj has got some interesting sites.

The capital is a mix of churches, narrow streets with an almost Latin American atmosphere, Indian scents and beautiful architecture. The highlight is the old Portuguese quarter. You can use the city well to see old Goa (see below).

Old-Goa:

Old-Goa is known for its Portuguese colonial buildings, a relic of centuries-old Portuguese domination. Greater and more important than London and Lisbon in those times, this was the capital in Asia of the Portuguese colonies.

Main buildings are the Se Cathedral, one of the largest of its kind in this continent and the basilica or Bom Jesus. From a tourist point of view, this is the most important site in Goa that you can visit best making a day trip from or via Panaji.

Arambol, Colva and Palolem

There is no shortage of little semi- hippie" villages with beautiful sandy beaches in the state of Goa. Arambol is located in the north of this little province along the Arabian Sea and is the most quite of the three mentioned.

A beautiful sandy beach in a half-moon bay with the largest number of "Western" locals and old hippies. A few small beach tents with a relaxed atmosphere. Colva is the most developed of the three and has a variety of tourist facilities; large hotels with "package" deals and a stream of tourists from all over the world. The beach is wide and long, but the town is missing some atmosphere.

Right in the south of Goa lies the village of Palolem and let us call it the most idyllic of the three. A beautiful bay, high swaying palm trees and many colored wooden houses on the coast. Beautiful holiday homes in the surrounding hills.

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history

Around the year of 2200 BC people probably already lived in the current state of Goa. Goa was, just like the rest of the Konkan, an important international trade center in Antiquity with relations in the Middle East, North Africa and even with the powerful Roman Empire. The province did not differ culturally from the rest of the Konkan until the arrival of the Portuguese, who converted the largely Hindu population to Christianity.

Until then, the area was part of several large empires. After the breakup of the Baharian Empire in 1490, it belonged to the sultan of Bijapur. The area has also been part of the powerful Vijayanagar Kingdom (see Hampi). The harbors became important places where Arabian stallions came ashore meant to be for the cavalry.

The Portuguese arrived in the beginning of the 16th century on the west coast of India. They were particularly interested in the spice trade and used the natural harbors and rivers for this. The Portuguese conquered under the leadership of Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510 Goa Velha. They made it the capital of Portuguese India and more generally of the Portuguese possessions in Asia.

In the wake of the military and merchants, the Catholic Church arrived too which was eager to convert the Goans. Gradually, the Portuguese expanded their territory into a colony that covered an area of several thousand square kilometers. An attempt by the Sultan of Bijapur to recover the area in 1570 did not succeed, although the Portuguese were driven back. In 1583, in the wake of Vincente de Fonseca, the recently appointed archbishop of Goa, sailed the Dutch cartographer Jan Huygen van Linschoten to Portuguese India.

He recorded his observations in the writings Itinerario, which formed the basis for the expansion of the Dutch in Asia. They would expel the Portuguese from large parts of that continent. From 1636, the port of Goa was blocked by Dutch ships for about eight years, as a result of which the export of pepper to Lisbon was obstructed, but the area was never conquered.

In the 18th century they were almost defeated by the domestic forces of Marathas who at a good time controlled the entire center of India. It was temporarily occupied by the English during the Neapolitan wars. The Portuguese administration over the region lasted more than four centuries, until 1961. On 18 and 19 December 1961 the Indian army invaded Goa to drive the Portuguese out of the area in two days.

The sovereignty of the area was transferred to the Indian state. Besides Goa, the Daman and Diu areas were also conquered from the Portuguese in the same period. These three areas were merged into the Goa, Daman and Diu Union territories. Since the expulsion of the Portuguese, Portuguese is no longer the language of instruction and has been displaced in public life by Marathi, Konkani and English.

tips & advice (2008)

Goa has an (international) airport (Dabolim) and is located about 30 km south of the capital Panaji. Trains often depart from the important Madgaon station in Margao. Use is made of the coastal train tracks Konkan between Bombay in the north and Mangalore in the south. Long distance buses usually depart from Panaji, Margao, Mapusa and Calangute.

Panaji - Old Goa: buses run regularly from the bus station in Panaji to Old-Goa. The ride takes about half an hour and costs 7 Rupee.

Panaji - Mapusa - Arambol: you will first have to take a bus to Mapusa (from the bus station); 30 minutes for 10 R. Then you can easily transfer (travel in the morning) on a bus to Arambol - this trip also takes about half an hour and costs 15 Rupee.

Panaji - Margao - Colva Beach: Sufficient buses run from bus station Panaji to Margao which is an important "transport hub" in Goa. You pay 25 Rupee for this trip that takes an hour. The buses to and from Colva arrive/depart from Kadamba station while those from Panaji are 1.5 to 2 km away. The last 10 km you ride in 20 minutes on the bus; this ride costs about 10 Rupees.

Margao - Mangalore: if you want to leave Goa and you want to go to Kerala you should take the train to Mangalore and take another train there. The price is 207 Rupee and the journey takes about 5 hours.

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Goa is the place where you really have to try grilled fish. In the morning you can see the boats full of free fish on the shore and the beach. A few hours later when you are baking in the sun on the hot sand, several sellers of fish come along with different raw fish on a plate.

You make a prize and in the evening you get the fish grilled on your plate during dinner. Examples are the grilled "Kingfisher" fish or the grilled "crock" fish.

Name: Hostel Ark (Arambol)

Price: 300 Rupees

Content:

Somewhere hidden between the houses in the village Arambol this "hippie-like" hostel is located. A small open complex that looks like a garden with a wooden garden fence around it with a number of wooden huts. It is 100 meters from the beach and you can put your towel down in front of a beach shack.

At the beginning of the fence there is a hut with a kind of reception. The showers and toilets are located in the back of another cabin. The only downside for me was that the cabins are very noisy; if you are lucky with your neighbors you have a super time also because you can sit on your own terrace in front of your cabin.

Name: Hostel Caroline Rooms (Colva Beach)

Address: Colva Beach Road

Price: 300 Rupees

Content:

Because I was in Colva Beach during the holidays, my options were limited in terms of looking for an (affordable) hostel. After asking around, I ended up at a hostel behind the main road from the beach. The room was far from super but very cheap.

You have to go through some gardens to get there where some stray dogs run loose. You do have your own shower and toilet and if you look through the dust, it is a great room where it is very quiet because you are probably the only one staying here.