From the Nilgiri mountains it was off to the where the river Mandovi flows into the Arabian Sea. The tiny state of Goa (at 914,000 acres or twice the size of the Green Mountain Common allotment) was a Portuguese colony within India for 450 years until India finally got rid of the Portuguese in 1961.
The earliest records put the first recorded events in Goa to around 12,500 BC, but most of Goa that we see now has been built over the last 450 years.The Portuguese influence is quite strong and many buildings look straight out of Portugal, Spain or Italy. While Portuguese is no longer the official language, it still permeates the culture.
Unlike the rest of India, the diet has been strongly influences by the former Portuguese masters, so there are relatively few vegetarians and a wide array of animals are eaten regularly especially those from the ocean. So while in the rest of the nation "pure veg" restaurants as they are called ('non veg' being the term on the sign for those that cook animals) are the rule, here in Goa it is not as easy to find "pure veg" restaurants.
While temperatures are similar to the Thar Desert (mid 90's), the difference between 15% humidity and 95% humidity is very noticeable. I definitely would not want to try to summer in India (outside a few hill stations or the Himalayas)
While the world knows Goa for its beaches I may not even make it to the beaches, my purpose here is different.
The earliest records put the first recorded events in Goa to around 12,500 BC, but most of Goa that we see now has been built over the last 450 years.The Portuguese influence is quite strong and many buildings look straight out of Portugal, Spain or Italy. While Portuguese is no longer the official language, it still permeates the culture.
Unlike the rest of India, the diet has been strongly influences by the former Portuguese masters, so there are relatively few vegetarians and a wide array of animals are eaten regularly especially those from the ocean. So while in the rest of the nation "pure veg" restaurants as they are called ('non veg' being the term on the sign for those that cook animals) are the rule, here in Goa it is not as easy to find "pure veg" restaurants.
While temperatures are similar to the Thar Desert (mid 90's), the difference between 15% humidity and 95% humidity is very noticeable. I definitely would not want to try to summer in India (outside a few hill stations or the Himalayas)
While the world knows Goa for its beaches I may not even make it to the beaches, my purpose here is different.
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