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| …….. into the Arabian Sea!!! Right after this photo was clicked. Rescue mission successful!! Recovery…. not quite! Thankfully, all photos have been recovered but the salt water has caused a short circuit in my phone's brain. It is automatically creating emails and making phone calls. So, if you get a strange message from me, it's just the phone talking. |
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| Apart from that little episode, our trip to Goa as guests of Satbir and Ninni Anand was truly wonderful. We flew from Chandigarh to Chatrapati Shivaji Airport in Mumbai. |
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| And then on to Dabolim Airport in Vasco Da Gama, Goa. This part of India was settled by the Portuguese in the 1500's. |
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| Our excursion was arranged by Gurneet, and he made sure that someone was at the airport to meet us. |
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| We spent four nights at the O Hotel at Candolim Beach, about a one-hour, twisty-road drive from the airport. |
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| The hotel was everything one would want for a tropical holiday. |
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| It had a swimming pool, hot tub, and comfy lounges. |
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| The grounds and buildings were immaculate. |
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| Such an array of tropical vegetation! |
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| The lighted inner courtyard was so beautiful, especially at night. |
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| Lounge areas were open air and peaceful. |
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| And the staff! I do not think we have ever experienced a more service-oriented, friendly staff. Everyone, the wait staff in the restaurant, the cleaners, gardeners, front desk and reception staff, would give us a smile and a greeting every time we passed by. The food was varied and delicious. |
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| Of course, the beach…….. |
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| Uncrowded, clean, perfect waves for having fun….and snatching iPhones! |
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| We absolutely recommend the O Hotel to travellers heading to Goa--and we definitely recommend Goa as a holiday destination. |
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| Thanks to President Mark and Maureen, we had some great UFV beach towels to do a little advertising. In fact, we recommend that the next campus of UFV be established in Goa! |
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| We weren't the only Canadians at the O Hotel. Omni Television crews were on site filming the final competition for a show that will be aired in Canada in April. Tune in to Omni Television then to find out which Canadian dancer/actor has won a part in a Bollywood movie! |
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| There are many, many beaches to visit. Another one we loved was Ashvem Beach. |
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| This one had less surf but miles of flat sandy beach. |
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| There is so much history in Goa as well, and we did take some time to visit some of the sites. |
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| Fort Aguada was about four kilometres from our hotel. It was built by the Portuguese in 1612, and has the first ever lighthouse built in Asia. |
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| As a good fort should, Aguada sits atop a hill and has spectacular views. |
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| Our team sat atop a wall of the fort just as UFV Chandigarh students did when they visited Goa last February. |
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| Of course, no visit to Goa is complete without going to Old Goa. This is the Se Cathedral, commissioned in 1631 after taking 62 years to build. It is dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria. |
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| Our visit to Old Goa coincided with the celebrations around the Feast of St. Francis Xavier so the area was very busy. Mass was being celebrated in an outdoor venue. |
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| Hundreds of people were visiting the Basilica de Bom Jesus, built in 1605. It houses the remains of St. Francis Xavier. After 400 years, this body is in remarkable condition and is put on public display every ten years. The next viewing will be in 2014. |
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| Se Cathedral and surrounding area. |
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| There must always be a market place, and this very sacred area was no exception. It was interesting to see Mahatma Gandhi gazing down on all of the activity. |
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| A place of worship in Panaji, the capital city of Goa. |
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| Sadly, the sun did set on our restful vacation in this very different part of India. We were off to the airport before it rose the next morning, heading back to Chandigarh to do the laundry and repack our bags. Tomorrow, we are heading right to the southern tip of the subcontinent to visit Kerala! |
