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WELCOME TO GOA
Destination of Best & Cheap Holidays
Goa is a package- tour paradise, squeezed between the seas and
the lush forested hills. It offers glistening sands, swaying
coconut palms, and ultra fresh seafood. Luxury hotels and
budget guesthouses overlook fisherman mending their nets, and
beer comes cheap and chilled. Discovered by pioneering hippies
looking for peace and love. Goa’s beaches are now filled with
persistent hawkers during the day and rave parties at night.
For those intent on discovering the real India, Goa is the
best
treated as a relaxing break on the southern trail. Lavishly
gifted by nature, Goa can also boast of its rich cultural and
historical
heritage. It is hardly surprising that the Portuguese who came
in search of spices in 16th century decided to put down roots
in
this tropical paradise.
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 GOA
HISTORY
Goa had long flourished as a port, particularly under the
military protection of the Vijayanagar commander Madhav Mantri,
who
managed to protect Goa from the acquisitive Muslim sultans. In
the 1470’s the however, Goa finally succumbed to the Muslims
and was ruled by Adil Shah of Bijapur. Then in 1508 Alfonso de
Albuquerque arrived from the Portugal and captured the port, a
victory that led to 450 years of Portuguese rule.
It is the Iberian aura, the cultural alloy of Latin and
Oriental, the coexistence of Hinduism and Christianity that
epitomizes the
distinct identity of Goa. The Portuguese invested a hitherto
predominantly Hindu society with their religion, attitudes and
lifestyles, and Goa’s ethos and élan are the consequences of
this encounter. Like the stained-glass windows on the
churches,
Goa’s fabric is a mosaic of bright and variegated colors - the
flamboyant designs of Latin exuberance set against the russet
hues of traditional Indian attitudes and lifestyles.
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GOA
CULTURE
One of the most discerning assets of Goa is it’ rich cultural
heritage Goan folklore comprises folk songs, dances, music,
visual
arts and folk tales rich in content & variety.
Music flows in Goan blood and most Goans can pluck at a guitar
or pick out a tune on the piano. Old time taverns in Panaji
will invariably have background music traditional or
otherwise. Much Goan music is derived from haunting &lyrical
Portuguese
love songs, but young musicians have also taken to hard rock
and many work the nightclub circuit of India ’s big cities.
It is the Iberian aura, the cultural alloy of Latin and
Oriental, the coexistence of Hinduism and Christianity that
epitomizes the
distinct identity of Goa. The Portuguese invested a hitherto
predominantly Hindu society with their religion, attitudes and
lifestyles, and Goa’s ethos and élan are the consequences of
this encounter. Like the stained-glass windows on the
churches,
Goa’s fabric is a mosaic of bright and variegated colors - the
flamboyant designs of Latin exuberance set against the russet
hues of traditional Indian attitudes and lifestyles.
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GOA
BEACHES
Strung along Goa’s 60-mile (100km) coastline, like a lace
frill on the edge of a colorful, skirt are some of the most
beautiful
beaches in the world- dazzling stretches of golden sand edging
the aquamarine expanse of the Arabian Sea. Goan beaches
are magnificent and you will find them extremely difficult to
leave. The only problem is which one to head for. An unbroken
four-mile (7km) crescent of sun-drenched sand marks the twin
beaches of Candolin & Calangute, north of Panjim and the
Aguada headland. Calangute became almost a traveler’s cliché
in the '60s and early'70s and tourist literature is fond of
referring
to it as the 'Queen' of Goa's beaches’. Baga, a little further
north, is a better beach and a more relaxed place to stay.
Despite
the concentration of resorts, hotels, beach huts, bars,
restaurants, and souvenir stalls, there is innocence here, a
freshness of
childhood mornings. Farther north, past estuaries of the many
streams that gurgle through the land, are a series of secluded
beaches. In South Goa at a distance of mere two kilometers are
the Colva and the Benaulim beaches. The slow paced
beaches are breathtakingly beautiful. The Dona Paula beach,
Vagator and Chapora are other beaches worth visiting.
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