Goa
31 January to 12 February 2008
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Goa is the smallest state in India, about 100 miles (160km) from north to south on central
India's west coast and extending inland an average of about twenty to thirty miles (30 to
50 km).
Goa was a Portuguese colony for about 450 years, from the early 1500's to 1961, when it was
"liberated" by India. The total population is less than 1.5 million, mostly Catholics near the
coast and Hindus further inland. In recent decades Goa's beaches, Portuguese cultural
influence, easy-going Catholicism, and a tolerant approach to liquor and drugs have helped
make Goa a sought after tourist destination for Indian and foreign tourists..
Fifty years ago Goa was a pretty wild place but has mellowed with time. The southern Goa
beaches, where we stayed, seems to attract mainly European on package tourists as well as a
good number of independent travelers who come back to Goa year after year and stay for
several months each time. The northern Goa beaches, which we did not visit, are said to
attract a younger, wilder, more active, crowd.
We repeatedly heard that Goa is not "real India"; we agree with that remark. Goa,
especially its beaches, is international tourist territory, a low-cost version of more opulent
beach resorts elsewhere, retaining little of traditional Indian culture.