Day 25, Panjim, Goa [Friday 28th December 2007]
Previous day: Day 24, Panjim, Goa [Thursday 27th December 2007]
Next day: Day 26, Panjim, Goa [Saturday 29th December 2007]
The antibiotics seems to have worked. I feel much better - no stomach cramps, just the last dregs of diarrhoea. We go to a chemists today to try to get some more antibiotics for future use, but they won't give me any - they say I need a prescription. Hmm, I'll have to go back to the original, shifty backstreet chemist I went to yesterday.
We go to Old Goa on the bus. It's a World Heritage site, the old capital of Goa when the Portuguese were here. It feels oddly sanitized now, about 10 cathedrals set amidst a few acres of clipped lawns. It's hard to imagine the power of the Portuguese empire on the evidence of these oversized churches set in pristine, tastefully cultivated lawns and flowerbeds. The churches are mostly Tuscan in style, but they don't look old - no doubt a result of well meaning but misjudged 'preservation' by the Indian Archaeological Society. Inside they seem empty, sparse, lacking the rich ornamentation which we might expect from European churches. There is no strong connection with the object of their worship. 
Interestingly, they have garlanded the Christian icons in the same way Hindu deities are in temples. The sparseness of these cathedrals may be more suited to a small chapel, but with their enormous scale it feels hollow, stultified. Remember, though, that these buildings are almost 500 years old, and unlikely to have retained their original furnishings, ambience or power.
There isn't a lot of information provided at the site, and the archaeological museum is closed, so the whole site feels without context. Are the churches in regular use? Are the fixtures original? What has been removed? One of the churches was full of scaffolding, and three men perched precariously 30 metres up are performing some beautification on the structure's ceiling. For a building nearly 500 years old they have an amazingly cavailer attitude to upkeep and preservation.
As further evidence of India's appalling attitude to the preservation of its own culture, if you step just metres away from the 3 main churches you're already ankle deep in litter, stray dogs and piles of burning rubbish. The smell of shit fills your nostrils. We are unable to fathom why this is. Possibilities we have considered so far include:
1. They are blind to the litter, seeing it as a naturally occurring part of the environment.
2. They believe dealing with litter is beneath them, and instead it provides jobs for the lower castes to perform
Back in Panjim we get dosas for lunch, then wander around Campal again and find a cinema - the only English film showing is Gameplan starring The Rock, no thanks. We amble around the fruit, veg and fish markets and look at the Mahalakshmi temple, where people finishing work are heading to, ringing the large overhead bell as they enter.
We ring ahead and book a hotel in Bangalore, then go for dinner and get given nice little 'pan' sweets along with the usual fennel seeds and sugar combination.
Today we spent Rs. 289.
Next day: Day 26, Panjim, Goa [Saturday 29th December 2007]
Previous day: Day 24, Panjim, Goa [Thursday 27th December 2007]