Well, as promised, here’s another update from Panaji (or Panjim, depending on who you ask), the vibrant, colourful, and notably laid-back Goan capital.

That said, given the city’s long colonial heritage, you’d be forgiven at times for almost thinking you were in the Mediterranean rather than South Asia. Brightly painted colonial buildings, tiled facades, and whitewashed Catholic churches are of course all direct legacies from the Portuguese. Throw in ubiquitous cafés and confeitarias, an impressive array of street art – plus the waterside setting and distinctive cable-stayed bridge – and you get a definite Lisbon-like air. In fact, all it’s missing is a giant Christ statue looming over the city to complete the Portuguese picture – an oversight by the old colonialists, surely?*

Speaking of Christ, I hadn’t realised just how significant neighbouring Old Goa (a short twenty-minute drive away) is as a pilgrimage site for India’s Christian population. There are 28 million Christians across the country, and it certainly felt as if every last one of them had converged on Old Goa when I visited the other day. The place was absolutely teeming with people – what with massive crowds everywhere, lengthy queues to get into the Se Cathedral, and outdoor masses taking place on a grand scale. Not to mention the abundance of Catholic kitsch on offer everywhere too.

People had travelled from all corners of the country to visit the place, which meant several families approached me as one of the few Western visitors in the mix – just to say hello and take a picture with me. As a great big introvert, I personally find being repeatedly put on the spot by well-meaning strangers excruciatingly embarrassing, but what can you do…? It would take a special kind of churlishness not to reciprocate curiosity with kindness in these situations, and even I’m not quite that much of a bitch to simply give people the brush-off here – whatever I might inwardly feel! And so I ended up slapping on a smile and channelling my inner Michael Palin (ever affable abroad), as I endured what turned out to be multiple such encounters throughout the afternoon. I didn’t have the heart to tell them I’m an atheist – after all, who am I to rain on anyone’s parade here…?

What else…? Well, obviously I’ve been doing my usual thing of wandering around the city, mainly by foot but with the odd tuk tuk journey thrown in for good measure. This means exploring bustling markets, visting local temples, and generally just getting to know Panaji’s vibrant streets – all while trying not to get run over by Panaji’s endless sea of mopeds (the secret: walk with purpose and show no fear). A tiny sample of the countless photos I’ve snapped is included here:

As for now, I’m planning to check in later to a more upmarket hotel for my final night – a tradition I started in Morocco with my relaxing visit to a riad, and plan to uphold from here on in. The Crown Goa is not quite in the same league, but it does boast a pool (I’m desperate for a swim at this time), a spa (no colonics, please!), and panoramic views out over the city – so, all in all, not a bad little spot to wind up my trip.

Anyhoo, on that note I’ll say goodbye for now, before posting what will likely be my final blog of the trip tomorrow – until then!

* Actually really not that old. I only just found out that Goa was still officially a Portuguese colony until 1961, long after the rest of India gained independence from Britain. Who knew…?