Grand Tour of Goa

So we rented a motorbike yeaterday and did a tour of Goa. It cost 400 rupees for the day ($11). The highlight was Old Goa, which was where the first Potugese settlement was. There are three very large Catholic churches, all right near each other. Tamding was a little confused about why this would be the case. The three churches were built by rival monastic orders. Naturally, each new one was built bigger than the previous ones to show the superiority of the new order. Only two, the SE Cathedral (late 17th century) and the Bom Jesus Basilica (1605) remain intact. The Augustinian Cathedral was demolished by order of the Portugese government in the 1830s. I guess the Augustinians had fallen out of favor. The Portugese arrived in Goa during the Inquisition, and they brought that with them to Goa, forcing most of the original residents to flee. Those that remained became Catholics. Now, about 25% of the population is Catholic.

We aso tried, unsuccessfully, to find a place that could ship wine to the United States. Apparently, the Customs regulations have become so onerous that nobody is willing to do it anymore. Three years ago, it would have been easy. So, I will not be shipping any wine. If it's any consolation, the wines aren't that great anyway. The very best would be considered mediocre in California. So buy a bottle of Gallo and pretend it's from India. I will stuff my backpack full of Old Monk rum when I get to Bangalore and declare it when I get to US Customs. I will not, of course, declare it in Bangkok. They really don't care what you bring in. Unless you actually have a rocket launcher sticking out from your luggage, it is doubtful the Bangkok Customs agent will even look up from his newspaper as you walk by. Even then, he might not care.

We also tried unsuccessfully to get a train reservation to Hubli. But it only took an hour to not get tickets, so it wasn't so bad. It looks like we will have to buy third class tickets. But in India, third class at least means you will be inside the car. They don't allow roof riding, anymore. But it will be unpleasant.