| I was born and grew up in a small
village called Calangute, which, in the late sixties and
seventies became quite famous due to the influx of ‘hippies’.
Knowing Goa intimately, I felt that I could organize a
trip for the Sixth Formers of our school so that they
could have an experience of a lifetime enjoying everything
that Goa can offer and at the same time learning about
a different culture. Goa is
a small state situated in the south west coast of India.
It was a Portuguese colony for 450 years until 18th
December 1961 when Indian troops marched in, in order
to ‘liberate’, so they claimed the Goans
from the colonials. Goa is therefore a unique part of
India possessing some of the loveliest beaches in the
world and a historical culture evolving from Hindu and
Muslim rulers to Portuguese.
|
One of the holiday brochures says
‘Goa celebrates life and living with tremendous
zest, frequently breaking off for siesta. Her seas are
warm and indolent, her beaches wide and sun-drenched,
her Portuguese-built churches historic and serene, her
paddy fields, palm and mango plantations lush and green,
her music captivating. Goa means serious business for
those looking for the holiday of a life time’.
Our trip, as you can envisage from
the photos, was wonderful with everyone enjoying every
minute of it. We were able to see the famous churches
including a Cathedral in ‘Old Goa’, some
Hindu temples situated in the interior, loads of beaches,
street markets and experience some wonderful and exotic
food. Damir and James loved Goa so much that they vowed
to go back along with the next group of students who
might be lucky enough to visit Goa in October 2003.
We were also lucky to manage a trip
to Bombay, one of the most populated and busy cities
in the world that, in spite of having some beautiful
things to see, always leaves an everlasting impression
of its poverty and slum areas on the visitor.
Maria Sutcliffe |
