Goa

Lavishly gifted by nature, Goa can also boast of its rich cultural and historical heritage. It is hardly surprising that the Portuguese who came in search of spices in the16th century decided to put down roots in this tropical paradise. Goa’s natural boundaries, the Arabian Sea and the Sahyadri mountains, had sheltered it from much of India’s inland turmoil, while its strategic location on the newly discovered trade route to the East made it even more attractive. Tucked away snugly between the hills of the Western Ghats on the East, Arabian Sea to the West, Maharashtra’s coastline to the North, and Karnataka’s coastline to the South, this tiny territory covers 1350sq miles (3500 sq km). It provides spectacular views with bottle green hills wooded with jackfruit, mango, and cashew groves, cut across by rivers and edged by miles of sun-drenched beaches. Warm, languid climates, and a gentle unspoilt people, complete this compelling kaleidoscope.

While the rest of the country progressed towards the independence and the 20th century, Goa remained a Portuguese colony; following 4 1\2 centuries of Portuguese rule that left its imprint everywhere. Stop at a bar for a drink of feni - a locally brewed drink made from cashew or coconut, listen to the sounds of a mando (love song) and the strains of a guitar mingling with the sensuous lapping of the waves, or the warm golden sands of remote, idyllic beaches.

It is easy to slip into Goa’s warm effortless existence. In Goa, Latin influence fuses with Indian colour to produce an enchanting hybrid. Goa’s traditions of language, religion, dances have remained firmly entrenched despite the end of Portuguese rule in 1961. Goans may be Indian, but they are Goan first.