Sawani gab uns einen brillanten Tag in Old Goa und Panjim. Sie war voller guter Informationen und interessanter Erzählungen, aber sie ist auch wunderbar bewusst, aber offen darin, ihre Ansichten zu teilen, und freundlich zu alten Menschen wie uns. Sie hatte ein feines Gespür dafür, wie man vier eigensinnige alte Weißhaare herumwirbelt, selbst in der Menge bei Bom Jesu.
Das Mittagessen in einem modernen lokalen Restaurant war köstlich (Sawani wählte für uns), und das schöne Auto und Ashok der Fahrer machten uns den ganzen Tag bequem und sicher. Sawani gab uns nach unserem Besuch im Hanuman-Tempel köstliche Leckereien. Während wir die Kolonialstätten der portugiesischen Siedlung in Indien mochten und bewunderten, waren wir für den Tempelbesuch sehr dankbar. Sawani führte uns zu einem Ölopfer und lud uns ein, so lange wir wollten unter den Anbetern auf dem Boden zu sitzen. Wir hatten das Glück, an einem Wochentag zu besuchen, an dem die Gottheit des Tempels, Hanuman, besonders verehrt wird. Wir waren dort mit einer Vielzahl von Gläubigen, Jung und Alt. In diesem Teil des Besuchs ging es nicht um die Antike oder Kunstgeschichte, sondern darum, unter Menschen zu sein, die ihr Leben leben.
During a recent business trip to Goa, I planned to take a conducted walk of the World Heritage Site at Velha (Old) Goa while I was free for a few hours on a weekday. Several tours were listed on TripAdvisor, but this was the only one which inspired confidence; so I booked a slot for it, although it was the most expensive option.
A few hours before the tour was scheduled to begin, I got a message from Sawani, who introduced herself as the guide for the walking tour and sent me a link for the starting point. Unfortunately, the car I had booked on the day of the tour reached very late and I was afraid that I would miss some of the attractions. I contacted Sawani, who informed me (much to my relief) that it was a private tour and I was the only participant!
I reached Viceroy’s Arch, the starting point of the tour, to find Sawani waiting patiently. She turned out to be an energetic young lady, perhaps half my age. However, I had much to learn from her, ranging from the properties of Laterite to the peculiar symbol of a double-headed eagle found in many cultures across the world.
The tour started from the Viceroy’s Arch, built by Francisco da Gama in memory of his ancestor Vasco da Gama. Then we visited the picturesque St Cajetan’s Church (which few tourists visit and which was not on the list of attractions provided by the tour operator). We also spent a few minutes at the so-called doorway of Adil Shah’s palace.
The next halt was Se Cathedral, the largest of the surviving churches of Goa, which makes the astounding claim that it is the biggest church in Asia! The Archaeological Museum located behind the cathedral turned out to be a real treasure house, and Sawani – whose core specialization is not colonial history but archaeology – had much to say. She not only explained the significance of the Portuguese sculptures and artefacts, but also those of pre-Portuguese era which were on display. She quoted stories from the Puranas to explain the finer details of the Hindu sculptures. We also visited a portrait gallery on the first floor and later saw inscriptions in Persian and Marathi, apart from the relics of a queen of Georgia. After spending an hour or so at the Museum, we visited the adjacent Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Then we went inside St Catherine’s Chapel, which few tourists manage to see. By then I was quite tired and we took a break at Ratna Sagar restaurant - where I had a snack and a cup of coffee, but the indefatigable Sawani simply sipped hot water!
Later, we visited the Basilica of Bom Jesus where there were huge crowds for the upcoming feast. After a brief stop at their souvenir shop, we proceeded to the ruins of St Augustine’s church. Sawani showed me the site where the church had once stood, as well as the attached nunnery/monastery, patiently answering all my questions. I noticed that there was a museum of Christian Art across the road, but it was not open to public.
I must say that Sawani played her role with aplomb, displaying much patience, knowledge and enthusiasm. Best wishes to her!
I am also satisfied by the services provided by the website and the tour operator, except for the fact that the ticket says that Entrance charges are included and goes on to list “Entry/Admission” to various attractions covered in the tour. This might have been a significant benefit if this tour had been in Paris, Rome or Istanbul, where one typically pays ten euros at each location and two or three times that amount for “skip the queue” facility. In Velha Goa, on the other hand, admission is free of charge at all the attractions covered in the tour, except for a ten-rupee ticket for the Museum. Hence the promise of including entrance charges is not just irrelevant but also unethical.
Note: This listing is about the walking tour offered by 5 Senses, not about the attractions which are included in it; and so my review is mainly about the tour itself. However, I do intend to post reviews of the individual attractions later.