Mormugao is the port city to the state of Goa. Goa has only been independent since 1961 and is the principal iron ore loading port in all of India. We arrived at Mormugao Port at 7:00 and cleared through immigration. A band met us on shore. Our tour, called Margao Market & Goa’s Chitra Museum, left the harbor for a one hour bus ride to Margao.
Our guide’s name is Avi and he is a Goa native. Their native language is Kokanees. Their monetary unit is a Rupee and the ratio is 50 Rupee to 1 US Dollar. India has no enforceable traffic laws, which means everyone drives wherever they want. Avi’s joke was that they take after the United States and Britain driving on the right AND the left side simultaneously!
Our first stop was the market, and this market was like no other. First, what hits you when you exit the bus is the foul smell. They do not have garbage pick up, so they just throw their trash on the streets. They had a new government take over March 7th, so within one year, their garbage will be picked up, but in the meantime, it is thrown in the streets. Imagine the muttons & chickens being butchered right there, the blood on the street. Imagine the fish laying out on slabs. They also have a lot of vegetation for sale.
Avi said their work schedule is from 10:00am to 2:00pm, then they go home for lunch and a nap. Then wake up and party from 8:00pm until 4:00am. The men party and the women work, that is their right. Domestic abuse is also very common and most marriages are arranged.
Our next stop was the Chitra Museum. Their motto is “Preserving the past to enrich the future”. It is similar to our History Center. We had the opportunity to meet the owner. He is teaching in Washington D.C. in July for 9 months.
This is what a bride would ride in to her wedding, totally encased. She would crawl through the door on the side. These are rickshaws.
Here are Christian church items; a confessional and a priest’s robe with a crucifix.
Tools:
This is a gardener, and everything grown here is organic.
We were back on the boat by 2:30 and headed out to sea. The Seabourn Quest left a few minutes prior to our departure. The ships blew their fog horns back and forth, it was loud and fun!
Tomorrow and Thursday we will be in Mumbai, India.
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