April 7, 2008

Goa



Goa, India’s smallest state area-wise and one of the smallest states in terms of population, is located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan. It is surrounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the east and south, and the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.


Goa is famous for its temples and world heritage architecture, and rich flora and fauna owing to its proximity to the Western Ghats (one of the bio-diversity hotspots, with 325 threatened species occurring there). Additionally, it is renowned for its sunny beaches and is a popular holiday destination.


Portuguese colony ruled the place for about 450 years (one of the longest held colonial rules in the world) until Goa was taken over by India in 1961. A part of that culture still exists, and Goa presents a somewhat different picture to the foreign visitors when compared to the rest of India. It is estimated that 12% of tourists to India visit Goa.


Family beach vacations in Goa can be as much fun as it is with friends. These pictures are of post-Christmas season of 2007 that I spent in Goa.


21 comments:

Unknown said...

i love this post !! love the colours, happy week ahead :)

Anonymous said...

You know Celine, I again thought that we missed each other by a whisker !

I went to Goa recently and will be posting about it once I come back from my current sojourn.

Nice pictures.

Anonymous said...

Great pictures as usual! Goa is probably the most talked about Indian place in Europe for some reason. Looks great though.

di.di said...

Nice report, I've never been to Goa.. went to Mumbai August last year and spent the whole week in Mumbai only.. From what I heard, Goa is famous for its nightlife..

Lakshmi said...

with the goa fest happenning right now, its a timely post

Anonymous said...

It looks beautiful there. I love the palm trees.

indicaspecies said...

Kate,

Thanks a lot. :)

indicaspecies said...

Cuckoo,

Thanks. Looking forward to your post. All the best wherever you are, with whatever you are busy with.

I hope someday we bump into each other, and that would be lovely! :)

indicaspecies said...

Zhu,

Hopefully, my post to follow would shed some light on why. Thanks for your encouragement. :)

indicaspecies said...

Di,

Welcome, and thank you for your comment. Do drop by sometimes. :)

The next time you are in India, perhaps you get a chance to be in Goa, and don't forget the Himalayas. ;)

indicaspecies said...

backpakker:

Lakshmi, thank you for your comment which made me check out some details on it. :)

indicaspecies said...

Seraphine,

Thank you for your visit, and your kind words. :)

San said...

These could be images from a dream. A gentle dream infused with good feelings. The softness is most appealing, Celine.

indicaspecies said...

San,

That's so poetic!
Thank you for those charming words. :)

Indrani said...

Goa always fascinating and always tempting. Must revisit.

indicaspecies said...

Indrani,

I hope you get a chance soon. :)

Sameera Ansari said...

Hmmm lovely splash of colors there!Goa has always painted a beautiful picture in my mind and your photography is such a visual treat :)

indicaspecies said...

Sameera,

Thank you very much. :)

Review Goa said...

Hi..

I am a Goan and I am in love with Goa. Having lived a couple of years outside Goa I've had a lot of people bombarding me with questions about Goa. That's what prompted me to start off with a website on Goa. And also coz I love writing this website is one thing I sure am looking forward to...

I just read your review about Goa and I will be honoured if you could add a review on my site too. Registration is very simple and am sure you will have fun. So, please log in to www.reviewgoa.com and leave a review.

I'm sorry I did not get your name. Do let me know it..

Hope to hear from you soon....

Regards,

Blenure

Site Admin
www.reviewgoa.com

indicaspecies said...

Blenure,

Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment. I hope you drop in sometimes.

I've had a look 'reviewgoa' website and found it indeed interesting. I wish you all the best.

- celine :)

Kcalpesh said...

Goa has been my favorite. Although I've been there only twice.