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it's a known fact: i travel with a copy of lonely planet.
so when the Goa guide suggested cycling from Panaji to Old Goa, i was hooked. but the adventure began long before i started pedalling. i first had to find a bicycle rental shop in the Goan capital. at some point it seemed a bus ride would be the way to go. but i asked around and found a little place which rents out bikes.
and i was off! lonely planet warns you about the heavy traffic between the city and the bridge over the Mandovi River. it doesn't mention the fact that there are pavements which cancels out somewhat, any concerns one may have with dealing with incessant honking on roads where might is right.
conversely, once the road is reduced to a two-lane one, lonely planet says traffic trickles; but there are no pavements. for some reason i wasn't too worried, so long as i stayed on the left most side of the road. but i have to admit there were times i became fatalistic: what if i get come under a speeding bus? what if i swerve into the river? how will the other guys find out?
but the pressing issue was this: the road to Old Goa was long. well, relatively. it was a 9 kilometre ride. i started off filled with enthusiasm. but 20 minutes or so later i was getting bored. when was Old Goa going to show up? and as if on cue, it appeared before me like a revelation: wide roads, pavements, trees, and churches on both sides. i actually continued cycling ahead, still in awe of how the scene before my eyes had appeared virtually out of nowhere.
once i regained my senses, i pedalled back to the entrance of the Church of St Francis of Assisi. i also walked into the SE Cathedral, which is supposed to be the largest church in Asia. i could believe it. it was the largest one i've ever been to (then again, it's not like i've been to many). the interior is largely plain, save for one beautifully carved/decorated chapel on the right (after the side entrance). then there's the Basilica of Bom Jesus. i liked the altar here, and the highlight is the body of St Francis Xavier himself. i snapped a couple of photos though i later wondered if that was the right thing to do. oh well.
the return trip to Panaji was somehow quicker. i returned to the city with feet blistered, so much so that i walked around barefoot for some time. my own doing really, cos i had put on a pair of new flip flops. ouch!
but it was all good. i survived the streets of Panaji on a bicycle.
woo hoo!
so when the Goa guide suggested cycling from Panaji to Old Goa, i was hooked. but the adventure began long before i started pedalling. i first had to find a bicycle rental shop in the Goan capital. at some point it seemed a bus ride would be the way to go. but i asked around and found a little place which rents out bikes.
and i was off! lonely planet warns you about the heavy traffic between the city and the bridge over the Mandovi River. it doesn't mention the fact that there are pavements which cancels out somewhat, any concerns one may have with dealing with incessant honking on roads where might is right.
conversely, once the road is reduced to a two-lane one, lonely planet says traffic trickles; but there are no pavements. for some reason i wasn't too worried, so long as i stayed on the left most side of the road. but i have to admit there were times i became fatalistic: what if i get come under a speeding bus? what if i swerve into the river? how will the other guys find out?
but the pressing issue was this: the road to Old Goa was long. well, relatively. it was a 9 kilometre ride. i started off filled with enthusiasm. but 20 minutes or so later i was getting bored. when was Old Goa going to show up? and as if on cue, it appeared before me like a revelation: wide roads, pavements, trees, and churches on both sides. i actually continued cycling ahead, still in awe of how the scene before my eyes had appeared virtually out of nowhere.
once i regained my senses, i pedalled back to the entrance of the Church of St Francis of Assisi. i also walked into the SE Cathedral, which is supposed to be the largest church in Asia. i could believe it. it was the largest one i've ever been to (then again, it's not like i've been to many). the interior is largely plain, save for one beautifully carved/decorated chapel on the right (after the side entrance). then there's the Basilica of Bom Jesus. i liked the altar here, and the highlight is the body of St Francis Xavier himself. i snapped a couple of photos though i later wondered if that was the right thing to do. oh well.
the return trip to Panaji was somehow quicker. i returned to the city with feet blistered, so much so that i walked around barefoot for some time. my own doing really, cos i had put on a pair of new flip flops. ouch!
but it was all good. i survived the streets of Panaji on a bicycle.
woo hoo!
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