We’ve had an afternoon out to two Goan tourist attractions, not quite the level of the Tower of London, Madame Tussauds or a UK museum but still informative and imaginative, just on a much lower level.

Three Kings Church
View from the church grounds
Kitty feeding time
Cow Congestion

First stop was a guided tour through Casa Alvares, a Portuguese lawyer’s ancestral home built around 250 years ago and lived in until 1960s. It housed several private collections:  2500+ statues of the Lord Ganesh, 500+ icon cards in a private Chapel, a small collection of handmade smoking pipes, old wine bottles as well as a collection of ancient farming implements.

Entrance to the house

The mansion was traditionally constructed around a cool inner courtyard and had its own chapel in the middle. It was furnished with European antiques and old photos, each room has been preserved as it was centuries ago, including the kitchen filled with traditional implements and a primitive cooking range, water well and inside WC and shower house.

The family who lived here
Lounge area
Dining room
Collection of Ganesh statues
Kitchen with original oven
Toilets
Shower room
Collection of old pots

The house was advertised as having a state of the art “light and sound” tour, this equated to a young girl talking (very quickly) and turning on lamps as she went along 😁.  The tour was advertised as being 23 minutes long, no wonder our guide kept saying “hurry along, move along, stand here please……” she was on a timer!!!

Old farm implements
The household well
Private chapel
The collection of postcards inside the chapel
Children’s play toys
Bedroom
Waiting room, for the lawyers clients
The private chapel

Next stop, Big Foot.  This was an open air model based walk through story about the historical evolution of rural trade and culture in ancient Goa, and the legend behind a large footprint embedded in a rockface.  There was also India’s largest laterite (red clay type rock) sculpture on display and a well cared for bird collection.

 
The story goes…..a wealthy man called Mahadar was so good natured that he was conned into giving away all his wealth, and eventually his house, making him and his wife homeless and living on the streets.  The wife died from sickness and stress, and he still kept on helping others, never losing his faith in God. God eventually  approached him and asked what reward he would like, his reply was simply he wanted a small place to stand and pray for mankind, so God gave him a rock in Goa, where Mahadar stood for years on one leg and prayed.  He left behind only a footprint and those who stand in that same footprint are granted their wishes.

Indian tourists asking for a photo with the Westerners!
Sample of olden day living
Take Lady Di to her mansion please!

Our day ended with a beach side sundowner, of course, much needed after lots of driving and taking in all that information.