My many Indias: One last post

One last post from my long trip to India. Of all the Indias (and yes there are many!) that I call home, this is the place I “go home to” when I go back. Anyone who has been to India knows how lucky I am to call Goa home. Goa is the land of spectacular white-sanded beaches and warm oceans. Palm trees and cool sea breezes. Every tourist loves that. But the bit I love most about Goa is the unique culture and cuisine that comes form it’s having been a Portuguese colony from the 1500s to 1961. The food, the language and the architecture reflects this heritage.

So many parts of the city of Panjim remind me of Lisbon: the colorful homes, the whitewashed churches, and even the winding lanes of Fontainhas, a district that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Alfama in Lisbon.

Here are some sketches from my Goa.

The main church in Panjim looks like a big white wedding cake sitting under a blue sky.

This one is a little neighborhood chapel. You can’t walk for more than a few minutes before you come across one of these little colorful chapels.

There are so many old homes built in the Portuguese style: beautiful balconies called balcaos that you sit out on, drink in hand, as you enjoy the evening sea breeze, gorgeous colors and trim, even on the plainest whitewashed buildings and tiled terracotta roofs. They have charm even when they are in a state of disrepair.

Even the little huts of mud are whitewashed and just glow in the golden sun. I sketched the piece below from my parents balcony, but it could be just about anywhere in Goa.

More sketches from Goa here on my blog, and all my sketches from this trip in this flickr set.

I enjoyed blogging my trip here on Urban Sketchers. Blogging and sharing my travels adds so much to my travel experience. Thank you for coming along on my travels!