Today we took the Taste of Goa excursion.

We began with a rather long drive (our driver was a bit lost in the Goa countryside) to the Shantadurga Temple, a large Hindu temple complex dedicated to the goddess Shantadurga who mediates between Shiva and Vishnu. Got it? There was a lot going on inside, but we were only allowed to take photos outside. The temple was renovated in 1966 and looks pretty modern.



Then we drove to the nearby Spice Village for a guided plantation tour and explanation of the various spices grown, fortunately under the shade of beetle nut trees. After the tour we had a pretty good Indian buffet lunch of rice, vegetables, curried chicken, dal, spicy salads fruit and ice cream.



Our final stop was in old Goa at two churches, the Se Cathedral and the Basilica of the Born Jesus containing the relics of Saint Francis Xavier.