aguada lighthouse

As I said in my earlier post of the Day, Travel is most definitely on my mind 🙂 And coming across this old lighthouse picture seemed fated! I love Lighthouses – the fact of them, the reason they exist, their inherent mystery and romanticism – standing as they do alone, where two worlds meet – land and ocean! What’s not to love?!

In Goa, on Aguada Hill, a 20 minute drive from my house, stand two lighthouses within the precincts of the Fort built by the Portuguese in 1612. The old one, the one in my picture, is a wonderful structure with loads of personality – A Grand Old Dame of four-storeys built way back in 1864 and the oldest of its kind in Asia, and one I love to visit 🙂 She’s retired now, has been for a long while, a newer younger version exists to do the job; but her cracked, mossy walls, the shattered glass of her windows and her rusty weather-vane crown stand testament to a Life spent in unstinting, selfless service. Think of all the things she must have witnessed, all the yarns she could spin if only she could talk!

For now however she stands in somber silence, watching the world go by. I often wonder what she’s thinking!

Lately I’ve developed an avid interest in photography, thanks to one of my best friends Anshu, who first introduced me to the magical world of pixels and shutter speeds! I’m one of those eager amateurs, that when they get their hands on a camera, start snapping away, any place, anytime or should I say, every place, all the time – often annoying all & sundry, which, in my case, usually turns out to be hubby dearest!! He’s often had to stop the car, braking dangerously, with me shrieking “STOP!!!!STOP NOW!!!!CAN’T YOU SEE, THIS IS JUST PICTURE PURRRRFECT???” It’s happened so often now, he takes it in his stride – like he has a choice! Seriously though – he’s a good man 😉

So on my recent trip back home to Goa, I went kind of shutter-crazy! I’m lucky though – Goa is beautiful, even through the amateur lens 🙂 I must confess, since I grew up here, I was for ever so long immune to her unique charm. I craved, ‘the fast life’, speed, excitement, adventure and the Goa of my childhood and teens was anything but! Now I’m moving back after 14 years and Goa has changed like most places would, after a long chunk of time. Yet, something of the ‘old world charm’ still remains, in the quietness of its temples after the tourists are gone, the off-season beauty of its beaches, the silence of its pristine white chapels and the feeling of oneness with nature that is never far away. The very things that once drove me away, now bring me back, offering hope and the promise of a new beginning! A ‘Full Circle’ moment if ever there was one!

Thank you Goa – for shaping my Life! You dwell eternal in my soul…