This is the grand Mondavi River viewed from the esplanade at Panjim. 2km to the left you reach the river mouth and the Arabian Sea, 9km to the right gets you to Old Goa, seat of the Portuguese govt until 1843. It was said to rival Lisbon in splendour during its hey-days, when epidemics, among others, drove the population to Panjim, the new capital.
The Mandovi River between Panjim and Old Goa is home to countless egrets, herons and other water-birds, big and small. Most likely because the river is teeming with fish, which is fair since the water looked clean and unpolluted. Tourist cruise boats roamed the waterways, but we gave it a pass and instead hired a taxi for a trip to Old Goa.
