*“kya bolta hai…phir
se chalega”(so, what say! second time?) *
These were the decisive words which I told myself to
convince me to go to Goa for a second time in
one month. My first trip was with my parents in the month of Jan'08. Well, if you plan to go
with your parents, you will ENJOY but the constraint on real enjoyment will be
quite high(keep my word on this). My second trip was a college trip.
Below is the itinerary(4 days+ 3 days travel) we
followed, which may help you in your itinerary for Goa…
HOW to reach -
*(a) Sampark
Kranti(Chandigrah-Kochuveli), Goa Sampark Kranti(Goa-Nizamuddin)** - 32
hrs, Konkan
Railway track(nice), Really
really bad food
(b) Air- Goa is very well connected by air
(c) AC Buses - Avoid! Avoid!
*Where 2 put up.
Choose your stay at a beach(Calangute, etc), Panjim is also an option(prefer when with family)
*Scheduled tour of North-Goa
Aquada
Fort*
nice rocky fort with picturesque backdrops of
ocean and sun. Many people tried to enact the famous 3-guys DCH pose
Vagator Beach
It’s a long picturesque beach, apt for taking
photographs. Remember to visit both sides of hill and
do capture moments from the hilltop
Anjuna Beach
Famous for red soil, hippies and natural
stones. You can also find cute tiny crabs, beautiful scorpions, etc. Some people get an adrenal push here and trek their way
to the highest point of Anjuna. The terrain of the climb is really rocky and
slippery and may cause u to derail. Do remember! climbing is easy but subsiding is
very tough. TC
Calangute Beach
Beach for ‘the great INDIAN family’. Domestic
tourists crowd the whole beach and bathing in a major activity. Incase you are a
swimmer, try ‘floating’ in the seawater(really
awesome). Calangute
is famous for water-sports. Some of them along with there mini fares(subject to your negotiation
capabilities) - parasailing(Rs 300 pp), water scooters(Rs 100 for couple), banana boat(Rs. 125 pp), trips to meet dolphins(Rs 125 pp) etc.
Caution: Do wear life-jackets as the floor of Arabian Sea is not that shallow.
Bagga Beach
It's an extension of Calangute. Most of Goa’s best resorts and clubs(Tito’s) are located here.
Most celebrated activity here is sun-bathing. Not adviceable for honeymoon couples.
*After the scheduled tour of North-Goa, other places to visit
*Chapra Fort
One of the best places in Goa.
This fort is situated next to the Vagator beach and provides a great view of
Morjim beach from above. The fort demands a steep climb but the effort is all
worth. As you enter the fort, move on to the Dil Chahta Hai point. At the DCH
point, its all ……(no words)…Just sit on the fort’s boundary, try to focus your vision on the Arabian Sea horizon & the setting Sun and let yourself
expose to the non-stop non-disturbing 40 kmph breeze. Try to rediscover the reality in you because once
you are here you won’t be the same person as you were in your
city/workplace/etc
Saturday Night Market
Stalls set up by mostly foreigners. Nice unique
unconventional overpriced market. All living creatures(Sharks,
Octopus) available in Arabian Sea are served
here in food stalls and people actually eat them.how? Vegetarian people can
avoid this place. No fares for witnessing to belly dance and fire music
(class).
Morjim Beach
Best Place in Goa
for me. This beach is quite far and demands an hour drive from Calangute. It’s
away from commercialization and you witness the ‘naked plain beach laid with
cleft-free sand amidst a very nearby Sun hidden behind a not-so calm Arabian Sea’. Left end of the beach has the ‘tributary-sea’
meeting point and across that water body lays the Chapra fort. Breeze is quite
windy here and when it erodes the top-layer sand with it, the whole picturesque
takes an adorable ‘duststorm’ angle. Philosophy is inevitable here. Some of you
will question yourselves and discover more. I too did like “why is our life like rivers
meandering b/t the opposite banks(the success one and the failure one), why isn’t
our life like beaches…no deviation…why not happily content with simple straight
life?”
Anjuna 2
Anjuna 2 is a hidden beach which lies in the
interior. Domestic tourists aren’t seen on this
beach. Anjuna 2 has previously been in news for hippies, rave parties, drugs. For reaching
Anjuna 2 - take left after reaching Anjuna and drive until your bike doesn’t
skid. Now walk 3 km. The coastline has many ‘shacks’
alongside rip-roaring waters. Anjuna 2 is
nowdays a lot in media for the Scarlet Keeling murder case. When you reach the
hill, mount it and appreciate the rocky terrain.
* Scheduled tour of South-Goa
*Dona Paula
Old landmark of Goa.
Dolphins can be spotted in seawater when looked with concentration.
Miramar Beach
Located in the capital of the state(Panjim).
Swimming and other commercial activities are strictly prohibited.
Colva Beach
Longest beach in Goa.
It is very far from North Goa. Seawater is very
clean and I rate it as the best beach for bathing. Another thing I like about
this one is its sand. Dreams of making sand-palaces and writing names can be transformed into reality on this place
Other places to visit – **Mangueshi
Temple,Old
GoaChurches
(World Heritage Site),Spice
Garden**, etc.
Also, cruise(read ‘disco trips on ship’) at evenings from Panjim is another
interesting option. There are places which I have
heard but wasn’t able to visit in my two trips like Dudhsagar waterfall,
Arambol (Triangular beach),Palolem(Paradise
beach)
Points to remember –
1) Wherever you go, don’t litter…you may curse yourself…”oh! I was
the first person to drop a plastic bag”.clean beaches are the USP
of Goa.
2) Don’t go deep into sea, nature can anytime overcome you.
3) Before availing any watersports facilities, check there
credentials.
4) In the list of varieties of water, drinking water is at
no. 3 after saltwater and liquor.
5) Food may be an issue if you are a vegetarian north-INDIAN
foodie excluding Panjim
6) Make negotiation a habit during our stay in Goa(You can bargain stone jewellery to Rs. 20 from Rs. 100).
7) Rate guide – Rs. 800/taxi for North Goa(Rs. 400
extra for Morjim and Arambol) and Rs. 1000/taxi for South
Goa(excluding spice gardens). Rs. 300 /day/bike. Petrol – Rs. 60/litre
(Goa doesn’t have petrol pumps).
it gives me a sense of satisfaction that atleast places like
Goa are still managing to survive amidst the
devil(tourism industry). But a point - Most of the foreigners(some call them ‘white
trash’) come to Goa for unethical desires
which are ok to some extent, but I saw & we saw that the condition(in
Feb’08, when the tour was made) was beyond the Lakshman-Rekha.
Hoping Goa will be cool
forever:)
for a more exhaustive read with first hand exclusive pics, goto
https://speakingpictures.blogspot.com/2008/04/goa-land-of-sand-sun-and-fun.ht
ml
