To
start with my first travel experience, I would like to write down about my
itinerary of Goa. Yes, it was this year Diwali vacation (31st Oct to 6th Nov).
I started my journey from Delhi (Indigo) to Dabolim (Goa International
Airport). It took around 2 hours 20 minutes in total and the sea view from a
height of 3000 meter (at max) is awestruck, if the sky is clear. My
husband joined me there in Goa airport.
Goa is beautiful
because of its beaches. But other than beaches there is a lot more to explore.
People say, ideally December and January is the best time to visit the place,
and Christmas Eve is the best to be celebrated there. But I believe, go, before
the actual season starts. I mean to say, late October to early November can
also be a great time if you do not like too much of crowd in each and every
corners of the city. You can easily track a ‘not so highly expensive’ hotel in
whatever place you choose and you will have a lot of options to live up with your
imagination.
Well, the time
started with an evening stroll in Miramar beach, the less crowded beach at the
mainland of Panjim city which otherwise is the meeting point of river Mandovi with
the Arabian Sea. The place was so quiet that I just lost myself sitting in
there, watching the glittering lights of faraway ships and the nearby light
house. I found the place so positive that I decided to come back to this place
early in the morning to see the sun rise. Surprizingly, the morning was so
beautiful and a morning walk along the coast was full of tranquility. The other
famous beaches like Calungute Beach, Coco Beach, Anjuna Beach, Colva Beach,
Vagator Beach are all the same, as I felt, but the Sinquerim Beach is so
heavenly because of its location. It is located near Fort Aguada and a
comparatively less crowd know about this place. Just love the surrounding of
this particular beach. For all the exhilarating watersports you can visit
Calungute and Vagator Beach where you can enjoy windsurfing, parasailing, water
scooters, boating, banana riding etc etc. Dinghy sailing and scuba diving are
also currently in fashion, you can enquire about it in the Goa Tourism website
for further details.
Other than
beaches and churches, Goa is known for its night life and no doubt, it has all
the means to enjoy, starting from bars and discotheques to the casinos and
cruise parties. You can see the casinos floating in the river Mandovi and the
night view of these ships are so fabulous. To see the coastal Panjim town, one
must go on a cruise for a deck party. This cruise is generally included in
North Goa tours arranged by GTDC (Goa Tourism Development Corp). This is an
hour long cruise which takes you on a leisurely sail down the river Mandovi.
While you sail down the river the local boys and girls treat you with Goan folk
dance and songs (Dekhni
and Fugdi). They singand dance and finally give over center stage to live
musicians or a DJ and then you can also sing and dance and generally make
merry. This cruise is a huge success with people of all ages, men, women and
children. But the awesome part is to see the coast (all lightened up)
and the banners and hoarding (lighted up too) with the other floated cruises.
You will feel that you are somewhere outside India.
The best part is
to explore the nooks and corners of rural Goa on a bike. Yes, you would not believe,
it was super good. Every day, after a heavy breakfast, we generally gear up for
the day, all set to explore something new. Google map was the ultimate guide,
so we made sure that our phones are fully charged. Firstly we decided to
explore Divar Island, yes it is an island in North Goa and very less populated.
We took a ferry ride (along with the bike) to this village and there we
enquired about the places and got to know that there is a very old church at
the top of a hill and we, curious enough, went uphill only to discover a scary graveyard.
There was nobody around, the houses which we came across are either abandoned
or locked. Only a few houses have vehicles parked on the front of their house,
giving us the signal that there are people around. No doubt, the church up
there was so gothic and newly renovated, but again the daunting silence was so
formidable for me. On our way back, the golden fields and riverside view was
stupendous. Similarly a road trip to
Fort Aguada and nearby places like Calungute and Sinquerim was worth a mention.
The breathtaking view of the sunset from the fort and from the light house was prodigious
and unforgettable.
Another journey was, the road
trip to the famous Dudhsagar falls, by NH4A. You will come across different
vegetations, hills and jungles and a National Park (Bhagaban Mahaveer Wildlife
Sanctuary and Mollen National Park) on your way. You need a day to visit this
place. To go to the fall area is never so easy. You have to reach Colem (a
village) and there you have to book a gypsy/jeep and wait for your turn. If you
are lucky enough to reach Colem early by 8 am then only you can get a confirmed
booking by 10 am otherwise you have to wait till afternoon to get your turn.
And other than that if you are luckier enough, then you can go to nearby
station (hardly 200 meter distance) and request the driver of any goods train (ready
to leave), and generally the drivers do not refuse! So you can go for a half an
hour journey from Kulem station to Dudhsagar point sitting right beside the
driver. And you can enjoy the forests and hills and specially a ride in the
goods train. There is a spice garden (Savoi plantation) which you can stop by if
you are left with time.
The Goan sea food is worth a try.
Try to have some typical Goan delicacies from the road side restaurants. I
personally did not like the spices they use but the sea food is really
delicious. Pomfret, Crabs, Shells, Prawns are famous and it would be great if
you can pair those with red wine/white wine of your choice. The hotel where we
stayed (Hotel Viva Goa International, Campal, Panjim) offered a variety of
perfectly cooked yummy delicacies with a reasonable price.
Liquor and petrol are
comparatively cheap in Goa. There are ‘n’ number of liquor shops (licence
holders) in Panjim market but I mention Tom’s Wine and Liquor Shop, a wholesale
and retail shop, where you can choose from varieties of brands and types. And
the shopkeeper is always ready to entertain you. But do not forget to ask for
your permit if you buy any imported bottles.
With all the itineraries, what I could sum up is Go Goa once! Goa, is just not a destination…but an experience!
