Go Goa Gone!!
I was supporting the investment banking business in Japan and Japan has this 3-day holiday in the first week of May. You are lucky if those 3 days happen to be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - it would be a really long weekend. I got lucky this year. Hence, V and I planned to have a leisurely holiday at his cousin's place in Bengaluru and booked the onward ticket. We, being the really smart people that we are, were mighty sure that his cousin would be home and informed him about our plans only after booking the onward tickets. It so happened that his cousin was planning to be in Chennai the very same day that we were planning to crash at his house. Our plan collapsed. Me having a really long weekend of 5 days and V having booked his leaves at office, didn't want to miss out the opportunity to travel somewhere. Off we open the Google Maps and start scanning for places near Bengaluru where we could go for a holiday and that is when we bumped into GOA!
Goa, The land of parties, beaches and foreigners. Unlike every other guy who has Goa in his must go-to bucket list of places, V wasn't quite keen on going to Goa, but given the time of the year and the number of days that we had to spend, Goa obviously seemed to be the best fit our holiday plan.
And thus began the Plan Goa.! As the case is with all the groups where 10 people make a plan, and finally it is just one person who will be there in the plan at the end, we had around 5-7 people who were willing to come, but ultimately it was just 3 of us who actually made it to the place.
Since we had booked onward tickets to Bengaluru, we went there and took an overnight bus from Bengaluru to Goa. We reached Goa at around 8 in the morning and took a taxi to our place of stay. Ah, the place of Stay! How can I not mention about how awesome it was. Dorms have always been our thing ever since our Mathura trip. I was mighty impressed with the way they operated. You would be charged not on a room-day basis but rather on a per-bed per-day basis depending on the capacity of the room. Say, if a room has 8 beds, the rate might be somewhere around ~ Rs.500-600 per bed per day and if it has 6 beds, the rate might be ~ Rs.600-700 per bed per day. So, coming back to Goa, we had booked at our accommodation at Backpacker Panda (BPP) in Candolim, North Goa. The place was just around 500-1000 mts away from the actual beach and was cozy and secluded. The 2 best things about this dorm was the Common Area and the Kitchen. Common area is where there a couple of cots and sofas for you to chill out and have your food / drinks (There was a Guitar even, which you could play, if you know). And the kitchen, yes, you can cook your own meal if you don't find their cafe interesting. (It has only Poha and Maggi & Eggs and a couple of Fritters and Fries) It had a mirco-wave oven, an induction stove and the a few utensils, crockery and some mugs.
Day 1 - We reached the dorm at around 10ish and found that ours was an 8-occupancy room. It looked very cozy and clean. Had poha and fries for breakfast and set about to look around the place. We decided the best way to navigate about this town was to get a 2-wheeler. Since we were 3 of us, we had to take 2 bikes. Luckily for us, the dorm itself rented out bikes as well and so, we took 2 Honda Activa(s).
First stop was Aguada Fort which was the bottom most point of North Goa. It was just a small fort along the coast which has a small lighthouse (entry to which was blocked). The view of the beach from the fort was incredible. Before you reach the fort, there is a small detour in the left
which will take to you the backgate (?) of the Goa Jail which is just off the beach, you could see the giant waves crashing on the walls of the Jail constantly.
From there we went to the Sinquerim Beach. It was a beach bustling with people all around and was bit noisy. This beach is the one that you'd see from the Aguada Fort and exactly behind Hotel Taj. We were there almost around the sunset time and but it was partly cloudy and partly sunny. And the sun disappointed us by setting behind the clouds. This beach did have a few water sport activities like para sailing, banana boat rides, but the price seemed a little too much for us given that May is "not-at-all" the season time in Goa. So we skipped it and headed back to the dorm.
Having found about the Kitchen at BPP, we decided on self cooking and bought some packaged tacos, eggs and Maggi from the nearby supermarket. Well, I doubt if you can even call that a super market because all it had was, alcohol, alcohol and more alcohol and a small portion of other grocery items. To be honest, I was a little surprised that supermarkets had alcohols. But who was I even kidding, I was in Goa, the party city. It was only right that you could get a drink at all places. Once the dinner was done, we decided to head out for a walk along the beach. I have always loved beaches and this one was no exception. Walking along the beach in the night to the sound of the crashing waves and noise (or rather music?) from the distant shacks was absolutely bliss. We roamed around there for close to an hour or two and crashed off the night.
Day 2 - Early today morning we went back to the same beach and had a good time getting soaked up in there. Once back, we were so tired that we crashed off again. Later in the noon after a meal of self cooked tacos, we went on to the Chapora Fort, the one where the famous Dil Chahtha Hai movie was shot. I must say the Sun had no mercy on us and was on a full on mode. Undeterred, we climbed up the track to reach the Fort which was little slippery and had some works going on. Here again, there was nothing very extraordinary. Just a Fort with a brilliant sea view. Come evening we finally decided to venture into the water sports at Anjuna Beach. The price here was a lot (I mean really really) cheaper than the prices at Sinquerim for the same set of rides. Since we were just 3 people, we did not opt for the Banana Ride as that would require a group of 5-6 people. Personally, I was not too keen on the Jet Ski or the Bubble tube rides. So, we took the only other ride that they offered - Parasailing. It was super awesome. They take you on a boat into the sea and there they hook you one end of your rope on to a parasail wing and the other end is tied to the boat. Once the boat starts moving, wing flies up in the air pulling you up as well. To me it felt like being on a swing being suspended out of nowhere in the air. The sky, the water below, the nearby cliffs, the view was just mesmerizing. It lasts all of 60-80 seconds and if you want to either stay on air longer or get dipped in the sea you have to pay extra charges. We opted for neither. The experience sure was worth the money paid. Having said that, my only concern was that they could have let us on air a little longer, say 2-3 mins atleast.
It was a Saturday and on Saturdays, Goa has a night market which opens at around 9pm. We were all excited to go see what it offered, but unfortunately, out of nowhere it started raining like mad just when we were about to step out of the dorm. After waiting for more than an hour, we went out there only to find the whole place closed down because of the rain.
Day 3 - On our last day, we decided to see a bit of South Goa. South Goa is the complete opposite of North Goa. It was lined with small houses with pretty gardens and lots of coconut trees on either side of the roads. I was absolutely in love with the winding roads and the coconut trees. South Goa is full of Churches, and we went to Basilica of Bom Jesus and the adjoining museum which had the paintings of various Portuguese people including the famous Vasco da Gama. The body of St. Xavier's is still preserved here. You will fall in love with the church as soon as you see the entrance. The view of it is breathtaking. The high ceilings and the carvings are always an interesting thing in churches and this one was any different. We spent quite some time aimlessly going around the vast building and finally decided to pack off back to the dorm.
The ride from the North to South Goa was really pleasant and eye-appealing (if at all there exists such a word). You start with beaches and then reach backwaters and finally cut across the Mandovi river. So, on the entire stretch you'd be driving alongside one or the other water body.
We had our return flight to Chennai at 6am the next day from Goa Airport. Goa Airport is at Vasco da Gama. This place was close to 40kms from where we stayed. We had to go from Calangute to Panjim and from there to Vasco. Note that the buses to Vasco from Panaji closes down around 7-8pm is what our guy at BPP said. Hence, we started off at 5pm from Calangute, reached Panaji at 6pm, took a bus from there to Vasco. Once we reached Vasco, we to took another share bus (basically a mini tempo van) to reach the airport. We were at the airport at around 8pm, but the security guys didn't allow us inside because we had arrived at the airport for a flight that was to depart 10 hours later. After a 15-30 minute of repeated requests and kenjing, they finally let us in with the condition that we would not be let out again. We were more than happy to enter the airport and found some seats in a cozy corner and started dozing off. Every hour, somebody or the other came over to us and kept enquiring why were we lot sleeping out on the airport. We kept on repeating the same answer when finally the boarding call for you flight was made. We made our way for the security check, enter the flight and settle comfortably. Since I got the window seat, I stayed up till the flight took up and cuddled off into a very nice sleep once it was in the air.
In my opinion, North Goa is all about drinks, beaches and parties. So, if you are someone who loves to party and drink, this is a go to place for you. Make sure you find a good place for food as well, as restaurants are generally pricey.
P.S: For all the party pubs and dance floors, hit on the Titos Lane!! You wouldn't be disappointed. And ladies, in almost all the pubs, you'd be allowed a free entry and would be required to pay only for the drinks. Sorry Guys, you have to pay for both the entry and drinks
Goa, The land of parties, beaches and foreigners. Unlike every other guy who has Goa in his must go-to bucket list of places, V wasn't quite keen on going to Goa, but given the time of the year and the number of days that we had to spend, Goa obviously seemed to be the best fit our holiday plan.
And thus began the Plan Goa.! As the case is with all the groups where 10 people make a plan, and finally it is just one person who will be there in the plan at the end, we had around 5-7 people who were willing to come, but ultimately it was just 3 of us who actually made it to the place.
Since we had booked onward tickets to Bengaluru, we went there and took an overnight bus from Bengaluru to Goa. We reached Goa at around 8 in the morning and took a taxi to our place of stay. Ah, the place of Stay! How can I not mention about how awesome it was. Dorms have always been our thing ever since our Mathura trip. I was mighty impressed with the way they operated. You would be charged not on a room-day basis but rather on a per-bed per-day basis depending on the capacity of the room. Say, if a room has 8 beds, the rate might be somewhere around ~ Rs.500-600 per bed per day and if it has 6 beds, the rate might be ~ Rs.600-700 per bed per day. So, coming back to Goa, we had booked at our accommodation at Backpacker Panda (BPP) in Candolim, North Goa. The place was just around 500-1000 mts away from the actual beach and was cozy and secluded. The 2 best things about this dorm was the Common Area and the Kitchen. Common area is where there a couple of cots and sofas for you to chill out and have your food / drinks (There was a Guitar even, which you could play, if you know). And the kitchen, yes, you can cook your own meal if you don't find their cafe interesting. (It has only Poha and Maggi & Eggs and a couple of Fritters and Fries) It had a mirco-wave oven, an induction stove and the a few utensils, crockery and some mugs.
 |
| Wall art at Backpacker Panda. PC: @keepcalmandjusttravel |
Day 1 - We reached the dorm at around 10ish and found that ours was an 8-occupancy room. It looked very cozy and clean. Had poha and fries for breakfast and set about to look around the place. We decided the best way to navigate about this town was to get a 2-wheeler. Since we were 3 of us, we had to take 2 bikes. Luckily for us, the dorm itself rented out bikes as well and so, we took 2 Honda Activa(s).
First stop was Aguada Fort which was the bottom most point of North Goa. It was just a small fort along the coast which has a small lighthouse (entry to which was blocked). The view of the beach from the fort was incredible. Before you reach the fort, there is a small detour in the left
which will take to you the backgate (?) of the Goa Jail which is just off the beach, you could see the giant waves crashing on the walls of the Jail constantly.
 |
| Aguada Fort Beach view. PC: @keepcalmandjusttravel |
From there we went to the Sinquerim Beach. It was a beach bustling with people all around and was bit noisy. This beach is the one that you'd see from the Aguada Fort and exactly behind Hotel Taj. We were there almost around the sunset time and but it was partly cloudy and partly sunny. And the sun disappointed us by setting behind the clouds. This beach did have a few water sport activities like para sailing, banana boat rides, but the price seemed a little too much for us given that May is "not-at-all" the season time in Goa. So we skipped it and headed back to the dorm.
 |
| Sunset at Sinquerim |
Having found about the Kitchen at BPP, we decided on self cooking and bought some packaged tacos, eggs and Maggi from the nearby supermarket. Well, I doubt if you can even call that a super market because all it had was, alcohol, alcohol and more alcohol and a small portion of other grocery items. To be honest, I was a little surprised that supermarkets had alcohols. But who was I even kidding, I was in Goa, the party city. It was only right that you could get a drink at all places. Once the dinner was done, we decided to head out for a walk along the beach. I have always loved beaches and this one was no exception. Walking along the beach in the night to the sound of the crashing waves and noise (or rather music?) from the distant shacks was absolutely bliss. We roamed around there for close to an hour or two and crashed off the night.
Day 2 - Early today morning we went back to the same beach and had a good time getting soaked up in there. Once back, we were so tired that we crashed off again. Later in the noon after a meal of self cooked tacos, we went on to the Chapora Fort, the one where the famous Dil Chahtha Hai movie was shot. I must say the Sun had no mercy on us and was on a full on mode. Undeterred, we climbed up the track to reach the Fort which was little slippery and had some works going on. Here again, there was nothing very extraordinary. Just a Fort with a brilliant sea view. Come evening we finally decided to venture into the water sports at Anjuna Beach. The price here was a lot (I mean really really) cheaper than the prices at Sinquerim for the same set of rides. Since we were just 3 people, we did not opt for the Banana Ride as that would require a group of 5-6 people. Personally, I was not too keen on the Jet Ski or the Bubble tube rides. So, we took the only other ride that they offered - Parasailing. It was super awesome. They take you on a boat into the sea and there they hook you one end of your rope on to a parasail wing and the other end is tied to the boat. Once the boat starts moving, wing flies up in the air pulling you up as well. To me it felt like being on a swing being suspended out of nowhere in the air. The sky, the water below, the nearby cliffs, the view was just mesmerizing. It lasts all of 60-80 seconds and if you want to either stay on air longer or get dipped in the sea you have to pay extra charges. We opted for neither. The experience sure was worth the money paid. Having said that, my only concern was that they could have let us on air a little longer, say 2-3 mins atleast.
 |
| View of Vagator beach from Chapora Fort |
 |
| Parasailing at Anjuna Beach. PC: @keepcalmandjusttravel |
It was a Saturday and on Saturdays, Goa has a night market which opens at around 9pm. We were all excited to go see what it offered, but unfortunately, out of nowhere it started raining like mad just when we were about to step out of the dorm. After waiting for more than an hour, we went out there only to find the whole place closed down because of the rain.
Day 3 - On our last day, we decided to see a bit of South Goa. South Goa is the complete opposite of North Goa. It was lined with small houses with pretty gardens and lots of coconut trees on either side of the roads. I was absolutely in love with the winding roads and the coconut trees. South Goa is full of Churches, and we went to Basilica of Bom Jesus and the adjoining museum which had the paintings of various Portuguese people including the famous Vasco da Gama. The body of St. Xavier's is still preserved here. You will fall in love with the church as soon as you see the entrance. The view of it is breathtaking. The high ceilings and the carvings are always an interesting thing in churches and this one was any different. We spent quite some time aimlessly going around the vast building and finally decided to pack off back to the dorm.
 |
| Bom Jesus Basilica. PC: @keepcalmandjusttravel |
The ride from the North to South Goa was really pleasant and eye-appealing (if at all there exists such a word). You start with beaches and then reach backwaters and finally cut across the Mandovi river. So, on the entire stretch you'd be driving alongside one or the other water body.
 |
| Deltin Royal (Casino Cruse) in Goa. The place where River Mandovi meets Arabian Sea. |
We had our return flight to Chennai at 6am the next day from Goa Airport. Goa Airport is at Vasco da Gama. This place was close to 40kms from where we stayed. We had to go from Calangute to Panjim and from there to Vasco. Note that the buses to Vasco from Panaji closes down around 7-8pm is what our guy at BPP said. Hence, we started off at 5pm from Calangute, reached Panaji at 6pm, took a bus from there to Vasco. Once we reached Vasco, we to took another share bus (basically a mini tempo van) to reach the airport. We were at the airport at around 8pm, but the security guys didn't allow us inside because we had arrived at the airport for a flight that was to depart 10 hours later. After a 15-30 minute of repeated requests and kenjing, they finally let us in with the condition that we would not be let out again. We were more than happy to enter the airport and found some seats in a cozy corner and started dozing off. Every hour, somebody or the other came over to us and kept enquiring why were we lot sleeping out on the airport. We kept on repeating the same answer when finally the boarding call for you flight was made. We made our way for the security check, enter the flight and settle comfortably. Since I got the window seat, I stayed up till the flight took up and cuddled off into a very nice sleep once it was in the air.
In my opinion, North Goa is all about drinks, beaches and parties. So, if you are someone who loves to party and drink, this is a go to place for you. Make sure you find a good place for food as well, as restaurants are generally pricey.
P.S: For all the party pubs and dance floors, hit on the Titos Lane!! You wouldn't be disappointed. And ladies, in almost all the pubs, you'd be allowed a free entry and would be required to pay only for the drinks. Sorry Guys, you have to pay for both the entry and drinks
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