The Old Goa with the beautiful churches for admirers of Portuguese
architecture, beaches crowded with families looking for a good vacation, beach
huts on secluded beaches with soft sand for ones looking to get away from it
all or if hippie crowds and a bit of ‘heaven’ that you are looking for, Goa
showcases herself in whatever manner you expect her to be, and more.
I have has been to Goa a few number of times, thinking of each visit is
like deep diving into memories of various phases in my life.
There was the time during engineering days, we were a big
bunch of students excited to be there under the pretense of an ‘Industrial Visit’. The trip majorly consisted of visiting and ticking off the list the
major tourist attractions in Goa – the churches, old, big and beautiful, which
never cease to bring me some kind of peace, the famous beaches –Baga, Calangute
and a quick trip to the famous ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ point (I can see everyone of my
generation who has been to Goa nodding along). For someone who had
been pretty much the ugly duckling throughout her life, this was the phase
during which my braces came off and to my embarrassment (and mostly secret
high) a random not-creepy guy hitting on me.
Then there was the Goa visit during post-graduation times,
the inner wild child stepping out and making up for the lost times. And of
course, a walk along the beach, getting to know a certain someone which at this
point seems to be turning into a life long journey J
From getting caught up in a traffic jam at 1 AM to having a
cab driver tell us ‘Drugs try kiya hai? Ek dum mast hai! Sharab toh kuch bhi
nahin’, I got to know Goa much deeper this time.
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| Arambol |
With great stay options in and around, Baga is the quintessential crowded beach lined with great shacks and fantastic water sports (protip: while bargaining always start at 50% of what they are saying). Calangute is the beach nearby similar to Baga with sports activities and great Goan style restaurants facing the sea (Souza Lobo is not to be missed!)
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| Sunset at Mandrem Beach |
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| A line of stalls at Saturday Night Market |
Anjuna, near Baga, is best known for being host of the
famous Saturday Night Baazaar (‘the world’s local market’ as they like to call
themselves) is one of the must-do’s while in Goa. Having roots in the hippie
flea market that arose near Anjuna during 60’s, this has become one big flea
market party, colorful and vibrant and wonderfully weird.
Fort Aguada, near Vagator Beach, is a joy to be at during sunset. It is around 20 minutes drive from baga and is usually free from crowds. Sitting on the edge of the the broken fort, looking down at the Vagator beach, I remember thinking ‘This Life is not too bad at all’.
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| View from Fort Aguada |
The most recent trip was basically eloping from the
corporate life into something that was familiar and fun. We stuck to blissfully
doing nothing by the beaches and such simple joy it is, the Goan way of being
laid back and taking things slow, our own ‘dolce far niente’.
Getting there: Goa
is well connected by rail and road. By road, it is an overnight journey of
close to 12 hours from Mumbai as well as Bangalore. While buses are frequently
available, trains are not too many and one needs to plan well in advance and
book tickets if planning to travel by train.
Where to stay: The
most convenient location would be Baga or Calangute. You can find a lot of homestay options as well as hotels around here.
Getting around: Best
way would be to hire a bike (Rs 300-350/day) or a car (Rs 500/day) and explore
Goa on your own.
