Goa Revisited

It is ages since I wrote anything on my travelogue. It’s not because I did not explore any place in the mean time. It is because I was visiting places a 2nd time, clicking pictures from a different angle.

One such place that I visited for the second time recently was Goa. And, I am really glad I did so. I went to Goa for the first time for our Honeymoon – in November 1999. The experience was very different. As usual I did a lot of net research, I figured what are the places that can be visited or what can be done in Goa in a week. I figured I have to visit Old Goa, the church, Fort Aguada, Calangut beach do the Mandovi cruise etc, the regular stuff. It was great fun. We stayed at Longuinhous beach resort in Colva and reaching the other tourist spots was difficult. We hired a bike, had a map, and had to travel almost 60 kms one way to visit any place. We did not calculate distances to be traversed before booking the hotel. I was naïve. Also, for the very first time I realized, Goa was not a town, it is a state in itself, it is very large, and hence all the tourist spots may be over 100 kms away from one another.

It is 7 yrs since the first visit to Goa and I am a seasoned traveler now. What did I learn in the 7 yrs. Stuff like – pack light, take the medicines that you usually have along with you - just in case you fall sick, split your money equally in 2 or 3 different bags. If you are sucker for tea in the mornings, carry your tea bags and your electric kettle, it comes in handy. Carry stuff like towel, bed sheet, tooth paste and soap. Do not assume that the hotel would give these to you. It is possible that they give you these things, but, you might not want to use them.

Goa has been in the mind for a long time now, and it was new year time. Me and Aravind took a day off from work to have a 4 day vacation at Goa. I did a lot of web browsing and got to know that beach huts are cool and are economical accommodation options in Goa. Also, have seen a lot of pictures of Palolem beach – it is a semicircular shaped beach lined with coconut trees. Yes! Also, when I went to Goa the previous time, I saw many beach huts in all the popular beaches at Goa, and had harbored this wish that I must stay in them some time. The charge is about Rs. 250 to Rs. 400 per day.

I thought these beach huts would be comfortable, even though it is called a hut. I was in for a rude shock. As it was new year time, the cost of the beach hut per might was Rs. 1500 per night. If it was a beach hut facing the beach, then, the charge is Rs. 2500 per night. And all this high price for just cardboard flooring, coconut leaf walls, coconut leaf ceiling with blue plastic on it (will stop rain water from seeping in, just in case it rained), small shower in the bathroom which sprinkles water at a extremely slow speed, a child potty and a child wash basin, with child bucket and child mug. There is a cot in the room, with bed sheets that are not changed at all. There is a small fan (the smallest one I have ever seen) that hung from the ceiling. There is a small bulb. And, because of the thin walls (or the absence of it), you can hear almost everything from outside. You can hear what the couple in the next beach hut is doing.

The food is amazing. The entire Palolem beach is lined with beach hut properties, and each of them have their own restaurants. You can get the best European break fast here – hot chocolate, hash browns, porridge et all…awesome. In the night, all the restaurants display the fresh catch from the sea – lobsters, crabs, fish of the season etc. You can choose what you want to be grilled. Palolem gets my 1st prize for beach side sea food grills. The cocktails are nice too.

Like I said earlier, the palolem beach is beautiful, and is one of the best beaches I have seen so far. The beach itself curves in the shape of a semicircle, lined with coconut trees. Beyond this, these are mountains. So, if you went on a dolphin cruise in one of the boats, and you were coming back to shore, you would see coconut trees with the beach huts under them and the mountains behind them. It is so beautiful. The water is beautiful green or blue..Torquoise I would say. There is small boulder in the sea. Most people swim to it stay up there for a while. The scene is picture perfect.

In Palolem beach, you will find more foreigners than Indians. There are people of all ages. Everyone, having a piece of Nirvana, like as though it is available on the lunch menu. Goa has been popular on the backpack tourism circuit for over 40 years. Tourists from the West land at Thailand, spend some time there, and travel their way into India through Vietnam and Burma. Once they enter India, the must see’s are usually Nepal, Himachal, Ladakh, Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan and Goa. Many people do this trip on bikes.

Through the day, the beach is active with people – locals and tourists. The day starts with a nice English breakfast, bun with butter and jam, coffee, hash browns, porridge, fruit juice, fruits et all. The next thing on the menus is the swim in the sea or try to stay on the shore under one of the colourful umbrellas and get a tan. I did not need a tan, as I am born with one. Then, after the swim, get a bath in the super slow shower, and then settle for some cocktails and bar-be-que, eat to the hearts content, like there is no food back home. After food, it is time to take your hired bike and drive on the country roads. One day, I went to Fort Aguada. It is a great drive, about 80 kms one way. I left at about 11 and came back at 7:30 in the night. You will pass through thick jungle and the National highways do not have lights. It can be scary. I have a piece of advice to those wanting to bike in Goa. Leave early and always get back to you hotel before it is dark. The roads are lonely and can get eerie. It is better to be safe than sorry. The nights are the same – good cocktail, sea food griller and long stroll by the beach, with the waves touching your feet.

The New Year at Palolem is fantastic. My beach hut owner arranged a Performance by a Belly dancer. She danced really well. She also walks to each table while dancing and encourages the guests to dance with her. I did belly dancing for the first time – she taught me a few steps. On the new year eve, all the hotels arrange for the best food, best drink and best music and the best fire works. Around 10:30 pm all the people start firing crackers and at around mid night, the fire work show organized by each hotel is awesome and is a great way to welcome to new year.

This way, after lazing around for 4 days, we took the train back to Bangalore at Londa. I was at Bangalore the next morning, and was at office – back to the Grind!

Getting there: Goa is well connected from every other place in the country. The airport is at Dabolim and is about 100 kms from Panjim.

There are railway stations at Vasco and Madgaon. There are several buses as well.

From Bangalore, the best way to get to Goa, is to take the Bangalore Kolhapur – Rani Chennamma Express. It leaves Bangalore at 9 pm in the night and reaches Londa at 7:30 in the morning. From Londa, one can take a cab to Goa. The distance from Londa to Goa is about 100 kms (depends on which beach you are going to) and can cost Rs. 1500 one way.

The other trains is the Chennai Vasco express – but, it runs on certain days of the week.

Local Transport: You can take a cab, or hire a bike of your choice.

Accomodation: Tourism is a well established industry in Goa and there are several places to stay. You just have to choose the beach that you want to spend your time at. Google for suitable places to stay in the vicinity.

Beach huts seems very cool and romantic, but, on a serious note, they really suck. Avoid them completely.

But, they are a very economical option – Rs. 250 per day, great food and right on the beach.

Local places to visit: Ford Aguada and Mandovi river cruise are a must. There are lots of places in old Goa. All hotels have brochures on local sights to visit. You can choose which ones to visit and which ones to leave, depending on the time you have got.

Best time to visit: October to March. Avoid Goa during summer and monsoon.

But, if you love the rains, visit Goa during the monsoon between June and August. But remember that umbrellas may work there at all.