I wanted to go to Goa from quite sometime but everytime the plan got anywhere close to packing of the bags something or the other shot up and i had to let it go. This time after a couple of trips to Himachal by road and a bad bad backache which actually turned out to be a slip disc i was not only mad but frustrated. Confined to my room with only dish tv, broadband and my cellphone it was like saza-e-kalapaani with five star amenities!!!! how long you think i would last??? matter of fact my family was shocked to see me last for 20 days before i actually popped some pain killers, grabbed my car keys and set of to delhi to catch a flight to goa. Ofcourse had to take my family along as a token of small bribe. This one had to be a family holiday.
From Chandigarh to Delhi it takes good 5 hours because lot of road works are going on so no matter how fast you are, its better to start early and keep sometime in hand. The flight to Goa from Delhi takes approx 2 hours 20 mins and it wasnt easy for me to sit for that long because of the backache. I really thanked god when when we touched down at Goa airport. It was around 1800 hrs. By the time we came out and took a pre-paid taxi to the hotel Estrella Do Mar it was 1830 hrs(read my review on the hotel in hotel review section). The cab charges were 700 Rs and the drive lasted little over an hour. We checked in and after freshening up came down to the hotel's dining area. The plan was to eat in the hotel and head for our rooms as it had been a long day since we started from Chandigarh in the morning around 0700 hrs.
Being a foodie and a bit of drink to power up fella it was party time. we had tiger prawns, chicken 69, fried rice and squid with long island and few other cocktails. The hotel's food was good to taste but quite expensive including the cocktails. By the time i finished my 7th long island it was time for bed. Our tariff plan included complementary buffet breakfast which is served from 0700 hrs to 0930 hrs. Me and my wife really werent interested in the breakfast but my father-in-law did go for an early walk on the beach and feasted on the breakfast which had bread, butter, eggs, juice, cornflakes, uppma, poa etc. when i left Chandigarh i left my pills, my diet plan and everything behind. Goa isnt a place to follow that, here i came to do what i wanted to do and i started by purging my blood with alcohol.
Day 1- I woke up around 1000 hrs and after a shower and change headed straight for the beach. The sun was high up in the sky and the sand has really heated up to walk barefoot so i thought best thing to do was relax in the shade and start with something like chilled beer and sandwich. By 1400hrs the breeze too had died down, the beach dogs had hid under whatever shade they could find and the chutes of the excited tourists taking the ride over the sea, were starting to fold on the Calangute beach. BY 1500 hrs even the gora tourists felt the sun burn on their bodies so quickly headed for the hotel. We also went back to our rooms to let the afternoon sun mellow down. In the evening on advice of the locals we took a cab to the local flea market. It was saturday evening and the last flea market for the season so it was a not to miss thing. The market was 10 mins by taxi from hotel towards Anjuna beach. By the time we arrived, the market was in full swing. So many shops selling the local stuff, clothes, jewellry, ornaments, spices, paintings & photos, sculptures & handicraft, shoes & chappals and loads of other items. Beyond the stalls were food stalls and live band playing goanese, english and hindi songs. Since the whole place was so lively and amazing we decided to stay bit longer and it didnt turn out to be a bad decision at all. After the local band their was a performance by African acrobats which really heated up the atmosphere with stunts like fire ring jumps and balancing glass bottles and juggling tricks. It was indeed superb. By the time the evening ended it was 2300 hrs and we headed straight for our hotel. The hotel too was quite and the light breeze was inviting so i took my bottle of tequila and headed for the beach again under the moonlit night. Next 3 hours i spent on the beach with my wife looking across the sea, the breaking waves infront and the deserted beach. God it was like we could go on and on and on.
Day 2- The start was the same, get up at 1000 hrs, no breakfast, a quick beer and we jumped into a taxi for a sightseeing tour. Our first stop was at the cathedral of St. Francis in Old Goa. The archeological museum is also worth a look. It has on display portaits of governors and vice roys of Portugal who have held office in Goa before the Goa liberation. Various other sculptures found in and around Goa showing Hindu, Portugese and English history are also on display. From the cathedral we went straight to the shive temple of Manguheshu on NH-4 towards Ponda. The ride took 30 mins approx and the temple full with visitors, took us good 1 hour to get through. Its recommended one should visit the temple from tuesday to friday to avoid rush at the temple. Next stop after the temple was Savoy Tropical Spice Plantations located in village Kheri(see my travel directions from Panaji to Spice Plantations, Ponda). The place is hidden in the hills and its a good deal indeed. You pay rupees 300 and go for a walk in the plantation. The plantation has spices like cardamoms, cloves, saffron, cinnomon, beetel etc and also grows cashew, pineapple, vanilla, jackfruit, banana. The staff takes you through the uses of various herbs as well. In the end lunch is served on banana leaf. You can see birds like Kingfisher, Cranes and Ducks in the marsh around the plantation. Another fun thing to do is get on top of the elephant and he will wash you with water blown from his trunk. ofcourse you pay extra for the elephant wash but its really fun.
Indeed after all that we were bit exhausted so the ride back to Panaji seemed slow and lazy. By the time we arrived in the local bazaar of Panaji it was 1630 hrs and looking at the shops realised why they were all closed. It was SUNDAY!!! Had nothing more to do so headed towards Aguada Fort and Jail. The old jail is still very much in use so didn't go inside, after a good look at the gate we headed towards the Aguada Fort. This too turned out to be a big disappointment. All the major areas were locked except the roof from where one could look at the bay area. Believe me if the Indian govt wants they can really turn the place inside out. The old lighthouse which stands extinguished now can be opened for public to see including the lower fort, with some grooming, permanent guides, good lighting and few artifacts. No tourist will mind paying a decent entry fee for it I am sure. by the time we reached our hotel it was 1800 hrs. It had been a good day in Goa, though the heat and high humidity were a big turn offs still i had to see Goa specially the price i had paid by compromising my health. By 2000 hrs we were all set to go out again. This time it was to try out a restaurant called Souza Lobo located on the Calangute beach. The restaurant has a waiting time of 20 to 40 minutes if you want to dine outside but believe me the wait was worth it. The conditions were perfect for eating at the beach & fire cracker display added to this and made it a real special thing for us atleast!!! Here too i ordered Prawns, Squid, some Vindaloo and Pomfret cooked Goa style. To tell you the truth the food was delicious, fresh and mouth watering and not all heavy on the wallet. Even the drinks and cocktails compared to our hotel were cheap. By 2300 hrs we were back and as usual i took my bottle of tequila and headed for the beach to spend some quite time by the sea.
Day 3- The start was same with beer and sandwich but bit late as we didnt have any specific plans for today and my back was hurting because of yesterday's ride in the cab and i wasnt carrying any pills so we skipped the idea of riding somewhere but went to explore the local shops between Calangute and Baga beach. Around 1500 hrs when i couldnt take the heat any more i left my wife and father-in-law shopping and took a bike on hire and went for a ride to Anjuna beach, Mapuso, Vagator beach and back towards Panaji. I didn't actually stop any where for more than 10 mins but just went round driving through the roads of Goa. The sun had already set when i cam back to our hotel. It was 1900 hrs and around 2000 hrs i had promised to return the bike to the local fellow. So after an hour i left the hotel to give the bike back and then walked to Xavier's shack via tito's road. It was monday so all shack owners were offering 2 cocktails for the price of 1 and this was kinda eye opener for me. It was time for long island again!!!!! Mint hookah, 6 long islands and good sea food again really made my day. This time I tried golden fried squid instead of squid and sauce and also some chicken xucuti. By 2300 hrs we walked through the beach to our hotel and it was time for tequila on the beach again!!!! Finally by 0200 hrs I finished my bottle of tequila but still i didnt want to go back to my room as this was our last night here so me and my wife walked on the beach road to another restaurant besides Subway fast food outlet, got myself another beer and came back to the hotel. It was 0330 hrs when i switched off our bedroom light and sleep hit me like a giant wave.
Day 4- Check out time at the hotel is 11 am so by then I had got up, completed my packing and was ready to go. The bad thing is beside giving 2hrs, then 1 hour notice to the hotel it took more then 1 hour for them to prepare my bills and i could pay the dues. No off season discount was offered to us and that was quite disturbing. Another thing is the taxi service available outside the hotel. They charge a lot as compared to a local taxi fellow you will hire on the street or in the bazaar. The ride back to the airport also took an hour. Our flight was at 1545hrs so we had plenty of time to goof around at the airport. The bad part was that day their were no direct flights to delhi so it was going to be torture for me. This one too was via Bombay with a halt of 30 minutes. Can't explain how difficult it gets after sometime for me to sit in one place. At 1930 hrs the flight landed in Delhi and the next day morning we drove back to Chandigarh.
The Goa getaway really was enjoyable but turned out to be bit expensive. It doesnt hurt me that much as my budget is quite flexible but I feel online bookings and ticketing offer you a lot of ease of making your bookings straight away with confirmations popping up in your e-mail but the options at times are limited. Like i made the bookings for the hotel before i read the reviews of the hotel on OKTATABYEBYE where I find reviews are really not biased. When I made the bookings all the reviews I read on this other travel site were A++ which was not the case when I went there. Really had to pull the staff on this.
Actually this is not all, on arrival back home my back really gave me a very hard time. Now days I am back on medication, full bed rest and purging my system again, not with alcohol but with juices...... atleast for now!!!!