NOSTAL-GOA

The heading says it all. My trip to Goa was 50% nostalgia and 50% enjoyment. Chalo let me begin at the beginning lest you get confused ;).

By the way, if you are not interested in the details and just want to know the gist, then read the title and shoo away...

The Beginning [Wednesday  17^th April 2013.]

I should say that the trip dint exactly get off to a good start. Was traveling a day prior to Mumbai from were the flight was scheduled, reached early to  airport and was all alone had bloody 4 hours to spend @ airport. I must say the Mumbai airport is actually a one of the most neat and decent airport in the country. Got this instinct again when I reached GOA airport.

Everything was ok the flight was on time till we landed up the GOA airport and for God sake only my luggage was not coming on the conveyor belt taking my precious 30mins of the holiday.Got another shock of my life when the driver who came for the pick up told me the hotel is another one and half hour :( . 

Ah! GOA at last!!!!!!!
Wednesday  17^th April 2013. 3:30 PM

GoAAAAAA .......... Reached the hotel immediately wanted something to eat as well as went for a shower, It was GOAAAAA people so we ordered some FISHHHHHH and trust me that was yummyyyyyyyy. The plan for the day was to visit Candolim Beach which was near to the Hotel and witness sunset.

The view was awesome trust me the beach do ooze away all the tiredness in you and you go in a trans state away from all worries. Goa - Sun, Sand & Surf

Old Goa, majestic beyond words:- 18th April 2013

 

We planned to go for a full day tour in Old Goa. Panaji is a small but beautiful city. It has many buildings made in Portuguese style. The itinerary for the day included visiting some of the churches of Goa and a sunset cruise on the Mondovi river, the ticket for which we had already bought from our hotel in Candolim

  So from North Goa we drove straight to Old Goa via Panaji where all the beautiful churches are located. The road from Panaji to old Goa is very beautiful as you drive along the Mondovi river to your left. We saw the Basillica of Bom Jesus, a spectacular church built by the Portugues in the 16th century. The basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. We also visited Se cathedral, Church of St Catherine, museum and Church of St Francis of Assisi. It took us almost 4.5 hours to see the churches in detail. There were some more churches which we decided to see the next day. 

The churches are open from 9:30 AM to 5 PM everyday for public viewing. The entry is free but for the museum you need to buy entry tickets worth Rs 10 per person. Photography is also allowed inside the churches but not inside the museums. 

We also went to a live aquarium show in S Goa which gave me some decent clicks :-

We headed back to Panaji where our boat cruise was supposed to start. We already had the tickets for the sunset cruise which starts from 6 pm and is a one hour boat ride on the Mondovi river. There are many other cruise slots
available like sundown(7:15-8:15 pm), dinner cruise(8:45-10:45 pm). We booked tickets for the launch Santa Monica.

  Since the cruise was scheduled to start at 6 pm so we were told to report to the ticket counter of Santa Monica at the jetty at 5:45 pm. The jetty office is just below the main Panaji flyover. Apart from santa Monica there were ticket counters of many other boat services like Paradise and all. We reported to the counter at 5:45PM. There is a paid parking near the jetty where cars/bikes can be parked.

  The seating arrangement on Santa Monica is on first-come-first-serve basis. If you come early you can choose your seats but if you are late then you have to be happy with whatever seat is left. Consider yourself lucky if you can grab
a seat by the sides of the boat from where you can see the sunset. There were some boats with open roofs but unfortunately ours was not.

Once the boat starts the crowd will be greeted by a DJ. There will be performers who will dance traditional Goan dances. You are also solicited to join them. The experience of catching the sunset from the river is amazing. The boat will go along the scenic river banks and every moment of the boat ride is very enjoyable.

As the sun sets, the boats will get lit up and you will get to see similar other boats on the river all lit up brightly by colour bulbs and the light getting reflected in the waters. The several advertisement boards also
get lighted up giving the Mondovi waters a different feel. Food and other beverage are also available on the cruises but have to be brought.

See GOA from my eyes..........................

Goa is nothing like what u hear from ur friends or watch in movies. Every single Tom returning from goa will have a story to tell about how he got sloshed, how he partied, where he found “the grass,” blah blah blah… This is not goa.. This is what people make out of it. Goa is actually much much much more than that. It’s a place where u can actually communicate with nature. For instance, Fort Aguda   once u climb up the hill and reach the fort, u would actually feel so peaceful. U would feel so connected to nature. For me, there was a constant piano playing in my heart  the breeze walks in with a twist and when u close ur eyes, it ll embrace u like ur mother. So pure, so sanctifying!!!

Goa brings such amazing visuals in front of ur eyes. My favorite is north goa, where I ve been staying there. Vagatore, anjuna, arambol, mapusa, tiracol there are so many places in north goa where u would find the villages of kerala with a Baskin Robbins Some places are just like kerala, but u would find a lot more smiling faces. People are nice but not too nice that they would poke their nose into ur lives. Just the right amount.

Goa is flooded with couples in love. Everywhere u go, u would find them. I love seeing people who are in love. You don’t get to watch them in public in kerala or Ahmedabad. Our small towns and villages treat adolescent romance like a sin. When I was in school, all of us used to keep our crushes like big secrets. If ur teacher finds it out, u ll ve to bring ur parents to school. It’s like a black mark on ur character. so the most sacred feeling of this planet was often hidden like a dark emotion. But of course there were exceptions.Of course true romance and unconditional love are all big words, but making an attempt towards it is a human responsibility. More than responsibility, it’s a necessity. There is so much to learn from a woman for a man and vice versa. I don’t know why I am saying all this, may be it’s because of Goa.

 All these moments of experiences would become memories from the past. But one thing is for sure. From now on, if I am traveling, I would carry a map; not the stories that my friends tell me. Because, to a large extent, my experiences are going to shape from what I am and what I do. Goa has managed to teach me this. Thank u goa. I am taking u with me!!!!