I have visited the same old shores of Goa and felt like a new person- rejuvenated, stress-free and useless. Yes, that how you should consider your time at Goa. The only useful thing you should be doing there is perhaps a little sightseeing and lots of eating.
It's my second time in Goa and that was some ten years ago. So this was a whole new experience to me perhaps because I had someone to hold my hand and walk on the shores of the pristine white beaches.
So I began my journey taking a bus from Hyderabad to Panjam. It was a round 12 hours drive and a little uncomfortable if you want a good nights sleep. We did reach our destination at last and there is something magical in the air of Goa- a laidback-ness, a calmness that no other place could give you. Dumping our backpack in the fauji guest room (which by the way is the best thing that can happen to you for a mere amount of 350 bucks). Not wasting time loitering in the room we headed straight to Calungate Beach taking the local bus from Panjam. Its great to interact with the locals as you go because to know Goa, you have to know the Goans. We tried the local adventure sports, which was a way big decision of my life. You see I consider my life very precious and I really wouldn't understand why people do this - i.e- para sailing, banana ride, para gliding, speed boat ride. Its just brutal truth that then we realize how much we want to be safe. My views changed as soon as I came back from an mind blowing (yes, Archana Puran Singh is not the only person who uses this word!) and fabulous feeling to come back to ground. The salty water still burning my eyes and spoiling my salivary glands. Later part of the day we tried prawn Goan curry. It tasted like heaven with white rice. The evening came too soon. And I couldn't feel tired, lying around the shacks with people taking care of you, i felt like a better human being and wanted. We did pick a few things from the Calungate market and its worth window shopping too.
Our next destination was the Baga Beach. After the excitement of yesterday Baga was quiet family beach and we lazied around for sometimes, taking out time at the shops around. I even had the local girl braid my hair witha piece of string.
Anjuna beach, the much talked about and a favorites of the foreigners is slight over estimated place. No Indians are not given priority coz we are stingy people and like free stuff. Annyways the night was beautiful there where every shack was given an ethereal look. I wanted to go and spend time at each place. The food is not marvelous there though. so we took our culinary palates and headed towards the city.
Tito's another favorite where we stretched our alcohol limits with all the free drinks you get. Also like a typical woman, i wanted my money's worth! We tried the X Sports Bar opposite to Titos that has some very interesting drinks, a pool table and a karoake. The owner of the bar was a localite and had some interesting stories to share about the rave parties. We sadly didn't have too much of time left to go to one (That's left for next time). We did take our feet out of the water enough to sight see the last day. The Dona Paula Beach, The Aguada Fort, the St Francis Church and the ferry ride, we did it all. Its fun to be a tourist in a place like this one. And the excitement you see around is infectious.
You really don't have to come home at night...Goa is alive 24/7
Some tips:
1. Always have loose clothing when getting into water
2. Have a light wrap for the evenings
3. Be careful of the hawkers and carry minimum things at the beach
4. Its better to carry a water proof bag at the beach and zip it when you both want to try the waters
5. Buy your alcohol from the local shops to avoid excessive spending at the shacks
6. Try the local cuisine away from the beaches. They could be cheaper than what they provide there
7. Bargain if you are shopping, move on if they irritate you. You will find the same stuff everywhere.
8. do no spend more on a hotel if you plan to spend your day at the beach but do not go for sleazy hotels either.
9. try walking around the shops at night. Its simply delightful.
10. When trying alcohol, have enough to be aware of your surroundings. Or make sure the one who drives stays sober
So I began my journey taking a bus from Hyderabad to Panjam. It was a round 12 hours drive and a little uncomfortable if you want a good nights sleep. We did reach our destination at last and there is something magical in the air of Goa- a laidback-ness, a calmness that no other place could give you. Dumping our backpack in the fauji guest room (which by the way is the best thing that can happen to you for a mere amount of 350 bucks). Not wasting time loitering in the room we headed straight to Calungate Beach taking the local bus from Panjam. Its great to interact with the locals as you go because to know Goa, you have to know the Goans. We tried the local adventure sports, which was a way big decision of my life. You see I consider my life very precious and I really wouldn't understand why people do this - i.e- para sailing, banana ride, para gliding, speed boat ride. Its just brutal truth that then we realize how much we want to be safe. My views changed as soon as I came back from an mind blowing (yes, Archana Puran Singh is not the only person who uses this word!) and fabulous feeling to come back to ground. The salty water still burning my eyes and spoiling my salivary glands. Later part of the day we tried prawn Goan curry. It tasted like heaven with white rice. The evening came too soon. And I couldn't feel tired, lying around the shacks with people taking care of you, i felt like a better human being and wanted. We did pick a few things from the Calungate market and its worth window shopping too.
Our next destination was the Baga Beach. After the excitement of yesterday Baga was quiet family beach and we lazied around for sometimes, taking out time at the shops around. I even had the local girl braid my hair witha piece of string.
Anjuna beach, the much talked about and a favorites of the foreigners is slight over estimated place. No Indians are not given priority coz we are stingy people and like free stuff. Annyways the night was beautiful there where every shack was given an ethereal look. I wanted to go and spend time at each place. The food is not marvelous there though. so we took our culinary palates and headed towards the city.
Tito's another favorite where we stretched our alcohol limits with all the free drinks you get. Also like a typical woman, i wanted my money's worth! We tried the X Sports Bar opposite to Titos that has some very interesting drinks, a pool table and a karoake. The owner of the bar was a localite and had some interesting stories to share about the rave parties. We sadly didn't have too much of time left to go to one (That's left for next time). We did take our feet out of the water enough to sight see the last day. The Dona Paula Beach, The Aguada Fort, the St Francis Church and the ferry ride, we did it all. Its fun to be a tourist in a place like this one. And the excitement you see around is infectious.
You really don't have to come home at night...Goa is alive 24/7
Some tips:
1. Always have loose clothing when getting into water
2. Have a light wrap for the evenings
3. Be careful of the hawkers and carry minimum things at the beach
4. Its better to carry a water proof bag at the beach and zip it when you both want to try the waters
5. Buy your alcohol from the local shops to avoid excessive spending at the shacks
6. Try the local cuisine away from the beaches. They could be cheaper than what they provide there
7. Bargain if you are shopping, move on if they irritate you. You will find the same stuff everywhere.
8. do no spend more on a hotel if you plan to spend your day at the beach but do not go for sleazy hotels either.
9. try walking around the shops at night. Its simply delightful.
10. When trying alcohol, have enough to be aware of your surroundings. Or make sure the one who drives stays sober
Goa is lovely anytime... I stayed there two years and have fond memories
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