I finally got to go to Goa thanks to ABN’s credit card program- been dying to see Goa since my undergrad days. We were eligible for a free three day two night package at the Park Inn hotel Candolim as a prize for a purchase of 25000 bucks three months earlier. browsing, we decided to “GO GOA”.
Highly recommended by friends as a place to chill and to booze. Not much to see though with most of the places to visit being either churches or forts. A few temples here and there, but not as significant as other places... Also it is quite nearby from Bangalore (that’s what my husband thinks!!) - 660 kms is the longest route. He has an itch (keeda) to drive long distances atleast thrice a year.
Keeping in mind that we needn’t pay for the hotel, we decided to go by car. (The WagonR) Me, my husband Harsha (TM for you regulars on MS) and my daughter Bhavana took the road. But then after much deliberation did my husband agree for a stand by driver (literally blackmailed him into it).
The route we took was -
Bangalore-Tumkur(70)-Sira(51)-Hiriyur(42)-Chitradurga(45)-Davanagere(60)-Ranebennur(70?)-Hubli(88?)175 (Candolim)
It was a good test for the WagonR since we wanted to check out the peak performance mileage of the vehicle on the highway. We started around 3:00 in the morning and were in Hubli by 9.. That’s halfway. The other half is the arduous part. There are two routes from Hubli – One route is via Karwar which is 235 kms but the road is good. The other route is via the Ramnagaram route. Yikes! It’s hardly a road. It was again the adventure catalyst in my husband who took us on this dirt track – even the most serious “rally drivers” would shy away from this non existent road. It’s that bad…. You hardly make any progress on the bad stretch of 70 kms. The total distance is about 185 on this route..-seemed like ages. We reached Goa on an empty tank and an empty stomach! Talk about luck and just made it to Panaji with the last drop of fuel!
One thing to be said while driving on long distances. It makes sense to reduce the usage of the brakes. And drive at a steady speed of 65-80. It makes sense on long drives because the mileage would increase dramatically whatever the car. The above funda is again courtesy TM (to MS). Let me add here –It’s wiser to be safer than sorry~
We reached the Park Inn Hotel and checked in late in the evening. Immediately we wandered to the Candolim beach. After a “beach” bath, we came back to dinner and slept tight due to the journey.
The next day was quite eventful. There are a lot of foreigners in Candolim. The breakfast is sumptous at this hotel and reasonable. For drinks my husband recommends the first from the Candolim beach side. It’s pretty cheap compared to the Park Inn. In fact the prices for the drinks are exhorbitant. The cooking style at the hotel and most places is Mughlai.. So you would know the different food tastes you can expect at this hotel.. The Taj is a place to chill, actually. Had to cut short most of the other visits as time forbade us.
We were off to our first places.. We visited the churches in old Goa, the museum, a few forts and the Dolphins.. I guess my daughter and me relish the Dolphins point the most.. She really enjoyed it. After coming back, we went for a dance on the ferry at 6:30 Pm.. It appears there’s only one timing for the dance.. Anyway, we even tried the free ferry to other sites such as the ship building yard near old Goa. In between, all the time, I had a few sips of different drinks, like the Martini, the Feni and a few others myself… (Hic)
I get what my friends told me now... Goa does not have a rich history as other places except for traces of Portuguese facia on a few residences.. The Aguada fort is a storage water tank meant for the Portuguese ships. Besides that, there was nothing much in the fort, except a moat and a jail in one corner. It’s the same with the museum. The entire museum appears dedicated to the Portuguese governor generals and their ladies. Other than the portraits of the governors, I had a tough time locating a simple artifact of importance! It is definitely a destination for leisure!
Religious places to visit – The churches in old Goa (there are a few temples, but not as famous as their South Indian counterparts...) I guess are known throughout India for St Francis. I recommend this for most interested in a religious visit. When we visited the church, we were lucky to see a mass marriage in progress!
Terrain- Mostly hilly terrain. Well, the next two days, we saw a few places here and there.
But I’ll state one thing for Goa. Communication is pretty easy though they speak a different local language. Most locals do know English or Hindi. And being liberal in attitude reflects in their clothing and thinking. You can also hire a bike at pretty low rates either on a daily or weekly basis. These bikes seem to be the major mode of transport among the tourists.
We tried the fish curry, the Goan speciality. It’s quite a filling dish! For the drunks, Goa is the place. Right from when we woke up to when we slept, my husband dear was trying various drinks, cocktails and also tried his hand as a bar tender.
The hotel had a lovely poolside lounge and a bar too.So I did take my daughter for dips into the pool. She loved playing beach ball in the pool. Besides, being pampered in the spa, we made a few visits to different beaches, but we loved lounging on the beach side chairs the most. That was terrific.
Tropical climate. The sun. The sand. The girls And the (Hic!) (Courtesy TM’s words)
Well as someone in a previous review stated, my husband hated going back home partially due to his own (Hic!) reasons. In fact after coming back to Bangalore, we sorely missed Goa for about a week. And hubby dear is still (Missing Hic!) not exactly as productive as earlier….
Margoa is another place to visit. There’s a good hotel nearby - the Kenilworth hotel.. (A replica of the Calcutta Kenilworth) On the way back, we had been to the place and loved it. The airport’s located near Margoa. There are a few good lodgings including the Taj with a special Banyan tree. (Thai cuisine)
Take my word. It’s definitely a must visit place. But visit it as a leisure trip. And do go there for a 3-5 days stay. You can cover entire Goa at your leisure! With friends, with family or which ever way you prefer. I recommend visiting with friends during the peak season. That way, you can also enjoy the New Year too!
Kudos to whoever wins the contest – Goa is the place to holiday. (Hic)