AAH… what do I say!! I am just back from 4 days of pure bliss in the beautiful state of Goa!
I had never been to Goa in my life, which is why I was eagerly looking forward to this vacation suggested by my husband. What I didn’t know at that time was that Goa would charm me so much!We traveled all across Goa in this short span of 4 days, but as there is no separate review for specifying everything, am going to blabber everything out here… Hope this helps any novice traveler to Goa!
Day 1: as we had decided to travel across this tiny state, we decided to stay at Panjim, which is relatively convenient to travel to and fro from. Checked into the hotel and were out within 15 minute, rented a bike (Pulsar) @ Rs. 250/- for 24 hrs and off we went… We covered the whole of Old Goa on the first day – churches (Bom Jesus, St Cajetan, St Francis, Se Cathedral, Santa Monica Convent, St Augustine’s tower…), temples (Mangueshi & Shanta Durga) & the Old Goa Jetty (forgot the name – so many things to remember!!!).
I personally recommend all the churches, especially Bom Jesus and St. Cajetan’s – these are the two most beautiful churches I have ever seen. Of course, the temples are also beautiful, but then I, being a Christian, am slightly biased towards churches ;)We finished Old Goa by about 5 and roamed about Mandovi River in Panjim in the evening & Dona Paula later in the night. We also went for a river cruise, which we both hated!! DO NOT GO ON THIS RIVER CRUISE, ESPECIALLY ON ROYAL CRUISES!! WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY…
Day 2: Time for a lot a traveling! We went all the way to the Goa-Karnataka border to Dudhsagar waterfalls (79 kms from Panjim). The waterfalls and the road through the jungle were fantastic. And remember, we covered all this on a Pulsar – the poor bike had to zoom through 3 rivers and lots of rocky terrain before we finally let it rest! The waterfalls are amazing, definitely worth the effort of the travel.
On the way back, we also visited Sri Mahadev Temple at Tambdi Surala. A beautiful temple built in with Kadamba architecture, it is definitely a sight worth seeing! Had some time in the evning, so again roamed around Panjim. Saw the amazing ’Our Lady of Immaculate Conception’ church (right in the heart of Panjim city) and the Reis Magos church (7 kms from Panjim, popularly known as the Church of the Three Kings). Both are awesome constructions.
Day 3: Time for South Goa! We went to a place called ‘Ancestral Goa’ in Loutolim (pronounced ‘loat-lem’, 10 kms from Margao). It is like a model of a typical Goan village of 100 years back. Decent to visit, not that great. Entry fee Rs. 50/-Further down the South to beautiful Palolem Beach (57 kms from Margao). The beach is so far off, for a while, we both were wondering if we had taken the right decision in travelling so far! But it was more than worth it! The beach is serene and idyllic, clean waters and soft white sands complete the picture. By far, the best beach in Goa.
On the way back, we also visited St. Jacinto’s Island in Vasco. Well, actually, we were on our way to Colva but lost our way :D. Decent place, now popular among the locals as a part of Dhoom 2 was shot on this island. Also roamed around Margao and Vasco towns. We actually found a traffic jam in Margao - that was a bit of a downer! I thought we had those only here in Mumbai!
Day 4: More beaches! We covered (in this order) Miramar Beach (since we started from Panjim) (wonderful in the morning), Fort Aguada, (decent fort, not as good as the ones in Rajasthan and Agra), Sinquerim Beach (Wonderful – went for a speed boat ride and parasailing here), Calangute Beach (too many people, you can hardly see the sand), Baga Beach (slightly better than Calangute, but not as good as Sinquerim), Anjuna beach (rocky but very beautiful) and Vagator Beach (again, rocky). All the beaches have a distinct charm of their own.
Goa is definitely a must-visit. It has something for everyone!! My husband and I both had the time of our lives. Though hectic, as we had a lot to cover within 4 short days, we have actually come closer and bonded very well over the planning, route mapping & enjoyment! Truly, both of us got the well-deserved rest and relaxation in Goa!!Some tips I learnt on my trip:1. Rent a bike, especially there are only 2/4 of you. Much better to travel than a rental car.2. Bargain like hell, all prices are overinflated.3. If you are planning to get back any drinks from ur trip, remember, the limit is 3 bottles per trip. (atleast, that’s what the shopkeeper told me)4. if you intend to travel a lot, dont book a very expensive hotel with indoor swimming pools and what-not. Unnecessarily expensive if you only go there to bathe and sleep.
Save some money this way & splurge elsewhere! ;)5. Dont restrict yourself only to the beaches and churches - all the advice I received before this trip was ’Go to the beaches’ & ’Visit the churches’. There are many more wonderful sights in Goa that ought not to be missed. That gives you a feel of the true Goa - the beaches and churches are just a part of the glam.6. Unless you are aiming only to travel on the beaches, dont stay in a beachside hotel. Not only expensive, it also restricts your options of travelling as the roads are pretty dangerous after nightfall.
This ofcourse is strictly my opinion. Many of my friends had no problems staying in a beachside hotel, but then, all they did was laze around the beaches!! None of them travelled across Goa the way we did!7. MOST IMPORTANT - Dont believe the distances expressed by Goansin kilometres. Though genuinely nice and friendly people, they seem to have a bad sense of distance. One such person told us on our way to Dudhsagar that it was just a further 5 kms away.
I thought I had misread the map. But by the time we reached Dudhsagar, we had covered 72 kms and not 5!!! Happened everytime we asked a native. So remember, ask the way, dont rely on the distance given, whether in minutes or miles!!