Disclaimer: There are lots of things that have to be censored in this post. So you must pick the subtle hints that I give and make your own interpretation using your wildest imaginations ;-)
This was my fourth visit to Goa. Every time I have visited it, it has looked different. Maybe because my perspectives have changed. But till this visit happened, I always thought of Goa to be a place where one would go and relax on the beach, drinking 'fruit juices' and reading a nice novel. Well was I in for a rude shock or what!!
We left Gokarna expecting to reach Goa by 12 Noon at the max. The way I had calculated it, Panaji was 150kms from Gokarna, and a additional 40kms to Baga beach (this was the place where we had decided to FIND accommodation). So I felt it would be a 3 - 3 1/2 hour drive. That was the mistake. I calculated this time based on travel on NH's. This NH 17 is unlike any other 'normal' NH's. Its narrow and bumpy. And of course this passes through the heart of Old Goa slowing you down to a great extent. Having said that, the scenery is beautiful, especially before and after Karwar. Driving through the small roads of Goa is by itself a pleasure, although it would have been more enjoyable on bikes. The heavy brunch also delayed us a lot. But the good news for the morning was that Ravi's train was "as usual" late and this meant that he would not be waiting for us for long.
When we finally arrived in Goa, we were damn tired. Ravi was already searching for our accommodations, and that pricked us even more. But just entering the Titos street in midday sun, I was certain we were in trouble. It was like seeing people in Majestic, only difference being there were more foreigners in beach wear and bikinis (how I wish that was true for Majestic too ;-)). The similarity was the number of tourists. It was so crowded, I was getting a feeling of being lost out there. This meant that we had to struggle to find our accommodations. And it was a big struggle. Finally we found a decent shelter and our plans had gone awry. That's when I decided to ditch all the planning and stuff and be instinctive. So the fun started :-))
First up was Anjuna Beach. Sunset was beautiful. I was still feasting my eyes on the gorgeous sights ;-) Next up was the Saturday flea market in Anjuna. Apparently very famous. Did some shopping (instantly felt that I could have bargained more. Srinath was useful there). The party started there itself. Missed the closing of flea market probably by a whisker. Not disappointed, as it meant more time for party. Party shifts to Baga beach. Dinner there. But the highlight of the night was NIGHT FRISBEE. What fun it was. Everyone seemed to have hyper energy. Ended when Bala crashed into Ravi. No points for guessing who got bruised like a peach :-D Party continues till the room. Party ends pretty early( Goan time) and we go to sleep.
Morning, yet again, no residues from the previous night. Good sign as we have lots to do for the day. First up - Chapora fort. Awesome view of the Chapora beach and Vagator beach. Lots of photos taken. Get a bit adventures and try to do stunts. Hurt my hand in the process. Next up Anjuna again. Prepared to do the Anjuna to Baga trek. Apparently there is a... ahem... secluded beach in that path. But the midday sun scares the shit out of us. Instead we decide to go to Agauda fort/jail. Jail closed. I realize it is a functional jail and thank god that it was closed (Never would I want to visit a Jail - I have what u can call a 'Jail-ophobia'). Head to Sequlim beach. Nice beach, but very crowded. Negotiations for water sports start. Super fun seeing Srinath bargain. Finally settle for a price which makes us feel proud of our bargaining skills. Thinking of using this skill for later in the night ;-) Fist we do parasailing. Its not a adrenaline rush, rather it has a calming effect on that person. Nice feeling of flying in the air. Next up was the 'Banana Ride'. This was too good. Awesome experience. Then we do some BEACH RUGBY. Super rules. Don't remember if my team won or not. Then we play diving catches. Srinath displays his athletic skills to the beach amblers ;-) We get into water, and play in the low tides. All in all, nice fun and worth the money. Even after all this activity feeling very energized. Probably because of the realization that a 'long' night awaits us.
After a quick shower, we head out on the 'happening' tito's street. We end up in a beach side shack. Did EVERYTHING that I could possibly think of. Only thing left to do was to lose my... ahem... you know what ;-) You name it, and we did it. Atul gets too adventures. Earns my respect for his courage. Srinath recounts the entire story. At some level I feel disappointed that things did not work out :-D The party in now probably in its 7th hour. Awesome feeling. But lots to do as the night is still young. Party goes on till late in the night. Final walk at 3:00 AM. End up sleeping after that, and also the last one to sleep.
Morning. Surprisingly everyone has forgot to keep the alarm. We all wake up late. This again negates our plans. Unfortunately I have the 'residues' of the night before. Not a great feeling. Ravi has to catch his train. We take a call on whether to leave Goa or stay for one more day. Decide there is not much to do in Goa and leave for Bangalore. The return journey was tiring. Played some games till we had dinner. We took turns to co-pilot our driver. Sadly I took the last turn. I swear I was sleeping with my eyes open. So was our driver. Still scares the shit out of me, thinking about it. Very scary experience. End up safely in Bangalore early in the morning. Slept for rest of the day.
In all it was the best trip of my life. The company was simply superb. The places were magical. The experience will last a life time. What more can you ask for?
This was my fourth visit to Goa. Every time I have visited it, it has looked different. Maybe because my perspectives have changed. But till this visit happened, I always thought of Goa to be a place where one would go and relax on the beach, drinking 'fruit juices' and reading a nice novel. Well was I in for a rude shock or what!!
We left Gokarna expecting to reach Goa by 12 Noon at the max. The way I had calculated it, Panaji was 150kms from Gokarna, and a additional 40kms to Baga beach (this was the place where we had decided to FIND accommodation). So I felt it would be a 3 - 3 1/2 hour drive. That was the mistake. I calculated this time based on travel on NH's. This NH 17 is unlike any other 'normal' NH's. Its narrow and bumpy. And of course this passes through the heart of Old Goa slowing you down to a great extent. Having said that, the scenery is beautiful, especially before and after Karwar. Driving through the small roads of Goa is by itself a pleasure, although it would have been more enjoyable on bikes. The heavy brunch also delayed us a lot. But the good news for the morning was that Ravi's train was "as usual" late and this meant that he would not be waiting for us for long.
When we finally arrived in Goa, we were damn tired. Ravi was already searching for our accommodations, and that pricked us even more. But just entering the Titos street in midday sun, I was certain we were in trouble. It was like seeing people in Majestic, only difference being there were more foreigners in beach wear and bikinis (how I wish that was true for Majestic too ;-)). The similarity was the number of tourists. It was so crowded, I was getting a feeling of being lost out there. This meant that we had to struggle to find our accommodations. And it was a big struggle. Finally we found a decent shelter and our plans had gone awry. That's when I decided to ditch all the planning and stuff and be instinctive. So the fun started :-))
First up was Anjuna Beach. Sunset was beautiful. I was still feasting my eyes on the gorgeous sights ;-) Next up was the Saturday flea market in Anjuna. Apparently very famous. Did some shopping (instantly felt that I could have bargained more. Srinath was useful there). The party started there itself. Missed the closing of flea market probably by a whisker. Not disappointed, as it meant more time for party. Party shifts to Baga beach. Dinner there. But the highlight of the night was NIGHT FRISBEE. What fun it was. Everyone seemed to have hyper energy. Ended when Bala crashed into Ravi. No points for guessing who got bruised like a peach :-D Party continues till the room. Party ends pretty early( Goan time) and we go to sleep.
Morning, yet again, no residues from the previous night. Good sign as we have lots to do for the day. First up - Chapora fort. Awesome view of the Chapora beach and Vagator beach. Lots of photos taken. Get a bit adventures and try to do stunts. Hurt my hand in the process. Next up Anjuna again. Prepared to do the Anjuna to Baga trek. Apparently there is a... ahem... secluded beach in that path. But the midday sun scares the shit out of us. Instead we decide to go to Agauda fort/jail. Jail closed. I realize it is a functional jail and thank god that it was closed (Never would I want to visit a Jail - I have what u can call a 'Jail-ophobia'). Head to Sequlim beach. Nice beach, but very crowded. Negotiations for water sports start. Super fun seeing Srinath bargain. Finally settle for a price which makes us feel proud of our bargaining skills. Thinking of using this skill for later in the night ;-) Fist we do parasailing. Its not a adrenaline rush, rather it has a calming effect on that person. Nice feeling of flying in the air. Next up was the 'Banana Ride'. This was too good. Awesome experience. Then we do some BEACH RUGBY. Super rules. Don't remember if my team won or not. Then we play diving catches. Srinath displays his athletic skills to the beach amblers ;-) We get into water, and play in the low tides. All in all, nice fun and worth the money. Even after all this activity feeling very energized. Probably because of the realization that a 'long' night awaits us.
After a quick shower, we head out on the 'happening' tito's street. We end up in a beach side shack. Did EVERYTHING that I could possibly think of. Only thing left to do was to lose my... ahem... you know what ;-) You name it, and we did it. Atul gets too adventures. Earns my respect for his courage. Srinath recounts the entire story. At some level I feel disappointed that things did not work out :-D The party in now probably in its 7th hour. Awesome feeling. But lots to do as the night is still young. Party goes on till late in the night. Final walk at 3:00 AM. End up sleeping after that, and also the last one to sleep.
Morning. Surprisingly everyone has forgot to keep the alarm. We all wake up late. This again negates our plans. Unfortunately I have the 'residues' of the night before. Not a great feeling. Ravi has to catch his train. We take a call on whether to leave Goa or stay for one more day. Decide there is not much to do in Goa and leave for Bangalore. The return journey was tiring. Played some games till we had dinner. We took turns to co-pilot our driver. Sadly I took the last turn. I swear I was sleeping with my eyes open. So was our driver. Still scares the shit out of me, thinking about it. Very scary experience. End up safely in Bangalore early in the morning. Slept for rest of the day.
In all it was the best trip of my life. The company was simply superb. The places were magical. The experience will last a life time. What more can you ask for?
2 comments:
We need to do this again ! I read it again. We must add a twist to the flavor and make it more relaxing the next time around. The only bad thing about the whole thing was our transport could have been more comfortable. I really wanted to do Dhandeli , it looked beautiful on the way. You did not mention about that. Lets do it , before you leave for MBA , if you leave for MBA.
definitely bala... Dandeli is a place we will have to visit... it wont be really relaxing, but the beauty of the nature there might make us feel the most arduous task very easy!
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