Goa is Special. I can think of thousand reasons to justify my claim. The place qualifies to be Hawaii for Indians. My personal checklist did state an obvious visit to Goa from Mumbai as my father passionately states from his Bollywood experience. The trip to quasi paradise was undoubtedly strenuous, exciting yet most satisfying trip I can think of. This is one memorable click of all the participants, taken on the edge of Panaji.

The Departure

Failing to get tickets on IRCTC, we booked Paulo Travels through Redbus. The seats were comfortable despite being a Non-AC seater. It left around 6 P.M. from Sion on a Thursday night in February and valiantly embarked upon a fifteen hour long journey.

The bus stopped at a certain Dhaba called Central Park on Mumbai-Pune highway. The food is expensive when compared to quality and its advisable to eat lightly due to the long hours involved.

They came to a halt after passing through a massively jerky road in dawn. You can brush and have breakfast here. Since I skipped food at this time, cannot really pass my judgement on that.

We got down at Mapusa in Goa considering the fact that our choice of stay was closer to this point. The travel agencies and the bike rental stalls are fortunately at the same place in Mapusa. We opted for Scooty (250 INR per day) and Pulsar (350 INR per day) as our steeds, in exchange for our driving license of course. Make sure to take receipt and helmet in case you break a law and get caught by cops. The petrol prices was borne by us. If you want car or jeep (or Harley Davidson bikes) , your prayers stands a chance to be answered.

The Stay

Being students who always complain being perpetually low on cash, our research online led us to Sea Shore Beach Resort. It holds significantly high rating at Tripadvisor, because of its amazing location. A distance of thirty seconds away from Calangute beach of North Goa yet super easy on wallets happens to be a rare combination. Labelled as beach resort, do not go there expecting a true resort. You can access their official site at http://seashorebeachresort.com. Mr. Devanand or Mr. Arshad are extremely cordial and great at managing this place successfully.

Its easy to miss the way in so as you reach Calangute, look out for Mocha and take a turn there to reach the destination. Opt for rooms in second floor as they have best views and have been recently furnished. They have amenities like AC, TV, geyser, extra bed and food service till 10.30 P.M. from the eatery on ground floor. The rooms were big enough to accommodate four of Bachelors with ease.

Calangute Beach

One of the most popular beach was few steps away from the resort. Shacks and sunbathers line up the periphery.

The blue sky and clear water touches the white sand of Goa. When you are at one of the most beautiful spots in India, walking on the sand becomes a surreal experience in itself.

However we chose to take the wild side. The water is safe and comparatively shallow, even as you walk in over a significant distance into the sea. Amazing can be an understatement.

Next stop was to chill at nearby open air shack called Spice Wok. The food tastes delicious as you feel the afternoon sun.

Since we had to drive, we chose mocktails. Cranberry was the best of the lot.

Aguada Fortress

So we hopped on our bikes and rode up the hill as we…

…headed for the Aguada fort. The name stands for Water place in Portuguese, this massive structure was built in 1612.

Majority of the structures remain and well maintained despite the heavy tourist flow. The white lighthouse operated till 1976 although the inside is inaccessible.

As we went downhill, we spotted a diversion towards Aguada Jail. Turns out it was actually a fully functional jail beyond which our entry was prohibited. However there is a path hidden on its right flank that leads down through a flight of stairs.

The view from the stony structures is simply gorgeous as you can experience sea from closer proximity.

Perception will take a different meaning from top of fort and bottom at sea level.

Dona Paula

Passing through Panaji, we managed to reach the sunset spot of Dona Paula just on time. Elevated and crowded, people flock together to buy hats, sunglasses and garments as memoirs of Goa.

We waited with bated breath to see the sun drop in the sea.

And as it drops, the blue eyed water turns into dark stretches of nothingness.

The Cruise

A wine shopkeeper provided us with cruise tickets at discounted rates. The middle and upper deck are accessible to everyone for free while the lower deck, which is a floating disco, is provided for free to the ladies and for 50 INR price to gents.

We stayed on upper deck which showcases cultural performance to showcase Goanese tradition. This is followed by live DJ for tourists to dance on stage.

We did not forget to focus on the amazing trail of lights as the cruise floated on Mandovi river.

The Buildings

As we zoomed on our two wheelers the following day, the colorful hues of the homes caught our attention.

Although most of the churches sticked to its serene white, the color choice of surrounding buildings added to punched out contrast.

Chapora Fort

Passing through narrow lanes and paths, the Chapora fort stands atop a barren area.

One has to park their two wheelers and walk up considerably to reach the point.

Rest assured, the view from the top is simply breathtaking to say the least.

The walk in brisk sun gets you a tan but worth every sweat you drop.

And finally as we settled in the coveted spot, as shown in the movie Dil Chahta Hain, the title track to be precise.

We saw the curved line of our next destination.

Vagator Beach

Baby, its beautiful. There are two parking spots, the one at the top is paid and gives you an amazing view. The landscape blows the mind.

Opt for the road downside as you have free parking beside a shack. This is considered as one of the cheapest beach for water sports.

The daring ones took a package of 1600 INR where they take you to a boat in middle of the sea for a series of splashy adventures that includes banana ride, water bikes and bump rides. To top the cherry on cake, there is parasailing, carry extra 200 bucks for dips.

Carry your camera or mobile wrapped in plastic as salty water may gush in on you often. However it is highly recommended to frame this moment.

We found Banana Ride most exciting of them all as they literally drop you in middle of ocean without warning. Bump Ride is plain fun, similar to the ones you get at water parks (read Waterkingdom) of Mumbai. They will let you steer the water bikes if you know how to drive its land counterpart but be careful with the mad velocity it maintains.

Some preferred to chill at the beach, dressed in floral patterned Tshirts exclusively available in Goa.

In the end, we had the time of our lives.

The return was cooled off by a series of cocktails flavoured from coffee through bloody to lagoon.

One of our friend had to leave back to attend official matters, so from this point on six of us continued.

Saturday Night Market

Want to experience one of the most unique experiences Goa has to offer? This Market in North Goa is spellbinding. Massively crowded by locals and tourists alike, the shop thrives on Goanese people, the food and the music.

It is the haven of bustling energy.

Experience the variety as you traverse along the winding path upwards.

Arabian Band Anna RF had their live performance at the heart of the market. Check out their Youtube channel as they have Rikshawalla song created in India itself that will surely make you kill the repeat button or hop on to their catchy tune Jump.

The night was still too young.

Old Goa

Lila cafe and Tito’s nightclubs happen to be one of the most happening and publicised spot in Goa. Due to our shortage of time, we could not sneak in this time.

The last morning was aimed at travelling through Old Goa. We crossed the capital Panjim (or Panaji) on our way.

You have to drive by the Mandovi River stretch again. The wind gushing on your face feels splendid.

We chose extremely pocket friendly dhaba called Hotel Annapurna near Basilica of Bom Jesus where you get decent quality of food at reasonable rate (thalis in 100 INR).

The Churches

Old Goa is famous for its churches. The Basilica made of Red bricks is huge as expected by its immense popularity.

But it is the interior that blows the mind away.

Walk up to no photography zone area where its history is recorded in as series of paintings. The cathedral houses relics from different churches of world that came in through multiple foreign invasions in Goan territory. You can get more details in the mueseums of Church of St Francis of Assissi situated directly opposite.

Despite its renovated pale outlook, the inside is no less amazing.

Further ahead, we managed to locate ruins of massive church of St Augustine. Its colourful history is well documented on the welcoming signboard.

To give an estimate of its destruction, here is a view from considerable distance.

And here is how it feels inside.

The Temple

The ride to Shanta Durga temple required us to go till foothills of Kavalem Village.

A series of shops line up the parking spot to the actual entrance.

The Indo Portuguese architechture has an unused water tank at the back and another no photography zone on the inside. The local myth goes on to say wishes getting fulfilled to those who prays to the deity inside.

We rushed back to hotel, checked out and caught the bus of Atmaram Travels back from Mapusa at 6.30PM. The booking was through Ibibo. The return was lengthy and sleepy, as we boarded off at 10AM near Sion.

Tip offs

• Ride two wheelers to skip the traffic and maximise travel. Its cheaper as well.
• Follow direction arrows throughout the roads, or ask locals as everyone knows everything here.
• Use Suncreen. Really use it if you dont want your skin peeling off like mine.
• Use helmet if you are riding a bike, else the cops will fine you.
• Wear shades with UV protection. Dont but the cheap streetside ones as they are colored plastic and useless. The sun can be insanely harsh.
• Avoid shady people in beaches at night or bikes on day making offers. Politely ignore. Best places to get information are your hotel agents and shops.
• Dont litter, the water is clean but the popular beaches are filled with beer bottles and cans.
• Last but not the least, please dont get so drunk that you become nuisance to others.

My Recommendation

King Fish is a relatively tasteless giant edible piscean available at majority of resturants in Goa. We took a baked one and the sharp canines meant the hunters are often hunted here. Anybody would recommend a ton of better things for Goa but this seems appropriate considering the indigenousity of this fish and its incorporation in traditional Goan diet.

Until Next Time.

Aloha

Sayantan

It was a one day trip to Alibaug Beach on a February morning. We left from Gateway of India, Mumbai. Easiest way to reach Gateway is to arrive at Churchgate or CST station and take a cab from there.

We embarked upon this journey on a ferry. If you ever went to Elephanta caves by sea route, the location for catching ferries are just the same.  Click here for rate chart. We opted for a fun time atop Maldar Ferry (Non AC).

With the winds blowing in our face and ships parked in Bombay Dockyard, we travelled for a good one and half hour to reach the port. On our way, we encountered numerous ships of varied girth as sea gulls swooped around to fish for their prey. And for the Agneepath fans, Mandwa exists! The Mandwa Jetty is extremely clean and is surprisingly well maintained.

Walking slightly down on the beach, we saw the dangerous Arabian Sea at its calmest, bluest and cleanest form. Crabs were hurling around our feet as the beach is subjected to some forms of banana ride and water sports, but mostly safe from the garbage which encroaches every popular Mumbai beach.

You can get the complimentary bus rides to the town of Alibaug in Raigarh district which rounds every thirty minutes. As we were pretty impatient and hungry, we decided to take a private mode of transport. The enormous autos charged around 450INR to take us through turbulent roads, but we have seen worse, so it was worth the stir.

Do try the local drink Neera, extracted from Palm tree, to beat the heat as it is exclusively available in the morning.

As we reached the beach, hunt for a respectable place to have lunch begun. Despite getting numerous eateries and restaurants on the way, the local Panwalas unanimously recommended Hotel Samman. It is a near twenty minute walking distance from Alibaug beach and the blazing sun did not help much, nonetheless, we managed to traverse through significant part of the coastal lanes to reach the place.

We got Veg Thalis for a fairly decent rate and the ambiance was definitely much better than our expectations.

For the daring ones like me who tried Konkani Thali (because of fish), the food is as authentic as it gets due to the Konkani flavour.

Give Oyster masala a try which is nothing short of amazing, although, it does not come as part of thali. Unfortunately I missed out taking its photo since most of my efforts went into sucking those tasty oysters. We finished the lunch with a good old fashioned cold drink.

Retracing our steps back, we reached the entrance point of the beach again. One can notice a lot of resorts flanking the vicinity.

Now here is the thing. There is Kolaba Fort in middle of the sea which you can travel by foot in the morning ebb. But since it was afternoon, high tide was pouring in and considering the fact that we did not bring any spare clothes, we were clueless on how to reach. So the group got divided into two, one who decided to sacrifice their clothes and reach the point by swimming through water. The other group adopted the mode of speedboat which takes you there in five minutes and costs you 100 INR each, on negotiable terms. I decided to carry the camera and save my jeans, hence the speedboat was my carriage.

The fort is in much better shape than the its counterparts at higher altitude. Although broken, structures remain in places while covering a significantly wide area. The welcoming stone reads something like this.

This is where you just sit on the rocks and get a mini Dil Chaahta Hain feel. In reality we were making desperate attempts to check if our friends are stranded in the sea, hoping they survive the water level that was increasing with time.

Failing to spot anyone, we started exploring the caverns and doors. There are good number of points which acted as observation points for any incoming threats through water routes.

There is a white temple built in the centre. The photo below is the other end of the fort which is in worse condition than the entrance.

How can a fort exist without its share of Canons. This kids decided to ride the canon as the photo got shot with another Canon.

For those wondering what happened to the rest of our crew, they did not make a quarter of the swim. Instead they were having fun throwing mud at each other. Win-win situation for both the gangs.

As we came back from the fort, we saw these half naked dudes drying their garments under the sun. You can opt for water rides here as well. If the sand makes you feel deserted, these guys will take you for a ride.

The end of the beach has washrooms and changing rooms, separate for girls and guys, which is fortunately maintained. In front of that, a large number of streetside shops serve variety of foods on the likes of golas and corn on the cobs.

It is important to ensure you come out on time to catch the last ferry back to Mumbai. The Madwa Jetty looks amazing during sunset.

Yes. Amazing is an understatement.

We returned with the gulls as they snatched chips out of our hands. Our cameras were failing at that point due to lack of light.

Tip Offs

• Come early if you want to travel more. Heard that Nagaon beach is a better option for swimming which we could not cram due to being late and lazy.
• Travel via ferry, not bus as the latter takes over three and half hours. Also ferry is more enjoyable, be it with friends or family.
• Carry extra clothes if you plan to swim. Else carry extra money for speedboats.
• Try Konkani food if you are not used to it. Also do try Neera on your way as you may not get it during return since they turn inedible post noon.
• Have GPS on, it may help you track down places like restaurant and bus stops.

My Recommendation

Feeding Seagulls is epic in itself. Chips works wonders, biscuits will be ignored. You can buy both on Jetty itself. But the glowing lights of the ships and Mumbai buildings at night as viewed from the center of the Arabian sea can be a real treat.

On a personal level, we managed to capture this frame after numerous goof ups that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Until Next Time.

Adios,

Sayantan

Update (2020)

The font becomes smaller because that is the new style of blog posts.

I went back to Alibaug for my company offsites. It was pretty much a bus ride to a farmhouse, far away from touristy beaches. The first farmhouse visit was rather fun. I was pretty much the guy with camera recorder and the experience was new. The second visit to the same farmhouse doing the same things was a horribly boring deja vu.

Pretty much backed out of the third time torture but then eventually was forced to rehash. My colleague and I made some random excuse and left that venue early. We had to fit ourselves in this large 9 seater auto with other villagers to reach the ferry point. It was frankly more fun than the offsite.

There is this website called meetup.com. It allows users to create online clubs and create events. People with similar interest flock together and decide to well, meet up and do something together. We joined the hike through this unique platform since one of the senior member of my institute happened to be a member of such a trekking group, called Mumbai Explorers.

Our new year celebration was ushered on the first Saturday of January, a one day hike to Manikgad Fort. We were twenty odd travellers (half of which were from my department, so this became a class trip of sorts).

Wherever you are in Mumbai, you have to come to the central line and get up on a train to reach Panvel, latest by 7.30 AM. Try not to delay cause in case you fail to complete your trek before sunset, you are in for serious trouble. You need some vehicle to travel the distance between Panvel and the village on the foothills of Manikgad.

We hired two Tata Sumos where we crammed ourselves up somehow to reach the initiation point of the real trek. However you may take bus for cheaper rates as well.

We got a local guide at 500 INR which is highly recommended since people do get lost on their way. Whatever food or water you might need, do stock up from the village, especially if you are an amateur like me. Carrying glucose and first aid is as wise as wearing trekking shoes that do not slip.

Before I proceed any further, let me clarify the expectations set from this trip. One has to embark on 13 kilometer uphill walk, followed by 13km return, with no properly defined path leading to the summit. The height expected to travel is 1800 feet above sea level. In case you are traveling in monsoon, expect rains, fogs and slippery roads. If you are traveling in January like we did, the blazing sun can be a bummer.

We started walking through the village, atop black granite rocks, green patches of intermediate forests and ultimately dead hays which turn into lively bushes during monsoon. Our first destination actually is the top of a plateau for which we had to cut through an awful lot of hays.

Next up was a really long meadow with nothing but the sun killing our enthusiasm. As we approached grassy terrain with streams of water, we were informed by our guide that it was just the base of the actual monster. From the plateau, we could finally see the pointy peak to fathom how much more we need to hike.

Next up, we waded through this really really dense forest and random boulders providing grips to go on. Here losing your path is easy, with probable roads churning out randomly leading to dead ends. Due to differential speed among the trekkers, we did get manage to get lost once. I, unfortunately, hit my head against a thick tree branch in the process.

There was this one middle aged guy, almost on verge of giving up. Another girl kept moving into fits of periodic panic attacks and bouts of crying. All this confusion led to some hikers falling behind and losing the way.

The rescue process slowed us down by a good thirty minutes. On the way, we encountered a devastated mandir of Shri Hanuman with a Siva Linga. This was followed by a winding barren path and deep trenches where rocks kept slipping beneath our shoes. Unless you are careful, falling down can be seriously injurious to health. Everyone was treading so much carefully that taking photos was not an option.

Finally we reached the fort. In case you make it like we did, you will probably be cheering out to see the water pond inside the broken castle.

Most of us ended up collapsing on the ground though and opt for a quick nap.

Everyone was happy and relieved. We had packed lunch but water bottles were all empty by then. There were broken water cisterns with really dirty water. Due to our compulsion, we ended up drinking water from the rainwater powered pond few steps down.

If you are really pumped up like I was to see something substantial on top, you are in for major disappointment as the fort has nearly nothing left. There were some random bricks with more random coloured flags. A trek like this is aimed for those who enjoys the thrill of it.

We started descent at 3.00 PM which sufficed as winter has longer days and we took almost three hours to climb down. I found the descent comparatively difficult as my sport shoes started to slip, so it is wiser to just walk straight to maintain center of gravity. Using a strong stick to maintain balance can be very helpful.

As I was scrolling through the photos for the blog, I wondered what was the history behind the old Maratha warriors, who used to regularly travel with high risk to build a fort so high. This is a view from the top and the motivation started to make sense. It basically acted as a viewpoint to identify any threat to civilization below, a vantage point before possible attacks. I am still unsure of how they managed to use this during the fogs.

Tip Offs

• Carry waters and dry food, you will not survive without these two anyway.
• Shoes with good grip helps, especially in rainy season.
• Torch in case you are stuck in dark. Wikipedia mentions panthers habitat in this area although the villagers claimed none are left as of now.
• If you are planning to go cheap, you can get everything done at 150INR. Ours was a bit expensive with 400 INR inclusive food, guide and Sumo travel.
• Not for the Weak Hearted. Stay away!!!
• Carry point and shoot camera or light DSLR. We had Point and shoot, Canon 1200D and Nikon 5300D. Unfortunately most of the photos were taken with the Nikon whose memory card was misplaced in an auto during return.

My Recommendation

Till ten o’ clock in the morning, we were able to see both the sun and the moon, special thanks to the altitude which allowed us to do so. I found it interesting frankly and here is a photo to prove that it looks awesome.

We will travel somewhere completely different in next article.

Until Next Time.

Cheers

Sayantan

The Journey

A decade back, this corner of Maharashtra had been labelled as under developed. At least that is what I heard from my fellow mates before i embarked on this trip. Frankly I had no idea what to expect. As my childhood buddy and his family invited me to join them, I decided to go without really utilizing the power of Google to blow my mind. Oh Damn good decision it was. This was December 2014 and before I go any further, here is a sneak peek into the city made so beautifully that you will hate to leave.

We left Powai at 7AM via a Taxiforsure cab. Traveling across Mumbai is always an epic experience for me, the race against terrible Mumbai traffic is often real.

The best part of the odd 186km journey is you get to drive along the superbly built Mumbai Pune expressway. Here is a snapshot of the popular joint for a morning snack, with canteens and shops lining across the parking space.

As you move ahead through the road, it takes more than three hours to reach the destination. But the experience begins when you wind up the spiral roads to reach the city ahead. The inclinations are often way too steep to handle. This will be your view as you approach Lavasa.

Lavasa gave me the impression of being built on trademark styles of European township with flavour of precise planning sprinkled all over, Albeit it does follow a mix between Copenhagen and Venice, the city is filled with paved walks and small bridges. Look how clean and well maintained everything is.

Yes. The roads do deserve special mention with spotless sidewalks and children playing around. A string of restaurants adorn this area with popular brands like Cafe Coffee Day and Baskin Robbins. You can also opt for movies in the mini theatre if you are in the mood.

There has been reports on environmental impact study resulting in a political juggernaut that blocked rapid development of this massive project. From a layman perspective, there is no dearth of greenery among this brick and mortar structure. The planning can be so much pleasing to an Indian eye subjected to roadside filth of daily lives.

If you have kids, the options for fun are aplenty. There are Tandem Bicycle, Motor based cars (by XThrill) and Pogo stick on wheels (popularly called Segway Personal Transporter). The expense largely varies around 500 INR for each ride.

Lavasa International Centre serves as an all in one resource for your stay, sports and recreation with detailed information on benefits of staying at a land between the hustle bustle of Mumbai and IT life of Pune.

Although we did not plan an overnight stay, it is recommended you do it as the night can be extremely enthralling. In case you are wondering whether you want to own a home at this beautiful township, here is a view of the stays at a prime location on lakeside.

There are ample number of water based rides at the extreme end with shops selling local goods which opens afternoon onwards. Rowing and motorboating options are offered at rates of around 1000 INR.

With numerous options for children to play and adults to relax, do not forget to carry your camera. For me, it was a Nikon D5200 affixed to 50mm prime lens (most photos are resultant of that camera only) while my buddy Abhishek (in the photo below) took Nikon D3100 with a 55-200mm lens as his choice of weapon.

Tip Offs

• Be ready to spend money on travel only if you have one day trip in mind like us. If you are staying or planning to stay over, expect drastically higher expense.
• Food is reasonably priced. We had food a Chinese restaurant (Oriental Octopus) serving Seven Coursed Meal at 400INR. It was totally worth it and the food was delicious to say the least. Highly Recommended. However other varieties (Indian, Lebanese, Mughlai, Italian, American) are also available
• It is a place designed for you to relax, so if you are a 20 something guy like me planning to come down with your buddies, it can be bad idea. It will be way more enjoyable to come with family, especially if you are planning to stay the night.
• Detailed information is available at www.lavasa.com and International Centre. Have your GPS on in case your driver gets confused with the route while driving (happened to us), Google Maps can be a wonderful thing.

My Recommendation

Try the Australian fruit Kiwi Juice at Oriental Octopus. Its exotic and absolute delight for people with a sweet tooth.

Will be back soon with a new article on trekking.

Until Next time.

Cheers

Sayantan

Update (2020)

The font becomes smaller because that is the new style of blog posts.

I went back to Lavasa couple of times after this. It felt increasingly worse both of the times as the city resembles a ghost town these days. Bunch of chains have shut shops, the maintenance has gone downhill (despite the exorbitant entry fee) and fewer people hangs out here.

If this is your first time in Maharashtra, there are better places you should put on your bucket list.