The Trigger
My father had been telling me about Goa since the Bollywood era. The personal checklist of obvious-things-to-do from Mumbai had it pencilled in for years. February 2015. A long weekend, a group of seven, and finally enough alignment to book it. The trip below is the strenuous one. Also the satisfying one. The frame at the edge of Panaji is the one we picked to remember it by.
The Departure
IRCTC was full. We pivoted to Paulo Travels via Redbus. Non-AC seater, comfortable enough. Departed Sion at 6pm Thursday. 15 hours of road ahead.
First halt: Central Park dhaba on the Mumbai-Pune highway. Food is priced higher than the quality earns. Eat lightly. The hours ahead do not appreciate a heavy meal.
The bus stopped at dawn after a stretch of road that rearranged everyone in their seat. You can brush and have breakfast here. I skipped, so cannot rate the food.
We got off at Mapusa because our stay was closer to the north. Convenient: travel agencies and bike-rental stalls cluster at the same intersection. We picked a Scooty (250 INR/day) and a Pulsar (350 INR/day). Driver’s licence as deposit. Always take the receipt and a helmet, in case of an inspection. Petrol on us. Cars, jeeps, and Harleys are available if you ask the right shop.
The Stay
Student budget. Online research pointed at Sea Shore Beach Resort. Strong TripAdvisor rating, mostly because of location: 30 seconds from Calangute beach, easy on the wallet. The “resort” word is generous; calibrate accordingly. Site: seashorebeachresort.com. Mr. Devanand and Mr. Arshad run a tight, friendly operation.
The lane is easy to overshoot. Land on Calangute, look for Mocha, take the turn there. Ask for second-floor rooms; they were recently refurbished and have the better views. Amenities: AC, TV, geyser, extra bed, and food service from the ground-floor eatery until 10:30pm. Four bachelors fit comfortably.
Calangute Beach
Steps from the resort. Shacks and sunbathers along the strip.
Blue sky, clear water, white sand. Walking on it is its own thing.
We took the wider route into the water. Calangute is shallow for a long stretch out from shore. You can wade in further than instinct suggests.
Lunch shifted to the open-air shack Spice Wok. Afternoon sun, decent food.
We had to ride later, so mocktails not cocktails. Cranberry was the pick of the lot.
Aguada Fortress
Bikes up the hill.
Aguada Fort. Portuguese for “water place.” Built 1612.
Most of the structure has held up under heavy footfall. The white lighthouse on the property ran until 1976. The interior is closed to visitors.
On the way down we spotted a turn for Aguada Jail. It is a working jail; further entry not allowed. There is a path on its right flank that drops down a flight of stairs.
From the lower stones, the sea is much closer than it was on the bastion.
Top of the fort and the rocks at sea level read as two different places.
Dona Paula
Through Panaji to the Dona Paula viewpoint, just in time for the sunset window. Elevated, crowded, lined with stalls selling hats, sunglasses, and Goa-print clothing.
Bated breath as the sun dropped to meet the sea.
And then it was gone. The blue went to a flat dark.
The Cruise
A wine shopkeeper sold us cruise tickets at a discount. Middle and upper deck are open to everyone for free. The lower deck is a floating disco — free for women, 50 INR for men.
We stayed on the upper deck. Cultural performance covers Goan tradition first. Then the live DJ takes over and the deck becomes a dance floor.
The Mandovi at night does the rest of the work. Lights along both banks, water carrying the reflection.
The Buildings
On the second day, the houses kept catching the eye through the visor.
Most churches stick to white. The houses around them carry the colour. The contrast holds the postcard look together.
Chapora Fort
Through narrow lanes to a barren shoulder of land where Chapora sits.
You park the bikes at the base. The walk up is non-trivial.
Earned at the top.
The walk in midday sun gets you a tan. The view earns the sweat.
And then the corner. The Dil Chahta Hai spot. The title-track frame, specifically.
From here you can already see the curve of the next stop.
Vagator Beach
Two parking spots. Top is paid and gives you the elevated landscape; bottom is free, next to a shack. Vagator is one of the cheapest beaches for water sports.
Park at the bottom unless you specifically want the upper view.
The water-sports package: 1600 INR. They take you out by boat to a deep-water platform for banana ride, water bikes, bump rides. Parasailing is a separate add-on; carry an extra 200 INR if you want the sea-dip during the ride.
Wrap your camera or phone in plastic before you board. The salt comes for it.
Ranking: Banana Ride first. They drop you mid-ocean without warning. Bump Ride is the simplest fun, like a Mumbai water park. Water bikes, they will let you steer if you can ride the land version. Be careful with the throttle.
Some preferred to stay on the sand, in floral T-shirts that are exclusively a Goa thing.
End of session, end of arguments about who is doing what.
The ride back was cocktail-shaped. Coffee, bloody, lagoon.
One member of the group had to fly back early for work. From here we were six.
Saturday Night Market
Asking what makes Goa Goa? This market. North Goa, Saturday only. Locals and tourists pack it. Built around Goan food, music, and the sheer volume of stuff for sale.
Pure energy.
The path winds upward through stalls.
Arabian band Anna RF was on the live stage at the centre. Their channel. Their Rikshawalla track is the gateway. Jump is the one that closes you out.
The night was nowhere near over.
Old Goa
Lila Cafe and Tito’s are the two clubs that get most of the press. We were short on time and had to skip them this round.
The last morning was Old Goa. We crossed Panjim on the way.
The route runs along the Mandovi again. Wind in the visor.
Lunch at Hotel Annapurna near the Basilica. Plain dhaba, easy on the budget. Thalis at 100 INR.
The Churches
The Basilica of Bom Jesus is the headline. Red brick, large, well-photographed for a reason.
The interior is what carries the visit.
Walk up to the no-photography zone where history runs as a series of paintings. The cathedral houses relics from churches around the world that arrived through Goa’s stretch of foreign invasion. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi opposite has the museum that explains it.
Pale exterior, full interior.
Further on, the ruins of St. Augustine. The story is on the welcome signboard.
Pulled back, this is the scale of the destruction.
And here is the inside.
The Temple
Shanta Durga is at the foot of Kavalem village.
A row of shops between parking and the temple steps.
Indo-Portuguese architecture. There is an unused water tank at the back. Inside is another no-photography zone. The local belief: the deity grants what you ask.
Then we rushed back to the hotel, checked out, and caught Atmaram Travels from Mapusa at 6:30pm. Booking via Ibibo. The return ride was long and sleepy. Off the bus near Sion at 10am.
Field Notes
- Two-wheelers over cars. Skip the traffic, double the spots you cover, half the rental cost.
- Use the road signs, then ask locals. Everybody here knows everywhere. Trust them over Maps when both disagree.
- Sunscreen. Use it. Otherwise your skin will peel for a week, like mine.
- Helmets if you ride. Cops will fine you. Take the helmet from the rental shop.
- UV shades, not street shades. Coloured plastic from the roadside is useless under this sun.
- Ignore offers from strangers. On beaches at night and on the road during the day. Hotel agents and shopkeepers are the trustworthy info channels.
- Do not litter. The water is clean. Popular beaches are not, mostly because of beer cans.
- Drink, do not get drunk. Past a point you stop being fun for everyone around you.
One Recommendation
Order the King Fish. It is large, mild, and culturally indigenous to the Goan plate. Baked is the format we tried. The teeth told us the hunters here are also the hunted. There are richer recommendations available, but King Fish is the one that earns the section.
Until next time,
Aloha,
Sayantan