Goa- all ingredients for a happy wholesome holiday

Just like a wholesome meal, Goa because of its beaches, hills, forests, quaint clean county roads, ancient Portuguese houses offers everything to make up a happy wholesome holiday experience. 

Really, Incredible Goa.  

In Goa we spent 6 days on our own and roamed around with a rented self drive car. 

Day1 -  On the very first day of our Goa trip  we were staying at Fontainhas , Panaji , which is the oldest Portuguese quarter in Asia. These Portuguese quarters have a special feeling about themselves .

The amalgamation of pure whitewashed Portuguese quarters and bright colored Hindu temples representing their Gods and Goddesses was really a feast for the eyes.

Day 2 – We visited Calangute beach, the most famous beach of Goa . In Calangute  we tasted some seafood  along the beach the beach front . Calangute seafood was good but that at Baga was even better . In Baga we stayed in a quiet resort called LINOS . There the best thing I liked was the serene environment and the company of a fat , lazy and a loving dog called champ . In the meanwhile we also saw Ashwem and Morjim beach.

Seafood feast at Baga beach 

 

 

 

Baga beach- LINOS . Champ time

Morjim beach is a turtle nesting site

Day3 –We went to Aguada fort , an ancient Portuguese fort which is situated on a hill overlooking the sea. In the evening we had some special chicken burger made by Pepper Aunty a portuguese lady .

 

Aguada Fort, North Goa

Day4 – We were out out exploring the extreme North and saw Keri ( temple )beach , Arambol  beach and  Tiracol Fort , which is near the border of Goa and Maharashtra . We also had our car on the barge  to cross the tiracol river by just paying 10 rupees . Tiracol fort is in Goa, after which the state of Maharashtra starts.  . As our rented car was a Goa permit we were asked by the car company while we were at Tiracol if we were entering into Maharashtra . We then became cautious  to be in goa only . We then went back to Anjuna and were out on the road to the extreme south towards  Palolem beach .  In the evening we went agonda beach , which is a very quiet  and a serene beach . I made a sand castle  there itself .

Inside fort Tiracol,

Making sandcastles at Agonda beach

 

At Palolem beach

 

Day5   We saw Galgibagh beach another turtle nesting site. We then went Palolem , had a good sea bath and were out on the road to Bogmalo in Mormogao. But before that we saw the Cabo de rama fort and also tasted the  local brand of ice - cream . Then ,On our way to Bogmalo we did some window –sightseeing of the beaches coming on our way .  Then we finally reached bogmalo and saw the Dabolim airport , Japanese garden , Mormugao port, Baina beach and Vasco da  gama.

 

Day6 – Next day we left Bogmalo and visited  the Holland beach  and the naval aviation museum and then went to Dona Paula beach which is also a good beach . We then Visited the Kala academy ., which is a beautiful place and has a good riverfront . We also went to old Goa and  saw the largest church complex in Asia and high church walls also called the flying buttresses . We then went to Panaji by the old road by the side of the Mandovi river .

We went to Miramar beach , relaxed  a bit and went to mall de Goa for dinner after which re returned the car . Our trip ended when we reached Madgaon station and boarded  the train to  Dehradun to return to our Home , Sweet , Home !

At our cottage overlooking Bogmalo beach

Anywhere in Goa, the sea is never far away. Can you see it behind me?

Spring Fun in the mountains

Can You spot ME? 

After 2 months of study and hard work for my exams, I was once again qualified to take a break- in the mountains ( of course, as you must have guessed). However, this time I  was part of a very different group- my mother and her seven students were going to Seindul village near The Goat Village for their work.

24^th March I finished my exams and the very next morning, we set off for Seindul,. There were a total 9 of us is the Bolero and it was great fun talking with all the bhaiyas and didis, listen to their jabber and fun stories and the songs being played by them. At one time, three set of songs were being played- Driver uncle was playing his favorite song, middle seat wallahs were playing something else while back wallahs were  on to their own song. It is a real remix ( khichri) and I really loved it.

Bonding with kids and goats at Seindul

 We reached Seindul village around noon and after a nice simple tasty lunch at a villagers house, everyone got down to work. I was in the team of Gayatri didi and Vinayak Bhaiya, I helped them measure the blue house and after measurement taking was over and both of them were busy making sketches, I went off to say hello to the baby goats. It was so much fun!

With Gayatri didi and Vinayak bhaiya

 Later in the afternoon, we packed up, drove to Lasergaon and trekked to The Goat Village. I was walking ahead with the bhaiyas, mother and the didis were behind most of the time. We finally reached just as the sun was setting.

Start point of Goat Village Trek

It was wonderful to be at The Goat Village once again, though I missed Mani Bhaiya. However Pradeep bhiaya was there with us. There were also 2 playful Bhutiya puppies and they were very naughty. Their antics really worked up Himani didi and at one time, she put her legs up on a bhaiyas lap to avoid the puppies nibbling them.

Next morning again we trekked down, baorded the Bolero and drove to Koti Banal, where we were joined by Bindu Aunty and her group who had come here via Suakholi- a very long route. I did not enjoy Koti Banal very much this time as it was very hot and we were there for a very short time.

That evening we started back for Dehradun, and after a luxurious dinner at Kempty ( which i could not be part of as my stomach was paining) we reached home quite late in the night.
It was a wonderful and memorable trip. I wish I can be part of many more much trips.

At The Goat Village- all of us

Digha was delightful

Note: In all the pictures, Golla my cousin sister is wearing my T shirt. Both the green and yellow T shirt are mine.

 


After three years exploring the mountains, we all needed a change. So , in the  winter season of 2016 , we went to  Digha beach which on the Bengal Orissa Border . Our group  includes me , my parents ,grandparents , uncle, aunt and my two cousin sisters(one sister is in class 1 and one just an year old).In Digha we spent our days on beachfront. It was an amazing experience.

One day , we hired two  tourist vehicles to get  a good idea of Digha and it’s surroundings places.

The first stop of our small tour was the Chandaneshwar temple right on Orissa border . The temple is based on the worship of Lord Shiva. The temple has a private lake.

Our second stop was Talsari which is a small harbor for fishing. It is only operational when a high tide comes. Besides this Talsari has a river which meets the sea nearby. Many people ride motorcycles on the river banks and the sea coast. My father and uncle too did it, without telling anyone else.

Our third stop was Mandarmoni beach. It was there where we hit two birds with a stone by having a feast on seafood like crab, prawn, and sea fish ,etc .The most exciting thing was that I had so many coconuts , in which I lost count about the number of coconuts I had . I was too excited and decided to roll on the beach on the sand. It is also one the few beaches of India  that is also motor able . This is best ever  beach experience I’ve ever had. 

Our fourth stop was Shankarpur beach , but we didn’t get into the sea . Instead we saw how local fishing ships get built. 

Digha has some nice stretches  like beachfront has been developed into a nice public park and it’s railway station has a good entrance with tress surrounded by it and good road connecting the rest of the town.

Digha will always be remembered for the Babuji songs sun g by my aunt to keep my youngest cousin sister quiet and in good humor. Digha  memories will also be delicious due to the amount of fresh seafood consumed by all of us on the last day in a small shack type restaurant – we had a feast of crabs, prawns and pompreht all fresh and freshly cooked. Spicy but very very tasty!!!!!!!!!