Trip to Portuguese City in India

 

While traveling the southern part of India I decided to visit the most happening place in India, GOA. Whenever any Indian hear the name Goa, they reach to an imaginary world. Which contains drugs, Alcohol, Russian girls, Hippies, Beaches, and so on. And parents think that Goa is a place where every young aged tourist gets a foreigner girlfriend/boyfriend to have sex all the time. IS THIS TRUE? The answer is NO. These all are myths made by a few dumb and mean-minded people around us. I will explain each and everything about Goa in this Blog. I hope this Blog will flush out all myths from our minds.

GOA

Goa is a small state in the western part of India with coastlines stretching along the Arabian Sea. This was a Portuguese colony until 1961. Because it is a coastal area hence the Portuguese decided to settle for their benefit. During their stay in Goa, they have built so many beautiful churches which are carried history among themselves. The official language is Konkani. But Goan people also very efficient in English, Hindi, and Marathi. Most Goan people practices Christianity followed by Hinduism and Islam.

How To Reach? 

I am not sure from which part of the world you are going to travel so I will take the journey forward from Panjim. So you need to reach to Panjim or Panaji. Once you arrive at Panjim(Airport or Bus stop) you can hire a 2-wheeler from there. That is the most convenient transport for you. But don't forget to carry your original documents(Passport, DL, PAN card for Indians). The 2 wheeler owner will take 500 INR deposit and one of your original document, Don't worry it is very much safe. Refill the tank with petrol(very cheap in Goa) and you are good to go.

If you have booked the hotel in advance that's very smart of you. in case if you didn't then also don't worry. You will get so many hostels and cheap hotels around. I will share the link of hostels and hotels down below. Reach to tour hostel/hotel(usually nearby from the beach). You are sorted to explore Goa.

Where to Start With?

You need to divide Goa into two parts. North and South. I strongly suggest beginning your goa trip from south goa. And where in South Goa?? Yes, goa Baga beach. The most visited the most crowded and the most pocket-friendly beach is Baga Beach. You can part your bike as they have a separate parking zone with the caretaker. they will charge you 10 INR for 2 hrs. Park your Bike and get the parking token. Enter the beach. Once you enter the beach around 5 Pm you will feel that you are on a different planet. The breeze will kiss your entire body, people around you are crazy you will feel. You have never seen anyone so happy in your life. Trust me. Everybody around you is so happy as this is the last day to live.

Don't rush to the water yet. Hold on. The entire sea is yours from now on. Besides the beach, every 500 meters, you will find shacks. Goa Beach restaurants. Sit there and order for a chilled beer and some snacks if you want to. I prefer chilled beer and a cigar. The perfect pair. Sip the beer slowly, enjoy the moment. see how the sun is playing with clouds. Once the beer is down and you are in your mood than what are you waiting for? Go to the nearest wave and take a brisk walk let your feet covered by wet sand. click a few IG posts if you want to. Do whatever you want. No one will ask you to stop here. This is the moment of your life which you will never want to get. Be an influencer for Baga Beach. Yes, this is what exactly you will feel at that point in time. Suddenly you will feel loud music faded in and crowd drastically reduced. This will indicate to you that goa nightlife is about to start. Good Morning Goa. Yes, Goa is the only place in India that wakes up after 7 PM. Do you want to explore the nightlife? Well, I would say today you will just 20% of it.  

After 7 Pm you will notice a lot of umbrellas and chairs are at the place where you were walking a few hrs ago. Yes, you can grab one and relax with another bottle of beer, this time you can order some fish finger. Nice pair with your Beer. Cherish the beauty of the night sea. It looks very dangerous and beautiful at the same time. You will feel like you got married to an unknown and beautiful girl. You can't touch her hand but you can't turn back from her beauty. This hangover will stay with you forever.

Do not stay there for long try to leave by 9:30 PM at the max 10 PM. Head on to your hotel. Drink and drive is not that issue as such but be careful, if you are tipsy then it is better to stay back for another an hr or so. Anyways head on to the hotel and sleep off I am sure after that fish finger and beer you can have your dinner. Set an alarm for the next day around 6:30 AM and doze off.

Day 2:

The actual adventure begins today. As soon as you are ready to go out head on straight to the Baga beach. Enjoy the morning tea over there with the beauty of morning sea roar. It's wonderful. Take a few IG snaps or make a video call to your family or friends. Take some Vitamin D if you want to. Are you lucky enough to grab a free breakfast from your hotel? If yes then don't waste your time and head back to your hotel to have it. if you are not lucky then have it on the beach. You will get good idly there. it's healthy and cheap.

 Done with your Breakfast? Then let's get wet. Head on straight to the Baga Beach. Book one shack. You will see it a lot on the beach. Very reliable and friendly. Take once locker. Trust me you will need this. They will charge you 500 INR but if you are good at bargaining you will get it in 200 INR. They will give you one key for the locker. The beach opens at 10 Am for the public, but you will find a lot of kids with a water sport package banner. call anyone and settle a deal. Banana boat ride+ Parachute riding+ speedboat riding this entire package will cost you 1200 INR. Trust me it is worth the amount. Take it. Next is Scuba diving. That is for the next day because you have to go through a small training which will take a few hrs time. 2500 for 30 minutes is a good deal for scuba. it is your wish if you want to do it or not.

Water Sport:

The Sport begins with a funny banana boat ride. It is so much fun. One banana-shaped boat made with tube material. Shaped like a banana. Six people will hop on it and the one-speed boat will drag it to a deeper sea, suddenly the boat will be upside down and all six people will fall suddenly(everyone will be wearing a life jacket). That's the fun part. You will feel you are a teen again. You want o do it one more time but these people are very professional and they will ask you to wait at the shore for the next ride.

The next sport is paragliding. For that, the team will take you to the middle of the sea in a ferry of course with the safety jacket on you. In the middle of the sea, you will find another boat standing still and one parachute is flying on the sky which is attached with a rope. The rope is well tied with the boat. The picture is clear. Need to board on the other boat to see the world in eagle eye view.

When your turn will come you need to wear the belt which will keep you attached with the parachute. The belt is attached and then suddenly you will feel you are flying that too very fast and the boat looks very small to you. Then you will realize why parachute is so much fun people always says. As you go up you will feel the difference in temperature.

 You will have a tan skin for sure but that is something you can neglect. this water sport is so much fun. you will feel to do it one more time. Once everyone is done with parachute then they will drop you to the shore for the last ride. Jet-skies riding. Well, I didn't like this as someone else will ride the bike and you will be a pillion. What I felt is this is a complimentary ride from them.

Yes, your water sport ends here. And the clock ticks around 12:30 PM. You still have some time to enjoy before the sand turns into heated coal. Go to the sea have fun, come back to the shack and change your clothes. Oops sorry forgot to inform you, you need to carry one pair of cloths. After you change your cloths finish your lunch there. ask for a chilled beer, one pomfret fish grilled. Take your time to finish the meal, after you finish head on straight to the hotel. Because you need to go for some hippie shopping in the evening. After reaching to your hostel or hotel please take a sweet water bath, and take rest. I am sure after the water sport you will feel tired. Give rest to your body for 4 hrs. and be ready for the second phase of the day. Lease your Hostel sharp by 6 and head on straight to the Baga market. I know I am talking more about baga because whatever you want to do in goa you can do everything here in the Baga beach area for a cheap price. Later part of my blog you will get to know why I am praising Baga so much. What all things you want to buy to look like hippies/Vagabonds. 2 pairs of sleeveless t-shirts with bright or neo color, 2 pairs of shorts( cotton) one pair of sleepers, one pair of sun shades and one hat. Yes, I almost forgot to mention one kurta with 'Oum' written everywhere and one dhoti pant(They look very funky)After the shop you can keep those items in your scooty or else you can drop them in your hotel and head on to Candolim beach. yes, Candolim beach. 

The most silent beach in goa. No loud music, no hip-hop, no parties. people are sitting with beer and gossiping about something or the other. I insist you spend the rest of the evening there because at times you need to talk to you. you need to chalk out your next day's plan.

Day 3:

The day kicks off with a short road trip. Today heading on to Agoda Fort. Yes, you are right 'Dil Chahta hai' movie shot there. Good place for a photoshoot but very humid and you will sweat a lot. 

Don't waste a lot of time here. wrap it up asap and leave for Anjuna beach. The rocky beach of goa. This Beach is a bit far from where exactly you are now. It will take almost 45 minutes ride. The road is beautiful. You can stop by for IG posts. or maybe a bite for your Youtube channel. Once you reach there after parking the scooty you will feel this is not goa. The crowd and the beach are not familiar to you. The maximum crowd is white and to get into the beach you need to climb down. Yes, Climb down. But it's okay as you are here to explore Goa. Anjuna you will like for sure.There are many homes stays around. You want to stay there for a night you can. Have your lunch there. And let me tell you Anjuna beach is very costly. everything you eat, drink or wear is costly there. But you can afford a burger and one beer/soft drink. A well-spent afternoon at Anjuna Beach you can head back to your hotel and take rest for a few hrs.

Evening you much head on to Calangute beach. And enjoy some exotic beach party with a good crowd. Very nice crowd and you will have fun for sure. No matter what. if you are a couple the entry is free or a few hundred with a cover charge. People might suggest you have a party in clubs(Mambos, Titos) but believe me, you will die there in suffocation. It is better to have fun in the open air. A Beach party is always better. There is a say' when you are in Rome be like Romans", this applies here as well. Be like a typical Goan when you are in Goa. Try to have your dinner in Calangute if your pocket allows you else you are most welcome to Baga beach for a pocket-friendly dinner. Trust me I always did that. As my total budget for this trip was just 10,000 INR. Including shopping. I will give you the break up below.

Day 4:

The next day, be ready and do not forget to apply sun-block as you need to travel a lot today. Today go to the St.Xevier's church which will take around 1.5hrs ride. Try to leave your hotel by 7 AM to avoid the extreme heat. Though it is far from your Hostel/Hotel it is always worth visiting something unique and divine. 

The church is built by the Portuguese with red bricks. A piece of old architecture. Once you enter the church you will see what art you if you dropped the plan to visit here. Along with the unique design, you can also be a witness to a mummified body of St.Xevier. 

 Photo Credit: Google

Such a blessed day. There is a beach close by from the beach. Go there and spend some time with yourself with the divine though. Think about how lucky you are. A truly blessed soul. As the day comes to an end your trip also about to end here. Do you want to enjoy a folk song? Head on to Hotel Sun kissed plaza. There you can spend your last night in Goa with some Rajasthani folk song, a beer, and of course dinner. The best part of this hotel is you can carry your drinks. which means you can buy it at a much cheaper price from outside. You can find liquor shops everywhere. In the supermarket also you can buy your booze. How cool is that?

Day 5:

This is the day you need to say goodbye to goa. I know it is hard to say and you don't want to get back to your regular life. But yes you need to. Unless you are blessed to be a traveler or reach. You know what I mean. Ride back to the same place from where you have hired the scooty. return and take your original document which you have given as a deposit. Settle the amount. and you are good to go.

Expences:

For total 4 days trip to Goa

Scooty: 1600 INR(for 4 days)

Meal:2500 approx(300 every time)

Shopping: 3000

Hotel: 500/day

Water Sport: 1600

This is a rough expense list I have shared with you. You can surely cut down some amount from shopping. But if you have a budget of 10,000INR you can live Goan life like a king. Try to accompany someone else so that the expenses will be shared. But if you want to travel solo then it is up to you how you want to spend.

See you in my next Blog. A much exciting and a budget trip to somewhere in South India.