South Goa

Aroma of burnt firewood wafting through quaint villages, houses that are a gift of the Portuguese, bike rides through the long, meandering alley-ways, slower than slow laid-back life and food that’ll make you thank your Gods….Well, I can gab on and on.
South Goa is mesmerizing, although little bit conservative when compared with its Northern brother.

We reached our resort at 3.15 pm. Tiredness had totally consumed us. Freshening up and an hour of quick nap later we scooted out to reach before time for the Benaulim sunset.

Getting into into the skin of a true photog, I pulled out my DSLR, balanced myself on the rear seat of the bike and grabbed a quick click of the setting sun glaring through the palms. And boy! was it stunning!

From Benaulim we vroomed to Colva. Its only 15 minutes ride away. Pristine white sands blanketed the beach.  The sky looked like an enormous canvas while the dissipating sun painted it pink and orange and all sorts of those dusky, twilighty colors before finally returning home. I ain’t that good with visual merchandising, so letting the picture speak…

Within those few hours we’d done quiet a lot. A yummy dinner of Shark Amotik, Fried Fish and Rice at Martin’s Corner and we headed back home.

Day 2:
Day twos and threes are mostly the busiest days of our trips. There’s so much to do and see, factoring the limited time we have. If you really wanna get under the skin of the place, there’s nothing better than talking to the locals and becoming one of them. Many of whom eventually get added to your WhatsApp list 🙂

Mr. Marcus, a quirky Goan fella, was our driver for the day.
He drove us to the Dudhsagar Waterfalls. Number of stories were shared and number of cats were let out of the bag during that one hour drive. Some jaw-dropping revelations included smuggling of deer meat for Rs. 5000 a kilo, sold to some bigwigs. Are the Forest Officials listening?

Marcus dropped us at a particular spot. Further, we hired two bikers (Rs. 500 each) who rode us to the waterfalls. Jeeps were the other option, but we being the intrepid sorts, opted for the bikes. The ride is epic and seriously not for the fainthearted.

I’d piggybacked Deepak, the sole bread-earner of his family. His brother was a miner, who is now jobless since mining is banned in Goa. Talking to Deepak somehow diverted my mind off the scary, bumpy road…atleast for a while. Oniel had scarier tale to tell. His bike had dysfunctional brakes. His rider revealed this to us after we returned back safely from the falls.

Our efforts seemed rewarded after the first glimpse of the falls. We clambered and sat on one of those huge rounded rocks, resting our feet in the cold waters and glaring at the majestic milky white waters that came splashing down. The Madgaon Express cutting through the falls, brought back Oniel’s childhood memories and there was nostalgia all around.

From waterfalls to spices… Marcus drove at an incredible speed to reach the Tropical Spice Plantation (www.tropicalspiceplantation.com) in time for lunch. I’d been to one of these in Kerala and also during one of my earlier trips to Goa. I’m always game to visit these precious little kitchen beauties in their natural habitat. But this time I was too famished to pay any attention to what the spice guide was speaking. All I could see was the exquisite Goan lunch that sat there in earthen pots in the open air restaurant.

This is how Goa’s beloved drink, Feni is brewed…

Elephant rides, bird watching in paddle or row boat are some of the other activities that can be done here.

It was 3, so we bid adieu to the spices and drove to the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, better known as the Bondla Zoo. Deer, Sambhar, Tiger, Lions, Leopards, Fox, Snakes are few of its wild inhabitants. The sanctuary also boasts of Deer Safari, Botanical Garden, Nature Education Centre and Nature Trails. There are also tourist cottages run by the Forest Department.

After a hearty tour of the wild, in the wild, we returned home. The muscles were in revolution already. So we rewarded them with a spa so relaxing that we were almost lulled into stupor.
That was a perfect end to a perfect day!

Day 3:
All great journeys ought to begin with a hearty breakfast. That’s exactly what we did before herding our nerds to Old Goa… All by ourselves on the bike.

Riding parallel to the river, lush green grasses swaying by, while the cool breeze rustles through every strand of your hair… its a mesmerizing experience altogether. You just have to sit back, close your eyes and soak it all in… while the rider concentrates on the road 🙂

Old Goa! Whispers of the past grandeur linger in this place… in those beautiful ancient houses which the Portuguese left behind for us. Many of them are in a dilapidated state and leave you teary-eyed. Those are the heritage that need a healing touch. Else, we’ll never realize when they fade into oblivion.

Se Cathedral: one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa with a typical Portuguese architecture.

Basilica Of Bom Jesus: the UNESCO World Heritage site which also has the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. The body is on exposition once in a decade and millions of pilgrims from all over the world throng to get a glimpse of this great disciple of Christ.

While scouting the place, we stumbled upon this hidden treasure, a Church that even the locals dint know existed, but has featured in many of the Bollywood movies. Mr. Rohit Shetty, we got u! 🙂

Our Lady Of Immaculate Conception Church: this pristine looking church in Panjim has been in existence since 15th century.

Mangeshi Temple: Eponymous with the revered musical family of Mangeshkars, this beautiful temple is a must visit.

Beach Activities:
Of the various beaches in South Goa, Benaulim, Colva and Palolem are most active of the lot. By active, I mean the beach activities, nightlife and food.

There are numerous water-sports that you can try your hands on like parasailing, jet ski and speed boat rides. Or just take a leisure walk on the golden sands by the sea. We did parasailing in Colva and it was mindblowing.

At Palolem beach you can try your luck at spotting a dolphin or two. Whereas, the lesser known Galjibag beach is a breeding ground for Olive Ridley Turtles.

Where To Stay:
There’s a whole lot of options to explore and suiting all pockets.
We stayed at Raj Resorts located just a kilometer away from Bogmalo beach (http://www.rajresorts-goa.com/).
Check out the “Hotel Reviews” section to read more about our experience.

Soul Vacation, a boutique resort is few minutes away from Colva beach. Great rooms, food and hospitality (www.soulvacation.in)

Where To Eat:
The list is endless.
Beach Shacks: strewn around beckon you to take a bite or two. The sea-food you just cannot resist. There’s cut-throat competition which only benefits us tourists. The food is lip-smacking in any shack you go.
We visited Sam’s Goan Beach Shack (Majorda Beach). Its pushed farther from its original place. You can dial Sam and he’ll guide you to it. Speaking to him we understood that it was the competition-turned-jealousy-turned-ugly legal matters that made him shift. We loved their Fried Red Snapper and the service.
Calamari Beach Shack (Dando Beach) and Sasha Restaurant (Varka Beach) are great dining options too.

Restaurants: 1. Martin’s Corner (Betalbatim) – a famous and snazzy joint peppered with bit of glamour. Mind your dress code here.
2. Sheela Bar And Restaurant (Vasco) – They don’t have a menu. Chicken Rosemary, their specialty dish, is a tribute to the owner’s mommy who invented this recipe in her home kitchen. Her name is Maria Rose!

3. Chef Fernando’s Nostalgia (Madgaon) – famous for its Sorpotel, Sannas and Stuffed Crabs.
4. The Upper House (Panjim) – their Fish Thali is a must-have. I’m slobbering just remembering it

5. Fisherman’s Wharf (Cavelossim) – try their fried King Fish and Crabs. Finger-licking good!
6. O’ Coqueiro (Bardez) – Charles Shobraj, the infamous gangster was arrested while dining here one evening. They even have a figurine of him sitting in the balcony.

Where To Shop:
Shop for clothes, shoes, bags, souvenirs, etc. at one of the many roadside stalls strewn around whichever beach you visit. All you gotta have is Negotiation de Excellence and a whole lot of cash. Seriously! You’ll shop till you drop….

Market: Madgaon Market is a shopper’s haven.
Spices: Did you know it was the Portuguese who introduced Goa and even India to chillies? The aroma is enough for the spices to land in your shopping bags. Buy the Reshado Masala, Shakuti (Xacuti) Masala, Ambotik Paste and Vindaloo Paste so you don’t miss these flavors back home.

Jaggery: The dark brown colored jaggery is made from the coconut palm juice. Its healthy and an excellent substitute for sugar. Oniel substitutes this for chocolates 🙂

Sausages: How can you forget the dark, red, bursting-with-flavors Goan or Churiso Sausages! They are hung in huge clusters and are very much homemade. Try the elusive Sausage Pulao or devour them fried with chilled beer.

Pickles: Don’t you dare forget to buy the famous spicy, tangy seafood pickles. Molho (pickeled prawns), Para (dried mackerel), Bombil pickle (dried Bombay Duck) and the Tendli pickle(Ivy Gourd). I love the Para and the Tendli ones.

Dried Fish: Go for the sun-dried Bombay Duck (Bombil), Mackerel (Bangda), Prawns, etc… but only if you can bear the smell. They can be cooked in many many ways and taste delicious.

Feni: The liquor exclusively produced in Goa is made either of Coconut or Cashews. Yep. It ain’t sold elsewhere apart from Goa.

To be in Goa, you really need to have a voracious and a monstrous appetite. An appetite for places, people and food. You can’t have Goa in just one bite. You need to come here again and again and again and yet there’ll always be something new to be discovered.

For me, there’s no other place in this world which makes me feel so much at home…