Goa: A different take

When it comes to Goa, the first thing that would come to the mind of an average alcoholic person would be BOOZE! then friends party vacations and what not. But for me it came some other way round. Goa and with parents. Wait a sec. Are you kidding? Yes, Unfortunately and fortunately i visited GOA for the first time with parents. And for obvious reasons, i could not see GOA as it was supposed to be with friends like booze partying casinos and other interesting stuff. But getting to see the inner and actual beauty of GOA was an amazing experience, which we usually would not prefer or rather would not be interested to do with friends.

DAY1

I am a "window seat person", would fight till end with my brother for the window seat. This time, I managed to defeat him in the battle and won one next to my parents. When you board a flight, you want it to fly asap and when you are flying you want it to land asap. The same was happening with me when i was glaring out of the window and suddenly the view of the Arabian sea stole my heart. The beautiful merge of land with sea almost made my heart skip a beat. It was a normal sunny day with average humid temperature perfect for a person like me who feels charged up on a bright sunny day. Excitement grew as we were going to land. The original Goa airport is small but it is expanding on the east wing, so we had departure from the old gate. The old airport is full of antiquities adorning the walls, some as old as of the Portuguese time. These rare pieces not only grab your attention but makes you praise Goa about its rich culture. This surely gives you a small glimpse of what is next for you in the journey. Hiring a cab, we reached our hotel in Panjim by afternoon. It almost took us 45 mins from the airport to the hotel which is situated at the heart of the capital, 18th June street, midst the busy places of the city. We relaxed in the afternoon and decided to see the city in the evening. Instead of hiring a cab we decided to walk through the busy crowded streets of Panjim and have a look at the jam packed markets in the middle of the city. I remember it was 9th December 2012 and it was Tuesday, but still it was flooded with people on streets as if it is a carnival or something.

We all must have seen this church in various scenes in our Bollywood flicks. It was all lighted up and looked splendid that evening.We managed to click some snaps there in spite of people coming in between hundred times. There are various small eateries which are there from some past 40 50 years. We did some street shopping over there trying to figure out Goa's own fashion we found many were multi color flower prints exactly suiting the beach mode. Colorful three fourths beachwear chappals and ladies wear and accessories mostly occupied the market. Remember, bargain hard! The day ended with a sumptuous dinner which had local fish breed deep fried and lentil soup which i think has more influence of its neighboring states.

Day 2:

We hired a tour operator bus for the Goa city tour. Taken through the wide roads and beautifully maintained city of panjim, we started it from the Cocoa beach located in southern part of Goa. Beaches kind of excite me, the lush green forest cover surrounding the arch of the beach was one first eye delight over there. Motor boats, rowing boats and ferries everything was available there. We hired one for cruising into the sea for one hour. This beach is famous for cruising as you can see several cute Dolphins diving and coming out over there, in addition you can also see Goa’s largest prison enclosed in Aguada fort.

 After waiting for 45 minutes, we were fortune to see some dolphins in proximity of our boat. The more we tried to go closer to them, the more they use to disappear from the sight. Leaving Cocoa beach, our next destination was a temple in Goa, yes, a temple! The temple is included in the city tour. I know being an independent tourist, no one would be eager to visit that temple in Goa. Temple! Goa! A big No! But like in every city, the old architectures tell about ancient tales of the city. In the middle we stopped somewhere where we could buy alcohol at a cheaper rate and the kaju feni which is local liquor over there. Licensed and you are ready to go! On way back from temple was Basilica of Bom Jesus, the church of old Goa which is famous for holding the mortals of St. Francis Xavier.

 I was mesmerized looking at the old huge walls yet so beautifully kept till date. The magnanimous structure speaks for itself. The ancient paintings depicting Jesus Christ and other saints surely take you back in the history. 

The mortals of St. Francis Xavier are housed in coffin which is kept above at a height. A must visit in Goa. These churches and other structures take you closer to Goa. The Goa which is more than just alcohol, drugs and parties. The Goa, which is culturally as rich as any other state of India. The end of the day was on baga and then calangute beach which made my evening with the beautiful sunset. The whole beach landscape is filled with people busy in water sport activities, love birds honeymoon couples, children enjoying ice cream and short distance Tonga rides, foreigners relaxing on beach shacks. I left no stone unturned to convince my mom to take pictures in every angle possible in every possible direction. 

Goa is peace, that is what you realize sitting on the sand sipping in a fresh coconut drink and your eyes stuck at the beautiful sunset. The other stopover during our city tour in Goa was Fish aquarium and Goa science museum while coming back from south Goa. It is kiddies delight place. You can various species of fish and turtles and click pictures. The unique feature of this aquarium is the variety of fishes, local as well as exotic, they have in there. Goa museum is a typical science museum like you have in every city with 3D shows after every hour related to dinosaurs, milky way galaxy and the same old things, which will actually bore you to death. A one time visit place definitely! 

Day 3:

The third and the last day of the stay was all dedicated for local street shopping. Ranging right away from sexy flower print jumpsuits to exotic stone jewellery, every street in Panjim had something new to offer to travelers and tourists. During big carnivals and fests, the streets of Goa are flooded with people out there for shopping, having food, or just catching up with friends. We booked four tickets in a cruise for the evening, the double deck medium sized boat was supposed to take you on an hour cruising into the Goan river. At a walking distance from hotel, we walked till the place where several boats were parked and people had queued up for entry. You can take up a boat in every hour. It was amazing to see so many joint families in the boat. We started cruising in the river at around 6 in the evening, a perfect time for sunset. 

The program started with a Portuguese song accompanied by a dance by three four dancers. These shows usually take you through the cultural transformation of Goa, when it was under Portuguese and to the present living by their dances and songs. Then after the folk dances and all, it was bollywood songs. The anchor was inviting everyone on the boat to come up on the stage and shake a leg with partners, parents, whoever you want to bring along with you. Those activities on board were truly engaging, people were responding positively and were having a gala time with their families. When it comes to open DJ dance, you can always find me around the stage somewhere. Me and my mom went up to the stage, but then out of fear nervousness, no idea why she was hesitating to come over, but I decided I am going to make her dance anyhow. I almost dragged her to the stage; we danced and laughed like hell. That evening was one great outing with my parents which I’ll always cherish. Returning back to the hotel, we had our supper and next day afternoon, checking out from the hotel; we left for the airport.

No matter how many more times I’ll be heading to Goa, with friends, colleagues or my future spouse, this one, my first one, will always be a special one. It was special because of my family, my life. Thus I would advise everyone of you to take out time from your busy boring schedules, pack your bags, and have a time of your life with your family; for a change, here in GOA!