As usual we started planning the Holiday last minute! Therefore, could not get Train tickets and Flights were too costly to book. So, we settled for Bus for Bangalore – Goa. Luckily train tickets were available on our way back (Goa – Bangalore). Then came selecting a good and budget resort; Aneesh (My husband) was very particular that we book a ‘beach’ resort and it should have a private beach. Hunt for a good, clean and budget beach resort started. As my parents and sister were joining us, therefore we wanted a whole package (A/c rooms for 5 of us inclusive of breakfast, a day’s tour, pick up and drop). After looking at more than 100 hotels and resorts we short listed 4-5 of them. At the end we got a deal of Rs 12,500/- for 2N/3D package from Estrela – Do – Mar beach resort in Calangaute just 2 days before our scheduled departure.
Day 1: We started our journey for Goa in Paulo Travel’s A/c sleeper Volvo bus. We already got various negative feedback from our friends on their buses, therefore was not sure what to expect. The bus we were shown on our arrival didn’t have an A/c and it was not Volvo definitely! We were wondering what to do, the representative told us it was not our bus, and we were relieved hearing this. The bus which was supposed to carry us looked good from outside. However, when we went inside we found space was very less inside for walking and moving around. Also, it was 2+2 sleeper unlike the usual KPN 2+1 sleeper. It was not so clean, we could see layers of dust on the windows, curtains were dirty, A/c was not on, and therefore it was suffocating. Just before leaving they switched on the A/c, half the regulators were not working properly, therefore either it was too hot, or too cold. They didn’t give blankets by default; we had to pay 50 bucks for each blanket we took. We left Bangalore at around 10 pm and reached Goa next day afternoon around 12pm.
Our resort pick up was awaiting us in the bus stand and it took us 20 mins to reach resort from Panjim Bus stand. On our arrival we were served nice cold lemon juice, which acted as energizer. We were allotted 2 rooms as per promise. Rooms were very nice; all had milky white bead sheets and soft white blankets. The A/c was quite strong and it felt really nice as we didn’t have a good journey and it was hot and humid outside. We freshened up, had lunch and decided to rest for a while. In the evening we went out to the beach (5 mins walk from our rooms), witnessed a lovely sunset, spend time walking on the soft sand, enjoyed some water sports. After dark we sat on the beach with a glass of ‘Fenny’ and casual chit chat. Thought this was the best time I have ever spent with Family. We were in the beach till late in the night. Finally we decided it was time to go to bed.
Day 2: As we had a whole day’s city tour to avail, we choose to utilize it. We were told to be ready by 8.30 am sharp as it was a group tour and we had to catch a bus from the main road (5 mins drive). After having a nice breakfast the car dropped us till the bus stand. The bus came in about 5 mins and we were on our way to South Goa tour. It was a hot and humid day and we were in a non A/c bus, therefore it was a bit tough to sit through the ride. However, we got accustomed to the heat in a while and were enjoying every bit of the journey. Our first destination was Miramar beach in Panjim, and then we headed for Old Goa St Francis Xavier Church and Basilica. Apparently the Church in the biggest in Asia, can hold 30 weddings together! I was a bit disappointed though, as we were not taken to the ghost village in Old Goa which was deserted after recurring outbreaks of epidemics like cholera and malaria in 1843.
After this we went to see couple of temples, the Mangeshi temple (Siva temple) and Santha Durga temple. Both had a strong Portuguese touch in the design. We had lunch at a very ordinary restaurant on the way to Ancestral Goa village. This is a village which has about 30 houses made in early Portuguese style, out of which one is conserved for tourists. It was amazing to experience the way they led their lives.
Our next destination was Colva beach which in South Goa (Margaon). I didn’t like this beach, as it was dirty and too crowded; this beach reminded me of Marina beach, Chennai. I thought it was overtly commercialized. We had to spend 1 hour here, in the mid of a very hot afternoon (3.30 – 4.30 pm)! I thought this was ridiculous! We didn’t enjoy this halt; luckily we found a shade and sat there without bothering to go to the beach.
Our last destination was Panjim, for a boat ride in the Mandovi River. This was the BEST part of the entire day’s tour, timing of the ride was perfect, the sun was setting, there was a nice breeze and there were live performances by the locals to top it all! We loved it.
We got dropped at our respective resorts after this. Rest of the evening we spent lazily in the beach, enjoying the sea and the pleasant breeze.
Day 3: We had our return tickets booked from Vasco in the afternoon, which is about 55 km from Calangaute beach. However, we were not game for a lazy morning. We planned to do water sports, therefore left the resort after a early breakfast. He decision proved to be right, and we had a good experience of water scooter rides, Para sailing and boat cruise in the mid sea. In fact we got little late for check out as well, however the guys in the resort were very accommodating.
Finally, it was time to bid goodbye to Goa and we found ourselves sitting in the train suddenly. I was very sad, however when I had a view of Goa, its beaches and the western ghats in the light of setting sun, all sadness disappeared. We reached Yaswathpur station around 7am next morning, and it was time to go back to the daily routine.
