A brief stop over at North Goa

                       After boarding the train that reached Hosapete 3 hours late, we gave up any hope we had of catching the train to Goa from Hubli. Even the TTE confirmed that our train will be at least an hour late while it reaches Hubli. With nothing else to do we spent time chatting (churning out cheap comedies one after the other), just to get rid of the huge disappointment. But, later at some point when one of us checked Where-Is-My-Train app, it showed the ETA at Hubli just about 10 mins late than the supposed time. This again raised our hopes sky high. Then it was continuous monitoring of the train’s location in the app, which showed fluctuations. We were at the door with our bags, ready to jump out of the train when it touches the platform, and when we reached Hubli we were 5 minutes late. But, luck was still in our favor as our train to Goa was there waiting for us on the other side of the same platform. As we did a high-five after jumping into the train to Goa there was the thrill and excitement evident in the face of all of us. Yeah… here we come, Goa...

                       It was 7 AM when we reached Madgaon Railway station. Our plan was to hire a car to roam around and find a stay only in the night. But one of us got sick, which seemed like some food poison and we had to drop that plan. Since our activities were planned around Calangute, we took a taxi from the railway station and immediately left to Calangute. We didn’t had the luxury of looking out and finalizing from a variety of stay options given the situation we were in. So, we checked-in to the first lodge itself, which the taxi guy took us. Still, accommodation for 4 people for Rs.1500 was not a bad deal, considering the fact that it was the peak season in Goa. Even after some taking medicines our friend was not feeling well and the tiredness made him stay in the room for the entire day. 

                       So, the rest of us set out to explore Goa hiring two scooters, with the first destination of the day set as the Aguada Fort. This 17^th century Fort still remains intact for most of its parts. The major highlight of this Fort is the light house which offers a great view of the ocean in front, as well as the surrounding parts of the city. There are a few prison chambers too within the Fort. Since the day was very hot, we didn’t spend much time there that noon.

View from the Fort

                     We headed straight to the Candolim beach from Aguada Fort. Since all of us were so hungry, we decide to have food first, and then go to the waters. We opted for food from a beach side shack – The Spotty’s Shack. The food was fantastic. Be it the dry chilly chicken, or the fish curry, or the mojitos – all of them were the best we ever had. Needless to say, the vibrant ambiance created by the gentle breeze, light music flowing around and the sea waves in front, made us sit back there in the shack for more than 2 hours literally doing nothing but looking at the sea and sipping the mojitos. Well, for one of us a beer, instead of the mojitos.

                       Candolim is a comparatively lesser crowded beaches in Goa, however this time there was plenty of foreign tourists, as it was the peak season. The road towards the beach is crowded with plenty of shops and hotels; the beach however is calm only lined with shacks and cafes. We spent almost an hour playing in the waves after lunch, and left the place.

                       When we reached the room our friend was still not getting better. So we took him to a nearby hospital where they gave him some medication. However, the service we got from the hospital was horrible, such that it even felt like we were waiting for the mercy of the doctor and the hospital staff. After taking him back to the hotel, we went to Arpora Market that night.

                       The Night Market in Arpora is just a few kms from Calangute, and is opened only in Saturday nights. It sells all sorts of items which include but not limited to clothes, antiques and food items.  It is one of the best places for shopping, mainly depending on one’s bargaining skills. We even purchased items for 60% discount by negotiating with the vendors. After trying some food varieties from the same place, we went back to the hotel and concluded for the day.

                       The next day’s plan was water sports activities in Calangute beach. Our friend showed signs of improvement that morning, but after breakfast he was down again. So, we had no other option but to leave him in the room that day too. One can find lot of people in the beach itself approaching with various water sports packages. The final price will be based on your bargaining skills. Anything between Rs 1200 & 1500 will be a good deal, as we found out. We however booked our package at a tour & travel agency near to our hotel for Rs.1400.

                       By 11.30AM we started the activities and the Jet Ski was the one we began with. They will take you to the sea in these water bikes for a circle and come back, which barely takes 2 minutes. Only then we realized how short these activities are gonna be.

                       Then we went for the much anticipated Parasailing. We were taken to a bigger boat anchored in the deeper water which had more than 10 people other than us for parasailing. Parasailing too lasted not more than 2 minutes. Only after reaching the bigger boat we came to know that by giving a couple of hundreds more, they will give more time as well a few dips in the water while parasailing. But, we had taken no cash or wallet with us, so we couldn’t get those additional perks. Still, we enjoyed a lot, especially since it was the first experience for all of us.

                       We also did banana ride as well as the bump-ride, which were also part of the package. After all these activities and spending hours in the waves, it was 5PM when we had lunch that day in a nearby Shack. The food again was superb here too and this time our sick friend too could finally join us. That was the first time he was placing his foot on a beach after landing in Goa.

                       We spent time in the shack till it was dark. As it became night the ambiance of the beach changed. It was lit up with colorful lights and candles. We walked lazily on the beach enjoying all these and the free flowing music added more feel to the evening. We did a bit of shopping too before we left Calangute after 10PM.

                       Our flight to Trivandrum was at 2AM the next day, and we got a couple of hours to take a nap at the airport. The two days in North Goa was real fun as it was supposed to be. However, to enjoy the entire North Goa at least a week is needed, but for people like us time is always a constraint. So we let ourselves completely lost in Goa for the 2 days we got to spent there. But the only disappointment was about our friend for whom Goa was all about the hotel room and the couple of hours he spent in the beach side shack. Interestingly, he was completely okay just after landing in Trivandrum. The only benefit he got because of this trip was his new ‘hard-earned’ name – The Goan Raj…