I started this month on a superb note… doing what I had been looking forward to for years now! Visiting Goa… I remember the time in college when all we wanted to do was just LIVE in Goa…The place stood for fun, irreverence, freedom… and now after the visit it means that and much more – beauty, peace, serenity, green, warm, delectable
This was a holiday I had been planning since the beginning of the year (or was it last year!!) I had read up so much about the place courtesy travelogues and feedback forums on the net that I seemed to have seen it all even before reaching the place!
As soon as I set my foot on the place, I knew I would have the time of my life and the glow on Mom’s face convinced me that this was going to be the PERFECT mother-daughter vacation.
Goa in the rains is pure bliss. The palm fringed rocky beaches come alive – the sea is at its wildest best making you feel inconsequential in the larger scheme of things – the paddy fields are a beautiful green – skies throw up beauteous rainbows that stand out in the ominous grey backdrop – the clouds, ready to burst at the seams –the horizon, non-existent as the sea and the sky become one! And best thing is that not many people know this – which is why ‘Monsoons in Goa’ is low season for tourist traffic! Tragic but true!
The drive from the airport to the hotel was long (45 minutes to be precise) and wondrous and both of us soaked in the sights eagerly. Our hotel – the Taj at Fort Aguada is superbly located on, the now nearly non-existent, Sinquerim beach. The room offered a superb view of the sea, remnants of the fort and the dilapidated stranded ship that lends the place an aura of mystery. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the views, the rain and the sea in - what can easily be called – the ‘private beach!, frantically clicking every nook and corner!
The rains in Goa are also tourist friendly! They come and go in spells… leaving you enough time to walk, shop and sight-see. That’s something that we discovered over the next 2 days of our whirlwind tour of Goa – the churches, the old city that till date retains the quaint charm and the colonial Portuguese architecture, the paddy fields, shopping in Panjim/ Calangute and Anjuna, long walks along Candolim, the buzzing beaches of North Goa that are not overcrowded but still have enough tourists milling in. The only downside – the flea market at Anjuna was ‘officially’ closed – but the street vendors made it up by setting up shop so it was business as usual.
And then who can forget Goan food! Being the quintessential Bengali sea-food lover – how could I have missed the mention of Goan fish curry, prawns, chicken xacuti, chicken caffreal, Goan rice and breads and not to miss the bebinca and dodol. The hotel served up superb Goan fare (including mouth-watering desserts) at dinner complete with Goan traditional dancers and great Goan songs, at the restaurant aptly titled - Sea Shell! And guess what? I BINGED!
On the ride back to the airport after a relaxing and well-spent holiday, I promised myself, I will return to Goa… to savour the thrills of the place this time…soon…
