It has been more than a month since we have been advised to stay at our homes and maintain social distancing and many of you, like me, have been missing being on the road. However, we can always take this time to browse through our gallery and take a trip down memory lane.
2020 started with a promising albeit a little hectic note, starting from attending friends’ weddings to resuming a pile of office work after the holidays post the honeymoon period (quite literally) and not to mention balancing my newly married life. In spite of these constraints, we (me and my better half) managed to sneak out of our hectic schedule and plan a 2-day trip to our favourite getaway destination, Goa.
Since our college days in Manipal, Karnataka, Goa has been our ‘go-to’ place so much so that we have nearly lost count of the number of trips we have made to revisit this amazing place. But Goa never disappoints – to us it’s not just a place, but a state of mind. So one can always plan their trip to what they would like to do – party all night, visit the pristine beaches, enjoy leisurely sunsets, chill along the beach in the ‘shacks’, cover the usual forts & other tourist attractions, explore the Portuguese influence or….as in our case – to take a break and simply chill!
We did not have a pre-decided itinerary as we wanted to relax and enjoy the easy vibe and freedom that Goa offers to its visitors. We booked a hotel in Calangute for 2 nights. This was going to be the first time we would be travelling to Goa by bus. For the first time visitors, Calangute is a place in North Goa which is supposed to be one of the most happening places in Goa. Majority of hotels and resorts, with varying rates, are located in Calangute along with some of Goa’s best eateries.
Day 0:
We started off from Pune’s Swargate bus stand at around 11.30 PM & it was a 9-hour journey to Mapusa, the prime bus-stand in North Goa.
Day 1:
Our bus took a rest stop near Banda. It was also the time for the sunrise and nonetheless it was a splendid one.
We reached Mapusa at around 8 in the morning. It was a bit chilly initially but it didn’t last long. Our hotel check-in time was at 12 PM so we had ample time to sit somewhere and chill. We took an auto and headed to Artjuna Café in Anjuna for breakfast. Artjuna Café, ranks among the top breakfast places in Goa. Upon entering, we came across a retail store which sells clothes, accessories and a few artifacts. Artjuna Café serves unique Israeli dishes alongside the popular Mediterranean cuisines. The setting has a relaxed ‘boho’ vibe with stunning artwork on display combined with comfortable seating. The food is made fresh and the staff is friendly & welcoming thus this café is frequented by many foreigners as well.
After our scrumptious and healthy breakfast, we headed to another favourite place of ours, Simonia’s Bakery situated in Porvorim, to utilize the time we had before our check-in. Simonia’s offers authentic and delicious Bebinca, a dessert unique to Goa.
After ensuring we had stocked up enough Bebinca to last us for a while, we left for our hotel which was located very close to the Calangute beach, approximately a 5 min walk. The guy who takes care of the place greeted us with a glass of refreshing Kokum juice. We put down our bags, grabbed a scooty which was arranged by the hotel and left for lunch. Renting a two-wheeler is pretty cheap in Goa and also the most recommended way to commute within the state.
We arrived at one of the best places in Goa known for seafood, The Fisherman’s Wharf. This place never ceases to amaze with its variety of coastal cuisine influenced by the Goan taste buds. We had ordered a stuffed lobster with some rice.
Since we had been to North Goa for quite a number of times, our plan was to escape from the bustling crowd and relax somewhere quiet and which place better than Morjim beach. Morjim is situated roughly 17kms from Calangute and is one of the quietest beaches in Goa mostly inhabited by Russians, hence this beach is also referred to by some as ‘Little Russia’.
The ride from Calangute to Morjim is an experience of its own. Once you cross the Chapora River Bridge and come on to the Pernem-Morjim road the view turns breathtaking. The drive past the Chapora river and roads lined with coconut trees on both sides offers some of the best views that Goa has to offer. The entrance to the beach is through the many shacks which are present along the beach. The term pristine can be related to this beach with the calm waves hitting the shores. A 5 min walk along the beach will take you to Ashwem beach, another immaculately clean beach sans the ‘touristy’ crowd.
At Morjim, we planned to lounge about near the beach but it was way too sunny to move around so we planned to check out ‘Burger Factory’ which was always on our list but somehow we could never make it. We parked our scooty and entered the beach via this shack itself to try some of their specials while comfortably enjoying our peaceful beach view (our first on this trip). It was the perfect place to chill with my better half while having great food, clicking pictures and just soaking up the beauty around.
Just as the glaring sun came down to that perfect pre-sunset beautiful pink sky, we moved on to enjoy our romantic walk along the beach, while dipping our feet in water as the soft waves crashed over our feet and cheered along the local kids playing cricket along the beach. We were also lucky enough to witness the fishermen prepping the boats and offloading their fishing nets as they retired for the day. That was also our cue to head back to our hotel.
At around 8PM we left for Baga beach to enjoy a romantic candle light dinner, that too along the beach. At night, Baga beach turns into THE party place & is a popular tourist spot frequented by all age groups. Whether it is a romantic dinner or chilling with your gang, this beach has some of the best joints in town to those yearning for the ‘Goa’ experience.. With laser lights, loud music and smell of continental dishes, Baga makes it worthy to finally ‘Make it’ after the endless bachelor/college trips planned with your friends that always seem to get cancelled. We chose to have dinner at St Anthony’s, one of the most popular beach shacks known for great food and a karaoke bar where you could try your singing chops or simply enjoy your meal along the beach.
Day 2:
It was a day for relaxation. We woke up at around 9 AM, got our English breakfasts served in the room and went for a stroll along on the beach.
We left for Parra for some clichéd pictures. Parra is a small village in Bardez sub-district and is very close to Calangute. The Parra Road is a narrow road with palm trees lined up on both sides and is extremely picturesque.
We had already covered all the tourist spots in our earlier trips and this time, we wanted to explore the quitter side away from the usually visited spots. We visited Thalassa for lunch - a Greek style restaurant located in Siolim on the waterfront. The union of the river and the sea can be seen while sitting in the restaurant. The interiors are mostly white, with white tables and white chairs made from cane to complete the look & complete the Santorini vibe.
In the evening it hosts fire shows and live Greek dance performances. We tried some authentic Greek delicacies while enjoying some of their famous cocktails spending over three hours just enjoying the view, the food and of course the company.
Our bus was at 10 PM from Mapusa but we made it a point to reach early and grab something for dinner. It was a full moon night and while we were travelling through the western ghats, we could catch a glimpse of the mountains shinning under the moonlight providing an icing on the cake to one of the first trips of the year.
Follow my journey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixarkar/