Goa - The smallest state of present India, situated on the Western Coast of India, was once a major trade centre for pre-historic India, which is now famous for its beaches, with clear waters and the churches, whose history boasts of the Portuguese Architecture. It is also know as Rome of the East, and is everyone's choice for a perfect vacation destination, may be it teenagers/youngsters or a newly wed couple.
The next morning, we unboarded the train at Karmali Railway Station at around 9:00 in the morning. We unboarded the train at Karmali as we found out that our hotel was near to this station.
Finally, we were in Goa and were super exited to start our vacay with much enthusiasm.
Goa - The smallest state of present India, situated on the Western Coast of India, was once a major trade centre for pre-historic India, which is now famous for its beaches, with clear waters and the churches, whose history boasts of the Portuguese Architecture. It is also know as Rome of the East, and is everyone's choice for a perfect vacation destination, may be it teenagers/youngsters or a newly wed couple.
Me, belonging to the city which is known as Diamond Capital or the Textile Capital of the country, Surat, like everyone, had a dream of visiting Goa and cherish its rich Portuguese culture and enjoy its much talked off Nightlife. So, after much planning and scheduling, me, along with my wife, were finally set to embark a memorable journey to the land of beaches and churches, Goa.
I chose to travel by train, from Surat to Madgaon, a railway junction in the state of Goa. We started our journey from Surat at 5:00 in the evening, boarding Veraval Trivandrum Express.
The reason I chose train over flight are:
1. They are the safest mode of transport (as I have been informed)
2. I can always carry more luggage (even though I didn't have more than 2 luggage)
3. It is lot more cheaper than flight (Budget always plays a crucial role in a off-station trip)
4. I get an opportunity to other things, like watching the landscapes passing by the route, talking with co-passengers and obviously, spending some time with the one you're travelling with (which in my case is my wife)
We hired an auto-rickshaw from the railway station to our Hotel, Karma Royal Monterio, which was located in the most popular and prime area, Baga.
After checking-in and getting freshen up, we were up to start our first day of our trip. So, we
Once we got our ride, without wasting much time, we headed to our first attraction, which happens to be one of the most popular and active beach of Goa, the Baga Beach, which was no more than 5 minutes ride from the hotel.
At Baga Beach, there are plenty of beach shacks, coffee bars, clubs, shops, street food vendors, and water sports activities to choose from. It’s heaven for water sports lovers, for they get to choose from Banana Boats, Bumper Boats, Water Scooter, Jet Ski, Dolphin Cruises, and Parasailing.
By the time we finished our activities on the beach, which included parasailing, dolphin cruise and water scooter, and of course, a walk along the stretch of the beach, it was already sunset. From there, we headed to the Royal Enfield Garage Cafe, where we had a large range of Alcoholic drinks plus a wide variety of Snacks. They have a small Royal Enfield Museum and biking gears shop alongside cafe. So, if you are a Royal Enfield fan then this place is a must visit in Goa.
After having a mouthful, we roamed the lanes near the beach area where the local market is situated. After much an ado, we headed back to the hotel to have our scrumptious dinner and call it a day. We set an alarm for the next day as we were to stroll down the streets of North Goa and spend some relaxing time on Calungate Beach and Candolim Beach.
Early in the morning, the alarm went off on my cell phone. I reached for it and set it for thirty minutes later. I hate mornings.
I-don’t-know-how-many minutes later, I open my eyes to see the morning sunlight peeping into my room. It was time to say goodbye to bed and get started for the long day ahead. After having a scrumptious breakfast at the cafe (inside the Hotel premises), we were ready to stroll down the streets and get acquainted with local shops.
After exploring few shops in the market, we came to know that there is a flea market in the area, named Tibetan Market. We headed directly towards it. After spending some time in the flea market and buying handful of things which were of our interests, we headed for the Calungate Beach.
Also called the ‘Queen of beaches’, Calangute is the largest beach in north Goa. Located in North Goa, Calangute is home to one of the largest and commercialized beaches in Goa. The beach is large enough to accommodate the thousands of tourists that visit during the high season. Unlike Baga which is popular with tourists who want to drink, dance and party, Calangute is more of a family destination. Nightlife in Calangute is tame, as night clubs and bars shut down at 10 pm. The beach is popular among tourists due to the availability of restaurants, clubs and shopping activities. Calangute is also famous for its water sport activities. One can experience para-sailing, water surfing, banana ride, jet-ski.