Goa's Unknown Gems #MyWanderlustStory #ThatOneTimeInGoa

A Goa trip is the trip that you plan with multiple groups of friends for years, and yet somehow your parents or your wallet keep you from setting foot in the Konkan city. Having had my fair share of cancelled Goa trips, when a best friend from school shifted to Goa for work, I knew Goa was finally going to happen soon - and it turned out to be sooner than I'd expected.

Plans were made in a frenzy when our hometown meet-up plan had to be cancelled, I flew in to Dabolim International Airport from Bengaluru, another friend flew in all the way from Kolkata and we were warmly welcomed by our now Goan friend. We landed in Goa on the Friday night when cyclone Kyarr was not far from the Goa mainland, desperate to let the steam off after a long week and relive our school memories in one of the most exciting destinations in the country. Dabolim airport is a humble military airport, so photography is strictly not allowed and there are limited options for waiting or snacking in the departures terminal.

We took a cab from the airport to our friend's place in Taleigaon around 11 in the night, amidst heavy downpour. GoaMiles is the Uber/Ola equivalent in Goa, so make sure you have the app installed before landing in Goa. If you're confident of your bargaining skills, use the price quoted on GoaMiles to get reasonable deals from the independent cabbies at the airport. Our friend greeted us with some port wine, and a platter of chicken masala, chilly mushroom and rice for dinner. In planning our itinerary for an offbeat Goa, we decided to give a chance to the Goan Western Ghats along with the cliched beaches and the parties.

On day 2 of our Goa trip, we rented a dependable Maruti Swift DZire (for 1200 INR a day exclusive of fuel), and set off on our adventures. Our first stop was Fontainhas, an old Latin Quarter in Panjim which has retained the charm of the Portuguese architecture with its antique and colourful buildings. The narrow picturesque roads in Fontainhas is bound to add to your stock of profile pictures for months to come. We stopped for some morning coffee at The Verandah Restaurant, and were blown over witnessing the antique look and feel of the interior build, decor and furniture of the cafe.

One pot of coffee, and a delectable caramel pudding later, we took to the roads of Panjim again, witnessing typical Goa scenes on our way - famous casinos on boats anchored on the Mandovi river and the centuries old cathedrals in the capital. We made our way to the Old Goa ferry Terminal to reach Divar Island. We had to wait the perfect length of a smoke for the ferry to arrive from the island, and we then hopped on the ferry with the car. To our amusement, when we descended from the ferry, we found our car under water (effect of cyclone Kyarr the night before). Divar island is surrounded by the Mandovi river, and has three main villages - Malar, Sao Mathias, and Naroa. Narrow winding hilly roads with vast lush green fields and swamps all around define the island. Now and then, you will come across settlements with pretty portuguese huts and churches. Our Lady of Piety Church is located on the top of a hill in Piedade. It has a pristine white exterior, it is secluded and has a forest trail behind it leading to a smaller church. The view of the Goa mainland from the open area in front of the church was mesmerising.

We made our way to the Naroa ferry exit point to venture towards our next destination, the Konkani Western Ghats. We drove through Bicholim to Harvalem waterfalls, with Google maps as our guide and making some poetic stops on the way. The falls was gushing with post monsoon waters. After descending through about a 100 steps, you reach the main viewpoint of the falls - it is just a couple of metres from the effusing water, and you're bound to get lightly drenched by the drizzle from the falls. There is a small Rudreshwar temple at the base of the falls for the religiously inclined folks.

We wanted to get deeper into the western ghats, and decided to check out the viewpoint at Anjunem Dam. So we set off on the winding roads through the forests to see the dam and its lake and the Western Ghats around it. Luckily, one of us is good at driving, and he got the chance to check off driving on hilly terrain off his bucket list.

Although the Anjunem Dam was closed for visitors, we found an absolutely enthralling viewpoint higher up the ghats road. Our first sunset in Goa was beyond amazing, and we set off down the winding roads towards the Goa mainland for supper.

Our next destination for the night was Baga Beach, where we had planned to spend the night partying. That we let our hair down that night, would be an understatement. Baga has a few beach clubs that stay open till 6 a.m. Others stay open past 1 a.m. It's also home to the famous Tito's (which has two lanes named after it). Along with loads of food and drinks options, Baga has a horde of street shopping options.

We started the next day a little late, owing to our previous night's rendezvous. On our way to Vasco, we took a little detour through a more scenic route (our Goan friend's suggestion). We stopped at Siridao beach, and we were the only ones there with full access to the waves and the rocks blocking them.

We sat down for a late lunch at Tony's Beach Club in Bogmalo Beach. With it's sliding doors along the tables, and situated right on the beach, and the variety of sea food on it's menu, the place was worth much more than it's menu price. We enjoyed the calm and picturesque sunset and enjoyed the waves lapping at our feet. We had bangra and modso rawa fry from the seafood menu. Although the seafood wasn't great, the prawns and chicken exceeded our expectations.

We decided to take it light that evening, and sat for hours at the Bogmalo beach admiring the hues of the sky before, during and after the sunset.

On the final day of our trip, we set off for an exploration spree at our friend's project site. I will let the pictures of the place do most of the boasting for this stunning site in Goa. A heart shaped lake surrounded by a huge cliff, the sea lashing on the rocks by the cliff, an unadulterated view of the South Goa coastline, and the silhouette of the hills behind the coastline, open grasslands on top of the cliff leading to some secluded viewpoints and a natural cave formed by tree branches - this place is a true retreat in the lap of nature.