So , we had landed Saturday(May 15) evening 5 PM+ at the Vasco da Gama airport and had taken a prepaid taxi to Royal Palms,Benaulim. The road to benaulim brought in a lot of nostalgia to both of us.(Grihaadhurathwam).We felt like we were going to our village in Kerala.It was Kerala everywhere all along the way.I even considered taking photographs from here and matching the scenes in Kerala with another set of photographs.It was more of Kerala than Kerala. The road sides were wider and felt lushier too - the only striking difference was the pigs in the fields.The winding roads were also Kerala-like but ofcourse the people were different - their attire and look was totally different.Before we got enough of it , we were at the resort at around 6 PM.Moved around the resort for some time (RoyalPalmsResort)
Settled down slowly as there was still a week to go and no plans/information at all except for some of the names that Sunil had mentioned to me and Divya's colleagues had mentioned to her.As we were getting accustomed to the facilities at the resort , I read and re-read a spa menu.Next day , I got myself a full-body ayurvedic one-hour message before lunch.This was so refreshing that I can still feel the refresh.Moved around in the resort - played a couple of games of snooker/carroms, gained some information on the places to visit and then got the massage done.
We should be doing something today or else the trend would set in and the entire vacation could confine to the resort.So post-lunch ( Pork Vindaloo and Fish Curry ) , we decided to walk on to the Benaulim beach.While walking , a shop owner-lady offered Activa for rent.We took this and covered Benaulim/Colva beaches.As we had seen a lot of Kerala on our way in , we were apprehensive on whether Goa would live up to expectations. This apprehension fuelled up as Colva/Benaulim beaches matched closely with beaches in Kannur.(ColvaBenaulimSnaps)
Feeling the need to pep up things a bit,we hired a Zen for the next day and planned to cover the most sought Old Goa church and nearby places the next day. Magnificent church.The sun got better of Niya and we could not bear the walking time from the road to the next monument in the sun. We were forced to search for an AC experience and we cut short Old Goa and drove to Panjim where a Ginger hotel provided us the AC convenience as we had our lazy lunch.Zen had AC but the knob would not go to the blue cool section.Divya even gave Niya a bath and this set Niya back where she belonged.Not wanting to make this another slow day of the trip , we drove to Calagunte beach and on the way also saw Aguada fort.(OldGoaAguadaFortCalagunteBeach)
Next day,the Activa owner offered a Wagon R and I decided to take the leap and hire this for the rest of the vacation week though there was no real plans on how to use/where to go etc.There was also a carroms tournament on this day at the resort.Carroms currently being favorite pastime at the office, played and won well.As suggested by the travel desk,we drove to Paradise beach.The car was much better , the roads were good , AC was good and life in Goa had improved.
The main highlight of the entire trip is a tie between Paradise Beach in Palolem,South Goa and Dudh Sagar,water falls.Paradise beach is very beautiful.It is not like Paradise.It is paradise. Quite , slow , extremely beautiful - It is like mother nature has welcomed you with full heart and you are being showered so much love and abundance that you are overwhelmed.You are on a high just by being here and giving up...This particular day, this was the only spot in our plan and hence we were also not in a hurry and was in that sense better attuned to receive the beauty and love.Love might sound a little off-the-board but just think about it and tell me - what is it that you feel when you are in a place that is really serene.It is not just the beauty.One does feel something deeper. (ParadiseBeachSnaps)
Wednesday had been earmarked for shopping at the Flea Market , Anjuna Beach.We had allotted time and money for this. However to our disappointment, market was off-season. Centering Anjuna , we visited nearby places.Baga beach and Vagator beach were both beautiful.These are in North Goa which is more tourism than South Goa.By this time, we had seen so many beaches that we were bored of them and wanted a different experience now.Green sanctuaries/national parks/waterfalls - something like that.(AnjunaBeach)
Had another round of discussion with the travel desk.I used to take lot of time and would give myself time not just to take in the information but also let a decision become on which of the choices offered strikes best.It was decided that Friday was earmarked for Dudh Sagar falls and Thursday for Sahakari spice farm which is the only good green place viable.Sanctuaries were not up to the mark as per our host.Hopeful for a green experience , I took two tickets to Sahakari Spice Farm at 450 Rs per head believing that the ticket price would get accounted for by the beauty.More ticket price should hence mean more green experience.
But Sahakari farm was a ploy.What they offer is a lunch , a lemon grass tea and a half-hour guided tour to see 10 spice plants.Divya had predicted this and I was caught in the defensive.Only justification I could find for the travel desk is that it would because we are Keralites that the marginal utility was not good enough.But the place was green and beautiful and I did some walking around by myself and there were lots of birds and butterflies but there was no time.The lunch was however excellent and the ritual of pouring acitrona oil mixed water down the back after the guided tour was striking as the chilled water saw most of the visitors giving a surprise shreek as the guide pours down the water.
Thursday had started off foolishly.There was no real plans left - no places that we really wanted to go to.Divya read through the guide and we decided to drive to Lotolim village which had been give a 3* rating in the guide written by a foreign author.Travel is indeed a very popular experience in the west much like movies. Lotolim village was the unexpected icing.The guide just spoke of the village being very beautiful with beautiful whitewashed houses.Looked like a perception that might not match ours.To our luck , there was a unique Big Foot museum and a conducted tour of old ancient house which saved not only the evening but overshot and saved the day as well.(AnjunaBeachSahakariFarmSnaps)
Lotolim museum was unique and had a model village and guides in the various sections of the village explaining the livelihoods of the old goan life.There was also a single-rock sculpture of Mira Bhai(Longest in the world - Part of Limca Records).The sculptor is the museum owner and Divya had actually seen him around.Big Foot is a pretty unique name right - the story behind is unique as follows.A rich kind man kept giving off his riches in charity.Another man took advantage and cheated him and he ended up beggar in the streets.Even as a beggar, he would give off the food he got to the street children.God appeared and offered him anything he wanted.He said , just give me a space in the land to stand on one foot and pray.He prayed on one foot and when his appraisal came,God took him to heaven with a light as in one of those Mahabharatha-Ramayana serials.The impression of his foot is in this museum and you can touch it and pray and your wish would come true provided you don't speak about this to anyone.There is also a notice board of news paper clippings/letters of "Wish came true - Thank you Big Foot".
A novel museum , a fable , some Kokum juice , visit to a grand old heritage home - everything just made the day in a most unique way.(LotolimVillageBigFootSnaps)
Come Friday and we were off to Dudh Sagar.Drove car to Marga , took train to Colem , gypsy to Dudh Sagar.Beautiful place.Falls as such would not compare with Athirappalli falls but on the whole it was good with beautiful green surroundings.Once cameras consumed in as much of falls , I went in to the water and stood under the left falls and had a good time.Muthu had a great time as well and would cry out when pulled out of the water.Allotment of 3 hours is what you get for a Gypsy.As the return train was still 2 hours + ahead , we walked down to the river bed and gave Muthu further opportunity at the water much to her glee.Another good trip came to an end and we reached the train and I slept in the train till the train started from Colem. Train journey is again green and pleasant.(DudhSagarSnaps)
7 PM was the cutoff time for the car and we reached on the dot.Having relinquished our mode for further travel,we focussed on food tourism and ordered ourselves various of the Goan top ten dishes - Crab Xec Xec , King Fish Amot Tik , Bebinca dessert , Pork Sausage , Chicken Cafreal , Prawns Xacuti etc. They were all real mouth watering..
The trip did not come to a smooth relaxed ending.22nd May Morning TV was about the Mangalore air crash.The news had set the tone for the day as we felt sober and concerned.While going to airport with Muthu in my lap, I suddenly felt like a mortal middle-aged father.There was an abrupt change in the hue.The return flight was caught in turbulence on landing due to the Laila cyclone.Rare air travellers like us were unfamiliar with this.Women in the plane were all praying ferevently with eyes closed.Once we landed safe,the pilot announcement was as follows : "Though we started 10 mins late from Goa,we have managed to land safely in Bangalore at the right time..".Was the pilot himself a little unsure?!!
Lotolim museum was unique and had a model village and guides in the various sections of the village explaining the livelihoods of the old goan life.There was also a single-rock sculpture of Mira Bhai(Longest in the world - Part of Limca Records).The sculptor is the museum owner and Divya had actually seen him around.Big Foot is a pretty unique name right - the story behind is unique as follows.A rich kind man kept giving off his riches in charity.Another man took advantage and cheated him and he ended up beggar in the streets.Even as a beggar, he would give off the food he got to the street children.God appeared and offered him anything he wanted.He said , just give me a space in the land to stand on one foot and pray.He prayed on one foot and when his appraisal came,God took him to heaven with a light as in one of those Mahabharatha-Ramayana serials.The impression of his foot is in this museum and you can touch it and pray and your wish would come true provided you don't speak about this to anyone.There is also a notice board of news paper clippings/letters of "Wish came true - Thank you Big Foot".
A novel museum , a fable , some Kokum juice , visit to a grand old heritage home - everything just made the day in a most unique way.(LotolimVillageBigFootSnaps)
Come Friday and we were off to Dudh Sagar.Drove car to Marga , took train to Colem , gypsy to Dudh Sagar.Beautiful place.Falls as such would not compare with Athirappalli falls but on the whole it was good with beautiful green surroundings.Once cameras consumed in as much of falls , I went in to the water and stood under the left falls and had a good time.Muthu had a great time as well and would cry out when pulled out of the water.Allotment of 3 hours is what you get for a Gypsy.As the return train was still 2 hours + ahead , we walked down to the river bed and gave Muthu further opportunity at the water much to her glee.Another good trip came to an end and we reached the train and I slept in the train till the train started from Colem. Train journey is again green and pleasant.(DudhSagarSnaps)
7 PM was the cutoff time for the car and we reached on the dot.Having relinquished our mode for further travel,we focussed on food tourism and ordered ourselves various of the Goan top ten dishes - Crab Xec Xec , King Fish Amot Tik , Bebinca dessert , Pork Sausage , Chicken Cafreal , Prawns Xacuti etc. They were all real mouth watering..
The trip did not come to a smooth relaxed ending.22nd May Morning TV was about the Mangalore air crash.The news had set the tone for the day as we felt sober and concerned.While going to airport with Muthu in my lap, I suddenly felt like a mortal middle-aged father.There was an abrupt change in the hue.The return flight was caught in turbulence on landing due to the Laila cyclone.Rare air travellers like us were unfamiliar with this.Women in the plane were all praying ferevently with eyes closed.Once we landed safe,the pilot announcement was as follows : "Though we started 10 mins late from Goa,we have managed to land safely in Bangalore at the right time..".Was the pilot himself a little unsure?!!
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