So, I recently visited goa, actually visited few months ago but kya kare bhot aalsi hu (I was too lazy) to blog my journey. Anyways, I have all the memories still fresh in my mind and I want to share those with all of those jinki goa trip successful hone ke chances hai (whose goa trip plan can become a reality).
PS : This post is not sponsored. So everything about restaurants, hotels, cafes, etc is my personal opinion.
I went on an all boys trip so definitely we were on a tight budget and saved money everywhere we could. Plus, I am a non – drinker and non – smoker pr kabhi ghamand nahi kiya (couldn’t be more proud of it) so daaru sutta ka koi recommendation nahi mil payega (no recomendation about drinking places).
To I will start my journey from Madgao Railway Station. We rented an Activa right out side the railway station. We’ve planned this beforehand, so we did not have any hard cased trolley, instead all the luggage was in trekking bag so it could easily fit in the Scooty.
Things to take care while renting scooty –
- Bargain as hard as you can. We got a great deal at ₹ 400 per day.
- Always rent a Yellow Number Plated Scooty even if you are getting better deal on White Number Plated Scooty to avoid the traffic police.
- Make a video of the scooty beforehand so you can not be accused of any damages.
DAY – 1
So, we started our journey from Madgao Railway Station to our hostel Moustache Goa Luxuria, near Vagator Beach, North Goa. This 50 Km ride consisted of a great goan vegetarian breakfast, some awesome views including the famous Parra Road from Dear Zindagi movie.
TIPS :
- It will be a long journey so you can take a taxi to north goa and rent scooty from there.
- Suncreen, face cover scarf, sun glasses is must to avoid any sun damage.
- Please wear a helmet, janhit mein jaari (issued in public interest)
It was a very good resort and we booked beds in dormitory so in less price, we got great facilities of a resort. After checking in, we refreshed ourselves and picked our scooty and stated with our first place :
Chapora Fort : Honestly speaking, I was a bit disappointed with it. Although the view of the Vagator Beach from the fort was legend – wait for it – dary #iykyk, but I hoped to create that Dil Chahta Hai Scene but could not because of all the wild bushes and hot sun. But fresh coconut water compensated for the most of it.
We were too hungry now so, we went to a great road side cafe near the fort. After having delicious lunch, we went to our next stop :
Vagator Beach : Noooiiiiccceeee !!! On a beach after soooooo long. The beach was clean, and not much crowded. Spent quality time on the beach, enjoyed dips in Arabian Sea. Overall, a great experience.
After spending a quality time on Vagator beach, we headed to the most famous and dirtiest beach of Goa, The Baga Beach. It was very very crowded and plastic bottels, and all were just lying around all over the beach. But the beach had some great waves that day and we enjoyed a lot there too. The sunset on the beach was awestrucking. After it, we returned to our resort.
Tito’s Lane : Let’s Start the Partyyyyyyy…. It was a completely different experience. With clubs all around you, people dancing like crazy, awesome DJs, it was a great vibe. Since we were all boys, stag entry did rip our pockets but the party experience was worth it. No one realised how time flew and it was 3 am. We then returned to our resort.
DAY – 2
After having a delicious breakfast, we went to a hidden beach near us. I don’t remember its name, but it was quite clean and we were the only people there at that time. After the beach, we went to the local market for shopping (altough could not find anything worth but still). After our shopping spree, we had delicious Goan Lunch, and started heading jaha Vijay Salgaonkar 2 aur3 October ko gaya tha #iykyk. Yeah you guessed it right – Panjim.
It was a beautiful 20 Km trip from our hostel. We stopped at some beautiful churches and reached Fort Aguada. I will not go into its history, but it was worth visiting. Our next stop was Fontainhas, Goa’s Latin Quarter, a beautiful part of Panjim City, whose lanes are flanked with vibrant, colourful Portuguese style villas. The streets were filled with colourful houses and cafes, great for your Instagram pics. It was now the time for our evening snacks, so we went to a lovely eatery.
But todays crown jewel was the Deltin Royal Casino. A ship cruising in the great ocean with lots of fun, unlimited tasty food, live entertainment and ofcourse poker. We got some complimentary gambling chips with the entry ticket, which unfortunately we lost to our greed. To those who are non drinkers, it will be little expensive but in my opinion you should defenitely have its experience.
After another fun night, we headed back to our hostel.
DAY – 3
It’s time for some Adventureeeeeeee… So yesterday we booked a Grand Island Water Sports Package from a local vendor. Again bargain a lot. We got the deal at ₹ 1800 per head, which included all the activities, plus breakfast and lunch. They picked us up from Baga Beach and dropped us near the speed boat. As the the boat started paddeling towards the vast ocean, we were served Samosa in breakfast. I will recommend you guys to carry some snacks coz lunch will be served after a long time. Amidst the herd of seagulls, we went for our first water sport. It was ParaSailing. A very good experience after I bribed the operator for few extra dips in the ocean. Then there was a series of other activities like Banana Boat Ride, Jetski, etc.
After it we headed to grand island for scooba diving. The instructor gave us necessary details and when I went below the sea surface…….
It was not like a Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara experience. The water pressure on my ears was enormous and my ears started paining like hell. This was the case for most of us. Although the instructor mentioned the excercise to deal with the water pressure, most of us could not do that properly. I touched the surface which was just 10-15 feet below, hanged out with some of my Pisces friends and came back to the surface. For my first dive, it was a great experience.
After the dive, we had lunch and started our journey back to the shore. Some of my friends swore to see some Dolphins which were supposed to be there, but I missed that view. Overall it was a great experience.
In the night we went again to the Tito’s lane, enjoyed the music and dancing, bought some Kaju (yes goa is famous for its cashew nuts) and tired but still filled with adrenaline, we went to our beds.
DAY – 4
Chala Jata hu, kisi ki dhun mein Dhadakate dil ke Taraane liye… So today, after having breakfast we started our long journey from North Goa to South Goa which was 86 km long. Hasseling through google maps, we got an amazing drive through the beautiful Zuari Bridge, tall crooked coconut trees, fancy bakeries, we finally reached our destination, The Lost Hostel near Palolem Beach South Goa.
It was a long long drive. So if you booked scooty from north goa, return it, go to south goa in a taxi and rent a scooty there.
Okay, the dorms and all were great, but there was no water. We could not even bath until 5 in the evening. But this was a rare situation according to some hostellers living there since few months.
Anyways, we were hungry so we found an amazing cafe The Mill, a beautiful, European Themed Cafe with amazing food. After the lunch, we went to Palolem Beach. It was a beautiful, clean, uncrowded beach. We spent some time there thinking about life “LOL”. But it was a peaceful experience.
We returned from the beach, found some more beautiful cafes near our hostel. But there were no party vibes in South Goa as there were in North Goa. After the dinner, at night we went to the beach again. Always, I repeat Always carry a bedsheet when you just want to sit near the beach and want no sand in your clothes. Beach experience hits differently at night. It was a legen – wait for it – dary experience which I can not define in words. The sound of the ocean hitting the shore, crickets chirping and my harmonica. We sat there till around 1 am then returned to our hostel where the foosball tournament was going on. It was a lot of fun, great meeting with everyone and with another amazing day, we headed back to our beds.
DAY – 5
It’s time to go to an offbeat location. From our fellow hostellers, we heard of a hidden gem in south goa. To fir kya tha, hum nikal pade. The weather was nice, we enjoyed each and every second our 30 min journey to the elusive Cola Beach, a beach with fine golden sand dotted with large volcanic boulders and a backdrop of tall forested hills. But what makes it really special is the aggresive ocean on one side and The Blue Lagoon aka Emerald Lagoon, beautiful backwaters on the other side.
To reach the beach, you need to do down a small trek on foot. But hum to thehre pardesi daredevil… We went down the hill on the scooty itself. God know how the scooty survived. We had a tasty lunch at the beach restaurant with a great view of the Arabian Sea and then went for Kayaking in the Blue Lagoon. After the lunch, we did kayaking in the beautiful blue lagoon. It’s a must to do activity. It was an awesome experience.
We so so so wanted to wait there till the sunset, but we had to catch our train as this was the last day of our trip.
So, with lots of amazing memories, we then returned to Mudgaon Railway Station, returned our scooty and head back to our homes.
So, I think if you really are a beach person, even a month in Goa will be like just a moment to you. But for a fun, adventurous holiday trip, 5 – 7 days are enough to get a taste of Goa. Ofcourse you will not be able to visit all the places in such a short span of time, but you can always visit Goa again. For a person like me, who want parties, music and dance, spending more time in north goa will make more sense, but if you truly want solitude, peace and calmness, you will love spending time in South Goa.
The Unspoken Words 