beautiful GOA!!!

Goa, the smallest state of India is one of the most beautiful and charming state. It is globally famous for its pristine beaches fringed by coconut trees, beautiful landscapes, azure sky, medieval monuments, forts and churches and mix blend of culture. One visit to this state will surely compel you to come time and again to explore the magnetizing charm of Goa.

 I got a chance to visit this "Pearl of Orient" on the pretext of attending a cultural fest of BITS, Pilani, Goa campus. Nesting in the lap of verdant hills, overlooking the Zuari River, the campus proves itself to be one of the most beautiful campuses of India. The location of campus is unique in respect of scenic beauty and panoramic view of picturesque surrounding encompassing Zuari River, hillocks, waterways, forests and landscape and the students out there were a vanguard. A perfect combination of beauty and brains.

But this post is not about my experience in the campus but my experience in the scintillating combination of sun, surf, sand and sea which makes Goa one of the picture perfect destinations in India.

Visiting Goa is like getting into a big party, where everyone is enjoying life at its best. We also got in the same festive mood.

Our first excursion was to MAJORDA BEACH. This beach is a white sand beach and the first sight of this place was stunning. At 9am there was a perfect silence responding to the humming of the sea, where you can sit engrossed in a book and look up to catch the picturesque scene of the sea but sadly I had no book with me :P :P :P

After spending a wonderful time at Majorda we hired a taxi and left for CALANGUTE/BAGA beach.

Traveling such places on road is a totally different experience. One gets the essence of the state and its culture while on road. One thing which caught my eye was not the greenery, which was abounding, but the houses which were painted in dramatic and startling colours like violet, yellow, blue etc. Thus creating a sensation. They resembled colourful flowers blooming in copious greenery.

We reached the Calangute beach when the sun was sinking in the oblivion. It was beginning to get dark and so we got to see a completely different shade of the sea. One thing I must not forget to mention is that you can bet on the fact that in a day the sea never repeats its appearance.

The atmosphere at Calangute was very different from that at Majorda.  It was crowded with people, children making sand castles, colourful crowds surging towards the sea and the young and old alike lazing on the golden sands. This picture of a perfect tourist haven was completed with shacks and stalls under the shade of palm trees selling everything from fried prawns and beer to bags and clothes to sandals and even trinkets made of seashells.

At night we went to the most popular and happening night club of Goa - TITO'S 

 

"The year was 1971. It was the time of the hippies and the flower power generation. The hippies and other young people from Western Europe and the Americas were searching for Nirvana or Spiritual Salvation and Goa seemed to put them on the right track. The Goans also accepted these peaceful and gentle people whole heartedely. Life in Goa was simple then. No motorbikes, cars and restaurants.It was here and in this environment that Tito Henry de Souza who had traveled extensively decided to settle down and also provide a place for all the expats to meet up.
Today, Tito's is still the place where the world meets up. It is now run by Tito's two sons - Ricardo and David, and boasts of an indoor night club, a multi-cuisine restaurant called "Brass", an outdoor pub, the currently most popular beach pub - "Mambo's" a 24 hour coffee shop and boutique. Tito's is still the place to gather info on the various things happening along the Goan coast."

  Every Night is a Party Night in Club Tito's Goa

  Although we came very late at night and were very tired, we got up early in the morning to go for water sports. Goa is a paradise for water sports lovers. The long coastal area offers wonderful oppurtunites to indulge in all sorts of water-sport activites. The para-sailing and water scooter took our breath away.

PARASAILING was spine-tingling.

 

WATER SCOOTER was DHOOM machale :P

At 12 noon we left for the campus but lost the way as the driver did not know the location of BITS. We had our train at 3:10pm and somehow we managed to reach the campus at 2:45pm. The drive from the college to the station is of half an hour. You can imagine how tensed we were while leaving the paradise. Instead of relishing the last scenes of Goa we were praying to God that we don't miss our train. Our prayers were heard and we reached station just at the right time. As soon as we boarded the train it started. Phew!!!

On our way back in the train we saw the famous Doodhsagar waterfall. Goa is no less than a hill station. The hills and the waterfall were magnificent. We were spellbound. The waterfall takes a steep plunge down in the wooded mountains  and appears to be milky streaks cascading down the mountainside. Believed to be amongst the highest falls in the country, this magnificent fall is located in a blissful tropical jungle with crisscrossing streams. The view from the train was breathtaking.

Like a child joyfully rotating a kaleidoscope and chuckling at the changing patterns, one just gets hooked on to Goa. Beauty can be quite inebriating especially when you are in India and when in Goa, you have so much of it - in the golden sands, the blue waters, the sylvan forests and the lakes.

Almost everyone who visits Goa usually does the normal tourist circuits including one or two beaches and Madgoan or Panajim. But that is not enough. Beauty, they say, is not skin deep. So, when in Goa, you have to put in more days to fully savor the place, the pleasure of discovering a crab under a stone, churches of Old Goa, temples of small villages, and the thrill of walking on some of the best beaches in India full of crisp sea-shells. The mind stops thinking and the heart begins speaking. Such is Goa that you may not have seen. Goa has more than 100 km of coastline and the sea has different shades to offer at various places.

I will again visit the place and cover up what I missed this time. But even a day out there is captivating and memorable.