So, with all the necessities at my behest, it was time to vroom the highways and byways of the spectacular beach roads in the erstwhile Portuguese inhabited and dominated region.
To ensure that my Angelina was in top riding condition, I drove her to the nearest Colva Beach which was relatively nearer to my not fit-for-a-king or queen lodging that was nearby to the Madgaon Railway Station. Taking directions from the sign boards that were placed across the way, it was a fantastic experience to see the golden sun silently gliding into the horizon. Though the Kanyakumari sunset still tops my list for the sunsets, as of now, the Colva sunset with the pleasant winds blowing into my tousled hair was a good one to remember and blog. It was then I realized that my over-grown hair like a mini-jungle needed to be shortened to adapt to the local sunny conditions.
After a renewed makeover that felt like freedom from a dictator, I was able to feel the chill sweeping gusts of air hitting the almost bald head that was a serious relief to the otherwise humid day. It was then the alarming bells started to ring, not on my mobile!, in the form of fuel deficiency. That was the moment I had the sudden light bulb moment and took a call, Again, not from the mobile!, that I shouldn't travel after dusk in a completely new environment considering my language barrier would be a thorn in the flesh in the event I had to encounter a breakdown or puncture or lack of operating drink for my Angelina.
I knew it was the Arabian Sea that was stretching all throughout the Goa Beaches much like the Bay of Bengal for Chennai Beaches. The waters are the same to similar depending on the elevation of terrain, type of terrain and level of crowd catchment of the place. Nevertheless, it was an one-of-a-kind moments to freely and independently roam the roads of Goa like a sprinting cheetah especially when you move out from the crowded inner sections of the city to the beautiful coastlines where you have the ultra-luxury to simply plug into your headphones and listen to your fav numbers on the move. It was akin to the famous ECR Road, Chennai in which the songs and long drives are inseparable like Laurel & Hardy. But, when you step within the city limits, it becomes extremely difficult to even concentrate on the road barring your treasured song lists.
After sometime, I lost track of the number of beaches that I had visited. There was a famous beach at every turn like Colva, Dona Paula, Miramar, Calangute, Anjuna, Baga, Bogmalo etc. But, the one beach which I loved to the hilt is the sun-kissed waters of Palolem. The two things which made me to be head over heels with the glistening sands is the sheer long drive from Madgaon to Palolem. The serpentine roads along with the picturesque setting en route to the beach added the extra dash and panache to the to and fro travel. Not to mention the pristine pulchritude because of the relatively lesser tourists ensured that Palolem was at the top of my order in the Goan adventure. But, one thing. Unless you have a filled tank and a spare tyre in your reserve, all you have to do is pray to God that nothing out of the ordinary happened to you on the way. I had the former but not the latter at my command and had to chant Krishna's name throughout the course of this standout journey so that my Angelina did not have a flat tyre anywhere on those deserted and splendid scenic route punctuated with villages and houses here and there like the stars on a cloudy night.
Much as I had the perception that Goa was completely occupied and sated with churches due to the Portuguese influence, it was indeed a welcoming and pleasant surprise when I saw the sign boards that read of a Durga temple and Iyyapan temple in my accommodation vicinity though they were not a stone throw's away. Getting up early in the morning and having a quick crow's shower, I paid my obeisance to the two temples on two different days and proceeded to drop by other places of attractions like The Big Foot, Agoda Fort and Central Jail, Mormugao Port and Museum. It was indeed a bit scary and creepy on the way to the Central Jail in Agoda due to the stillness of the surroundings and minimal visitors to the spot. A big NO-NO to this place in the dark or even after sunset. Luckily, the horse sense that I should keep to the main roads before the sun hits the other half of the world really helped me to pace my ride accordingly.
Goa is renowned for beaches, parties, boozes, flea markets and churches. As I was not much of a party person and a complete teetotaler, the middle two choices were ruled out of the picture, pun intended. I had single-handedly covered almost all the major beaches in the North and South Goa during my stay here. Since no GF or wife, flea markets were of inconsequential interest to me. SO, the only thing left were the churches. Right next to the Museum was one well-known Portuguese church. Likewise, there was yet another architectural worship of the Christians right across the Museum. Having come such a long way, I just dropped in and took some snaps and headed towards Madgaon. The only problem which I faced was the fact that I had to Dio out to all the points of tourist interests from Madgaon.
When I landed in Goa, I had the uncomfortable uneasiness that it was going to be a drab expedition as the common perception was that Goa is buzz of activity with friends. But, what I learnt from my trip is that it is possible to enjoy this spectacular and wondrous place solo-singing as well if you have the right mindset and attitude to discover the wonderful and untainted places instead of merely sleeping in the rooms and having extreme hangovers in the morning. I am not saying that's not right. IMHO, whatever rocks your boat! as long as you don't cause harm or hurt others. To me, it was about finding and indulging in the raw nature of Goan environment. However, I might have created a mini-Guinness record to not having touched a single drop of hot drink during my brief stay in this fabulous place that has loads to offer other than just parties and cheap alcohols.
X---Concluded---X
After sometime, I lost track of the number of beaches that I had visited. There was a famous beach at every turn like Colva, Dona Paula, Miramar, Calangute, Anjuna, Baga, Bogmalo etc. But, the one beach which I loved to the hilt is the sun-kissed waters of Palolem. The two things which made me to be head over heels with the glistening sands is the sheer long drive from Madgaon to Palolem. The serpentine roads along with the picturesque setting en route to the beach added the extra dash and panache to the to and fro travel. Not to mention the pristine pulchritude because of the relatively lesser tourists ensured that Palolem was at the top of my order in the Goan adventure. But, one thing. Unless you have a filled tank and a spare tyre in your reserve, all you have to do is pray to God that nothing out of the ordinary happened to you on the way. I had the former but not the latter at my command and had to chant Krishna's name throughout the course of this standout journey so that my Angelina did not have a flat tyre anywhere on those deserted and splendid scenic route punctuated with villages and houses here and there like the stars on a cloudy night.
Much as I had the perception that Goa was completely occupied and sated with churches due to the Portuguese influence, it was indeed a welcoming and pleasant surprise when I saw the sign boards that read of a Durga temple and Iyyapan temple in my accommodation vicinity though they were not a stone throw's away. Getting up early in the morning and having a quick crow's shower, I paid my obeisance to the two temples on two different days and proceeded to drop by other places of attractions like The Big Foot, Agoda Fort and Central Jail, Mormugao Port and Museum. It was indeed a bit scary and creepy on the way to the Central Jail in Agoda due to the stillness of the surroundings and minimal visitors to the spot. A big NO-NO to this place in the dark or even after sunset. Luckily, the horse sense that I should keep to the main roads before the sun hits the other half of the world really helped me to pace my ride accordingly.
Goa is renowned for beaches, parties, boozes, flea markets and churches. As I was not much of a party person and a complete teetotaler, the middle two choices were ruled out of the picture, pun intended. I had single-handedly covered almost all the major beaches in the North and South Goa during my stay here. Since no GF or wife, flea markets were of inconsequential interest to me. SO, the only thing left were the churches. Right next to the Museum was one well-known Portuguese church. Likewise, there was yet another architectural worship of the Christians right across the Museum. Having come such a long way, I just dropped in and took some snaps and headed towards Madgaon. The only problem which I faced was the fact that I had to Dio out to all the points of tourist interests from Madgaon.
When I landed in Goa, I had the uncomfortable uneasiness that it was going to be a drab expedition as the common perception was that Goa is buzz of activity with friends. But, what I learnt from my trip is that it is possible to enjoy this spectacular and wondrous place solo-singing as well if you have the right mindset and attitude to discover the wonderful and untainted places instead of merely sleeping in the rooms and having extreme hangovers in the morning. I am not saying that's not right. IMHO, whatever rocks your boat! as long as you don't cause harm or hurt others. To me, it was about finding and indulging in the raw nature of Goan environment. However, I might have created a mini-Guinness record to not having touched a single drop of hot drink during my brief stay in this fabulous place that has loads to offer other than just parties and cheap alcohols.
X---Concluded---X
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