GOA - A Traveler's Paradise

Of late Goa has been in the news for a wrong reason. The safety of travelers to Goa especially foreign travelers is the point of discussion now. Fortunately the top traveler season in Goa dies down in the months of summer when business is low. I have been to Goa 2 times and both the visits are memorable to me. Goa is best not just for its beaches , the food (specially seafood) is awesome. Its churches and forts are a treat to watch and the state itself is in holiday mood whole of winter which gives a soothing sense to weary travelers.

Its pristine beaches , the bamboo shacks , the aroma of the sea fish , everything has a charm in it. Even when you lazily walk on a lonely beach with the waves breaking near your feet , the deep blue sea devoid of any movement , with its vastness , and its sound of silence reminds you of days gone by wherein you left your soul on the road less travelled by.

Its beautiful sunsets and the rising tides wants you to long for another day , another bright sunny morning with the sparrows chirping and the sea birds flying in a formation.

Our journey map which I will elaborate later on.

- Thurs night --> Start for Goa via Tumkur --> Friday Morning Jog Falls - Friday Noon -> Karwar --> Palolem beach Goa - the ideal beach for bachelors A huge swim. Lost and found spectacles -> A fabuluous lunch Evening -> A fish and Vodka combi -> Slept away for dinner Night -> The waves- Saturday Morning -> A slow rise --> Fishing --> Dona Paola -> Some spped boating in Dona Paola -> Welcome to Baga beach -> crowded beach --> a hefty swim again - this time however within security nets -> A fabulous lunch again -> Evening in the calangute beach and shopping in the town - missed the cruise -> A faltu dinner with awful Fenny -> Walk back at dead of night to the Baga beach ( all around the sea) - The wonderful insects of night - blue - Sunday Morning - > Get a last glimpse of Baga beach -> Off to Anjuna Beach to find a great swimmer -> Off to Vagator Beach - a nice place and a cool drink of Coconut Water - > The great Chapora fort and the awesome charm of the sea beyond and the heat within - > The Agonda Fort - what a place - a gaol -> The DoodhSagar water falls and the journey in a tuck like jeep through the gushing water of the streams to the falls. Bhim's swim in the chilled water of the falls. -> An equally bumpy and goofy ride back -> A tremendous Lunch at 5 o clock with Fish and Rice for the famished ones - A stop on the way to pick up beers -> Return on the way via Hubli -> A charming dinner at a roadside dhaba - Some road to Tumkur and enter Bangalore early morning -> A completely washed way through the NICE road and back to home at 8 o clock.

<>CONTACT NUMBERS AND PLACES TO STAY IN GOA
PALOLEM BEACH ->
Tony Cottages & Coco Huts
Contact Nos: +91 9422060497 / 832 2643 436
E-Mail: info@tonycottagespalolem.com

NOTE: We stayed in these cottages. These had attached bathrooms too. But the structures were very shaky and the foundation creaked and made noise with every movement you make. The bathroom and toilet facilities were also very basic and separated from the main room by just a curtain.


SAMEER Cottages and Coco Huts
website : www.resortdepalolem.com
E-Mail : info@resortdepalolem.com,ananddesai@yahoo.co.in
Phone : +91 9422059215 /
STD : 832 Landlines : 2644072 /2644615 / 3231010
NOTE: These cottages looked better. Also these were probably costlier at approx Rs 1000+ per hut during top season.

These are some other NUMBERS I found on the internet.
BRIDGE & TUNNEL
15 Cottages [Rs 700 to Rs 4500]
number- 2643262

HI TIDE COCO BEACH
19 Huts, 4/5 Cottages [Rs 350 to Rs 500 for huts, Rs 600 to Rs 1000 for cottages]
Number-2644550/ 2643104

LA ALEGRO
10 Rooms [Rs 300 to Rs 650]
Number- 2644261

MARIA
Palolem - 9767608809

ALESSANDRA BEACH RESORT:
Some great reviews for this on facebook.
website : www.Alessandra-Resort.com
E-mail : Alessandra.resort.goa@gmail.com
Review : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Canacona-India/Alessandra-Resort-Palolem-Beach-South-Goa/6296198694

SOME OTHER REVIEWS :
http://www.indiamike.com/india-hotels/palolem-hotels-c363/

DENA COTTAGES - 2643449
CLEOPATRA RESORT - 2645906
ROSE BUDS - 9422454114
WAVES BAR & RESTAURANT COTTAGES & COCO HUTS - 9822150036
JOVE COTTAGES - 2646612
RAINBOW COTTAGES - 9823881600
ROSE BUDS COTTAGES & COCO HUTS - 9822454114
BLUE NILE COTTAGES - 2643984
RESORT DE PALOLEM - 9822059215
CRESSIDA BEACH CAFE - 2643958

FOR MORE NUMBERS SEE THE LINK AT THE END - THE COMPREHENSIVE LIST

AGONDA
DERSY BEACH RESORT : This is also a secluded beach but the water is not very calm. This was a nice beach resort with huts .
Phone : 832 2647503

DUNHILL :
Tel.: 2647328, 2647604
Email: dunhill_resort@rediffmail.com

MORJIM
If you are planning to stay on this beach you must do a booking beforehand. This is a very secluded beach and shuts down completely after sundown.

We stayed at a coco hut.
SANT ANTON
website : http://www.treehutsingoa.com/morjim.htm
Phone : +91 9822483188

Their huts were quite pretty and nice , but bathrooms are outside in a shared area.
They served complimentary breakfast and also prepare dinner etc based on dinner.

TOURIST MAP OF GOA

A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF ACCOMODATION IN GOA PLEASE REFER TO THIS - CLICK HERE

WAYANAD

REACHING WAYANAD

Wayanad is a beautiful place amidst the hills of northern Kerala. We were a group of 6 guys who booked a Chevrolet Tavera and started for Wayanad from Bangalore one fine Friday night. The weather was wonderful on the Bangalore -Mysore highway and we were quite fortunate to get a wink of sleep before reaching Mysore. We had a small incident on the road when the vehicle won't start because there was insufficient gear oil.
On reaching Wayanad the next morning we found ourselves in the mist of things. We somehow managed to book a hotel and get in because it was chill outside. But Arun Guest House , the one in which we took Deluxe rooms had hardly any deluxe facilities apart from running hot water. The pillows were like mats and the blankets were equally shabby. Anyways it was heaven for us after a night long ride.
We woke up a couple of hours later to start exploring Wayanad , but unfortunately we found that our vehicle has a problem and we sent the driver to the nearest garage to repair the problem. So we set out on foot and soon found a neat restaurant to have breakfast. It was Masala Dosa and Tea by unanimous choice. But after getting the Dosa we realized we made a big mistake. Dosa or any fried stuff in Kerala is made of coconut oil. Somehow the oil is very pungent and gives a distinct flavor.
Anyway we soon figured a wonderful bakery shop near to the bus stand itself where we had fine juice and cakes.Lookout for the special Walnut cakes here.

By this time it was already 10 o clock and we found that our Driver hasn't yet managed to repair the problem in the car and has called a mechanic. He checked a lot of things and finally what I understood was that the car has to be taken to the garage. We were a bit disappointed because we had planned to start the day with a bang by visiting some of the nearby sightseeing places. Nevertheless we accepted fate and started loitering inside Kalpetta. Kalpetta is a very small town we found and it soon ended with the highway cutting through the heart of the city. Myself and Bhim booked an auto and he took us to some nearby peak where there was some mining activities going on. Basically it seemed they were just creating new roads . It was hot and there was hardly anything to see there so we soon started walking back and taking an occasional photo on the return journey.
Back to the hotel we did not know what to do .We called our driver and came to know that a guy has gone to calicut the nearest big town to get some spare part of the car. He said it was not available there in Kalpetta. Calicut is just 70 kms away and he as expected to be there in a couple of hours . So we estimated that since it was almost 12 o clock we may as well have our lunch since the breakfast had been pretty weak.
There is a wonderful hotel called Woodlands - a classic hotel. It was indeed a classic hotel with wonderful food and service. They served some pretty decent mutton biriani and whole meals. On a whole it was nice , except that the mutton could've been more tender. But the fish items were very good. Moreover nothing was cooked in coconut oil so we happily gulped a lot of stuff.
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ROW WITH TUNGA TRAVELS

Returning to the hotel we found the car was still not available. But our worries started when we found the driver is also not available. We tried to call him and it was simply ringing out. Soon afterwards he switched off his mobile. This was too much for us. We really got pissed off. It was very rude on his part. First the car should've been properly serviced before such a long journey , which he did not care to do. And now we are waiting for more than 4/5 hours for the car to get repaired and no sign of Driver. Finally after trying for half and hour we called their office in Bangalore . i.e TUNGA Travels . After a lot of heated discussions we finally gave the owner an ultimatum that either your driver turns up quickly or we do not pay ( It was a hollow threat anyway because we had already paid him a good amount by which he can happily go back also ) . Thus a lesson was learnt that , NEVER trust the TRAVELS (Esp Travels like TUNGA TRAVELS) or their drivers. They are basically in the business of making money. e kept assuring us that he had talked with the driver and he will come in half an hour. This half hour stretched to one hour , then to one and a half hours . And we were all confused that if his phone is switched off then how come the owner called the driver. We soon came to know that. Some guy went to calicut , did his shopping happily without any hurry and came back around 3-4 o clock and till then the driver happily went to sleep oblivious of his passengers in the garage somewhere.

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SUNSET
We are gentlemen so we decided not to chase the issue further, that will leave a bitter taste to the whole tour ( later we realized how wrong we were) .
Finally we were able to go to Soochipara Falls in short while.
The walk to Soochipara falls was a nice one. It was covered by greenery and the road was concrete and a nice one. Although the area was not at all clean. People happily throwing away plastics , even though its clear its a no plastic zone. We sat awhile in front of the Falls . It was a small one, but had slight fury in the waters . A young girl stood just on the rock where it was crashing into and was enjoying the stealth cool fury of the water.
Soon we started our ascent back . There was a nice view point and a place to sit and relax under the setting sun .
Next we went to Phooket Lake. Unfortunately the gates were already closed for the day. We just roamed and lazed around before returning hotel after a cup of Kerala tea .( tea in Kerala is a bit coarse and has a different aroma ) Its hugely different from the flavor of Darjeeling tea.
After a hefty dinner again at Woodlands we called it a day. We had to sign out at morning 7 am the next day.
My deluxe room I soon found was not much deluxe with the blanket not sufficient and mosquitoes hovering around everywhere. I hardly managed to get a wink when it was time to get up .
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WONDERFUL SUNDAY

After signing out from the Hotel we had a buffet breakfast at Woodlands which was again a very pleasant one. Then we started off towards Kanthapara Falls.
Kanthapara Falls was a cool place. Devoid of the human attention it was clean and wild. We spent a long time there musing the charm of the falls
Next we got off to what seemed like a way to Meenmurti Falls. It showed a way 4 kms aft inside the woodies. We started walking asking the locals en route. Soon inside the woods we lost our way. Some of us decided to check out an alternative way . Meanwhile a localite turned up. clad in a lungi with a sickle in hand , he was trying to explain something . We understood that he was referring to some jungle vehicle that takes 250 Rs to take us to the falls . We decided to turn back and figure it out. then no one was interested in the falls any more , because the woods itself was glorious and it was just nice to sit there and enjoy the sun.
Next on the route we went to Phantom Rock. It was a wild place , but it was nice to get a view of a mountain carved by nature's forces.
After a few snaps there we started towards Eddakal caves, the last point on the sightseeing. After reaching a certain point we had to go the rest of the way by jeep . We bought tickets separately and soon were jumping on the mountain road in a medieval version of a jeep . Reaching the caves we had to buy tickets again. What a cost we thought just to see some natural stuff. The caves were quite spectacular . Except the fact that we were not able to figure out if the writings drawings on the walls were of primitive man or our recent guests .
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Anyways after a wonderful journey to the caves we started off towards Mysore. Catching the last glimpse of the Wayanad and Kerala.

See Kodalgallery for all photos.

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P.S> We later found the driver charged us double for Friday night stating that whole night driving invites double charge. For us it was first time in our umpteenth journey in South India , but the first with this travels. Be careful is what the owls say.