GOA... the Indian Las Vegas.. a typical holiday destination for Indians! Being a wanderer I wanted to strike off this smallest state of my country off my bucket list.. ( yes I did not visit Goa prior..hands down)! But I finally did... Witnessed this tiny miracle in the southern part of India during the long weekend of 15th, 16th and 17th August.. The Independence Celebration in Goa with my office colleagues ( yea.. I am a working girl now).
This trip was an epic roller coaster! 5 of us hit the road.. and as each travel story has unique characters mine too did... These epitome of epicness were :
Nilesh Menon ( our guide.. his car.. his camera.. his hats..and his description of goa )
Dipesh Solanki ( the 11th hour entry and the questionnaire person)
Era Savla ( the sleeping beauty )
Firdos Patel ( the addicted -to- clicking- pictures- of- herself and sleep talking person)
and finalyy Me.. ;)
Not to forget the lovely Hyundai ascent that we traveled in, which did not betray us once during the whole journey.. except when the Tyre got punctured.. when the ac stopped working and yes.. that heart in mouth moment when the car trunk wasn't closing..and after several attempts of deep thinking and actions, we found that we actually did not unlock it!
Sarcasm aside.. but that car was one reason that I enjoyed the journey even more! The scenic view we witnessed en route Goa.. those roller coaster roads of Maharashtra.. the excellent roads of Karnataka and the Romantic roads of Goa! not to forget the the time we spent debating,discussing,singing,chasing... all added to a wonderful journey! Hats off to Nilesh for driving to and fro.. We experienced the best long drive!
DESTINATION GOA: Well what happens in Goa stays in Goa... ;) While North Goa was full of entertainment..(lets not get into what type of entertainment ) South Goa was scenic with its Portuguese architecture..Calm roads and churches!
We started with North Goa.. checked in at a hotel near Baga beach.. went round the bush shopping, exploring, drinking and eating mouth watering Goan delicacies at various places in North Goa.. ! Not to forget the epic beaches and the bird watching that followed (pun intended)
If there was somebody who gave us that extra little rest because of her speed in getting ready.. it was Firdos! She had all the possible things in her bag.. which we should have probably forgotten.. on the other hand there was Dipesh whom we dragged into the car with just his track pant and gym t-shirt that he carried to office! If I was the one deeply studying menu cards.. Era rarely ate anything making me feel all the more guilty..since even the green salad ordered for her was half eaten by me.. not to forget the King fish that I was already feasting on!
If there was somebody who gave us that extra little rest because of her speed in getting ready.. it was Firdos! She had all the possible things in her bag.. which we should have probably forgotten.. on the other hand there was Dipesh whom we dragged into the car with just his track pant and gym t-shirt that he carried to office! If I was the one deeply studying menu cards.. Era rarely ate anything making me feel all the more guilty..since even the green salad ordered for her was half eaten by me.. not to forget the King fish that I was already feasting on!
Sunday is when we checked out.. out of the hotel..party mood and checked in visiting Fort Agoda and the Basilica of Bonn Jesus!
I loved both the places.. while the sky at the fort greeted me, the basilica gave me the much needed serenity! Also for the fact that finally the focus of photo was shifted from Firdos to us! No debate.. she deserved to have the major chunk of pictures! She was the pretty face of the trip
Dipesh and me should be thanked for the classy pictures we clicked.. ( sadly that camera is now dead.. wonder what we actually did to it), Nilesh should be thanked for his mind blowing sleep awakening pj's at 3 am and Era.. thank you for keeping the count of bets and competition scores.. Her smiling face and sporty attitude made us even more enthusiastic!
ME.. I fell in love.. again with myself.. few revelations came my way bringing along a bunch of energy as I touched Bombay back! I know the description of this journey is not something unique or different! Every person visiting this particular destination will plus minus have the same fun and come home back with all zeal and zest!
But for people like me who are hooked on to journey's.. every trip becomes a teacher and a friend..! We touch the feeling of Euphoria as we travel more... and explore the unexplored... Yes I still shout like a child... as we entered tunnels or as I spot a peacock near fort Agoda.. But isn't that was life is all about... finding solace in little things.. :)
P.S : Jigsaw of the wonderful times spent with a bunch of lovely human beings.. :)
Until next time, Keep SMILING :)
