Goa: A pictorial..

Goa is my favorite holiday destination... period. It has always amazed me with different views or alternate angles. This time when the Three Porkeaters (Jai, Rob & myself) set out for Goa we decided to skip the usual spots and instead search for tranquility in the less traversed corners. All of us had been to Goa a few times before and that helped a lot in not falling into the temptations of the 'usual' and 'most popular' locales. Though the sands of Anjuna were inviting enough we preferred to have a delicious lunch of fried fish and rice at a thatched restaurant overlooking the rocky beach. You can sit there for ages, sipping beer and relaxing on one of the recliners there, occasionally chatting up with interesting people around.

Have you ever heard of anyone who returned from Goa without getting one of those temporary tattoos done? We hadn't, and being the kind of folks who don't break traditions, decided to get ourselves tattooed as well. So after breakfast at the famous Britos we let the phoenixes, dragons & sea serpents take life on our arms. And what better way to dry the tattoos than a walk along the lovely grasslands near Little Vagator? They were green & inviting, dragging us away from the rush and noise to the hillocks standing guard along the sea.

The short walk turned into a long one, and then the winding pathway by the hillock took over the reins and we soon climbed a hill overlooking the sea. Standing by a cross at the highest point, it was just the three of us and miles and miles of enchanting ocean... solitude was heartening for once. The crowd along the beach looked much like preying crabs running back and forth the plankton washed ashore by the waves. We sat there an entire afternoon, till we 'discovered' a deserted beach on the other side of the hill. Then it was time for swim and sunbath, in our own, private beach!

The evenings are equally mesmerizing in Goa when the blueness of the ocean, the crimson of the setting sun and the soothing green of the lush fields fight each other for attention and supremacy. As we watch in awe, the fight slowly progresses towards its logical conclusion and the horizon puts on a brutal red hue. Twilight is like a guilty pleasure; in spite of the melancholy it is always a sight to cherish. And as the darkness falls over, like the terns and the gulls we too walked in a hurry, in search of a perch for the night.

But people don't let the nights die young at Goa. They live it up till the wee hours of the morning. As the last rays of natural light retreats, artificial ones take the place and the beaches once again become lively. You sit there watching the lights from the ships anchored in the sea, as they slowly light up the horizon with a silver lining. Night is when Goa unveils her real charm. A walk along the beach in the night is a fitting finale to the day, as the high tide, moon and the Feny conspire to take you higher; higher than the highest clouds!

By next morning we had been miraculously transported to Furtados at Sernabatim. Perhaps we checked in there the previous night after searching for that elusive beach shack at Benaulim and driving around the Leela Kempinski property at Cavelossim. By the time I figured out the story it was time to go out to the beach and help the fishermen pull out the day's catch. As we were found good in pulling the nets ashore, they commissioned us to push the catamaran as well to the shore. Pushing those 26 feet wooden boats over the sand isn't a joke. Good that we had those extra shots of Feny the night before.

Once we started the journey We had two things on our wish list - to go into the outer sea in a catamaran & to spend a night at one of the isolated islands off the coast. The island plans had been shelved the very first day as we learned from fishermen folks at Colva that nobody goes there anymore, as the islands are haunted. We knew it was futile to reason with beliefs and never spoke of the island trip after that. But at Sernabatim we met Savio, proprietor of CS Water Sports. Seeing our enthusiasm, he finally agreed to take us out to the sea on a boat. In another 30 minutes we were 5 kilometers from the shore and happily diving into the calm sea from the deck of the boat! I don't think one whole post can explain the thrill and fun of splashing around in the outer sea, with dolphins for company a few miles away!

Para-sailing was next on the menu.. an equally enjoyable experience as we got an aerial view of the picturesque coastal line. The story is never complete without mentioning the leisurely eleventeens we had at Cafe Lila, a fine eatery serving tasty cakes and beverages by the side of Baga river. The best moments for me was always breakfast time; the lazy feeling of watching the sea and the deserted beach from the comfort of a shack, as you bite into some ham and sausages. A big cup of coffee and a talkative restaurant owner comes free with the package as well!

You cannot help going back to Goa.. even if its the eleventy-oneth time. I know I will be back there soon!