Goa is such a misunderstood place.
The moment I voiced interest about visiting it,
down swooped the parental protection force, spewing me with reasons as to why
it was such a dangerous/godforsaken/ crazy place to visit. But in the end,
righteousness prevailed ( :D ), and that’s how I set off on one of the best
vacations I have ever had till date.
This post will not be an itinerary of my trip; it
will not even be a list of the ‘must-do’s in Goa. Goa is a place where one has
to simply let go, and find what they would love to do, and trust me, there is
something for everyone. This will just be a memoir of my best moments over
there. And even though I had been there with a bunch of loud, crazy friends who
love to live extreme, most of what I cherish- as will follow, will be
self-contained, naïve, simplistic
pleasures that I have not experienced anywhere else but here.
Goa has this blessed rent-a-bike culture. For 200
bucks a day, one can have a two wheeler all to oneself, and riding these gave
me such a high- because of the scenic beauty that enveloped me. We made the
tour in August, which was the fag end of the monsoon, so Goa was at its
colorful best. The crowds were minimal, and it was Mother Nature in all her
glory. Sudden drizzles would bring forth involuntary giggles. The endless roads
were lined, sometimes with mountains-moist and green; sometimes with water
bodies- reflecting sunlight, or having birds skittering about the surface; and
other times, with fields that have multiple, unimagined shades of green. Every
turn that you take would take your breath away, so after a point you get used
to the surprise and just try to imbibe as much awesomeness as you can. And
there would always be more, coming forth.
Natural wonders apart, there are forts and more
forts. And most of them would be set off against the backdrop of a beach. So
you have waves, alternating between lazy and brash, relentlessly washing sand
off the shore, and not very far off, would be mountains towering over, as if
standing guard against the onslaught. Man’s wisdom takes over, here. So we have
forts built on these mountains. Watch towers, once, now I just sit on them, and
keep watching the waves, over and over, tireless- until one particularly
naughty wave rises high up and douses me in salt water.
No two beaches are similar. Only the crowd remains
the same. There are rocky beaches, sandy beaches, gravelly ones and vegetated
ones. Even the colour of the sand changes from place to place..and then there
are the famous beaches, and the friendly, welcoming beaches., and the quiet,
untainted beaches. Local trivia led us to more than one un-famous but more
calming beach. Soothing, stilling..all the turbulence outside makes you go shhh
inside.. And the moment I found a beach-bed, I went shut-eye for a good half
hour. That was the best sleep that I had in ages.
Saving the best for the last- Goa is every food
lover’s paradise. I spent more on food than on anything else in this place, and
I sampled every, every single item that needed to be sampled. Fish, prawn,
chicken, pork and squid dominated my preferences- in that order. Pomfrets and
King fishes- in every imaginable cooking style, fried or curry, whole or
minced..heavenly! Calamari is nothing but squid, made Goan style, and the pork
is safe and very common place still. Chicken xacuti, prawn balchaou- sound very
appetizing, but they are currys like we make at home..cooked differently, with
an imli twang to them. But the best- best of the awesome lot, would be the
chicken cafreal that we had at Brittos. Candle lit dinner, great food, medieval
setting, great company, with the beach in the backdrop..Does a girl need
anything more to keep her happy? :)
PS1- I cant believe I have no food pics :|
