The Gorgeous Goa - As we experienced

Goa… the first place that comes to the mind for every gang in the country to roam around! Everyone knows that Goa is a perfect holiday destination and wants to be there at the peak season as it is when everyone thinks that it is the right season in which they’ll be experiencing typical Goa culture! It is a known fact that Goa really excites you at the peak seasons but just like every coin has two sides, Goa in the monsoon looks absolutely refreshing and fantastic!

After months of planning and loads of excitement, we’ve all set to Goa from Bangalore during the monsoon especially when the weather reports shows a heavy rainfall on our travel dates, but it isn’t something that can stop us from visiting it!

The best part of travelling to Goa perhaps begins with the beautiful surroundings which never fail to impress you and the greenery which gives you a sense of feeling that you’ve really came out from something routine to a new world where you could spend few days beautifully and bag lot of memories at the end! Road journey to Goa is absolutely terrific! You’ll know the importance of having a car and knowing how to drive it as soon as you’re surrounded with the refreshing scenic beauties! But unfortunately we’ve managed with the bus this time! Nevertheless, road journey remains road journey! At least we were able to witness those beautiful sceneries and that’s something we’ve to cheer about!

Travel Dates: 05^th July – 10^th July

05^th July 10:15 PM:   Boarded the bus in Bangalore

06^th July 11:30 AM: We finally reached the place we’ve been talking about since our school days  and all four of us took the local taxi to our hotel which was situated near      Chapora fort at Vagator road in village Anjuna!

Places Covered

06^th evening: Vagator beach, Chapora fort, Anjuna beach and Calangute.

07^th July –  Archaeological Museum, Old Goa Churches (Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se cathedral) in the morning! Calangute and Baga beaches in the evening!

08^th July –   Morzim, Ashwem and Aarambol beaches in the morning! Swim at Baga beach post lunch till evening followed by Goan style dinner!

09^th July -  Booked a package tour for certain monsoon sports activities and sightseeing! Aguada Fort in the morning, followed by water sports comprising of Jetski, Speed boat, Banana ride and kind of Tubing at Leela Palace resorts immediately followed by Colva beach and Dona Paula! A one hour cruise trip in river Mandovi is quite enjoyable!

10^th July – Not much time left to do something new! We just had some time in the hotel before we checked out at 11:00 AM.

Things to look for:

1. Transportation:

Finding the bike rentals in Goa is damn easy especially in off seasons but one should have a valid driving license to roam around without any issues as there are number of policemen who will stop you and ask for a license! Better have a valid license and bargain the prices with owner of the vehicle without bargaining with the policemen after you’re caught! Prices are like Rs. 300 per day for scooters like Activa, Aviator, Deo etc. and Rs. 500 for Avenger type and Rs. 600 for the mighty Royal Enfield! Wearing helmets aren’t mandatory but ask for it from the bike owner! Car rates are in between Rs 1000 – 1200 and it actually depends on the way you bargain things! Rule is as simple as that, if the weather is okay take the bike and if it isn’t go for a car! Don’t ever think of taking the public transport! Ask your hotel guy for the details about bike rentals!

2. Food:

Food in Goa is undoubtedly bit expensive but you just can’t compromise on it because it is the most important thing that decides the trip’s success! If food isn’t good you just simply can’t love the place no matter how good it is! What type of food you eat is obviously your choice but where to eat it is the most common doubt! Without going in depth into it and without knowing the best hotels as suggested in the other blogs, I would recommend to eat it wherever you feel like eating because the trip is meant to explore places rather than just going somewhere as specified and suggested by someone! Remember one thing it’s not about whether it is good or not, it is all about liking and disliking! The hotels that you would have gone to, based on suggestions may not be worth visiting! So it’s always better to take a chance go somewhere and eat!

     3. Adventure activities:

Since it is Monsoon, one shouldn’t expect any adventure activities other than river rafting! In fact swimming is not permissible in most of the beaches! We’re just allowed to swim in Baga that too with certain limitations among some 10 or more beaches we covered! And most importantly the way certain so called beautiful beaches looks disgusting in monsoon and you’ll never think of swimming in it! Beaches in south Goa looks more beautiful it seems, not sure though! Colva beach looks promising! Palolem is something that we haven’t covered but it was told that it remains serene in the monsoon!

All that one can do in this season is to go for a river rafting and try some water sports which can be booked through trip operators!

4. Wine

How can I remain silent on Wine? Well it is something that drags more visitors than what beaches do! Honestly the liquor rates are so cheap and look like there are n numbers of brands available (Looks like? I don’t have a habit of drinking fortunately and when it comes to my gang....uff let's move on)

   

     5. Accomodation & the locality

     When it comes to accommodation, you really need not worry if you’re visiting during monsoon! You can find the best accommodation at much cheaper rates during monsoon as the rooms occupancy will be all time low during the season! In case if you haven’t booked online, you seriously can bargain a lot! We’ve booked the Oyo apartment in Vagator road, Village Anjuna! The area and surroundings were really fantastic! If you’re at Goa only for Wine and beaches you can have accommodation somewhere near calangute or Baga but in case if you wanted to a perfect holiday like feeling try these areas! It looks like the mirror image of Kerala. The greenery is something that keeps you surprising and it is something that you cannot miss out! It looks really  fantastic!

6.     Don’t expect a lot about shopping! Goa’s business almost lives on a ventilator during the monsoon! Same applies for Beach shacks as well! 

7.      Live the Moment, Take as many snaps as possible and respect Goa’s atmosphere and its culture!

Thoughts

There are one hundred reasons that can stop you from visiting Goa during monsoon but if you’ve one good reason to visit Goa that would be sufficient for you to witness the most beautiful Goa ever and experience the most memorable trip of your life.

Certain places are meant to be visited with certain people! Always have a good batch beside you!

Trips are not just about exploring places or things; it’s sometime more about exploring ourselves! And Goa during the monsoon is undoubtedly the perfect destination to be at!

GOA …….AAW TUZO MOGH KORTHA…...See you soon!