Goa Trance

I saw 'Dil Chahta Hai' long back and since then I always wanted to visit Goa. Finally, last december when I was in India, I managed to squeeze the Goa trip with bunch of friends in my schedule. I wanted to rent a convertible and drive to goa, movie style. But, due to lack of time, we ended up taking a flight from Hyderabad to Goa. Usually, before visiting any new place, I will do lot of research. But, this time I had no clue as to what to expect in Goa. A friend of mine was taking care of logistics there and so without much preparation, we just hopped into a flight and went there. I heard a lot about Goa and I was very excited.

On our first day, we stayed in a hotel near Baga beach. Since, it was impossible to cover whole Goa in 3 days, we decidedto just see the best places in North Goa. Baga beach is one of the most popular beaches in Goa and it lived up to its name. It is a long beack with lots of shacks serving great food and drinks. I really liked the tables on the sand, very closeto water. We just spent the whole day walking on the beach and just watching the crowd there. It was an awesome place to see the sunset. From the beach, we went to our hotel for a quick shower and then we were on our way to Flea Market. Saturday night's Flea market in Goa is really famous. It starts after 10pm and it is a heaven for hardcore shoppers and good bargainers, to bid on wonderful trinkets and handicrafts. I realized that after coming to US, my bargaining skills have diminished drastically.

My friend asked me not miss the Taj Village in Goa. He wanted me to atleast go and have a cup of tea there to experience the place. So, next day, we went to Taj Village. It was love at first sight. All of us liked that place so much that we decided to stay there for the next 2 days. Situated in close proximity to Fort Aquada, Taj Village is a charming place with pretty cottages, pathways, fragrant gardens and a great spa. We just pampered ourselves there for coupls of days and I spent quite some timelazing around in one of the many hammocks there. Somehow I really like visiting churches and I make it a point to visit one if it is famous. So, later that day, we went to see the Basilica of Bom Jesus. It is a very old and beautiful church with great architecture.

We wanted to visit the Fort shown in 'Dil Chahta Hai' movie. But, the problem was that the Goa has some ten forts and no one there knew which one of them was shown in Movie. So, the next day, we rented a car and went in search of that elusive fort. We travelled till Maharastra border in narrow Goan roads and ended up in Tirakol Fort. It was a nice fort with great views, but it was not the one. But, in our long drive we discovered many villages, secluded beaches and great vista points. Our quest for the fort ended on the final day. We found out that the fort we were looking for is right beside our Taj. So, we decided to see that place before leaving for airport. But, that fort was closed when we went there. What an irony!! Anyways, I was glad that we found out what we were looking for and we managed to take some snaps there. And then, it was time to say adios to Goa.

Goa has it all - history, culture and cuisine. Goa exhibits a strikingly different culture from the rest of India. There's no place better to fall off the wagon than Goa, a sandy string of laid-back, choose-your-own-adventure beach villages, each with its own personality and a cure for whatever you're craving. Goa is a mix of Andaman's beaches and Kerala's palm trees &backwaters. It is a great place to relax beneath swaying palm trees on idyllic beaches, head up back roads and discover tiny villagesand to expend your energy dancing till dawn. My holiday was over, but I knew my memories would definitely linger for a while. There’s still lots of places, crazy Goan food and culture to be explored in future trips to Goa.