Saturday, November 27, 2010

Baga Beach - The North Goa Trail (Goan Odyssey - Part 2)


The journey through Konkan was exhilarating in terms of what we experienced, sure to raise the spirits of any person to perform more and acheive more, the fruits of hardwork, teamwork and dedication was on display at how the Konkan rail has been implemented. (Click here to read part 1 of Goan Odyssey - The Konkan Experience)


Day 2 @ Goa.

The cab arrived exactly on time in the morning at our hotel in Calangute and as expected from the Goan people, the cab driver was so courteous and within no time we felt as if we were travelling with one guy who is very very close to us. We had chosen to take a cab for the days sojourn since there was possibility of rain.

The plan for the day is to roam around North Goa, where there are lot of beaches. North Goa is popular among the budget travellers and those who love to get to know Goan culture and mix up with Goan people. South Goa is not so dense and is mostly the home for big budget hotels and resorts, an ideal location for those who want to escape from the nuansces of day to day busy life and chill out in solitude.

The first destination of the day was the Baga beach, the place having the same name as that of the Baga river which joins the sea at this point.



The cab driver told about lots of places to cover in North Goa, but we do not intend to run around the places, a reason why chose to take a cab for a day pacakage than opting for the North Goa tour bus which will run around showing all the available picnic spots. Two sight seeing trips in bus are available. One christened North Goa tour comprising of a lot of beaches and the other christened South Goa Tour which is the longer one and covers beaches and some famous churches as well. Tickets can be booked from the all the hotels in Goa. The fare is Rs 150 per adult and includes only the travel fare. This option is good if one intends to seeing all the picnic spots available in Goa.

Right next to where we parked there was a temple.


Almost all temples in Goa seems identical, the major reason being the paint scheme followed. As we stepped into the beach we could see that the beach was already bustling with lot of activities.



That is the northern end of the beach where river baga mates with the sea.

Suddenly a gang of 3 to 4 local people came to us and began offering hell lot of things. These people were talking politely but their persistence made us lose patience. Finally we had to beg them to leave us alone for some time so that we could take a look at the beach and feel it before deciding on what to do. Afterall the best thing to do in a beach is to lie down, and relax enjoying the gushing wind and taking a dip in the sea. All the guys who were offering rides left but one of them still kept following us which did not make us comfortable.

We could understand that it is part of their life and Goan people makes a livelihood out of tourism and this being a seasonal offering they have to save money too.

We kept walking towards the southern end hoping to get out the crowd and even more to escape from the hoards of localites.


Soon the next bunch of persuaders arrived, this time the offering was for a sea side bed. We understood that it is better to enjoy their ramblings than to get irritated coz we are not going to escape from them. Since many offerings were there, the price point also varied and we soon found that if we don't abide to their offerings for some time the cost drastically comes down. Finally we took two beds for a paltry Rs. 50 per hour.


Lying down on the beach side watching the timeless waves has a attraction quotient and we felt as if we are going to spend the whole day here.

The Baga beach is really beautiful. The color of the sand and the cleanliness is evident wherever you look. This is evident from the photos too.



Soon I found myself in the swimwear and walking against the lashing waves, feeling the sand, gazing the horizon, enjoying the chillness of the sea water.


My daughter soon followed suite and she enjoyed making sand castles and watching them washed away by the sea. Sun was glaring at us in full glory at times, but it was generally cloudy.



By this time all the guides and those offering rides were gone as they seemed to lose hope on us.

There were simple boat rides in which they take us deep into the sea against the waves, jumping up and down.


The scooter boat ride also seems to be quite exciting. The rider of the scooter boat rides it standing while the tourist sit in his front enjoying the bumpy ride, the weightlessness one feels while falling down and the high speed cruise.


The parasailing seems to be most interesting of them. The parachutes were painting a lovely picture in the backdrop of the sea and the clouds and I loved capturing the parasailing moments.



Most of the rides seem not suitable for kids, hence we did not venture into any one of those. Got to do atleast a boat ride in the sea before we leave.

We spend atleast 2 hours in the water and one more hour out of it gazing at the sea. As it approached noon the beach became more and more free of tourists



Being at Goa means being at the beach side, the shallow beach allowing us to venture deep and take a dip. Baga beach for sure is a place to spend atleast half a day. We too did the same. By the time we were back inside the cab, it was already time for lunch. We started heading to the next destination which also happens to be a beach side but there was something more than a beach - a superb hill above which there was a fort too. I will share the photos and trip log in the next post.

The Goan odyssey has started with a typical goan beach and pleasure of being at Goa getting into our heads. There was a buzz everywhere, with lots of tourists around and everyone seems to be enjoying.

18 comments:

chitra said...

Goa must be enjoyed leisurely. I think you chose the right season. We had a tough time as it was peak of summer. My son ventured into the sea with scooter and para gliding.I am not adventurous type so just felt happy watching others enjoying the glide.

I have also made posts on my Goa tour on wordpress. My pilgrimage is exclusively for temples. I shall keep reading about your sojourn .

We have our roots in Goa and hence it was like visiting our maternal house. At present my son is studying there and may be, we would plan a trip before he completes his course. What ever I have missed I would include it during my next trip. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Anuradha Shankar said...

looks like you really enjoyed your Goa trip! i have done the full tour once, but would love to go again in a leisurely way like you have....lets see when it happens!

Anonymous said...

I have always wanted to go to Goa, but always postpone it for some reason or the other.Your account of looks lucid enough to plan one! I am waiting for the final part for first time travelers!

Anonymous said...

Dear Subu,
Good Evening!
I am so happy to know that you enjoyed your short stay in this land of sand,soil,songs and sun.Tourist season has begun with IFFI-2010.
Thanks a bunch for the amazing visual treat.
To relax,to enjoy and watch the sunset from the shore.
God is so kind enough to gift me the deep blue sea to wake up and say, ''Good Morning!''
Goa is a state of happeneings.
I enjoyed reading each line and admired the photos.:)
Wishing you a lovely evening,
Sasneham,
Anu

R. Ramesh said...

super post n pics.thanks boss

kiran sawhney said...

Great pics. You have a great blog. Thanks for visiting mine.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Loving my travels with Chitra as I do, I'd like to say a big thank you to you for this post. What spectacular photographs, especially nice to see given that we have over a foot of snow here in the north east of England. My favourite photo though has to be the first one of the temple - that yellow is just so vibrant, so welcoming.

Anyway, thank you for stopping by at Pen and Paper - I appreciate both your visiting and your comments.

sm said...

beautiful pics

subu.ps said...

Hello chitra
Thanks for your visit and your detailed comment. Goa has many top class educational institutions like BITS. So you have a reason to visit this beautiful place again and again

Thanks and regards
Subu P S

subu.ps said...

Hi Anu
Yes it was a leisurely trip and I like it that way. Hope to see your story about the Goa trip soon.
Happy traveling and blogging your experiences
regards
Subu P S

subu.ps said...

Hi Trivandrum Girl
Welcome to "Passion for Road Trips". Go to Goa and hit the beach. Spend at least 3 days there and a rejuvenated soul is going to return.

Hope to see you again here

Regards
Subu.PS

subu.ps said...

Hello Anu
Thanks for your visit and your comment. Unfortunately we couldn't enjoy the sunset coz it was real cloudy at Goa. Still we are not complaining as it was truly a relaxing experience.

regards
Subu

subu.ps said...

Hello Ramesh
Thanks for your visit and comment

regards
Subu

subu.ps said...

Hello Petty Witter
Welcome to Passion for Road Trips. Nice to know that you found my blog and photos. Thanks for your appreciation.

best regards
Subu

subu.ps said...

Hello Kiran Bajaj Sawhney
Thanks a lot for your visit and comment

best regards
Subu

Roshmi Sinha said...

Wow! Goa looks great... lovely beaches and lots of greenery... unlike what we get to see/hear from the media.

The temple looks quaint. What kind of architecture is that??

Great captures as usual. Thanks for sharing...

P.S. You infringed upon the privacy of the crickets. Take a closer look ;)

subu.ps said...

Hello Roshmi
Yes Goa is beautiful, more than the scenery around, the people and life at Goa makes it more attractive.
I don't know much about the architecture, but it seems to be a modern one, not the ancient type which we see.

PS: Lucky that crickets don't browse !!! Found out that this pose ensured that they stayed completely still for a photo shoot and I could make whatever camera adjustments needed.

Thanks and regards
Subu P S

Archana said...

what i loved the most of Baga Beach is the watersports. It was damn adventurous and moment for the life. Most enjoyable one was parasailing as u said. but i also like the banana ride and water scooter.

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