Goa Trip 2016
In September 2016, we went on a trip to Goa. Our trip started with an early morning flight to Goa. We hired a taxi at Goa Airport. It took us about 1.5 hours to reach Baga Beach.
I have been visiting Goa almost every year since my childhood days with my family. My brother and I were always eager to visit the Goa beaches in those days. 😊 Goa used to be one of my favourite shopping destinations. I have fond memories of Goa from all my earlier visits. However, I got to experience the happening side of Goa only in 2013 when I visited with my friends. Owing to the electric experience we had at Baga Beach then, we chose to stay around Baga Beach this time.
We stayed at Baga Beach Resort. We chose this place due to its proximity to the beach and Tito's lane. The resort is a small and cozy place. We found it to be comfortable and well maintained.
On day 2, we rented a two-wheeler and headed to Dona Paula. Dona Paula is about an hour ride from Baga. The restaurant at lunch provided good view of the sea and the water sports activities. We then headed to Miramar Beach.
After spending some time at Miramar Beach we went to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church. I always wanted to visit this church ever since I saw the elegant criss-crossing flight of stairs of this church in the bollywood movie named Josh. 😊
We then headed to Mandovi River where we went on a river cruise. During the cruise one can see the casinos and some important government buildings. The cruise ride was a little bit of fun when we reached close to the sea where the ride got bumpy, but otherwise the cruise was very ordinary. I think one can skip the cruise altogether without losing much.
After the cruise we left for Calangute Beach. Bike ride by the paddy fields at dusk on the way to Calangute Beach from Panjim was quite peaceful. Calangute Beach was lively by the time we reached. We spent some time there and headed back to Baga Beach for dinner and called it a day.
On day 3, we spent most of our time in Baga Beach. The beach is less crowded during the day. As the day passed by, it became too sunny and hot to be on the beach. In the afternoon, we went to Aguada fort. The fort is about 30 minutes ride from Baga. In one of our earlier visits we had visited the Chapora Fort of Dil Chahta Hai movie fame so this time we chose Aguada Fort. We walked in and around the fort, spent some time at Sinquerim Beach and returned to Baga Beach.
Baga Beach and the Tito's lane next to it come alive in the evening; these are two good places to party all night. We skipped the Tito's discotheque this time as we had been there before in an earlier trip and instead chose to relax by the sea while indulging in Goan seafood, drinks, and music at the beach restaurants.
People around us had a thing for laser pointers that were being sold at the beach. We had bought one too and got into some fun laser fights with other travellers with everyone shooting their laser beams up at the sky and pretending to shoot each other down. As the night set in, people danced to the beats of increasingly loud music.
The food culture in Baga Beach seems to have changed over the years. Although we had some delicious food, it did not quite taste as good as they used to in earlier visits. I felt the food that we had in this trip missed the authentic Goan taste. One of the reasons could be the influence of outsiders like us that is being reflected in the food that is being served.
A trip to Goa requires almost no planning. If one is looking for a quick and fun trip for a long weekend, Goa is definitely a place to consider.
