[Fauji]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Glad to be of help :-)

I felt that Khitauli was the most beautiful of all zones, but probably with the lowest chance of tiger sightings.

We sighted wild boars below our treehouse when we were there - we were about to walk down to the dining room, and heard a lot of rusting in the brush. Figured out that it was a boar or mongoose or a clumsy bear (cats are always silent). Shone the torch around and finally saw the boar.

I have heard stories of bears and tigers paying a visit to the pond.

Yes sir. Your TL was very helpful. So the stories told by the boys in the tree house is true!! Yes, the boys have confirmed hearing the roar of tiger around the pond at night.

Originally Posted by abheekg

Lovely story unfolding. Bring it on. Will love to see my backyard - Pench through your perspective.

Dr. A Ghosh

Thanks Abheek. We missed you iin Pench. The boys - Tejas and Parag - are fantastic.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Looks like you took a flight this time for a change, instead of your scorpio. Mind blowing travelogue and waiting for many more pictures from this trip, also, I must be the umpteenth guy on this thread to tell you I too had not heard of this place earlier.

The tree house hideaway looks rustic yet seems to be aptly endowed with the necessary amenities. Thanks a lot for sharing this. I'll put this place on my must-visit list. For now, I am eagerly awaiting pics of your chase to spot sher khan.

Thanks Karthik. Wifey did not have shut down like us and hence have to take flight. Yes, Tree house is VFM - though little expensive compared to others.

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Too Good, appears that you have 3 TL being updated side by side. Always envied you for the choice of hotels/restaurants where you usually put up. Have a very good taste for life to say the least
Awaiting your next updates...

Thanks Mahesh. Nice to hear you enjoyed reading it.

Originally Posted by amitwlele

Wonderful snaps sir. I am really surprised how you were able to spot and capture the Owl in the camouflage?

Now waiting for the sun 'n' sand.

Thanks Amit. New year in Goa was an experience itself. Hope i will not disappoint you - from Animal watching to Human watching

[Fauji]

Goa and New year seems be "Made for each other". Every year, people complain about the maddening crowds during this time and still everyone wants to go there. I don't know what kind of pull the place has. Is it the bindas culture of the place or liquor or awesome food or the beautiful beaches or simply the crowd? I don't have an answer but i feel it is the combination of all.

Having been posted for a year in Goa in early nineties - the best of my army postings - i have been a frequent visitor to the place like a pilgrim almost every year. I have been to many places on the Goan coast and explored it while i was posted there. But, i always avoided new year time fearing the crowds which has only increased to unmanageable proportions in recent times.

The idea of going to Goa for new year had been hanging for quite sometime among my friends. Knowing these folks very well, we always knew that the guys will not decide till the eleventh hour. It is like they say in Kannada " Kappe Thakkadiyalli Hakida Haange" meaning "Placing frogs on a weighing machine"!!! You will never get consensus and everyone comes up their own ideas.

Happened this time too and so we had resigned that we will plan to go on our own this time. Our idea was to see and enjoy the festive fervour in Goa and also have some fun. We were also clear that we will not to North Goa but to Southern tip. We had asked Mr. Clement of Dwarka Goa in Agonda to block the place and waited for others to confirm.

We get down from the plane from Nagpur and i receive the spurt of messages from folks saying that they are all game for GOA!! But what about accomodation? It is 28 Dec and these guys hope to get accomodation for New Year in Goa!! I tell them to forget it and tell them let me try with Clement if there is any place in his resort.

I call up Clement and he asks me for 24 hours time as he has blocked couple of rooms for a group. We keep our fingers crossed and start looking at other places as well. The answer is negative everywhere. We hope Clement will give us the good news next day.

Around 10 AM next day, i get a call from Clement saying that two rooms are available apart from the one blocked by us. We are four couples and again we are not sure who will finally make it. I give deadline to the folks to confirm by afternoon and finally two couples including us make it!! The others have their own excuses and we don't wait for them anymore. We pay advance amount.

Wife can not take leave on Friday, 30th Dec which means that we can leave only on the morning of 31 Dec. The other friend who is already touring in North Karnataka goes there on 30 Dec itself from his in-laws place in Hubli.

We plan to leave early so that we can reach Dwarka for Lunch. The BHPians have already confirmed that NH4 - NH 63 is the best combination for South Goa.

Alarm rings and it is 4.30 AM. Hot cuppa and hot showers wake us up and we are on the NICE road at 5.30 AM.

Total Distance - 650 KMs
Departure time -5.30 AM (Bangalore)
Arrival time - 2.30 PM (Agonda)
Road condition - Excellent throughout expect for two KMs on the Ghat sections in Yellapur which is broken at curves but doable
Breaks – Davanagere for Breakfast 30 Minutes and for clicking pictures on the way
Max speed - 130 KMPH
Best stretches – All through



Our plan is to drive straight to Davanagere and have "Benne Dose" (Butter Dosa) at Kottureshwara opposite BDT Dental college. We are in front of the hotel at 8.40 and after enjoying the dose, we are back on NH 4.

The road is a breeze and we drive through beautifu forest of yellapur. We stop at many places to enjoy the beauty of nature and click pictures. It is sad that Navy has put up a compound wall which blocks beautiful views of the sea we used to enjoy between Karwar and Ankola earlier.

Let me take you through the road in pictures

Windmills near Chitradurga glowing in Morning sun. I had seen them during sun set. They looked lovely at sun rise.





Sunflowers in all glowry near Kalghatgi. Sunflower fields in North Karnataka are always joy to behold. More so if one has a DSLR!!









The beautiful bay near Ankola



A boat on the Karwar sea



Karwar beach



Karwar harbour - Notice the light house in the background



Devbagh beach as seen from Kali bridge. One of the most beautiful beaches in the country.









Western Ghats and Kali river - As seen from Kali bridge. No doubt that Karwar and Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka is the most picturesque place. Gurudev Ravindranath Tagore had spent a week recuperating in Karwar.





Houseboats on Kali river - new addition!!



Boat on the waters of Kali



Islands off Karwar coast



The road till Dwarka is breeze and we are in the resort at 2.45 PM intime for lunch.

To be continued - Exploring Goa during New Year!!

[DieselDestiny]

Neat pics of the Karnatake coast Capt. Guess you guys made it into Goa just as we were leaving the place.

As for the Rabindranth Tagore beach, from what I have heard, Tagore started his composition of Geetanjali from this place!! Not sure how authentic this is though.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by DieselDestiny

Neat pics of the Karnatake coast Capt. Guess you guys made it into Goa just as we were leaving the place.

As for the Rabindranth Tagore beach, from what I have heard, Tagore started his composition of Geetanjali from this place!! Not sure how authentic this is though.

Thanks Sandeep. We were looking out for your Laura but could not see you.

Regarding Tagore's connection with Karwar, you are correct. He visited Karwar as 21 year old and was mesmerised by the beauty of the place. In fact he has devoted one full chapter on Karwar in his memoirs. His stay in Karwar definitely inspired all his future works including "Gitanjali".

[sumathindra]

Great drivologues Fauji, we spoke about this. You keep inspiring me every time however due to professional commitments just cannot hit the road

I must say some good pictures as well. What gear do you use for the photography?

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by sumathindra

Great drivologues Fauji, we spoke about this. You keep inspiring me every time however due to professional commitments just cannot hit the road

I must say some good pictures as well. What gear do you use for the photography?

Thank you Sumathindra. We are using DSLR Nikon D3100 with Kit lens 18-55 MM and also zoom lens 70-300 MM.

[Fauji]

South Goa beyond Mabor - where Leela beach is located - is a secluded paradise. Few years back, only locals knew of these spots till National Geographic listed Palolem amongst top ten beaches in the world. Rest, like they say is history! I had visited Palolem before NG came up with the list and it was pristine and lovely. After NG, Palolem haas become crowded but still a better place. But, there are small nooks in this stretch where one can really enjoy the quiet solitude.

Thanks to the rugged terrain and shore line regulations, no permanant structures are allowed on this stretch and stay options are either in tents or tatched huts which are erected every year around October and then removed in April.

One such place we had read about sometime ago was Dwarka. The website looks fabulous and location excellent. We had planned to go last March but could not. Clement Rodrigues who runs the place is a amiable guy. Finally we made it to Dwarka for the New Year. The place is located at the confluence of Cola river on the Cola beach. For a KM, the road is rocky and cars with low GC will have to be carefull.

www.dwarkagoa.com

I also found the neighbouring property - Blue Lagoon - also to be decent. It has Rajasthani tents as accomadation. They also have a Kayak.

www.bluelagoongoa.com

First look of Dwarka - The Cola river splits the poperty into two with a small bridge joining the banks. The fresh water river can be used for swimming and Kayaking. Notice the Tached huts for staying. The huts are comfortable with clean bathrooms with shower.









Lunch and resting done, we plan our itenaray for the evening. Anup and Shalini who had come a day earlier had gone to Baga the prevous day and were stuck in traffic for four hours one way. The recommendtaion was simple. Avoid North Goa for celebrating new year and Palolem was chosen as the place.

We change to swimming dress and hit the beach around 4. 30 PM - it is hot before that. We play around in the lovely beach, watch beautiful sunset and get ready to go Palolem. The idea is to eat some thing before we go so that we dont have to feel hungry there. A quick bite and we go to Palolem around 9 PM. Anup advise us not to take the DSLR - a big mistake - beacause of huge crowds. We carry Sony point and shoot.

Cola beach from the top (Taken from the Weblink)



The pristine and unspoilt beach - All for yourself!!







The neighbouring property is dressed up for New year



Synchronised swiming in the river?



What is this? A surreal picture straight out of horror movies!!





Beautiful sunset over Arabian sea. We were fortunate that it was not a cloudy over the horizon.











The distance from Dwarka to Palolem is ten KMs and goes through winding ghat road. The crowd is already gathering and cops have established road blocks. This means that we have to park the car a KM away from the beach where the party will unfold tonight. We get a startegic place and park the car so that there is no hinderance to take it out in the morning.

There is no power and the whole place is pitch dark. We ask for the way and make it to the beach in torch light. The beach is buzzing with activity. Shacks are decorated colourfully and music is on. We see live band playing on the beach and generally people are in "Good Mood". Bubbly is flowing freely. We walk on the beach watching people and finally settle down in one of the shacks at 11 PM for some bubbly and eats. The crowd is large and we can make out that most of the crowd is local.

The count down begins and everyone is excited.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one and boom.......the fire works lit up the dark sky. It is specacular as the complete beach is lit up in colourful lights.









Palolem being a long and horse shoe shaped beach, we witness the fireworks and revelry on the complete stretch of beach. We wish each other "Happy new Year". The fire works continue and we hit the dance floor. Everyone is having fun.

We round up around 4 AM and walk back to the parking area. Being the one driving the Scopio, i have made sure that i dont guzzle bubbly much. As we walk back, we can see many revellers lying on the sand in bliss as if there is no tomorrow!!!

We hit bed around 4.30 AM. We have a tryst with Dolphin the next day morning around 11 AM. Do we wake up in time?

To be continued - Dolphin spotting, Good old Benaulim and driving around Colva

[Fauji]

Yes. Blame on the alarm. We do get up in time for our Dolphin spotting. A quick breakfast and we walk to the beach to hop into a boat. Our boatman - Purushottam - is a enthusiastic guy and is eagerly waiting to show us the dolphins.

We get into the motor boat and start sailing. This is the first time i have sailed in sea and it is a weird feeling. The boat sail way from the shore and the beach looks tiny. The rocking action of the boat and the fact that the depth is several hundred feet is really scary. We are not wearing any life jacket either. Of course the sea is calm and we start enjoying our boat ride. We are now waiting to spot the dolphin.

Shorescapes as we drift on the sea







Purushottam is positive that we will spot them. He had seen them on the previous day. It is more than ten minutes and we dont see any. Will this be a repeat of Pench and Bandhavgarh? Will we be lucky to spot one or it will be elusive? We are keeping our fingers crossed..

Suddenly Purushottam shouts and ask us to look left and we see a huge dolphin taking a dip in the sea. It comes up and vanishes for few seconds and again surfaces. It is exciting to watch this animal which is supposed to be very intelligent. Why is is not jumping into the air, i ask Purushottam. He says it is hunting for food now and will not do that. We follow it and take a closer look through the bino i am carrying. But we are not lucky to click the face as the animal comes up for few seconds to take a breath and go back into the water.

Dolphin spotted!!





Dolphin spotting done, we now enjoy the ride and Pursuhottam takes us close to Agonda and other beaches. We see the "Meditative Man", the stone formation carved by the waves to look like a man in meditation.

Meditative Man - This is a lovely sculpture carved by the waves!!





Agonda beach as seen from the boat



We return back to Dwarka and check out. Our plan is to go to Dandeli from here and spend a day and then to Bangalore. My phone rings and i get a call from another long lost army friend - Col Haran. After a slew of army galis on the phone i get an "order" to come to his home and spend the night there. Do i have a choice? NO. Dandeli dropped and we head to Military camp in Navelim in Madgaon (the same place where i was posted in early nineties).

We want to go Benaulim in the evening and spend some time there. We - Haran joins us - leave the military camp and go to Benaulim via Colva road and through Madgaon city after having a bite at the famous "Black forest" @ the icon of Madgaon, Longuinos. All the crowd seems to have vanished or they are too tired to get up from the binge of the previous day, the traffic is easy. We stop on the way to savour the Christmas fervour which in full swing with road side installations of scenes of Jesus's birth, Santa claus etc. The churches are washed in white and glow in the evening sun. Houses are decorated with stars and colour lights which should be lit up at night.

An Installation on Colva road



Santa, Santa everywhere!!





The fully decked up church somewhere between Colva and Benaulim



Holy Cross - This was possibly the best shot of the evening. The setting was perfect. Scattered clouds and the holy cross on a pedestal giving a feeling of "Soaring into the sky".



Benaulim - Varca - Cavallosim - Mabor beaches were our regular haunts when i was posted in Goa. Benaulim specailly has its own charm. The beach is fantastic. It is not as crowded as Colva and not as deserted as Varca/Mabor. The good old Domnic's restuarant is still on the beach. We walk around watching people, clicking pictures of activities on the beach. Brinda wanted to do some portraits and she is having a field day. Beach is a excellent place to click. The innocence of kids, the bonding of parents, simple curiosity of village folk who have come to Goa for first time, youngsters enjoing water sports......human watching can be an interesting activity!!

Sights on Benaulim Beach

The Beach



Paragliding





Keeping an eye on happennings!!



Bondings are forever!!

Father and Daughter





Father and Son



Boy with the ball



Indian family on the beach





Boy with the bike - Look at concentration on his face!



Girl on the beach building her sand castle - Look at concentration on her face!



Family Man!!




After spending time in Dominic's and savouring some good eats and bubbly, we go for a drive around Colva - Benaulim in the villages to see the colourful houses. we are not dissapointed as we drive through roads flanked on the either side by houses decorated beautifully.

Decorations everywhere!!









We are back in Navelim and the night is still young for army guys....especiilly when you meet your firend after twenty years!!!

To Be continued - Driving back home, surprises at Cancona!!

[amitwlele]

@Fauji Sir - Great captures of sun and sand.

Benaulim beach seemed to be very crowded. Not surprising though. But the pic reminded me of Juhu Beach in Mumbai over the weekend

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

@Fauji Sir - Great captures of sun and sand.

Benaulim beach seemed to be very crowded. Not surprising though. But the pic reminded me of Juhu Beach in Mumbai over the weekend

Thanks Amit. You are right. Being New Year and Sunday, Benaulim was crowded. Otherwise, it is a better option than Colva which is part of sightseeing places of "Package tourists" and always crowded.

[gd1418]

Fantastic travelogue that brought back memories of my own trip to these places, except Goa, in April 2011. Dunno how this thread missed my attention.

I too had heard this when I took my MP trip in April. And sadly didn't see any in B'garh. But I proved this saying wrong by having wonderful sightings in Pench & Kanha. And not to mention the innumerable fantastic sightings in Sariska - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-quenched.html

Originally Posted by Fauji

I always heard that if you don't see tigers in Bandhavgarh, you will never see them anywhere.

I've tried to identify and name some. Birdies & birdwatchers, please correct me if wrong.

Originally Posted by Fauji

I don't know the names of the birds and any BHPians on the forum can help in giving the names. Birds, Birds everywhere.....where is the tiger???

Common Indian Hoopoe

Attachment 874460

Red vented Bulbul

Attachment 874463

Jungle Babbler

Attachment 874464

Don't know??

Attachment 874465

Green Honey-bee Eater

Attachment 874466

White throated Kingfisher

Attachment 874467

Black Drongo

Attachment 874468

Looks like the Indian Roller or the Blue Jay

Attachment 874469

Rocket-tailed Drongo

Attachment 874470

Changeable Hawk Eagle

Attachment 874471

Indian Roller or Blue Jay

Attachment 874472

Shrike - rare sighting

Attachment 874473

Brown Fish Owl

Attachment 874474

Don't know?

Attachment 874475

Babloo, amazing driver and spotter. I can never forget him. And a small correction Fauji; my trip was in April 2011. And thank you for the compliment..

Originally Posted by Fauji

We ask Tejas, Babloo and Parag to join us for dinner. We spend a quite evening chatting about jungle tales from the three blokes. The boys were telling how Gurudutt (GD1418) were lucky when they went for drive immediately after the showers in October. GD has captured it beautifully in his TL

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...gurgaon-7.html

[Coooolcat21]

Sir,
An amazing TL again! Thank You for treating us to such beautiful trips you often do and take us around with such great detail thru your TLs.
Regards

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by gd1418

Fantastic travelogue that brought back memories of my own trip to these places, except Goa, in April 2011. Dunno how this thread missed my attention.

I too had heard this when I took my MP trip in April. And sadly didn't see any in B'garh. But I proved this saying wrong by having wonderful sightings in Pench & Kanha. And not to mention the innumerable fantastic sightings in Sariska - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-quenched.html



I've tried to identify and name some. Birdies & birdwatchers, please correct me if wrong.


Babloo, amazing driver and spotter. I can never forget him. And a small correction Fauji; my trip was in April 2011. And thank you for the compliment..

GD Sir....Thank you so much for naming the birds. We all envied you and Abheek while driving around in Pench!!! What you did not see in B'garh was compensated in Pench!!! Ofcoures in Sariska too. Thanks for all your nice TLs.

Originally Posted by Coooolcat21

Sir,
An amazing TL again! Thank You for treating us to such beautiful trips you often do and take us around with such great detail thru your TLs.
Regards

Thank you Coooolcat. I am just watching "Wild life addictions" going from strength to strength. What we missed seeing in Pench we are seeing through that. Thanks so much.

[Fauji]

We get up early and after a cup of tea with my friend, get ready to leave Madgaon as soon as possible. He insists that we have breakfast and then go and i don't take his gauntlet. The aim is to leave at least by 8 AM so that we can beat the traffic on the highway which generally picks up after 9 AM. The roads in Goa are narrow. After 8.30 two wheelers population virtually occupy the highways which invariably go through towns.

Total Distance - 670 KMs
Departure time -8 AM (Madgaon)
Arrival time - 9.30 PM (Bangalore)
Road condition - Excellent throughout expect for two KMs on the Ghat sections in Yellapur which is broken at curves but doable
Breaks – Lalit hotel, Cancona (2 Hours) and Davanagere for Dosa break (30 Minutes)
Max speed - 130 KMPH
Best stretches – All through




We bid good bye to Col Haran at 8 AM and hit the highway straight after crossing the railway overbridge at Madgaon. The traffic seems to be picking up and we manage to get good speeds. The aim is to reach Cancona and have breakfast at The Lalit which has a fabulous spread. Good breakfast means that we can drive straight without stopping for lunch and have dosa at Davanagere later in the afternoon.

As we enter the road leading to Lalit, we can see posters of Lalit cup football tournament. An announcer on a nicely decorated truck is announcing that there is an exhibition "Cycle Polo" match today. We reach Lalit around 9.30 Am to be greeted by clourful flags and baloons all around. I ask the staff what this is all about and they say that there will be a tableaux procession sponsored by Lalit through the streets of Cancona ending in Palolem ebach. This year the celebrations and tableux are in the honour of Mario Miranda.

Ready for Celebrations!!
















We could see the folk dancers getting ready and the teams getting ready with their tabluex. The whole atmosphere is very colourful and vibrant as they were waiting for the General manager to innagurate the function. we captured some momnets and moved into the retauranat for the breakfast.

Lalit in Cancona is built in Portuguese architecture and reminds you of a huge Potuguese palace. After a sumptous breakfast, we want to explore the beach and also check out the rooms.

Lovely rooms in Lalit



Rajbag beach on which Lalit is located is fabulous. Pristine and almost like a private beach, it must rank as one of the prettiest beaches in Goa along with Palolem and Agonda. We walk around the beach and check out the rooms. Thr rooms are very spacious and really good. Hopefully should stay here sometime provided we get some huge discounts

Rajbag beach





We leave Lalit around 11.30 AM. The drive from Cancona is comfortable as usual via Karwar - Hubli - Davanagere - Chitradurga. We stop again at Davanagere for Benne Dose - butter Masala dosa - at Kottureshwara. We are back in Bangalore by 9.30 PM.

So, it was a hectic Christmas/New Year week for us. Hopping from jungles to sands, from chilly 1 degree Bandhavgarh to warm and sunny Goa. On the way we saw some fabulous jungles, amazing wild life, mesmerisng marble rocks, yuletide fervour and chilled out atmosphere in Goa.

A memorable week well spent as we stepped into the new year!!

[Fauji]

Few Tips on Goa - Especially for Newbies (Goa veterans can add more)

a) South Goa - after Beanulim - is meant for Quiet beach Holidays. Except for Palolem - which has become a sort of crowded of late - you may not get opportunities for water sports.

b) If you are a person who needs lot of action, then North Goan beaches are the best. Choose any between Anjuna - Calagute - Baga - Vagator - Arambol. Of the lot, Baga is strategically located with many discos, eating places etc.

Here is a map depicting beaches of Goa

Goa Beaches Map, Beaches in Goa

c) There are other things to do in Goa apart from Sun, Sand and fenny!!

Don't miss - Churches in Old Goa, Sunset River cruise on Santa Maria, Heritage Goan houses in Chandor, Hindu temples in Mangeshi/Ponda, Dudhsagar Waterfalls, Dona Paula, Goan food in Ritz and Panjim Inn, wander around in Latin quarters in Fontainhas - I am not sure whether there are any heritage walks in Goa, Flea market in Anjuna, Local markets in Mapusa/Madgaon, Wild life sanctuaries, Museums, Climb Chapora fort near Vagator for beautiful views of Arabian sea, go for a Konkani concert/play in Kala Academy in Panjim, join a football match in rural goa if you are good in the game!

d) Avoid Christmas/New year time as far as possible if you want a quiet beach holiday. Rates will be very high and all beaches will be crowded. If you really want to celebrate new year in Goa - it is an experience no doubt - then go ahead and book well in advance in a place which is very close to the beach so that you don't have to worry about traffic and parking.

e) Hire a Bike. It is convenient and help you explore the place easily.

f) Goa and Goans are very friendly and hospitable. Don't take advantage of it and become a nuisance.

g) Be aware of strangers and hawkers while on the beach.

h) We all know liquor is cheap in Goa. Don't drink and drive. Don't drink and dive into sea!!

i) You have stay options suiting all budgets. Try and stay in nice, exclusive places which are value for money.

j) If you are a "Pastry freak", Panjim has many places to satiate your desires. Explore it.

To sum up, Goa should not be hurried up. It is to be enjoyed slowly and leisurely .