[arnabchak]

NH 17 is notorious.
That's what they told me.
That's what I told my wife Sanchari.
And That's what I told my little Ishaan.

What do I get in reply.
"Achcha Baba, Cholo" from little Ishaan.

Very simply translating the Bengali, "Let's GO Baba".

To Goa. A place of sand, surf and sun.
A long deserved break from the mundane day to day of Mumbai Corporate Life".

The land of the revered "3 Kings Church", the haunted.
The land of the beaches
The land of pristine while sand, kissed by Golden Sun
The land of warm heart people.
The land of Bliss.

[arnabchak]

Goa Trips has always beckoned.

Marriage crossing the 7 year itch and the travel bug is all the more itchy now.
In all these years of stay in Mumbai wifey has never been to this bliss place.

So, it was time and what a time it was!!

Day 1

Took my trusted Wagon R, stuffed it with stuff and luggages, filled up the CNG, first at Thane, then at Vashi and finally before hitting the NH17 at Panvel.

Start Time: 400 am.
Start Date: 6th March 2015

Panvel CNG bunk had a full 220 psi pressure and ensured that the gas is truly "topped up".

The CNG ran out in a great range. After crossing Chiplun 270 kms from the place I filled the Gas.

Vada Pav Stop before switching to petrol.
The Drive was fantastic to say the least, being Holi, the roads were less crowded.

Speed was brisk but not risky. About 80-90 kmph with no dangerous or blind overtakes. And I was in the land of the sand, much faster than I had envisioned.

I touched Mapusa, where I was to stay and call my home for the next 5 days!!



I had booked a bungalow in Uccassim from office. The house, though far from the beach was at a quiet location, complete with kitchen and all creature house comforts.







After reaching, we took an hour rest and went to Calangute beach for a quiet evening.
Slept early after a light dinner.

Day 2:

All the major beaches were covered here.
Goa is famous for its beaches and shacks.

First in line , Anjuna.


Ishaan having fun at Anjuna




Other Beaches visited:
Baga, Vagator.

Infact, we spent a great deal of time at the beaches and enjoyed the nice breeze and the beach beds.



Khichdi for Ishaan at Shack

Some random Beach Pics

BTW, before hitting the beaches, we had gone to the Mapusa Market.
Got some big fresh prawns and King fish(Surmai) fillets.

Priced reasonably too @ Rs. 500/- per kg of big prawns and Rs. 300/- for 8 big pieces of Surmai.

Marinated them in Ginger Garlic Paste, Lemon and Racheido Paste(goan marinade) and kept in the fridge. To be consumed as rawa fry in dinner!!

After the beaches, returned home and wife cooked some khichdi for little Ishaan who managed to not eat any of the stuff offered to him.

Once he was off to sleep, we had a feast.
Fantastic or divine would have been an understatement.

No rice or chapatis were required.
Sleep was instantaneous post that!!

DAY 3

Vasco and nearby locations(other than Old Goa).
Vasco is located some distance from the main city Panaji.

It is famous for a few churches and the infamously haunted 3 kings Church.



Vasco Church

The 3 kings church is situated at Cuelim hill.The church is famous for the feast of 3 kings celebrated every year on 6th Janaury.

It is said that long time ago there were 3 portuguese kings living in goa.they often used to fight to gain power in the land but they were tied by the portuguese diplomacy between rulers policy.one of the kings(king holger alvunger) one day invited the other two kings in his place and poisoned them to death.he himself fell out with the public and commited suicide by consuming poison.king holgers place is the current 3 kings church in goa,where there have been reports of sightings and general unrest.
(Source: http://goalifeculture.blogspot.in/20...-cansulim.html)


Haunted place or not, the view is awesome.


The Church in all its Glory



Panaji Market and Church

Being a Sunday, most of the shops in the market were closed.
Yet, could buy the famous Goan Dessert- Bibinca and Dodol.

This was followed by a visit to the Panjim Church:

Panjim Church

Ishaan and the Church in the background

We visited the Vagator beach and enjoyed the beautiful and refreshing sea breeze.
Dinner was at Starlight, a restaurant we really loved on the Calangute-Arpora Road and consisted of Calamiri Fry and sea food.

DAY 4
A very productive, informative and fruitful day.
OLD Goa:

En Route to Old Goa


(Source: Wikipedia)
Old Goa (Konkani:[FONT=&quot]पोरणें[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]गोंय[/FONT], Pornnem Goem, Adlem Gõi, Goeam) or Velha Goa (Velha means "old" in Portuguese) is a historical city in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. The city was constructed by the Bijapur Sultanate in the 15th century, and served as capital of Portuguese India from the 16th century until its abandonment in the 18th century due to a plague. It is said to have once been a city of nearly 200,000 where from, before the plague, the Portuguese traded across continents. The remains of the city are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Old Goa is approximately 10 kilometres east of the state capital Panjim.


Church of St Assissi Goa:





Se Cathedral


(Continued in Next Post)

[//M]

Wow arnab sir. Nice write-up.

I was there in Goa during the Holi weekend too. I believe March is a good time to visit Goa, the temperatures are not really that humid, the evenings are beautiful, the best part is that since March is the examination month in most schools, the crowd is also less. I have never seen Baga Beach with a more livelier crowd ever. And the Agonda Beach was so pristine, thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Goa this time.

Waiting for more pics !

[arnabchak]

Se Cathedral

This small church stands just behind the Cathedral of St. Assissi.



Basiilica of Bom Jesus
The world famous church is also one of the oldest churches in Goa.
It is categorised as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

The construction of the church began in 1595 and was completed in 1605.
The body of St. Xavier is kept here.
St Xavier died in 1552.


St. Xavier(whose body is kept in Basilica Bom Jesus since the last 460 years)



St. Augestine Ruins
The church was constructed in 1602 by Augustinian friars who had arrived in Old Goa in 1587. It was abandoned in 1835, mostly due to the repressive policies of the Portuguese government that resulted in the eviction of many religious orders from Goa.

[COLOR=#000000]
(Source: Lonely Planet)







[/COLOR]

St Cajetan Church

My personal Favourite church in Goa.
The beautiful Roman Architecture and the pristine white colour is simply breathtaking.
Located behind the Basilica of Bom Jesus and near the Viceroy's Arch, Old Goa.








Majorda Beach
Visited the Majorda Beach and had lunch.
Wifey loved the Bali feel of the beach and I tend to agree as this happens to be my favourite beach in Goa.



Ishaan at its Naughty Best






Fort Aguada

I can safely say the only disappointment of the popular tourist places in Goa.




the View fro Aguada is beautiful.


Day 5

We decided to keep this day simple and just visited the Calangute and Candolim Beach, a small drive through the village roads and a good lunc at Starlight of Calamiri Fry and Seafish Special Thali that included Surmai, Crabs, Squids and Prawns!!

Random Snaps of Calangute and Candolim








Day of Return

The plan was to start for Mumbai at about 400 am.
the night before ended late.

Packing and talking and revisiting everything we did over the last few days in Goa and the clock was at close to 100am.

We eventually started at 800 am.

Decided to take a surprise turn and a short visit to Ganpatipule.
Sanchari was overjoyed and Ishaan was ecstatic!!

Icing on the cake or call it God's Will.
We reached and had a terrific Darshan at the temple followed by the Temple Bhog prasad of Khichdi. Filling and fulfilling!!







We reached Chiplun at about 1800 hours and decided to call it a day here rather than risking the NH17 at night with wife and kids.

Had little sleep last night and booked into a decent hotel in Chiplun.

Had some great maharastrian Jevan- Mutton Bhakri for wife and Mutton Vade for me.

Started for Mumbai next day morning and reached home, safely.

Experience was fantastic.
Memories that wil last a lifetime
Now, to look forward to another such gem of a holiday.

Who ever says Goa is over rated, just back pack and enjoy the small nuances this small hamlet can offer.
Be off beat and go off beat.

Just remember-" God resides in Small things"

A parting shot :


Some Auto stuff:

My Steed:


Total Kms travelled: 1750

Kms. Covered in CNG- 271
Kg. of CNG Consumed- 8.04 kgs

Mileage Achieved in CNG: 33.71 kms/kg

Kms. covered in Petrol: 1480
Total Lts. Consumed: 80.39

Mileage achieved in Petrol: 18.41 kmpl

Tyres: Nitrogen at 33 psi.

[saket77]

Great log Arnab! So finally the Goa trip has materialized and in what a way! Amazing pictures and nice narration. Thanks for sharing it with us!

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by saket77

Great log Arnab! So finally the Goa trip has materialized and in what a way! Amazing pictures and nice narration. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Hi Saket. Thanks!!

Yeah, it finally materialized and as promised the Travelogue.
It was sheer bliss, the last week.

Thoroughly enjoyed and looking for more!!!

Its like " Pet Bhar gaya par bhookh nahi gayi"

[JohnnyBoss]

Nice write up and pictures!
Please share more information on your stay.

[sumeethaldankar]

Hello,

Nice write up and pics. How is the condition of NH17 ? When i used to go to my native (Vengurla) we would find the highway potholed ridden upto Chiplun and would smoothen out after that. Is it the same case still or the potholes have exceeded even beyond Chiplun ? Hope you enjoyed the ghat section especially Parshumram and Kashedi.

Thanks

[fiesta1.6]

Nice photos and narration. It would be good if you could write something about the place you stayed. Also, how was the weather?

[arnabchak]

@Johny Boss/Fiesta
The stay was at Ucassim.
The bungalow is soe distance from the beaches-Calangute is approx. 10 kms away.

We booked the "smaller" room that comprised of a living room with a coffee table for dining, a large bedroom and a kitchen.
It is air conditioned and the stay was comfortable.

Rent per day was a nominal Rs. 1100/- all Inclusive.

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Hello,

Nice write up and pics. How is the condition of NH17 ? When i used to go to my native (Vengurla) we would find the highway potholed ridden upto Chiplun and would smoothen out after that. Is it the same case still or the potholes have exceeded even beyond Chiplun ? Hope you enjoyed the ghat section especially Parshumram and Kashedi.

Thanks

The road condition of NH 17 is good.
Some diversions till Nagothane and then through and through clear roads.
The toll is minimal- Just Rs. 10/- all the way till Goa and Rs. 250/- entry charge at Goa

Enjoyed the Ghats thoroughly though my current steed-Wagon R is not a ghat cruncher compared to my earlier scorcher the Ford Ikon, that simple devoured ghats for breakfast

[sudev]

Nice.

Is 33psi recommended pressure? I would feel that is bit high. Unless needed over inflation would be giving you rough ride.

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by sudev

Nice.

Is 33psi recommended pressure? I would feel that is bit high. Unless needed over inflation would be giving you rough ride.

Dear Sudev

33psi is the recommended pressure as per MSIL Wagon R's manual.
The mileage achieved in the same pressure was superlative.

[RM Motorsports]

Thats nice.

I was in Goa for Holi weekend. Although I had taken a flight, my next trip will definitely be by road. You mentioned your start time was 4 am. What time did you reach Goa ?

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

Thats nice.

I was in Goa for Holi weekend. Although I had taken a flight, my next trip will definitely be by road. You mentioned your start time was 4 am. What time did you reach Goa ?

Hi RM.

Would have been great if we could meet in Goa!!
I reached by 1530 hrs at Mapusa.
Being Holi, the NH 17 was relatively empty and the journey was brisk.

Only two major halts- 15 mins for Breakfast and about 30 mins for Lunch.