[darklord]

This year when we friends were planning for our yearly trip together, the unanimous choice was a visit to our college in Bhatkal. Threw in a detour to Kollur Mookambika Temple and an extension to Goa and our destinations were finalized.

All of us like our vacations to be road trips, but nobody was willing to drive the length of Kerala given the insane traffic, monsoon, and the widening work along the entire stretch. The newly allocated Vande Bharat came along to our rescue. It was decided that me and one friend (W) would board from Kollam, another friend (T) will join in from Shoranur and we will alight at Kannur where another friend (S) will pick us up in his brother's car and begin our road trip from then on.

A couple of highlight collages:




Day 1:
Vande Bharat departs Kollam at 0610, and we were there by 0530 itself. The amount of rain that we witnessed for the next half an hour was insane and made us question the viability of our trip itself. We prayed to the weather gods to be kind to us for the next 4-1/2 days.

Raging rain at QLN:


TVC-KGQ Vande Bharat Express arrived on the dot despite the inclement weather:


This speed was attained in the blink of an eye:


We were provided with a bottle of water, a newspaper, and tea and biscuits:


An hour later, breakfast arrived:


Train pulled into ERN at 0824:


By 10, we were crossing the Shoranur railway bridge:


Third member of our group, T, boarded from SRR.

Once VB left SRR, the speed went up like this:


This speed was more or less maintained on open stretches throughout the rest of our travel. On the dot at the scheduled arrival time of 1203, we reached Kannur:


The train resumed on towards Kasaragod:


We waited for S to arrive outside the station, happy that we were at our destination in less than half the time it would have taken via road:


S arrived in a couple of minutes to pick us up in his brother's i20. The first order of business was to have lunch since T (as always) was already hungry. S, a native, began the drive to a restaurant of his choice:


Lunch:





After finishing the lunch, we began our drive towards Kollur:


Thankfully, after the pouring rain at Kollam, we had little rains throughout. We were hoping to reach Kollur before closure time, have darshan and was planning to reach Bhatkal by 10 or so. Alternatively, we planned to stay at Kollur itself if we were unable to reach before temple closure time.

With the agenda set, the drive was on:

[darklord]

All along NH-66 construction work to convert to 6 lane was underway:


Completed minor stretches like these give hope that Trivandrum-Kasaragod distance could be covered in well under 10 hours in the near future:


Approached Kanhangad by 2:45 p.m:


As we approached Kasaragod:


Passed Manjeshwar a little after 4:


Crossed into Karnataka at 4:15 p.m:


Roads changed for the better and signboards kept showing our destinations for the trip:



Past Kundapura and approached the detour to Kollur a little after 6:


Initially as we took the road to Kollur, the surface appeared good:


Soon, the surface deteriorated:


Then the road narrowed a bit, but the surface returned to being okay:


Caught this beautiful sunset as we approached Kollur Arch:


We continued on:


Pretty soon, we were at the arch of Kollur Temple:



Souparnika River had just enough water for a dip despite it being late June:


We had a quick dip and reached the temple by 7:30 p.m:


There was quite a big queue, but we had a good darshan. After performing poojas and purchasing prasads to take back home, we finished our temple visit and had dinner from a restaurant nearby. We decided to stick to our original plan and drove to Bhatkal and found accommodation by 10:

[darklord]

Day 2:
We woke up early. The plan for the day was for a quick visit to our college and our favorite hangout spots in Bhatkal and to drive on to Goa by noon. We already had made bookings through AirBnB for a property at Vagator for two nights.

First spot we visited was the railway station. W clicking our college high up in the hills:


Our college:



Konkan Railway stations have a different look in the rainy season:


MAO-MAQ MEMU arriving at BTJL:


We clicked a few more photos and bid goodbye:


It was just past 8:30 and T had already complained a dozen times that he was hungry. We went to one of our favorite breakfast spots and found that it had shut down. We soon found another one still functioning and had a sumptuous breakfast while ruminating memories a couple of decades old:




After breakfast, we headed to Kadavinakatte Dam, a small check dam:





While we were there, a slight drizzle began and we quickly headed to the college.

Stopped to click the Bhatkal railway tunnel:


We reached the entrance to the college:


The college looked like a ghost of its own past. So quiet that we thought it was a holiday. The corridors were mostly empty:


Met a few longtime staff who said the college had just a few students compared to when we were there.

We clicked a few pics:






We left the classrooms behind and walked to the hostel, which cut an even sorrier figure, from having 1000+ inhabitants to just 40 now. Save for one, all hostel blocks were completely shut down:


It was a heartbreaking sight to see. Memories spilled over, the hustle and bustle, and now this eeriness. We clicked a few more pics and beat a hasty retreat:



Will it survive for us to have another visit is the question that we kept asking ourselves.

We visited the Gulf Bazaar area of Old Bhatkal for a bit of shopping.

We next visited another watering hole for a meal that doubled up as lunch:






We bid our goodbye to Bhatkal at 1:30:


Next stop, Vagator.

[darklord]

Once past Bhatkal, where the NH-66 widening was stuck (now resumed), the road returned to the 4-lane width. Near Shirali:


The road continued to be good and pleasant as we moved towards Murudeshwar:




We soon reached the detour to Murudeshwar Temple:




We approached the temple and only paused long enough in the parking lot to take a few photos as the noon sun and heat were unbearable and we wanted to reach Vagator before nightfall:





We moved on and rejoined NH-66. The road continued to be good:



The widening again appeared to be stuck near Honnavar:


A toll plaza en route:


NH-66 presented a scenic drive:


We approached and crossed a twin-set of twin tunnels near Karwar:






We were stopped at the border by Goa police, who did a cursory check and waved us through.

The road alternated between single and double lanes:




We were held up in a ghat section by an accident. A rental Baleno had broken through the crash barrier and landed in a ravine:


Traffic was held up while cops were engaged in rescue and reaching Vagator before nightfall appeared doubtful.

[darklord]

Thankfully, after a few minutes, the traffic resumed and we were on our way again.

We topped up petrol to the brim just for peace of mind owing to the 10 rupee price difference with Kerala:


We drove on:


Crossed the new Zuari Bridge:


Mandovi River ferry and cruise terminals as shot from Atal Setu:


We turned off from the highway and drove towards Vagator through the country roads:


We reached our Airbnb in Vagator a little after 6:30 p.m.:





After dumping our bags, we walked to the beach:


There was just enough light at the beach for us to spend some time there:




As the light faded even further, we took seats in a beach shack to have an early dinner:




At the suggestion of S, we went and had gelato ice cream and quickly went back, tried to watch a movie and one by one, by interval, all were fast asleep.

[darklord]

Day 3:

We had a full day at our disposal and no plans. As we finished breakfast, the decision was made to visit Chapora Fort first.

We locked up and left at 10:45 a.m:


The fort was just a few minutes away, but as we reached there and got out of the car, the sun was bearing down mercilessly and those who forgot their sunglasses and hats back home were forced to buy new ones from the premises.

There was a slight incline to climb, but soon we were at the steps leading to the gates of the fort:



The views were mesmerizing as we climbed the steps:



In no time, we were at the gate of the fort:


Looking back at the gate from inside the fort:


There was no structure inside the fort, so we first walked to the wall facing the sea:


S, T, and W busy clicking and admiring the view:



We walked around for a bit, just exploring the fort:




We found a spot to do some Dil Chahta Hai-esque photos:


The heat and sun and humidity and lack of shade cut short our exploration and with one last photo of the beach, we turned back:


Perhaps the base of a flag pole?


Bay of Chapora as clicked from the courtyard of the fort:



We took the stairs back to the parking lot:


We stopped at a sugarcane juice vendor to replenish our fluid levels:


With the shade, the beautiful house in the background, and the cool drink in hand, we thought of our next destination:


By the time we finished a second round of the juice, we finalized our destination as the old churches of Goa. With that, we set out again:


We put the country roads behind...


...and hit the highway:


We crossed Mandovi River once again:


We soon approached the turn off to Old Goa:

[darklord]

We parked our car in a parking lot near Basilica of Bom Jesus and walked in:


A plaque with brief description:


The Basilica of Bom Jesus:


Grotto(?) dedicated to St. Francis:


Another view:


The entry:


The basilica is still in active use and they have banned photography inside. The main attraction inside is the casket holding the body of St. Francis. The casket itself in on top of a pedestal and is brought down for public viewing once every 10 years. Again, no photographs from inside the basilica.

We came outside and took a walk along the outside corridor to the rear of the basilica:


An old cross:


The rear view of the basilica:


From the side:


Another set of monuments across the street:


Basilica of Bom Jesus is a world heritage site:



We walked to the other side of the road towards the other monuments. Looked back for one last pic of the Basilica of Bom Jesus:


The other monuments turned out to be, from left to right, ASI Museum, Church of St. Francis, and Se Cathedral:




As it was lunch time, we decided to visit the Church of St. Francis first, then go have lunch and come back to visit the museum.

The view of the Basilica of Bom Jesus from here:


We followed the directions:


The church and the museum had a common pathway, right for the church and straight to the museum:


There were some artifacts displayed outside too:



The plaque for the church:


A large painting, wonder why it is left at the mercy of elements:


The interior of the church:


Some portions were simple:


While some others had elaborate decorations:


One of many plaques on the floor, unsure what it says though:


The main altar:


Another elaborately decorated area:


By this time, we were well past lunch time and we zeroed in on a restaurant nearby and decided to walk there and have lunch.

[darklord]

We walked for a bit to this restaurant, Adlem Goi:


Showpieces:


The Goan fish thali:


At a roundabout while walking back after lunch:


We walked back after lunch and went to the museum. The first floor was interesting, but the second floor had mostly portraits of Portuguese officials. No photos from inside the museum.

After the museum visit, we took a breather inside the car in the parking lot and used this time to call up and book a sunset river cruise. We still had time left before the cruise started. So we decided to visit the Church of St. Augustine, which was a couple of minutes' walk.

The Tower of Church of St. Augustine:



The tower and the complex:


Interior of the church:


Chapel of Our Lady of Good Success:


One of the many plaques on the floor:


Altar of Our Lady of Sorrow:


Looking at the tower from inside the church:


Main altar dedicated to Our Lady of Grace:


Plaques explaining the brief history of the complex:



We clicked a few more pictures from inside the complex:






This couple appeared oblivious to our presence:


A glimpse of how the walls must have been once:


A couple of more plaques for visitor information:



Some of the ruins:


It was time to leave and we walked back to the parking lot:


Another church en route:


We did a round of shopping for trinkets to take back home from near the parking lot and post that, began our drive to the Panaji Ferry Terminal to board our cruise boat.

[darklord]

As we approached Panaji, Atal Setu began to be visible:



Some G20 event was happening and national flags of G20 nations were flying:


We reached the ferry terminal, but had to drive around a bit to find parking. Parking wardens were at hand to help and we reached the designated starting point of our cruise soon:



Our boat, Ohana, soon arrived:


There were many casino ships anchored nearby:


A public ferry:


We set sail on the cruise and we appropriated a good spot on the bow, in front of the wheelhouse:


The sun was setting in the horizon:


Our boat cruised in a westward direction for a few minutes, to facilitate sunset view:



Once the sun had set, we made a U-turn and headed in the eastern direction:



There was events and live music occurring on the lower deck. We were just content with the view, reminiscing the 2+ decades of friendship, recounting the highs and the lows of life, and just enjoying each other's company.

The boat approached Atal Setu...




...and crossed to the other side:


The boat cruised for a few more minutes and then made another U-turn, preparing to return to the ferry terminal:



Ohana dropped us off at the terminal after the 1-hour cruise:


We walked around the town, just soaking in the views and buying knick-knacks.

Immaculate Conception Church:


The streets of Panaji:




The long day had made us tired and we decided to return to Vagator:


We had dinner from Vagator itself:




We sat around, chatting and recounting stories from our college days (the supply of which seems never ending) till the long day and the tiredness dragged us to the beds.

Tomorrow is the last day together for this trip and the last day in Goa.

[darklord]

Day 4:

S had an evening flight to his "worktown." We decided to visit the Naval Aviation Museum near Dabolim Airport first and drop off S and begin our return drive. We packed and vacated our AirBnB.

We began our drive to the airport:


Stopped for breakfast en route:


We resumed our drive after breakfast and made good time in smooth-flowing traffic:


We arrived at the museum, parked in the lot, and walked to the ticket counter:



The first exhibit was this Westland Sea King (click for better resolution):


HAL HT-2:


Lockheed Super Constellation:




I had read somewhere that visitors could walk through the Super Constellation, but now, the entrance is closed off.

An old radar system:


Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander:


BAe Sea Harrier. Note the White Tiger (INAS 300 Squadron) insignia on the nose cone:



HAL Chetak:


de Havilland Dove:


Fairey Firefly:


Kamov Ka-25:


Hawker Sea Hawk:


Those who are from Trivandrum will be familiar with this one as another example is on display at Jawahar Balabhavan.

de Havilland Vampire:


Bréguet Alizé:


There were multiple other exhibits outside including torpedo, missile, engines, drones, and few other aircraft. We finishing viewing them and moved on to the indoor exhibits.

Building housing the indoor exhibits:


Held a lot of information, an enthusiast could spend hours reading through:


Also had scale models of our carriers. This one is INS Viraat (R22), now decommissioned and scrapped:


I think it should have been preserved as a museum ship, like USS Midway.

Another section displayed scale models of naval aircraft:


This one should have been an actual outdoor exhibit, wonder why it isn't, lack of space perhaps. Tupolev Tu-142:


Instrument of Surrender, Liberation of Goa:


A section dedicated to the fallen heroes:


There were also many historical photographs, like these:


The outdoor exhibits as seen from the second floor:


There were sections dedicated to maintenance, weather, equipment etc.

T had wandered off and found out that there was a section hosting a mini-theatre that exhibits a film on naval aviation. We reached the theatre just as the film began.

[darklord]

There were a total of two films, one on naval aviation and another on presentation of Presidential Colours. The films lasted about 20 minutes. We walked out of the building to visit a small building dedicated to engines.

Rolls-Royce Pegasus, the engine powering Sea Harrier:


We concluded our visit and walked to the exit.

We went to the souvenir shop and purchased a few items, key chains, caps, t-shirt:


Things were reasonably priced, caps were less than 300 and t-shirts less than 500.

There were a few more items along the exit pathway:



We reached the parking lot:


We drove to the airport to drop S off:


We said our farewell and began our drive back home:



There were a few interesting buildings along the route, like these:



An electric bus that we encountered:


Traffic was fast moving unlike when we drove into Goa and we made good progress:


We stopped for lunch a little bit before the GA-KA border:


Post lunch, we drove on and filled up petrol to the brim to utilize the lower price of petrol in Goa. Driving on, we were promptly stopped at the check post, first by Goa Police and then by Goa Excise. They did cursory questioning and search, we had nothing on us and the car papers were clear, and were let go. Then came KA Police check post and the same thing unfurled there too. Thankfully, we were let go both times without much delay or any harassment.

We entered KA and quickly put Karwar behind us:


At the ghat, we stopped at a vantage point to click this picture:



The drive was a breeze mostly:


We again made a stop at Bhatkal to binge on some dishes:



While we were in Bhatkal, S messaged that he had reached home.

Made a visit to Bhatkal's Gulf Bazaar:


As we left Bhatkal, rain began and it hampered our progress.

Near Mangalore:


Rain continued and our drive slowed down, combined with the roadwork in Kerala, we had a tough time. Consequently, when we reached S' home in Kannur, it was about 2 a.m. S' brother had arranged a room in the home for us to get a couple of hours of shuteye.

It seemed as though we had slept only one wink as we had a train to catch at 5 a.m. S' brother dropped us off at the railway station:


I slept for most of the journey, did not notice even when T got off at Shoranur. The train had a slow progress as it approached Kollam due to some work in the tracks:


The train reached Kollam an hour late and W's brother came to pick us up and dropped us home.

The trip turned out to be hectic, but we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The stories, the banter, the company, and the sense of togetherness worked as an antidote for the work stress. Plans are already afoot for the trip next year.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[100Kmphormore]

Excellent travelogue. Karnataka and Kerala really comes alive in the monsoons and the aftermath.Those idlis, vades and pooris breakfast at Bhatkal on Day 2 look fantastic, the place name? Our group prefer to have breakfast at such quaint places as its all about the great taste and nature ambience and also get to interact with the locals so we can plan our itenarary to some new places.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by darklord

The basilica is still in active use and they have banned photography inside. The main attraction inside is the casket holding the body of St. Francis. The casket itself in on top of a pedestal and is brought down for public viewing once every 10 years. Again, no photographs from inside the basilica.

Photography used to be allowed. But then some tourists started treating the place like a photo shoot location instead of a place of worship so they had to stop it.

The other monuments turned out to be, from left to right, ASI Museum, Church of St. Francis, and Se Cathedral:

Se Cathedral has the World's 3rd Largest Bell.

One of many plaques on the floor, unsure what it says though:

It's in Latin.

By this time, we were well past lunch time and we zeroed in on a restaurant nearby and decided to walk there and have lunch.

The name of the restaurant means "Old Goa" in Konkani.

I had read somewhere that visitors could walk through the Super Constellation, but now, the entrance is closed off.

Yes. I have been inside. I actually know a retired pilot who has flown this plane. Not any Super Connie but this very one.

There were a few interesting buildings along the route, like these:

This is Margao. Opposite the Holy Spirit Church.

An electric bus that we encountered:

All new buses are electric.

Driving on, we were promptly stopped at the check post, first by Goa Police and then by Goa Excise. They did cursory questioning and search, we had nothing on us and the car papers were clear, and were let go. Then came KA Police check post and the same thing unfurled there too. Thankfully, we were let go both times without much delay or any harassment.

KA police only stop to check for alcohol.

[ExplorerXIII]

Awesome trip a great photos. Sad to see the dilapidated state of you former college. Wonder what happened so that it only has handful of students now.