Goa is India’s most popular beach destinations. Located across the Konkan region of the western ghats, Goa is a paradise for budget travel and scenic locales. This is a story about one of the most outrageous backpacking trips ever. The idea took root as Akshaye Khanna, Amir Khan and Saif Ali Khan trooped their way to Goa from Mumbai. Our journey started from Solapur, a small city in the southern part of Maharashtra famous for it’s cotton mills and the Medical College where we studied. An impromptu plan meant a bus travel from there to Panjim via a stopover in Kohlapur. A 12 hour journey on a rickety old State transport bus through the lush green beauty of the Konkan ranges is beautiful indeed.
Check out Sonal’s guide to Goa’s flea markets.
The bandwagon of four arrives at the capital city of Panjim in North Goa and the plans are to go full fledged backpacking. A bit of rest is followed by a trip around the scenic town. Dinner is a fish thali in a nearby restaurant along with a spicy chicken Vindaloo and some heady local feni. The plan for next day includes a trip to the overcrowded Calangute Beach where scores of countrymen dive into the sea along with their undies. The only redeeming quality is the cheap beer and the feel of sand between the toes. Next on the list are the Aguada fort and Sinquerim Beach. It takes us to a bus journey which drops us off at the T point near the Vivanta By Taj. A foot journey towards the Aguada Fort reveals us that it is quite a bit far off after walking for an hour. We return crestfallen chucking the idea of Bus travel out of the window and instead hiring two wheelers.
Check out this post on North Goa by our co-blogger Sonal at Drifter Planet.
The next day is a trip to the famous Anjuna Beach and it’s flea market. The rocky Anjuna Beach is perfect for getting a few scratches before we head over to the Baga Beach. Night falls and brings rain with it. The hyper squinted eyes of LT gets totally fogged up in the rain and we follow the tail light of the Pulsar racing ahead to get back to our dugout. The next day is a cornucopia of water sports at Siquerim Beach and finally taking our two wheelers upto the Aguada Fort. Well, every kid who has seen the movie Dil Chahta Hai, the ships disappearing over the horizon at the Aguada Fort is something a must do.
Check out this post on Goa Beach: Anything Goes by Continents&Condiments
The trip down to South Goa beaches of Covalam were the most interesting part. Midway between the trip, one of us realises he hasn’t got the papers to his two wheeler. So, he revvs back to Panjim while we continue our trip to Colva Beach in between. A dip into the clear waters at Colva leads to the loss of my spectacles in the water. More drama follows next as we miss the rendezvous with the other bike. So one group heads back to Panjim while the others roamed around the central parts of Goa. The bike ride back to Panjim in the scorching sun led to a classic case of sunburns on the outside of both the legs. Riding around Panjim, my wallet falls out of my shorts. This is where the fun starts. We land up at our dinghy room where we have to cut through the lock. In the meantime, someone found the wallet and had the temerity to call up my parents back home in Delhi. A string of phone calls from them, the girlfriend and my room mate whose debit card I had conveniently lost showed me how much a Nokia Battery can last.
The next day is another attempt at the South Goa beaches where we find a shack to spend the night. The Shacks along the Covalam Beach are very economical and a perfect way to spend your holiday. The blue sea waters are perfect backdrop to your mornings with a number of food shacks by the beach offering a range of food and drinks. But the stupidity of our trip hasn’t ended yet.
The tickets that we had bought for our journey back home were actually of a different date altogether. Another night worth of stay in Goa. Tell us about your stay in Goa and stay tuned for our next article on “7 mistakes to avoid while backpacking in Goa”.
Be sure to have this backpacking checklist complete.
