When one is ‘technically unemployed’ and totally jobless and
when that someone lands in Goa..its quite a magical combination….!! Yes, Goa is
lot like Kerala…yes Goa is absolutely ruthless when it comes to its heat and
scorching sun…but there is a certain something in the air of Goa that makes you
a carefree nomad! The words ‘carefree’ and ‘merrymaking’ were perhaps invented
to describe Goa and Goans!
And our first stop at Panjim was just as I always imagined
in my mind….a beautiful heritage room to stay in…adorned with Portuguese
relics, ancient wooden pieces of furniture…sheer aesthetic brick & mortar
beauty. And to add to that glory were the colourfully outstanding Goan houses
in the adjoining streets….a colourfully orchestrated visual medley of houses
that is probably for me the true heart of Goa.
We hopped on to a
tiny bike and started wobbling our way through Goan roads exploring and
enjoying the journey (perhaps more than the destination)….And those joyous
rides were made more cheerful with the blue sea and greenery following us in our
twists and turns!
The first inevitable stop was Calangute beach..the signature
crowded touristy beach of Goa where every tourist must go and pay his/her respect..and
we were blessed with a sun set evening in Calangute with its ‘Baywatch’
lookalike watch tower….although I must confess the tower is not the glamorous ‘David
Hasselhoff’ version of it…Day two brought us to the Old Goan quarters where astounding
white churches and architectural surrealism mesmerized us at every stop…such
pristine churches restored with utmost appreciation and respect for its ancestry
are definitely the pride of Goa..I couldn’t have enough of wondering through
the beautifully sculpted corridors and exteriors and if it wasn’t for the
relentless sun I would have stayed there for the entire day…The evening was
wrapped up with a lovely and lively evening by the Baga beach…sand under your
feet…live music soothing your senses …and dinner at one of the happening shack
cum restaurants of Baga beach.
The next day got us to the famed forts of Goa…with good
views of the sea and vast expanses to explore but I guess the hot sun spoilt
sport and I was happy to scurry back into our resort. And that was the ultimate
‘chillaxed’ end to the vacation….’by the beach’ received its true and complete
meaning that last day at our resort..an evening spent in introducing my tiny
daughter to the beach and what better an introduction than to the white soft
sands of Goa and a fire red sun setting into the azure waters?? The night
seemed to melt away as the winds of the beach murmured by and we devoured a sumptuous
dinner staring at the waters..
