Goa Beats and Beyond – Part 1

They say that Goa has been explored too much. Too many people have gone there just way too many times; and it’s true too. This was the third time I was heading to Goa, but that’s just the thing about Goa – you can never explore it too much!

In dire need of a vacation, 11 holiday-hungry Bangaloreans boarded the night train to Goa. It was the beginning of the weekend and we were hoping we would have a good one. And, the train was actually on time. That almost NEVER happens, with me at least!

After a long sleepless night filled with excitement, laughter, stories of the haunted, tunnel fun and a lot of junk food, we managed to make it to Goa the next afternoon. After 14 hours of anticipation, we were finally here! And, we couldn’t wait to get started!

Day One:
But it’s always easier said than done. After a while of hassling, we decided to rent one car and three bikes. You can’t depend on the public transport in Goa, so we always take our own vehicles. That said, you should know that there is always something wrong with the vehicles. Whatever it is, you’ll learn to live with it. And, that’s what we did.

First stop was made to fuel the vehicles, because the tanks were close to being empty. They never give you enough fuel in the rented vehicles. Our hotel was in North Goa, almost 50 km. away from the station (Madgaon) and we were craving for some food and some beer, obviously. So, we stopped at a deserted Quatro Restaurant in Verna, where the manager was nice enough to feed us hungry souls with whatever was available in the kitchen. Once we had some food and beer in us, we were all geared up!

GOA HAD BEGUN!
A few more hours of some trust building with Google Maps and a pit stop to buy the much craved for liquor, then we made it to our hotel – Casa De Royale. It was situated on the Anjuna Mapusa Road, very close to the Vagator Beach and away from Goa’s crowded life. We chose our rooms (which were spacious and came with a refrigerator and a pool-facing balcony) and then jumped into the pool with our beers close-by.

We wanted to go to the Curlies Shack for their Saturday night party, after dinner. But it started raining around 9 p.m, so we decided to stay in for the night. The rain was just an excuse. We were all just exhausted from the journey and the lack of sleep. We hit the bed sooner than we thought!

Day Two:
The next morning, or afternoon rather, after our bread with omelette (our breakfast for the entire trip), we made a move to the Aguada Fort. Made famous by Dil Chahta Hai, it is a must visit if you’re heading to Goa for the first time. This 17thcentury Portugese fort stands magnificiently tall on the splendid Sinquerim Beach. It was constructed all the way back in 1613 to keep guard against the Dutch and the Marathas.

It was the perfect day to stand in the fort and feel like we stepped back into a different era, and we were so close.

But fifteen minutes away from the fort, one of the other bikes crashed. The left handle of the bike hit an electric pole on the road, throwing ff othe pillion rider and injuring the rider. After five minutes of fussing over them, we burst out laughing and began our hunt for a hospital.

This can be quite a problem in Goa. (It was a Sunday, so all the medical stores were closed!) After a bit of hunting, we found a temple look-alike hospital where the boys couldn’t get enough of the very beautiful (and hot, if I may add) doctor! After a quick drool and dressing session, we headed to Aguada for the beautiful view that waited.

And then, we FINALLY headed to a beach while the sun was going down. Baga it was! Located in Bardez, this exquisite beach is named after the Baga Creek that empties into the Arabian Sea, somewhere at the north end of the beach. Unlike the last two times, we were going during the off-season, which meant lesser crowd and more peace. At least that’s what we expected. But Baga told us another story.

There were people everywhere! Though that didn’t matter. The sand in my feet while the waves tickled my feet at the shore was more than enough to make up for the mass of humans. Then a beach view table at St. Anthony’s Shack and some food along with hookah made up for our lunch and dinner. The Golden Fry Prawns are a must try while the Hara Bara Kebabs weren’t too bad either. The pastas here are very nice and if you like your fish and curry, then you’re in good hands.

The beach kept us for a while so we smoked a bit of pot (you’re not allowed to but we did it anyway). The majority of the crowd had dispersed by then, so it’s easy to be lost in the music from the shacks and the sound of the waves. Because that is all you’ll hear.

We headed back to our rooms for a ‘let’s get drunk’ session with some beer and whiskey. And, drunk many of us did get. But it’s Goa, so no one was allowed to pass out! Instead, we headed to Curlies (Anjuna Beach) hoping to make it to the last bit of their party. Nestled on the Anjuna Beach, the place is known for its good food and the weekend trance parties.

But disappointment struck! They have their raves only on Saturday nights. So, we decided to order some beer and food and chill at the beach. While I darted down the stairs towards the beach, I fell on the last step and cut my knee on a rock (in my defense, it was really dark and that step was huge for a small person like me). But it was funny, nevertheless!

Being the only girl in the gang apparently gets you a lot of attention, so my wound (it did look quite nasty) was dressed up with whatever first-aid Curlies had. It wasn’t the night we had planned for but those waves crashing against the rocks while Hotel California played on an infinite loop was a different kind of high, altogether.