Trip to South Goa

Its 10-April-2013, we are on our way to Goa, precisely Agonda, South Goa. We are waiting for our bus at Madiwala, Bangalore which was suppose to depart at 6:00 PM. But it turned out that a pickup bus will take us to Gandhi Nagar, Bangalore and from there bus to Goa will depart at 8:00 PM. With everything our bus started at 8:45 PM. On the was the bus stopped around 11:00 PM for dinner. We had meals and dhosa and vada and again back on our track. At night I don't know where we stopped and what it did, because it was a AC sleeper coach and I was enjoying my sleep.

11-Apr-2013, I got up at morning 7:00 PM and saw that we are in Karwar, Karnataka. It took us another 40 min to reach Canacona, Goa. By 8:00 PM we were in the bus stop. We took a local bus and reached Agonda church which is approx 10 km and bus ticket was 13 Rs. per head. This is Agonda.

Agonda Beach

Agonda Beach

Agonda Beach

Agonda Beach

Agonda Beach Bird Fly

Agonda Beach Crab Handwork Coconut Tree

Agonda Beach Crab Handwork Untouched

Agonda Beach Lagoon

Agonda Beach Untouched

From there it was 1 1/2 km walking to our Chettai Beach Huts.

Chettai Day Corridor

Chettai Day Hut

Chettai Day Restaurant

Chettai Day Restaurant Beach View

Chettai Night Hut

Chettai Night Restaurant

The road was straight parallel to Arabian Seashore. In between the road and the beach was endless beach huts by different enterprises. On our way most of the shops were closed except one, where we had egg-toast and banana pan cakes. We also rented a scooty for 3 days from there for 200 Rs each day. Around 11:00 PM we went to our hut and checked in. These huts are on the beach and the restaurant is facing the sea. It is a nice quite place with hardly anybody seen around. We freshen up and went to the restaurant for pineapple and orange juice. Next we started our scooty. First thing first, we found a local shop who sells petrol and took 75 Rs. for a litre. Then we searched for a petrol bunk and found in NH 17 which is around 6 km away. The price was 55.95 Rs. per litre where in Bangalore it is 77 Rs. per litre. From there we went straight to Cabo de rama fort which was toward 20 km north.

Cabo De Rama Fort

Cabo De Rama Fort

Cabo De Rama Fort

Cabo De Rama Fort Inside

It is a nice fort on the seashore on top a hill. But it is not maintained well. Anyway after some photo shots, we returned back. Road was excellent and nobody to be seen around. Its like the entire road is mine. Both side of the road was cashew tree garden and huge number of cashews were fallen in the street. We stopped every places and picked up cashew. On our way we stopped to Shree Gramdev Laxminarayn Temple at Shiroti Khola.

Shree Gramdev Laxminarayn Temple

We crossed Agonda and went toward Palolem beach.

Palolem Beach

There we stayed for an hour. It was a very busy place with lots of shops around with lot of people. We had our lunch there with rice and fish curry. When we returned back to Agonda, we were running out of petrol, so again back to same petrol bunk and thins time filled the tank. Next to the bunk, we a shop, where we picked up 3 beers. Guess what is the price. It is 55 Rs, where in Bangalore same one cost 90 Rs. we also had samosa and back to our hut. It was around 5:00 PM by then and we started feeling hungry. None were open to eat something, so got some chips and snacks for the evening. We asked the hotel stuff, what do they have fresh for tonight? They brought a full red snapper and another fish. We asked them to prepare a tandoori for the red snapper which they told that it will be 800 Rs. By evening we were enjoying the sea seating on the hut roof top varanda. We were served the fish around 9:00 PM with beautiful decoration. The fish and tandoori preparation was so yummy, we ordered for chicken tandoori and glass of port wine. By now we were sitting in the restaurant and enjoying the night sea breeze with the food all alone. Around 11:30 PM we went back to our hut and that was end of the day.

12-Apr-2013, we woke up at 7:00 AM and after freshen up, we wanted to try other restaurant, so went to nearby place just few properties ahead. We tried cheese omelet, mushroom omelet with Goan paw and coffee. After an hour, we came back to our hut and drove straight to Cola beach.

Cola Beach

The beach was big enough but just one hut resort and rest is surrounded by hills. There is a big lagoon attached to the beach. The road to the beach was not good and only one narrow passage to enter the beach. We spend an hour there and continued same road toward the fort. We passed that and went ahead toward Margao. After some time when we felt that we will run out of petrol, we had to return back. Road was beautiful, nobody around and both side of the road was covered with cashew tree. Cashew fruits fallen all around and you can smell feeni all around. When we returned back to our hut, we were hungry, so went to nearby restaurant and had rice and chicken tikka masala. It was ok ok and we ordered the least. Actually when we went in, we thought it won't be nice. But since we went in, we ordered just a plate for two of us. Then we went back to our restaurant and ordered for Goad fish curry and rice. We slept for sometime and in the evening, we went walking in the beach toward the nearest end from our hut. Basically each beaches in Goa are surrounded by hills on both side. So we have plenty of beaches, some too small and some lengthy ones. This side of the beach too had lagoon and it seems tortoise comes and lays egg there and then return back to sea. It is the duty of forest department to collect those eggs and place it properly. Night we had pomflet fry, prawn curry and rice.

Its 13-Apr-2013, we woke up at 8:00 AM, freshen up and went to the restaurant for eggs, goan paw and coffee. Next we know that we are in our scooty heading toward Patnem beach. Its same like Palolem beach. Next we went to Rajbag beach.

Rajbag Beach

It is same like small version of Agonda beach with practically nobody and nothing is available except a huge posh resort. Next drove back and came to Chau Rasta junction and headed toward Canacona junction. On our way to Sanctuary, we went to Shri Mallikarjuna Devasthanam.

Shri Mallikarjuna Devasthanam

It was very beautiful and well decorated temple.Next we went to Shri Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math.

Shri Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math

It is not a temple rather a place for religious people. Next was Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary.

Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary Bull Skull

Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary Deer

Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary Road

Its a huge sanctuary. Supposedly there are black panther and other wild lives, which we are scared of face to face contact with our scooty to escape, we did not wanted to go deep inside the forest. We paid 70 Rs and went to the zoo and museum. The lady in the reception has deadly memory. She saw Runai last year and she remember her as soon she saw her this year and was wondering who am I because she did not see me last year. From there we returned back and took a diversion to go to Shri Mohini Devasthanam which is in Sadolxem.

Shri Mohini Devasthanam

The road was awesome. It goes parallel with a river. From there we came back to Canacona bus stand which is called as Kadamba bus stand and had lunch in the canteen. After that we went back to same petrol bunk to fill the tank and bought beer and Mangalore bun which was new for me. We returned back from there and back to Agonda where we went to Shree Agondeshwer Temple.

Agondasweri Temple

Next back to our hut. After freshen up, we went and returned the scooty back to the owner. Walked down to the hut and started walking in the beach till the other further end of the beach where local people usually go. It took us 2 hours to go and come back to our hotel. Evening we ordered for Tandoori chicken, which we had with Mangalore bun. It was so yummy, we ordered another plate of Tandoori chicken. Around 10:00 PM, Yougesh came to confirm that tomorrow morning we will go for Dolphin Ride. We went to bed around 11:30 PM.

 Its 14-Apr-2013, we woke up at 6:30 AM and got ready by 7:00 AM for Dolphin Ride. We waited for Yogesh to come. Since he was delaying, I took my camera and started taking picture of our hut, restaurant and sea beach from various angles. There was nobody around, except Anil who manages this property. As I came near to the main gate, I saw Yogesh driving down the street. He told me to come. Just as then, Anil came back to me and gave his scooty to drive down to the end of the beach, where all boats are there. Runai and me followed him and we drove down to the end which is open for public and nearly 2 km away and after that it is place for boats and fishermen. It was a medium size motor boat kept at the top of the seashore. Yogesh asked if we can help them to bring the boat down to water. We were ok with that and it is our first time to see how it is done and to do it too. It was a slope, but that doesn't do any help to pull it down in water. They keep plank of wood and apply some greasy oil over it, so that boat can slide down. So every 10 feet, they stop and bring the planks from behind the boat and keep it in front. It took 20 min to do that for hardly few meters and finally boat is in water. We jumped in the boat. We did not carry anything except money. Camera would have been spoiled because there is water everywhere and we have a SLR which is bulky. We started our boat ride at 7:45 AM. Yogesh was handling the motor and his dad was standing in the fornt and guiding him and we 2 seating in opposite direction in the middle of the boat. First we went to Honeymoon beach which is a small beach in between two hills totally untouched. Next we went to Butterfly beach which too was small but very deep. These two beaches were nearby and just beside the hill one after the other. Next we went for Dolphin. We went far away from the beach and went back of a huge fishing boat. There we saw Dolphins jumping in the water. Those Dolphins were so close to our boat. They jump out of the water and again goes in to breath and they normally stay behind the fishing boat, so that they can eat fish. We stayed in the middle of the Arabian sea for 20 min and then had to returned back, because that fishing boat went further away and our boat cannot go any further because marine police will catch us. We returned back and this time we had to pull the boat up and this is more difficult. So another fisherman came by and helped us. We paid them 1500 Rs. and took the same scooty and drove down to our hut at 9:00 AM. We freshen up and went straight to the the restaurant and ordered omelets, toast and coffee. In the mean time I asked the manager, if we can stay for some hours extra because we are suppose to check out at 11:00 AM that day. He was ok and told that we can stay till 4:00 PM, since our returning bus was at 6:00 PM, provided there is no emergency. By then food was served and it was not enough for me, so I ordered for 2 alu paratha. There were nobody in the restaurant that time and we got our food immediately. Those paratha was huge, but somehow we finished it and went inside the hut to take some rest. We packed and did nothing till 1:00 PM, then we came out and sat in the restaurant again and ordered for lime juice. At 3:30 PM, we paid a bill of 6000 Rs. and asked Anthony if he can arrange for an auto to Canacona bus stop? He did and at 4:00 PM, auto came to drop us to the bus stop. We were so happy with their service and care and later we found that they also liked our behavior, we gave a tip of 1000 Rs. which I asked them to share among 3 of them (Anthony - attendent + Subash - chef + Anil - manager when the real manager is not there). We went and waited in the bus stop from 4:30 PM. The bus was suppose to come at 6:45 PM, but as usual showed up only at 7:15 PM. We had veg biryani and chilly gobi at 10:30 PM and back to sleep in same AC Sleeper coach.

15-Apr-2013, at 7:30 AM, we are back in Gandhi Nagar, Bangalore. Took an auto from Ananth Rao circle till our house for 200 Rs, which dropped us home at 8:15 PM.

South Goa Road

Flower

Crab

Dog Notice

Flower

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