Another backpacking experience of beach hopping through the lovely coastline of North Goa. Week-long hippie life being at a hostel, a solo traveler on a 2 wheeler witnessing quintessential Goa. 5 days, 5 lovely beaches, fun-filled nights, and a carnival. Read to know more about the rediscovery experience called Goa.
Well, a hearty welcome once again!! Picking the writer’s pen after a long time, hope you enjoy reading through this experience.
It was quite a long time since I travelled on a leisure trip, the traveller soul inside me was craving for the much-needed break. I was looking for an early February travel – this is mainly due to two reasons – one the weather across India is a lot subtle and two low touristy rush. Having enjoyed a couple of solo trips in the past and the unavailability of companions made me settle for another solo trip.
The search begins again
The self-brainstorming session started to zero-in the destination, the options, if one is planning a travel from Mumbai, can be bountiful including likes of beaches, hills, dessert. The key deciding factors were very simple this time – find a place which is soothing in terms of weather and surrounding, at the same time help rejuvenate. The destination ticking off most of the parameters was all-time favorite Goa.
Old wine in a new bottle
Goa is one such place which always has a lot to offer to travellers of any genre and hence the choice for an itinerary are plenty. Out of the many experiences, the ones excite me are the pristine beaches and the architecture of various houses/monuments. It was a rather quick decision towards the itinerary.
Like the itinerary plenty of choices are quite equally applicable for the stay. There are a plethora of options starting from beach huts to homestays to hotels of varied luxury quotients. I chose the most exciting option – staying in a hostel – now why a hostel – first Goa being a global tourist destination gives best opportunity to meet people from different parts of the world and second it saves money!!
The final piece of the puzzle was to nail the traveling option, again a handful of choices – I picked the one which in itself is a marvel – the Konkan Railway. The rediscovery called Goa is about to begin.
The journey
Began on a Tuesday boarding Madgoan Jan Shatabdi Express at dawn (Train number 12051, more details here). This train is best in terms witnessing sunrise and chasing the rising sun over the Konkan region. There are plenty of vistas like the below – exclusive only through this mode of transport.
Couple of points about the train – this is second best in Konkan Railway route in terms of speed, short by 15 minutes than the best one (Indian Railways most premium offering – Tejas Express), 650+ KM journey between Mumbai and Goa covered in little above 7 hours costing INR 245 (in Second Jan Chair Car).
Secondly, railways recently added a vistadome coach to the tail end of the train – this is a special coach with a glass rooftop, wide glass windows with 360° swirl chairs. If traveling in monsoon this would be the best bet to witness the beauty of Konkan. The fare for this, however, is on par with executive first AC hence bit steeper on the cost side.
This route is a single track line (the entire stretch of ~1200 KMs between Mumbai & Mangalore) hence trains get delayed by 45 minutes to 1 hour due to crossings. My train wasn’t an exception, towards the last leg of the journey it got delayed due to a couple of wagon crossings, this delayed my arrival at Thivim by an hour (Goa has three main railheads starting with Thivim in north, Karmali near the capital Panjim and Madgaon in south, Madgaon is the major railhead and is very well connected to rest of the country).
Beach spree
I chose Vagator as my base for the expedition, the reason(s) for this choice was again simple – the key point is the location; it is all forest on one side and sea on the other; devoid of crowd and commercialization (of Baga & Calangute) and accessibility to other north Goa beaches. The icing on the cake is closeness to Anjuna – where all the crazy parties happen (Hilltop, Club Cabana etc..), plus there are lot places to eat and shop (e.g. Wednesday Anjuna day market).
In short, Vagator is a place which is completely detached from the usual hustle-bustle of Goa, at the same time got all hooks to get into the groove!!
The very sight of the sea from the hillock of Vagator beach is enough to soothe the day long tiredness, let the pictures do the talking
Watching the sun going down across the lovely sea was indeed a splendid experience, I spent rest of the evening soaking the beauty of Vagator beach before returning back to my den which this time was this pretty hostel called the Folklore Hostel. This hostel nor this part of Goa was the first choice. There’s a small story behind choosing a hostel. Sounds interesting? Well, let me put this through a quick flashback
The Accommodation Choice – A Hostel
The very purpose of this holiday was simple – relax & rejuvenate (minus crowd and rush) and one of the best options for this is South Goa. Of all the options available in this part of Goa is Palolem Beach (one of my all-time favorites, glimpses of it here) excites me the most. Initial accommodation hunt began with Palolem as the epicenter, this place is undoubtedly the one of best Goa has in its kitty but all best things comes with a rider – the hindrance is the very location – Palolem is situated at the southernmost tip of Goa (state of Karnataka is only 27 KM from here) and hence increases the traveling distance to anywhere between 35 – 70 KM while entering/exiting Goa (Palolem Beach is 60/35/65 KM from Dabolim Airport/Madgaon Railway Station/Karmali Railway Station respectively).
This is quite an issue if one is travelling solo (via public transport) necessitating 2-3 hours of buffer time entering/exiting Goa. My heart was fully convinced with this trade-off but somewhere my mind was not – gaining more time was the fairest and logical point and this though little painful but was finally understood by the heart!!
With the said logical conclusion(s) the better stay choice was indeed North Goa – the Palolem experience on the northern side was best substituted by Ashvem/Vagator and to some extent Anjuna. I was almost certain to book a beach hut at Ashvem and just before doing that my attention went to one of the hotel search results which says ‘hostel’, I tried exploring this option further. This was like starting it all over again!!
The best place to start hostel search (not only India in fact anywhere across the world) is hostelworld, now the tough part – search resulted in over 60 hostels across the length & breadth of Goa. There’s huge surge in hostels in Goa in the past couple of years – and these are unique in themselves in providing niche experiences (for instance came across a hostel built using shipping containers!!). It was quite a task reading through reviews, looking at pictures to spot the right one. The hostel which ticked most of the parameters (with respect to this trip) was indeed the Folklore Hostel. This was really good in terms of quality (AC dorm, with attached bathroom with geyser, loads of open space/sit out area). I booked the hostel through booking.com (hostelworld does all transactions in USD, also booking had slightly better rates!!). The hostel is run by 3 young people who are all game to make the stay not only comfortable but memorable too.
The hostel turned out to be a very good option – perfect place to relax, eat and of course the friendly interactions with people around – the best part was flexibility – you always have options to remain connected, at the same time can also return to the me space and just be yourself – all of these at very affordable price (paid INR 499 per day!!). Lot has been already written about this place – here is a quick link from tripadvisor, definitely a worthy choice if looking for hostels around Vagator.
Beaches, beaches, and beaches
Well day 2 began with a bit of surprise – the morning was welcomed by rain (this is actually unusual – 1st week of February it hardly rains here) – the previous day’s warm and hotness was taken over by a cool breeze, the cloud cover was perfect. The petrichor emanating from the green surrounding of the hostel was quite an impetus to pull anyone out of the bed (I wasn’t an exception!!), the very next moment standing on the veranda I was soaking in nature’s freshly crafted surrounding. The ambiance was perfect for a long ride, in my head I was actually working on the list of beaches I planned to visit, I wanted to choose the farthest. Just then I heard one of my friends (you make them almost instantly when in a hostel!!) calling, he wanted to visit the flea market at Anjuna (the Wednesday Morning Flea market, the oldest and hence famous, this starts in the morning and ends by afternoon) – the market sets itself in the narrow by-lanes of Anjuna and has lot of things to offer – clothes, accessories, home decor etc. I spent a couple of hours strolling the market along with my friend.
It was afternoon already by the time I returned back to the hostel, I didn’t want to miss the chance of riding long today, with the day fast approaching I chose Morjim Beach as my dusk destination. This was approx 13 KM from the hostel, the route to Morjim was quite an experience – you pass through important junction village of Siolim, slightly hilly road and a forest. Traffic is moderate till Siolim, post that it’s a smooth ride. The beach indeed is a delight, glimpses below
I spent an hour so looking at the sun slowly hiding behind the clouds – what an amazing dusk experience!! There’s another interesting phenomenon attached to Morjim beach – the river confluence, this is the place where river Chapora meets the Arabian sea. The spectacular amalgamation can be seen right before the beach. This beach is also home to nesting and hatching habitat of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle. The soft light sand and shallow sea (flat and fordable at parts) make the beach safer to swim for all. Sure shot reason to pay a visit – agree?
It was quite a delightful day, I returned back to the hostel – a sober dine with hostel mates and finally called the day retiring on my cozy bunk bed!!
Day 3
Seems to be the perfect day in terms of the weather, it’s a rightly balanced sunny day, enough sunlight to energize and yet not too harsh. This seems to be the perfect day to visit the famed Keri (or Querim) Beach. This is undoubtedly the best beach of North Goa, it’s pristine, secluded and being the northernmost most beach (this place is almost at the end of Goa, Maharashtra border is less than 2 KM away) is devoid of the usual touristy crowd. This is a good ~25KM drive from Vagator, the route extends itself beyond Arambol village through picturesque narrow roads, the route tends to be confusing with lot zigzag paths around. All of these petty things vanishes off once you see the marvelous beach, let the pictures do all talking again
Calmness & tranquility are the best virtues Keri beach has at its disposal. With the Arambol mountain right behind there are options for paragliding and trek. The beauty of this beach from bird’s eye view can be witnessed from nearby Tiracol Fort, now converted into a heritage hotel – can be reached via ferry from Keri jetty. Mesmerized by the beauty of the beach we decided to spend a couple of hours in a beach shack (well today I tagged along with 2 of my hostel buddies, that’s how I became us!).
We chose Arambol Beach as the next destination, this was 9.5 KM drive from Keri. Arambol is quite a contrast to Keri in all aspects – it’s has got a long flat beach – famously known for it’s rocking beach parties (and hence supremely crowded after dusk). The beach is definitely worth walking down, what say??
At dusk, the beach turns into a bustling market with European settlers in the vicinity selling good handicraft wares. We spent the rest of the time relaxing on the beach (play in the sea included!). Sunset transforms the beach into one of those picture perfect frames
We started our journey back to the hostel right after dusk, taking short breaks in between for quick bites and dinner. The day was an absolute delight – drive, beaches, food, and friends!!
Day 4
There are days when you don’t feel like doing anything and this day sort of began that way. In usual holidays on such days the preferable choice would be spending time lazying around in the den, well if you are in Vagator (or in its vicinity) there are options for such a day too! One of my hostel mates (the trio visiting Keri!) had already left, it was just my dorm buddy and me today, he was going through a similar feeling and suggested we should visit the nearby Ozran beach and indeed it was a worthy choice
Ozran beach a.k.a. small Vagator beach can be seen from the cliff (which is actually the parking area of Vagator beach) adjoining Vagator beach. The motorable road takes a good 2.5 KM detour and takes to the hilltop behind the beach, well-marked steps down the hill leads to Ozran beach. The rocks add to the beauty of the arc-shaped beach. Retiring on one of the (many) shacks is the best way to spend the day – just do nothing – relax and soak in the beauty of the surroundings! We started back for the hostel bidding adieu to the cute little beach at dusk.
Tonight is my dorm buddy’s last day in the hostel. We decided to spend the evening at a good restaurant – again options galore on Vagator – Anjuna stretch. We chose The Square Sparrow – the choice indeed turned out to be great – sober ambiance and delicious food !! Quite a satisfying day!
Day 5
Began seeing off my friend, I am back with myself – the best companion (this famous Hindi film dialogue is the right one to quote – main aur meri tanhaiyan…). I had a different plan already set aside for this day – wanted to indulge in a different kind of an experience – the architecture of Goan houses always fascinated me – these are the amalgamation of Portuguese, Mughal, and Indian influences. What if one gets glimpses of these at one place? A place which is set beautifully on a lush green hilly terrain surrounded by cute looking houses? Well this is exactly Houses Of Goa looks like – a museum dedicated to the architectural fusion of east meeting west. Appearance wise the museum looks quite unique and an instant puller. Have a look
The 3 storey museum building houses artifacts depicting architectural richness of the bygone era. The collections look so real, for instance, have a look at the picture below. a hallway of an old-time Goan palace.
The picture below is actually taken from the photo frame seen in the middle of the wall in the following picture. The museum has many such collections and in true sense an Instagram hotbed!!
The entry fee of INR 100 is totally worth, the top floor of the museum building is designed as an amphitheater and has amazing views of the surrounding.
Goa apart from its beaches and party culture is also famous for various fairs and carnivals – these almost takes place all along the year – the month of February is reserved for the famous Goa Carnival – this basically has various parades, dance, food and live musical bands – aimed at depiction and celebration of Goan culture and tradition. The carnival usually starts from Panjim, heads to South Goa and finally ends at North. It was a mere coincidence that this day the carnival is going to be live at Panjim’s Miramar Beachfront.
Miramar Beach was 10 odd KMs away from Houses Of Goa, I decided for a quick pit stop in between at the famed Panjim Church (i.e. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church) – the picturesque baroque church overlooking Panjim city has second largest church bell in Goa – and this was installed way back in 1871!! Quite a history, the church
The route from the church to Miramar beach passes through Panjim’s rustic lanes flanked by beautiful Portuguese era houses – surely an experience in itself on a cloudy afternoon. The short ride was a delight – dodging the traffic at the beach’s entrance I finally found a corner to park my two-wheeler (the place was really crowded – locals, tourist all geared up for the carnival) and moved towards the beach
The beach promenade filled with a lot of street food vendors is one of the favorite dusk destinations of city dwellers and tourist alike, but today it is all about the carnival – parades, dance, music and loads of people around
The carnival had a constant display of many more processions (like the above) one after another with themes ranging from various Goan culture to social awareness. The participants of the carnival were various clubs and associations of Goa – the hard work and spirit to depict best of Goa was impeccable. I spent a couple of hours looking these amazing creations before returning back to the hostel!!
Today was the last night in Goa and being a Saturday staying indoors was never an option. When in Goa the word ‘option’ can really throw cool and interesting things – I chose one such offering called the Saturday Night Market – this is a huge all night market at a hillock situated in Arpora. The market has a plethora of items ranging from clothes, accessories, handicrafts etc. A typical flea market, the more you bargain the better!! Alongside there are a lot of makeshift food & beverages stalls and also live music – you see people singing, dancing high – a total hippy styled ambiance. I had a short walk (the area is stupendously huge, its quite a task visiting length and breadth of the market!!) experiencing the vibes around.
With a long and tiring day, I wanted to spend rest of the night relaxing (and of course eating!!) and hence exited the market to find a nocturnal nest, drove for around 5 KM and finally discovered a cozy little place which seems to be open till 3 AM!! Without a second thought, I jumped inside
I left at around 230 AM, the ride back to the hostel through a slightly cold forestry road was quite a thrill. I was the last person to enter my dorm – the other inmates were well past asleep, tiptoed like a cat and finally hit the bed!!
Day 6
A bit sad as this is the day of return, most of it was reserved for travel back to Mumbai. With a bit of struggle, I woke at around 10 AM (the preferred time for cases where bedtime starts at 4 AM is usually 1 PM, isn’t it??!!??) finished all the morning chores and by 11 AM bid adieu to the hostel.
I had plenty of time to catch my 235 PM return train from Karmali railway station approx 40 KM away from my current location Vagator. Now there were two options for the commute – one hire a cab, pay around INR 2000 and reach the station in an hour’s time – two hop on to a local bus, enjoy the Goan countryside for one last time (well buses take slightly interior route due to obvious reasons giving more chances of being on the road). After a good breakfast (when the holidaying meal at 12 noon is breakfast !!) I decided to choose the second option for the commute. The journey was split into three parts – Vagator – Mapusa – Panjim – Karmali, the wait time for a change at each of these places were less than a minute!!
Karmali railway station is situated deep inside a forest and hence you seldom get a direct bus to the station. I hoped into state transport bus going towards South Goa, Karmali station is a couple of kilometers away from Basilica Of Bom Jesus. One good thing about Goa is friendly to nature of the local people, the conductor of the bus made me got down over a rail bridge and quickly showed me the ‘shortcut’ path to reach the station. It was like climbing down the bridge, a short little walk inside the forest to the railway track and walking down the track!! The mini-trek was indeed the best route – had I taken proper road it would’ve been a kilometer more of a walk. All together it took 1 hour 45 minutes to reach the station from Vagator and the amount I paid – INR 35!! (public transport provided you’ve time in hand is really cheap in Goa – INR 35 vs INR 2000!!!).
The train started off along the Konkan route towards Mumbai, looking at the beautiful vistas through the window my heart was recalling each and every moment of the wonderful last 5 days – the beaches, the food, the drives, time spent at the hostel, the solo traveler – being with myself – indeed a true rediscovery of my dearest holiday destination called Goa
A big thank to you for reading through – hope you liked it!! Until next time the traveler signing off!!