GOA – rightly called the “Holiday Capital” of India!
A group of old friends from different parts of the country, a bachelorette party – dedicated to a very special friend, mellifluous music, the typical beach repertoire, bikes, extraordinary cuisine and a perfect end to the trip within the serene confines of the magnificent churches. This sums up my first experience called “Goa” in a nutshell.
Travelling from Mumbai to Goa, we reached the Mudgaon station way past midnight, had piping hot tea to activate our drowsy cells and were all set to experience the extravaganza called “Goa”! Heading towards the Ancora Beach Resort (where we put up for a formality I would say, since we were mostly hovering around the exotic locales), we came across the super-illuminated lanes and by-lanes of Goa, bright with different colours even at 03:00 in the night (or should I call it the morning?). Such was the aura of the place, that we were all mesmerised enough to believe that we had entered a different world altogether.
The next 2 days were jam-packed with hordes of water sports, visits to beaches namely Baga, Calangute, Candolim, Wagator, Anjuna, the late night party at the Tito’s lane across Baga Beach, the D’souza’s shack, the paper-lanterns in the skies of Baga beach on a moonlit night, long bike-rides and the heavenly Basilica of Bom Jesus Church.
The very popular Banana ride at Calangute beach, definitely deserves a special mention! That eerie feeling of not being a swimmer, yet capitulating to the incessant demands of over-enthusiastic friends to just don a life jacket and submit oneself to the deep waters of the sea, is inexplicable. The ride was definitely worth the thrill and adrenaline rush. Yes, it was a sheer test of will to overcome that innate fear within. Needless to mention, one of my dear friends succumbed to that fear and just refrained from stepping into the waters. She was shit-scared and no amount of coaxing could convince her to take the plunge. (We love her to the core, but yes, we still keep teasing her for that!)
The last leg of the trip took us to the august Basilica of Bom Jesus, which is a World Heritage site and is believed to hold the mortal remains of St.Francis Xavier. It took us quite a while to reach there. Because this is located in Old Goa, and we were put up at an opposite corner of Goa. But, there would have been no better way to end this memorable trip.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM GOA
My personal takeaways from Goa would be – overcoming that uncanny feeling of hydrophobia (those adventures inside the sea almost had me saying my last prayers! 🙂 ), getting the thrill of riding an Avenger (I can connect so much with the guys’ knack for their long bike rides now), the joy of just letting go and living for the moment (dressing up as never before, dancing my heart out as never before and what not!) and that very special connect with my inner self in the tranquil confines of the oldest church.
Somehow, somewhere, that trip actually taught me a very simple lesson of life – We just need to LIVE our life! 🙂
That song – ‘Music bandh na karo’ is still fresh in my memories and always reminds me of those amazing days in Goa, with great friends. Every minute spent in that aura is worth an experience and unique in itself. You really have to be there to FEEL!
These friends helped create great memories, which will remain etched in my heart forever. No matter which corner of the world we all are in now, I wish everyone happiness and the same child-like craze forever. Keep going guys!
