Cochin - Mangalore - Goa
10 – 14 Sept 2014
10 – 14 Sept 2014
Bag, baggage, kids and all. Along with a friend and family.
With foot on the pedal, we braced ourselves for the road trip from Cochin to
Goa via Mangalore (a distance of a little over 770 kms). An arduously long
drive - what with bad roads and heavy traffic, the excitement that’s Goa kept
us going. And thanks to GPS navigation we didn’t have to stop by to ask for
directions.
Then a quick stopover at Mahe (UT of Pondicherry) to quench
the thirst with some breezers, we continued the journey to Mangalore. We halted
the night at Mangalore Club, which sits cosily on the coast of the Nethravati
river. After some fine dining, we hit the bed and next morning, were up and
about to capture the beautiful views from our room. By 10 am, we were all ready
for the onward journey to Goa.
There was just no stopping us...not even the hunger pangs,
because we wanted to get to Goa as fast as possible. But we had a rude shock of
a seemingly endless stretch of bad roads, an apology for a National Highway -
in Bhatkal, Karnataka. We wanted to stop by the coastal city of Karwar,
Karnataka for their famed fresh fish fry, but the bad road experience forced us
to skip Karwar in favour of getting to Goa at least by sundown.
A brief halt at Maravanthe Beach in Karnataka made for a
refreshing break. The beach right off NH66 was just too beautiful to miss! A
few photo-ops later, we resumed the journey and stopped over for a late lunch in
a Dhaba somewhere in the outskirts of Goa. The roads from there were pretty
good, and the greenery on both sides of the winding roads is something that
will stay fresh in our memories for a long time to come.
We checked-in at the Club Mahindra’s Emerald Palms at Varca,
Goa by around 7 pm. Had a quick shower and went to explore the neighbourhood.
Being offseason, we discovered that most of the eateries closed early, and we
dined at the only other place that was open, which was close to our resort. The
resort in itself is a beautiful property spread over 4 acres, which kept us
busy till it was time to hit the bed.
Early next morning, after a quick breakfast, we headed out
to our first destination in Goa – Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa – A UNESCO
World Heritage Site. A fine example of baroque architecture, its construction
dates back to the year 1594. The mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier is held
in a silver casket on top of the mausoleum and is kept for public viewing every
10 years to commemorate his death anniversary. The Se Cathedral, which is
within the vicinity of the Bom Jesus Basilica, is believed to be one of the
largest churches in Asia and the oldest in Goa, and it houses a large bell
referred to as the Golden Bell.
After the great start with the Churches, we made our way to
Fort Aguada and Lighthouse, which stands mighty on the Sinquerim Beach on the mouth
of the Mandovi river. Built by the Dutch in 1613 to guard against the Marathas,
it was once the grandstand of 79 cannons, and has the capacity of storing
2,376,000 gallons of water, one of the biggest freshwater storages of the time
in whole of Asia. Crews of passing ships would stop by to replenish their fresh
water stores, and that’s how it got its name Aguada, meaning Water. A
four-storey Portuguese lighthouse stands over the Fort, the oldest of its kind
in Asia, erected in 1864.
And what’s Goa without its beaches! Calangute Beach in North
Goa, popular with tourists & locals. The Sun & Sand restaurant by the
beach was the ideal perch to enjoy the breathtaking views that the sun, sand
and endless seas offered, along with the delicious fare of seafood and steamed
rice, and of course some chilled beer to wash it down. Then we walked down the
beach and let the waves kiss our feet, as the kids made sand castles. At
sunset, we chewed onto some roasted corn, and then made our way back to the
resort. After a shower, set out again for a courtesy visit and dinner at my
husband’s cousin’s place, who have their factory (manufacturing of grabs for
the shipping industry) and office in Goa.
The next morning, we headed to Palolem Beach in South Goa.
Apparently, this was the beach that featured as the Goan residence of Jason
Bourne (Matt Damon) in the film The Bourne Supremacy. Primarily inhabited by
the local fishermen, the beach was a bit of a disappointment because the waters
were muddy and polluted (it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful
beaches!), mostly deserted (being offseason) except for a few foreign tourists who
stayed in the shacks lining the beach!
We took a quick dip, and then made our
way to the Varca Beach, from Club Mahindra’s luxurious resort sprawled across
14 acres, which is connected to the beach with a foot-over-water bridge. The fine white
sand was pure pleasure under the feet. And the panoramic sights around made for
an unforgettable experience. The swimming pools at the resort let us chill out
under the blazing sun.
Evening, we headed out to Margao city to explore a bit of
the town. After a bit of shopping for local delicacies like Bebinca (a
traditional Goan multi-layered dessert/pudding) and of course the Cashew Feni,
we went to Martins, the famed restaurant, for a fabulous dinner. Their unique bacon
and eggs dessert was the icing on the cake, the kids loved it!
Phew...like all journeys, this too must end. Early next
morning, we checked out of the hotel and hit the road, non-stop, except for a
short stop at Thalassery, Kerala for lunch (yeah, their Biryani & Fish
meals are awesome) and made it back to Cochin in less than 14 hours! Now all
that remains, are the wonderful memories of the short but sweet vacation and
the hundreds of photos that help capture these memories for longer...