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Goa - (PuneDiary's Picnic Sports
Section) |
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North
Goa |
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Mayem Lake, a cool lake placed on
hill top is the most frequented picnic
spot.
Vagator Beach, A beach famous for
its seclusion with the Chapora Fort as
its imposing backdrop.
Anjuna Beach, A popular haunt of
hippies.
Calangute Beach, Widely Known as
the Queen of Goa's Beaches. Here school
holidays & beat shows draw hundreds of
people.
Aguada Fort, A famous 17th
century Fort now made even more famous
by 5 star hotel complex.
Temples, Their are temples of
Lord Vital, Lord Vandevata, Lord
Ravalnath & Goddess Laxmi to be seen.
Narayan Mapusa, Capital of Bardez
famous for its Friday Bazar where people
converge to buy & sell everything from
lime to Live stick. |
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South
Goa |
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Miramar,
A short but sweet beach. Here lies the
samadhi of Goa's First Chief Minister
late Dayanand Bandodkar. |
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Old
Goa Churches |
Bom Jesus,
In Bom Jesus Basilica lies the
incorruptible remains of St. Francis
Xavier.
Se Cathedral, The largest of its
Kind in the East. |
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Temples |
Mangueshi,
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, built in 16th
Century.
Shantadurga, Is one of the
richest temples dedicated to Shantadurga,
the Goddess of peace. Famous for its
Golden Palanquin. |
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Ancestral
Goa, A century old Miniature
Village. India's Longest.
Margao, Commercial city of South
Goa.
Colva Beach, Longest beach in
Goa, only rival to Calangute in
Popularity. |
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Colva Beach |
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Se Cathedral |
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Shree Shanta Durga Temple |
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Getting Started: |
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The former Portuguese City has always
been ranked high in travellers
dictionary for quite some time now. Goa
has always been the hotspot for tourists
all over the world. In spite of the fact
that the Portuguese left the city four
decades ago, the Roman Catholicism
remains a major religion in Goa. The Goa
landscape consists of old Portuguese
churches, paddy fields, dense coconut
tree plantation and huge forts. The
people earn their livelihood through
farming, fishing, tourism and mining . |
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Beaches: |
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Goa being surrounded by Arabian sea is
famous for its beaches. People from the
west have been flocking to this place
since early 1960s.Indians from various
parts of the country also come here.
Selection of beach may vary according to
your stay and how much action you want
to see. Calangute, Baga, Candolim and
Colva are mostly occupied by the package
tourism, so they can be very happening .
Anjuna the traditional rave center is
still popular, while Vagator and Chapora
are not that happening. Arambol in the
north and Palolem in the south are the
beaches if you are quiet, simple person.
Nudism on beaches is illegal though Goa
may appear to be very welcoming,
friendly and liberal. |
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Special Events: |
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Mostly occupied by Christian community
the feast and festivals here have a
strong Christian influence. Therefore
Christmas and New Year are worth
watching . Events such as arrival of
monsoon give opportunity for Goans to
celebrate feast days. The Feast of St
Anthony in June has got its own
significance. It is said that if the
monsoon god does not favour the Goans by
the time of this feast day, a statue of
the saint is to be dipped in the family
well to wake the monsoon god . If the
monsoon arrives the St John feast is a
thanking one to the almighty. |
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Accommodation & Food: |
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Accommodation depends in which season
you land up here. High season is
normally from December to January. Rates
are very high during the last week of
December on the eve of Christmas & New
Year. Specially if you trying to get in
Titoos, one of the most happening pub in
Goa on New Year the entry for couples is
Rs 2000. If you are in Goa for the other
part of the year the rates are almost
half. The Goa Tourism distributes nice
booklet listing the main hotels and
guesthouses. Food here is cheap and
delicious too. Sorpotel is pig's liver
dish. Xacuti is a chicken or meat dish.
Bangra is Goan mackerel. Christmas
sweets are Dodol and Bebinca. Liquor
shops are available almost every next
door. Alcohol here is cheap than
anywhere in India. Feni made from
coconut is the favorite drink of the
Goans. |
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Travelling : |
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There are number of government and
private buses which run throughout Goa
and the tickets are cheap. Bus services
are regular so there is no need to wait
for too long before you get into one.
You can also hire a car though it is
expensive but comfortable. Though most
of the tourist prefer hiring a
motorcycle in Goa as it is easy and
cheap. It takes a minimum of Rs 400 to
hire a motorcycle for a day. The most
fascinating about traveling in Goa are
the ferries. A ten minute ferry ride for
Rs 75 is really worth spending. The
ferry is lit with lights in the night
and the music is on which makes it look
really beautiful .
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Panaji
& Old Goa: |
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Panaji
is one of the smallest state capitals of
India. It overtook Old Goa as capital in
1843.Situated on the bank of Mandovi
river is a place worth a visit. Most of
the market is here. The market is closed
after 7'o clock in the evening so better
check yourself in the afternoon or early
morning. St Francis Xavier's church is
one thing you don't want to miss on your
tour to Goa. One just can't describe how
beautiful it is. You may travel through
Panjim on your way to most of the
beaches. Old Goa is situated 9 km east
of Panjim which was once the capital of
Portuguese. Mostly occupied by old
buildings there are few museums to look
for. Once upon a time it had large
palace of Adil Shah of Bijapur which is
no more now. |
