The Goan Dream - I

Big bags, check, sunscreen, check, bus tickets, check. Ready to go Goa? Are you kidding me???

Goa is one place every wanderer worth his salt would want to go to. What was surprising was, inspite of a billion plans, a hundred opportunities and countless invites, I had never been to Goa. So when suddenly this December brought forth an opportunity to visit this tropical paradise, I leapt into it unthinkingly and the experience was nothing short of a 5 day long motion picture festival which I will describe in multiple posts.

Let me introduce the star cast: Our darling J( Jayashree for the world, Jaya for the regular friends), celebrity in her own right. Entertainer to the core. Fun is her middle name. (wheeee!!!)Up next is Kumar. Celebrity name, celebrity attitude – minus the tantrums, workaholic but mega wanderer(Clap clap). Then we have Nish( Nishant ). Super-wanderer , super-resourceful and super crazy to the core and loves pretending to be a monkey(whistle!) and then there’s me, yours truly. Sniffing her way into adventure and fighting her way into nature. And, the set: The beautiful tropical paradise, Goa.

Of the four of us, only Kumar had previously been to Goa( I know, it’s shameful). So for the four of us to go there, with just bus tickets and a Map in hand( No hotel bookings, No set plan, No known people) was quite thrilling. After just a regular working Friday, we took off in a strange bus with beds. We were going to Goa.

I had never traveled by a sleeper bus before. The moment I got on the bus though, I had a fleeting vision of a bright purple bus with beds, a la Harry Potter. Though these beds had no brass bed posts and there wasn’t a crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling, it was still a bus with beds. We had a blast in the bus. We played cards till the lights went out and got down in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, after a furious fight with the driver( nature’s call, grrr)

Act 1 Scene 1: Agonda

After a brief slumber, I woke up to the sound of “ Mapusa to Calangute/Mapusa to Baga”. It was the crack of dawn. I saw nice, clean roads outside the window. From my extensive googling I knew that we were now in North Goa. Goa is primarily divided into North and South Goa. The entire coastline is full of beaches. The beaches in North Goa are more commercial and draw large crowds from across the world. The Southern Goa beaches are more peaceful. The words “pristine” and “peaceful” drew us to the South. We passed the beautiful town of Panjim and reached Madgaon (Margao) just before nine in the morning.

From all our research on the internet, we had decided to make Agonda( a tiny village 37 Km south of Margao) our destination. Cash reserves are always limited, so we decided to take a bus instead of a fancy cab. It was just 37 km. It would take an hour to the most!

What we had not anticipated was that, India has a population of over a billion and we have the best packaging industry in the world J. What took off as an empty bus, was soon bursting from all sides with people. Thankfully we had a place to sit. So our tiny bus(with a very loud conductor) chugged along on the pretty, scenic roads sometimes picking up school children and sometimes tribals from remote villages. It took us over two hours to get to Canacona. After the bus fiasco, we hired a cab to take us to Agonda.

Our Wagon-R took us towards Agonda slowly but surely. Along the way, we saw a number of restaurants painted pink proclaiming a brand called Zinzi, some other overfull buses and a large number of Caucasian tourists, pink in the sun, driving by on Honda Dios and Bullets. The wind through our hair and the smell of the sea told us we were on the right track. It took us about 20 minutes to reach Agonda.

Agonda is a small village, close to the famous Palolem beach in South Goa. The bumpy approach road barely gave us an idea of the treasure trove waiting for us. We passed quaint little roadside shops selling colorful clothes and jewellery, tiny eat outs serving food from around the world and coco huts for rent. After a little searching we found a small “resort” which suited our requirement and more importantly our pockets.

Agonda beach

When I get to a beach, the desire to catch a glimpse of it transcends everything else that needs to be done. So, while the rest were still lugging in their bags I walked out of our beachside resort to catch a view. And it was a million dollar view. Before me was a vast, white sand beach, virtually empty and a stretch of azure blue sea. The Arabian sea is always a gloomy shade of grey and at times a mild silver. So the sudden blue encounter left me speechless and stunned.

After some hurrying, scurrying, form filling( Goan authorities mandate every hotel owner to collect proof of identification of all the lodgers) we ran to the inviting blue sea with our Frisbee and football. The water was crystal clear and shallow, and the ocean was relatively calm. Perfectly swimworthy. There were few tourists on the beach and we the only non-local Indians.

After splashing about like crazy in the water, playing Frisbee we went back to our rooms to have a much needed fresh water bath and more importantly fill our vacant stomachs. Since we were in Goa, we decided to have Goan food – fried fish and goan fish curry rice. The food was scrumptious and we supplemented that with Budweiser.

Goan fish curry rice

We spend the rest of the afternoon playing cards. Some UNO and some Flash. Post lunch stupor and the combined fatigue of a mostly sleepless night in a sleeper bus, made the soft beds in the cool room seem like heaven. Through the open door we could see the sea and sky change color from blue to grey to yellow-orange. Close to sunset, we decided to take a walk to the beach.

Our loveable hermit crabby

Football on the beach is awesome. As the sun sunk lower and lower we kicked around a muddy ball and screamed at each other hoarse. The receding tide had given birth to shallow pools by the sea. Little children played around on the shore building sand castles. In reducing light of the sun, Nish found a curious creature in one of the pools. It was an orange turret shell and once you lift it up, an inquisitive crab peeps out of the shell. Lightening struck my brain like in cartoons, and a name popped out – Hermit Crab. After spending eons trying to photograph the crab, we looked up just in time to catch the sunset. The orange orb slowly drowning in a glowing mass of water was breathtaking.

Kumar, our workaholic celeb had managed to get his slippers torn on the beach. So we needed to buy slippers. So off we went to the tiny marketplace of Agonda. It wasn’t so much of a market place; just some small shops selling a variety of things. We watched the occasional foreigner struggling to bargain with a shop owner and still ending up paying a lot more than the thing was worth, passed self proclaimed peace resorts and saw an over enthusiastic bunch of youngsters, drunk as hell , try to get into an auto. Though we didn’t quite manage to find a pair of slippers, we did go into a friendly restaurant called “My place” and ordered ourselves a sheesha and some cocktails.

Some fruity drinks

Dinner brought with it Calamari. We thought Calamari was just another variety of fish. So when we were served tiny ringlets fried to perfection we were quite curious about what it was. Googling on the only operational cell phone, we found out that it was actually Squid J. It tasted awesome though.

Halfway through dinner there was a power cut. Thanks to a fabulous experience when I was 14 I ran out into the open – I had to look at the sky. What I saw was better than I had expected. You can rarely see so many stars in the sky. It’s like being in a planetarium, only its real. I have no words to describe it. You have to see it to experience it..

After dinner, we picked up a sheet and went out to the beach and the waves put up a fantastic light and sound show for us. Imagine pitch dark, sound of a steady sea and suddenly, many small waves appear, ghostly glowing white with a loud rumble. And then, all the tiny waves join together in one joyous union. Marvellous. Frightening but marvelous. We lay by the sea under the stars till we could no longer keep our eyes open and then went back to our rooms for some much deserved sleep.

Act 1 Scene 2: Cabo de Rama fort

Next morning, our helpful hotel owner helped us hire two Honda Dios which we would go on and ride for the whole day. After a wholesome breakfast, we headed towards the Cabo de Rama fort, armed with a map and some directions from a few locals.

The route to Cabo de Rama was picture perfect. Winding, canopied roads through the hills with an occasional glimpse of the sea was a pleasure to drive on. We drove for about 30 minutes and reached the crumbling fort.

Cabo de Rama fort is so called ‘coz popular legend states that Ram lived in the whereabouts when he was in exile . After that there were provincial rulers and the Portuguese( the fort predates the Portuguese rule in Goa) and what is left of it are crumbling ruins. Inside the fort, we climbed a stone staircase to reach an opening which provides a panoramic view of the sea. It was a revelation of sorts.

Cabo de Rama fort

The endless sea, boats, a small island, a secluded beach, rocks, clear water; what was striking though was the meeting of the sky and the sea. I have never seen such an effortless blending of two elements. It was hard to understand if the sky was bluer or if the sea was!

The fishing camp at Cabo de Rama

Right below the crumbling boundary wall, a narrow mud path led down to the edge of the water. We trekked our way down and found ourselves in a small fishing camp. The fisherman had probably gone for lunch while their empty boats and nets waited. After fooling around on the boats and in the water, we sat down by the water slowly absorbing the magnificence of nature.

Act 1 Scene 3: Palolem Beach

From the fort we drove to Palolem, the most popular beach in south Goa. We had heard a lot about Palolem from some friends but we were a tad disappointed. On entering Palolem, we were greeted with large crowds. Scores of men, women and children on the beach. Water sports, beach beds, shacks and shops; all that and people. After the solitude and serenity of Agonda and Cabo de Rama, this almost seemed like blasphemy. But given the fact that we are true wanderers( and that we were truly hungry) we stayed on.

Palolem beach

We feasted on some really spicy, heavy food in the beachside restaurant and guzzled some of the famous Goan King’s beer. Close to sunset, we decided to take a walk to the slightly less crowded part of the beach. That part of the beach was lurvelyJ. But what was even better was we managed to spot hundreds of hermit crabs rolling back into the sea in their calciferous homes. We also saw a sea anemone on the shore.

Our ride back to Palolem in the dark was uneventful, except for the strange insect that decided to venture into my eye, thus making my eye swell up to twice its size. We went back to the tranquility of Agonda, took a walk on the beach and retired peacefully to bed, as the waves crashed on the shore.

[ As promised this would be a two-part series. So stay tuned for the next Act!]

In nature's lap, so close to home - Matheran

Red roads and Green hills,

Clouds in Heaven and cold pills

Crazy rain, crashing pain,

Monkeys in the narrow lane,

Lakeside mist, whip snake tryst,

All the wild things in my list,

Climbing trees and scraped knees,

Screaming, dancing with great ease...

Matheran – tiniest hill station in the world. 90 km from Mumbai,120 km from Pune. Perfect for a holiday, if you work with a team of people in both the mentioned cities. And holiday we did!

October brought with it a nice long weekend, and we decided to make the most of it, by planning a trip to Matheran and oh, what a trip it was( Eleven crazy wanderers guarantees an insane trip)!

Getting to Matheran is easy. Given its proximity to Mumbai , there are plenty of options. We chose to travel by train. We got off our Mumbai-bound train at Karjat from where we took a local train to Neral. From Neral we hired cabs to take us to Dasturi Point, beyond which no automobiles are allowed.

We started hiking towards Matheran along the toy train track and what a picturesque route it was. Despite the sultry weather, we soaked in on the deep green trees as we walked along the muddy red roads. At every corner, we had a breathtaking view of the valley below and naughty monkeys for company, looking for the next thing to snatch off your hand. Most of my memory of our walk to Matheran though, is obscured by thoughts of Swine flu and a “Please don’t let my holiday be ruined, God” wish(Thanks to the heat, I had a really runny nose).

Anyway, half a pack of tissues and a D’cold later, we finally landed at the “Hotel” . The hotel we’d booked turned out to be quite a sorry surprise. A dilapidated entrance boasted of Hukkah and good food and a monkey pair entertained us by their antics on the hot tin roof. According to a few of my fellow wanderers, the rooms were decent. But then somehow. when it came to hotels, we were all inclined to judge the book by its cover. Besides, what sealed the deal( or rather unsealed the deal) was the fact that the hotel had a strict “No alcohol” policy ;).

While some of the group went to look for alternative accommodation, I made myself comfortable on the sidewalk outside the “hotel”. I was busy fretting over “Why me” and “Why now” when it started drizzling all of a sudden. Through distinct sounds of Pearl Jam’s “Alive” and the classic “Alone again, Naturally”, I remember watching tourists scurrying along to escape the rain, footwear vendors on the roadsides covering their wares with bright blue plastic sheets and colorful umbrellas offsetting the red and green. I remember feeling drops of rain on my face( I could almost hear the droplets sizzle as they fell on my feverish face) and getting lost in the fragrance of wet mud.

Very soon, my ever resourceful friends found us a place to lay our heads for the night - a Hotel Sayeban. It was a nice, bright peach colored place, with slanting hill-town roofs and a little play park outside complete with a slide, see-saw and swings. What came as a pleasant shock was the room.

We’d hired two rooms. The first was the ordinary room – one that you could actually call a room. The other, well that was huge. Humongous. Large. The room could accommodate three double-beds and a single one and still have ample space to walk around. J

Anyway, given my current predicament( the appalling cold) and the long walk up( 30 minutes isn’t exactly long but Hello! we’re IT folks here!) all I wanted to do was lie down in peace. Fortunately, nature left us with no other option.

I have never heard the sky so angry as I did that day in Matheran. It growled and it yelled and at 5 ‘o clock, the sky darkened like it was night. And then it started pouring – pouring with a vengeance. The rain lashed the tin roof like it was the end of the world and visibility reduced to almost nothing. It was as frightening as it was beautiful, humbling as it was awe-inspiring.

Over cups of piping hot tea we talked and we laughed till the rain subsided, which was probably in just about an hour and went on to a quaint little restaurant( quaint, but with a pool table) to fill our stomachs. It was fun watching passers-by while the boys played pool. While the adults tried to avoid puddles and the muck on the road, the children found immense merriment in jumping into the next large puddle.

Back at the hotel, we had a gala time setting up the Sheesha, singing and talking. It was nice being in this out of the way, mofussil place, calm and away from the crowds. We spend the evening feasting and making merry.

Ode to the dented thigh

That day was obviously not lucky for me. After the cold/fever fiasco I had a supremely hilarious episode due to which I now have a dented thigh. Nothing much happened. I slipped, that’s all; between two large slabs. It was quite funny actually. Two girlies taking a walk and one falls splat! What was important was, nothing broke J

We woke up the next day to a misty morning. White clouds floating into the room felt so divine that none of us actually spoke too much. After an early bath, I took off for a walk all by myself.

I have always found home amidst nature; the towering trees, the wild flowers, everything. I found a dog for company and he and I walked into the forest and back. I heard pretty birds, saw a few tourists being ferried on gorgeous horses and saw monkey babies cling on to mama monkeys crossing the narrow roads.

A few shouts and a small crowd brought me back to the hotel. Just outside the hotel was this gorgeous Long nosed Whip Snake( A friend pointed out the name only after I got back). It was long, green and pretty – an absolute visual treat and it posed for us shutterbugs quite willingly. J

We took a hike to Khandala point, one of the various lookout points in Matheran. It was a strange place. Standing at Khandala point, you’d feel like you’re on top of the world or in heaven or something of the sorts. We could see an endless expanse of clouds right below us. The mountain sides were lined with bright yellow flowers and the occasional clearing of clouds would give you a glimpse of the startling valley below. No clouds and this place would be an Acrophobe’s worst nightmare.

Our next destination was Lake Charlotte and it was quite a long walk from khandala point to there. But it’s a lovely walk. Bright red roads lined with trees on both sides, a light mist and absolute silence. The lake itself was quite a revelation. It somehow reminded me of the ghostly lake from Harry Potter. You could see little of the lake from any particular point. It just unfolds slowly as you walk along and what you have seen before disappears quietly into the mist. There were ancient street lamps along the streets, but you couldn’t see the lights; you could just see a glow – an orange glow. Trees leaned over the lake. Nine of us managed to climb on one such and in the chaos, one of the gang lost his sunglasses. But it was fun whatever.

The evening was just like the previous – filled with heavy rainfall. But, the wanderer in us somehow itched for some adventure and four of us set off in the rain into the dark forest. It wasn’t a forest per se, given that there was a resort somewhere there, but it was still thrilling ‘coz there were no lights anywhere. Drenched to the core, we walked around in the dark quite aimlessly. I was terrified of stepping on snakes, courtesy our darling Mr. Green Snake but all in all it was a lovely walk.

The rest of the evening was spent monkeying around. We climbed the loft in the room and trust me, nine people on a loft is quite a sight. A lot of good food, imitation of a popular reality show and a lot of spirited spirit consumption later we collapsed into our respective welcoming beds.

Walking back the next day, along the tracks and through the clouds, I felt deeply that this is what heaven might look like; Serene, peaceful, calm and in the lap of nature; perfect for a wanderer, and the perfect retreat.

Kaaaashid

Beaches.

I have an age old affinity for beaches. Given my inherent cardinal water sign of the zodiac, I can barely get enough of the sea. Infinite stretches of water, the absolute vastness, glimmering glittering sunrises, serene sunsets- the perfect break from city life. One such backpackers' paradise, not too far from Pune is Kashid.

Kashid is close to Alibag which is one of the most popular beaches for city-slickers looking for a picnic on the shore. However, it is more pristine and less crowded, the perfect combination for the wanderer in me.

I have been to Kashid on numerous occasions, and her beautiful shores have welcomed me with open arms. I remember my first time - A sightseeing tour( don't like that too much but sometimes you have to go along with the photo-friendlies).

We'd gone ahead to the Janjira fort which is in the middle of the ocean. Awesome architecture and cool civil engineering. You can see the entrance of the fort only if you’re a boat length away - And honestly, in those times, that was the furthest enemy boats could ever get, alive. Oh and yeah, you can get lost inside, 'coz its a huge maze in there( secretly wished we did ;)) and it takes a cool 700 bucks to get a boat to ferry you back to mainland incase you miss the one you came by! Anyway, this piece is not about the fort.

My first time on Kashid beach, I spend about an hour. Sad? Oh yeah it sure was. I still remember longing to lie in peace on the hammocks in the tiny shacks by the sea and just stare into infinity and I also remember vowing to return.

And return I did. Three times in the span of a year.

Getting there doesn't take too long. Just about four hours with a break or two. You hit the Pune-Mumbai expressway, get off the exit at Khopoli and then drive towards Pen( pronounced Pain. well almost!) and proceed to Alibag and ultimately to Kashid. I'm sure you can ask your way around like we did :).

We hired cabs the first two times we went and picked up booze as we went. One time, we got drunk even before we reached. The third time I drove - 170 km and all by myself, thank you very much :).

I have practically seen Kashid in all seasons- At the brink of summer in March, on a rainy September weekend and on a cloudy winter day in December.

Summer mornings by the sea are a glimmery, shimmery event. It feels like you're lost in a dancer's make-up box. The orange tinged ocean turning into a huge mass of glitter. The trees in emerald shades and a warm salty smell pervading your senses. You can lie in the hammocks, by the beach and stare into the infinite ocean and feel the sheer insignificance of every tiny grievance in your life. It totally puts your life in perspective.

A beach in the rains. Pleasant? Well I thought not, but I was majorly mistaken. We envision beaches on sunny, shiny summer days, not on morose rainy afternoons.

September saw a bunch of us getting tired of mundane office days and thus we decided to take time off on a sunny weekend and wander off to the first place we could think of. What we had not anticipated was heavy rainfall!

All through our ride on the e-way, we could barely see beyond the bonnet of the car that we had hired. So the moment we got off the e-way we decided to perk up our spirits a bit and picked up some spirits along the way. Nothing much, just a few beers. When we reached our destination however, we realised that the "few" beers, weren't exactly few.

Some colleagues were to join us from Mumbai, but we couldn't wait to hit the water. Rain, no rain, risky whatever, we were in the water, high as hell. That was one memorable trip.

Gloomy grey skies and the murky sea throwing up its collections on the darkened beach - one insane experience. It was as if the sea and the sky were at constant conflict with each other. Simply magnificent. Sunset was simply grey to black without a hint of color.

We had a blast with our fellow wanderers - smoking sheesha with exotic flavors and gorging on gorgeous fried pomfret, dancing to music played out of tiny speakers and toasting to one and all.

Ode to the green thing: This is a special mention(clap clap!)

I was on the terrace of the place we were staying at. It had a lovely view of the sea. And the sea in the night is frighteningly fascinating. All of a sudden, I see this glowing green tennis ball like thing bobbing on the surface of the water emanating a wierd sound. And quick as lightening it was gone. Till today, I have no idea what it was. But it did give me some gooseflesh. To be fair though, it was really pretty.

Winter in Kashid is like summer I guess, just a little cooler. But when the winter day turns out to be the last day of the year and you land there with a bunch of 18 other crazy wanderers, it's bound to be a blast. It gets bigger if it’s a full moon night.

31st December 2009. I have memories of volleyball( on da beach, boyz!!) and beer. I also have memories of a crazy cake fight which rose to insane proportions. And then there was bonfire on the beach. Simply fabulous.

I would remember these for sure, but what would be imprinted in my mind forever would be the full moon and the sea. The moon rising from the hills - the typical werewolf moon, frighteningly beautiful. If the sea looks beautiful in the sun, it exudes a brilliant soft magnificence in the moonlight. When I saw sudden white lights I simply assumed it was people taking photographs. Suddenly and almost inexplicably, we figured that the shutterbugs were actually the moon reflected on the waves. Awe-inspiring. Only nature can leave you so completely speechless.

That morning, the first morning of the year, all smelling of chocolate sauce, I fell asleep on the beach. under the light of the moon and I knew then that I would return, again and again and again, and go back each time fulfilled but wanting more, calm but longing to return, to the familiar but yet unexplored paradise - Kashid.