Goodbyes are not forever...

Day 4

No hurries..no worries..Aahhh..I love lazy mornings…. Outside, the clouds have finally paved way for our meeting with Mr. Sun. The sun is shining bright already..What a lovely morning it is!. We get up and sit in the balcony for some time…the view is lovely and so is the breeze blowing from the sea..

At a distance I can hear the sea roaring..the sound is getting louder! Oh wait..that's my tummy… reminding me that it’s time for some pet-pooja. 

As we enjoy our leisurely breakfast, I see the swimming pool sparkling in the sunlight. I am totally tempted to swim as the pool is absolutely unoccupied. Mr. V is not too excited at the prospects as he still wants to go back to the bed and enjoy his slumber. Poor guy is dragged to the pool by yours truly! While I put my newly acquired swimming skills to practice, Mr. V, who is yet to acquire the skill..challenges me to a race..me swimming and he running in the pool.. The mermaid scores over the deprived earthling..yuhoooo! The next couple of hours are awesome. Chhapaak! Chhapaak! Chhapaak! (Google translation-SPLASH!)

Feeling fresh after our (MY ;-)) pool adventure we head back to our room and chalk out our plan for the day. Actually there is no plan! We decide to explore random nearby areas on a bike. Before we start on our today's adventure, we pack up all our stuff. However a great thing is that the hotel staff tells us that we can check out in the evening! (Ahh..the perks of off-season travel!)

 We hire a Bajaj Pulsar from the Colva beach market and head to the Benualim beach.…Yup..just the two of us this time… :) 

Our guide is our dear Mobile navigator which I am holding in my hand. Listening to the instructions, I keep guiding Mr. V.  I am really enjoying my “Back seat driving”. Passing through some lovely village lanes lined with Goan cottages, we finally reach our destination.
 
The beach is soooo much more beautiful than my expectations. The beauty of the golden sands of the beach against the backdrop of blue sky is beyond words. We see a few motor boats anchored at the beach. The whole scene looks like a painting!

At some distance we see a number of boats out in the sea, probably for fishing. We sit there watching the boats go up and down, riding the sea waves. Row, row, row your boat…

Without a doubt this is my favourite beach for the trip. Absolutely serene...no crowd...just the sea..and the sands..and the azure sky!

There are sea shells all around us…I collect a few..There  is a particularly interesting shell..its closed ..I hand it over to Mr. V, who slips it in his pocket. After a while he realizes that the shell is opening its mouth…The expression on Mr. V's face is worth watching! (Shell-shocked- Literally! :D ) He takes the shell out of his pocket and throws it back in the sea... :(

We  walk along the beach collecting a few more shells...I am loving the feel of sand on my feet..it is actually very therapeutic..so relaxing! I feel like just sitting there whole day, soaking in the sun, lounging the day off!This is nothing less than a paradise! As we lie down in the sand...I realize we are not the only ones enjoying the sun bath...We have got company! :)

I am starting to feel hungry now..we see a restaurant nearby..but Alas..it only has sea food.. :( Sigh ..Khana nahi to kya, photo hi sahi!

Off to our next target for the day, Majorda Beach, we pass through the Colva area, and spot a beautiful church called, Our Lady of Merces Church.I remember reading about this one during my research. It is a historical church renowned  for its annual religious event, Fama of Menino Jesuse (Child Jesus) which is being celebrated since the 17th century.

Our next destination, the long, white, palm-fringed Majorda beach, is again very very beautiful.  I wonder why the beaches of South Goa are not among the famous ones in Goa. They are way more scenic as compared to the ones in Northern part of the state! 

Sitting on the white sands of Majorda beach, we gorge on some Murukkus/chaklis that I picked up on our way back from Benualim. Yum Yum!

Very satisfied with the beach experience of the day, we now head towards the city area of Margao, famous both for its cultural heritage and for being the main center of commerce in Goa.

This is probably the most crowded area we have encountered during our entire trip. Zipping through the road, we spot another beautiful church around the Old market Square. This is the  Holy Spirit Church. It is a remarkable building with beautiful architecture. The interiors are also very impressive. 

Coming back from the church, we again hit the road,lined with many imposing bungalows on both sides. Every villa seems to have so much of history behind it, each one of them distinctive symbol of Goa's colonial heritage.

We spend some time there just roaming around and exploring the area. It's an awesome experience and I just feel like staying there forever. But ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END! Gradually it is starting to sink in that this holiday is now nearing an end.

Back in the hotel now, all check out formalities done, I go around the hotel campus for last time in true tragedy queen avatar. Mr. V tried to cheer the sulking me with a chocolate. As I dig my teeth into it to elevate my spirits, I see our driver friend Aman coming in. We had already tied up with him to drop us at the airport.

Sitting in the taxi, I now see Goa rushing away from me. I try to hold on to one last picture of the Goa greens in my mind...Sigh!

As we wait at the airport to board our flight, I close my eyes just trying to relive all my Goa memories once again. It has been a wonderful experience...And the best thing was that it was just not about beaches! It was soooo much more! The jungles and waterfalls, temples and churches, some lovely people! There is still so much to be done, so much to be explored...I already have my next set of wish-list for Goa ready!

The voice on public announcement  system  is asking all the passengers to Delhi to board the flight..With each step I take forward, Goa seems to drift away! It's getting dark outside..lights of all colours are flashing around the runway... As the flight takes off, I see the lights fade away...

Goodbye Goa, thanks for the lovely memories ... But this is not the end...in fact its just the starting of our love affair! As I read somewhere -

Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean I'll miss you
Until we meet again!

WE will be back!!! :)

THE BEGINNING!