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!

Spice Route..

Day 3 (Cont’d)

Was IT a dream…??? I am pinching myself ...but no! It was all real! Wow...I am still feeling euphoric from our jungle adventure! And the roar of the waterfall is still resonating in my ears!

Back in the taxi, we now realize how physically taxing the whole adventure was...and the worst victim is my poor back! But I really don’t care! In fact I would want to experience many more of such Back breaking experiences.. ;)

Our next destination is a Spice plantation, and since it will be almost an hour’s drive from here, both of us pull our seats back and lie down…Aaahh.. Thank God Thank Mr. V ...that we hired an Innova :)

After this much needed and well deserved rest, we inch closer to the spice farms. The weather is awesome! Its drizzling…I pull down the car windows and let the rain drops fall on my face…Heaven!!

We are now standing in front of the Sahakari Spice Farm. The farms are located in Curti, Ponda,the "Temple Town of Goa". As we enter the farm, we get a traditional welcome…aka tika, and Hawaii style flower garland. Sweet! 

A volunteer on the farm guides us to a sitting area and handed a bowl of cashewnuts along with lemon grass tea. 

I don't realize how hungry we were till I see the empty bowl. As I am trying to polishing off the few remnants of the cashews, the volunteer comes back and tells us that we can join a group that is starting out with the guided tour of the farm.

They have a very scenic campus. It’s like a designer forest. Trees, ferns...I am loving the greens here!

 We cross a bridge on a small stream and join the group.  Our guide is another volunteer on the farm. I look around to see the fellow group members…people of all ages and sizes! The guide takes us deeper into the farm.

He stops by a plant and tells us its one of the most expensive spice. He asks us to take a guess…yours truly answers correctly - It's a cardamom plant ..10 points..yuhoo..!  

Proceeding further we get to see turmeric, coffee, lemon grass, vanilla and many more plants whose names I don't remember! 

Turmeric

Coffee

I am having fun getting to know about all these spices,and side by side building on my GK too.. Did you know that mace (javitri) and nutmeg (jaiphal) come from the same plant?? And that since Bay leaf (tej paat) is not readily available in south, they use the leaves of cinnamon (daalchini) plant as an alternative? And Also that Beetle nut (Supari) trees are actually so flexible that a farmer doesn't need to get down to climb the other tree..he just bends it and jumps to the next tree... And that is the reason that these trees are planted so closely! Did someone say Tarzan..Oo-oo-ee-Eh-ooo-Eh-ooo- OooOooOooOoo.

Beetle Nut  trees...Hum saath saath hain

 Going further we see a distillery where they make fenny. Fenny is a very strong local brew(with a distinct pungent smell)…It is usually taken neat therefore its advisable to take small shots. God bless you, if you drink the whole bottle!!!

The guide also explained the entire process of formation of fenny. [If you want more details then go google it..no more space for madira on the blog of this teetotaler ;) ]

Another spice that caught my attention was the mini avatar of the green chilli called Bird's eye chilli..but don’t go by the size..one bite and boom…your mouth will experience something that’s nothing short of Hiroshima-Nagasaki! This little miss is super hottt!!!

We go around looking at many more plants, crossing some more little walkways over a small stream running through the farm.

The best thing I like about the tour is that you get to know a lot of home remedies. There is this particular old man who seems to be extra curious about this Extra info…he is bombarding the guide, asking about the use of every spice, and how it can be used in different recipes..wow..seems like he is planning to launch his own Khana Khazana part 2! The expression on the face of guide is absolutely  priceless..as if saying that if this gentleman asks me one more recipe I will jump from this bridge!

Finally we reach the end of the tour.  Fatigue is now catching up…The guide tells us that they have a tradition of jumping into the stream after the tour. This can really relax the tensed muscle of back and neck…however during rains, and winters, when people can’t afford to do it, they just have a token ceremony. He calls one member from the group, and pours cold water from a matka down his neck …Ok..so that is the token ceremony…Well I would have preferred jumping into the steam...but anyway..i go ahead and get a shot…Aah…the water is icy cold…And u can literally feel a chill running down your spine!! But hey..it is indeed very relaxing! Mr. V’s turn next… Aaaaaaaaaah! :D

Next we move to the dining area where we get a complimentary lunch…before starting with food…they offer small shots of fenny to everyone…Beep Beep…teetotaler alert!! The volunteer is telling me how my Goa trip can not be complete until I taste the fenny…but SORRY…This girl is extra stubborn...he gives up...lemon grass tea please!!!

There is buffet of organic food..very simple fare..there is a beverage called kokam curry..very similar to north indian kaanji..Me likes :)

As we finish our lunch, one volunteer hands us a small packet of various  spices grown on the farm as a souvenir…Me likes again! :)

Done with the spices, we now head to the Shantadurga Temple. I absolutely love the route to the temple. Very tranquil… very serene. The road runs down a hillside across dense forests… we can see palms lining the horizon…and paddy fields stretching across the landscape...Ye hariyali aur ye raasta! :)

We get down at the temple. There is small kund adjacent to the gate of the temple.

As we enter the premises, we see a group of old ladies sitting with their flower baskets. They are selling pooja thalis made of leaves. Funny thing is that they do all the marketing conversing in Konkani!  Nevertheless , the thalis are beautiful and we buy one. 

The temple is very different from the regular temples. It is a huge building…and there is remarkable influence of Islamic architecture, especially the main dome of the temple. But the bottomline is..its a magnificent temple!

  At the entrance of the temple, stands a lamp tower known as Deep-stambha. 

As we go inside, the entire set up gives me a feeling that I am standing in a Jain temple, with the Garbha-griha, a passage around it for pradakshina and even the hall for meditation! Although I am not too religious,  but just being there is making me feel very relaxed and so much at peace. After spending some time at the temple, we then head out to The Mangeshi Temple.

On our way to the temple we spot this board...

Yup...this is where out great Mangeshkar sisters originally belong to. Their father, Pt. Dinanath Mangeshkar was born in the hamlet of Mangeshi. The village is situated in the middle of lush green forests in the Priol -Ponda area.

Local women sit along the approach road to the temple selling  lovely little baskets with local flowers of various colours, and bel leaves (also called Bilva-patra).

The temple is an elegant structure made of marble, and similar to Shantadurga Temple, it also has a huge Deep-stambha at its entrance.. 

The temple has a beautiful interior, especially the statue of Lord Mangesh and some amazing chandeliers. The outer campus is also very impressive. 

We sit under the shadow of the Deep-stambha, soaking in the serenity and the spiritual energy of the place. As Master Shifu (Kung-fu Panda)would say..."Inner peace. Inner peace. Inner . . . In . . . In . . . Inner peace". :)

Back from Sri Mangesh Devsthaan, we are now off to the Church of St. Francis Xavier which is located in Old Goa.

The building of the church, which is actually known as the Basilica of Bom Jesus, is very imposing. Also I notice that it is a World Heritage Monument.

As we enter the church we are asked to be very quiet as a wedding ceremony is in progress. So we decide to explore the rest of the church including the Remains of the saint, some memorabilia associated with him. Upstairs we also visit an art gallery, which has some beautiful paintings showing different stages of the saint's life. There is also a photo exhibition going on in the gallery, depicting the history of the church. Quite an informative experience, must admit!

Back in the main part of the church,where the wedding is now over, we finally get to click some pics. 

Outside I see the  couple whose wedding we have just attended. The bride is looking ravishing in her beautiful bridal attire..Somewhere in my heart I have always wanted to dress up like that!So I can't stop myself from clicking the happy couple, but from a distance..

Just across the road is the Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi. It is again a very impressive building, and we get to know that it also houses the Archaeological Museum. 

However by now, the entire day's adventure has totally taken a toll on our strength to go further. We are dead tired..Badly need a dose of Cinkara..So we decide give the museum a miss, and head back to our hotel.

Phewwww..It has been a long long day...But what a day it has been! One of the best days in my life...there is a huge feeling of satisfaction.  We thank our driver, Aman for his contribution in making our trip such a huge success with his valuable inputs. He is very happy with the compliments. His parting gift to us.."Madam, wo dekho..ek aur church!" He has got a fair idea now about my obsession for clicking! So there I go..CLICK!

Ok..now we are back in the hotel...there is still some time to go for dinner. So we decide to take a short nap to give our feet some rest...Aaaah.nothing like a cozy bed after a hard day of work...

Jumping in.. Acchha to hum sote hain... :)

Escape To Paradise...

Day 3

Today is the BIG day…the day I had been waiting for even before embarking on this exciting journey! The raison d'être for our Goa trip!Yup..Today is the day we will get to see the Doodhsagar waterfall. There are other sights too that are lined up for the day but the waterfall trip rules the itinerary!

Both of us are geared up for the day’s adventure. As we quickly nibble on the delicious  idlis, we get a call from our friend, Aman..the Taxi guy..He is on time and waiting for us in the driveway....He greets us with a warm smile..I get a feeling that he is quite fond of us. The feeling is mutual! He is a sweet boy!

We head out of the hotel. The sky is partially cloudy…sun playing peek–a–boo with us. I am feeling a little sleepy..Cetrizine effect! I pop a few mints in my mouth…looking out of window..with full attention and camera ready in my hand.. We cross many small hamlets on our way, with beautiful cottages and lovely churches. 

We reach a bridge on a small local river. It’s a lovely view, and almost reminds of the Backwaters of Kerala, except for the fact that the water is all red!

Aman tells us that it’s because of the mining activity in the area. For the uninitiated, Goa is very rich in minerals, and actually forms the back bone of iron ore industry in India. Further down the road we meet a whole convoy of trucks moving out of the mining sites. 

We are now gradually entering the hilly terrain, though not very steep.

Lining the entire landscape are towering coconut trees. I wish that we could just stop by a tree and find a local person to pick a coconut for us, fresh from the tree. Lekin ye ho na saka… :(

Finally we reach a point, where we see bikes of all types lined up along the wall. There is a small church around the corner.  . 

We are told that we have reached the pick up point for bike cabs..the idea is that you hire a bike taxi and ride pillion and reach the actual waterfall site in about 45 minutes. Although they have a dedicated jeep track but it closes down during the Monsoons and this is when bike cabs enjoy a complete monopoly in ferrying the tourists to the waterfalls.

One man comes towards us and talks to the driver in the local dialect. Aman tells us that 2 bikes are ready, and will cost us Rs. 350/- per head. The drivers look decent. They ask us if we are carrying a camera, and we reply in the affirmative. They tell us that we will have to deposit the camera with one of the drivers. I look at Mr. V with a little doubt in my eyes. He signals we have to trust them, after all they are going to be with us for the next 2-3 hours. I hand my camera to one of the drivers who puts it in a bag hanging from the bike handle.

As soon as we start, we realize that we are going to drive along the railway track as there is no other way. This is actually not a very comfortable thought…and I think of the plight of my back once this excursion is over. But then I try to throw out these thoughts of apprehension from my mind. I tell myself, this is the real adventure, don’t be a pessimist!

Rocking along the railway track, my driver tells me that this will be the best time to see the waterfall as it will have the maximum water for the season. This lifts my spirits up and I am back to my excited self. As we move further along the track, sound of an engine whistles through the wind. A goods train appears on the scene. We stop the bikes and stand back, waiting for the train to pass. As it gets lost in the woods, we resume our rocky ride on the stones of Konkan Railway. Few kilometers down the track, as my back gets a few jerks, I ask the driver if the entire stretch will continue like this!…He tells me an assuring tone not to worry as in another 5 minutes we  will be off the railway track..

We reach a point where we are asked to get down from the bikes and cross the track towards the jungle. The drivers take a longer loop to meet us. This is the gate of the Bhagwan Mahaveer National Park. 

 We resume our journey on the bikes. I ask my driver what all animals are present in the jungle and he gives me a long list …..I ask if we can find any wild animals while passing through jungle. To my great disappointment, he tells me that they rarely cross the path of Homo Sapiens, although they might be looking at us from their hidden locations…Suddenly my ears are buzzing with “I CAN SEE YOU!!!”. I look around if I can spot a leopard or a tiger but have to be content with two monkeys :(

This track is definitely a great relief from the rocky ride along the railway track but still we keep going up and down the terrain…I almost feel like I am in some dirt biking race..We cross some small streams on our way..Its so exciting to feel the cold splashes of water on my feet.

We are now heading deeper in to the forest. My driver tells me that we have entered Karnataka now. I don’t know why, but a chill goes does my spine..is it because we are in Jungles of Karnataka and a certain Veerappan came to my mind (Aiyyyoo!)I am now a little nervous..I look at Mr. V. His bike is ahead of us, and he has been turning his neck back all the time, ensuring that I am fine and still following him. Must admit, he gives a solid competition to all the characters from K-Series...But I am not complaining! It is really reassuring…
 

We have now reached another stream. But it is not is like the other streams that we have  crossed till now..This one’s gonna be a toughy..We have to get down the bike and cross it on foot…balancing ourselves..careful not to slip on the slimy rocks!
 

I hold Mr. V’s hand on one side and one of the driver on the other, wading through the vigorous waters of the stream. The bikes would need to be dragged through the water..They follow us to the other side…We are ready to resume our journey…BUT NOT SO SOON!!!

I am back on the bike, happy with my feat. It’s not every day that you cross a stream like that…I turn to Mr. V looking for his smile of accomplishment too..But something is wrong. Why is he still standing??? He points at the bike and I get it...water in the silencer. Drivers ask us not to worry. It’s a minor problem. He kicks the bike..but nothing happens..After 10 minutes of kicking, and no result I start getting nervous again. What if we get stuck here in the middle of the jungle? There is no signal in the mobiles! Mr. V holds my hand and calms me down…I take a deep breath and tell myself...It’s going to be fine! Mr. V asks me to click some photographs.. to keep myself distracted… :|
I click some photographs..The place is actually very beautiful! just out of picture postcards.. reminding me of the scenic tropical forests that I absolutely love on the Discovery channel..I imagine the photograph of the stream as my desktop background…

Few more clicks later, the nerves come back.. The bike still refuses to start..and guess what!...Icing on the cake is that it has started to rain!!! The drivers ultimately tilt the bike to 90 degrees and water splurges out of the silencer…After few more kicks the bike starts…Phew...I get my breath back.

Rest of the journey is smooth, and soon we reach a point that welcomes us to the the Doodhsagar waterfall. We alight from the bikes and walk down to a platform…We look up at a distance and there it is..The mighty Doodhsagar waterfall… It’s beautiful, it’s mind blowing..It is…I don’t have words…Speechless, I keep looking at this spectacular sight!

Zooming In

 But hey..surprise surprise..This is not the end..We have to go further…The drivers guide us through a flight of rocky stair heading down. We carefully walk down and reach another stream. This one is again a vigorous one. I ask if this water is from Doodhsaghar, but they tell me it’s not…We cross the gushing waters to reach the side of the stream. 

Yes.. We crossed that!!!

Crossing some huge rocks we reach an even mightier torrent. I am apprehensive how we will cross it as I can not gauge its depth. Abdullah tells me to be steady in my footing and not to land on the top of rocks as they are slimy and if I slip I may just get washed away…So much for comfort!

Yup..This one too!! Phew..

Veer tum badhe chalo..! And the veers finally manage to cross this super stream! Yuhooo!  Going ahead, there are still a few more hurdles to be crossed..huge rocks this time..but it's not too much of a challenge for this Almora girl! :) 


And then suddenly we see white water gushing in front of us..we are at the foot of the waterfall! I look up and..for a moment forget everything around me..totally spellbound by the beauty..the grandeur..the magnificence  of this spectacle of nature..Finally it registers..We have reached the Doodhsagar Waterfall..in its full glory thanks to the monsoons! It is such a mesmerizing image to behold.

We sit on the rocks, our feet immersed in waters..The roaring, thundering white water gushes by us..and we just keep looking at it in complete awe.. This is such a thrilling experience.. I actually get goosebumps on my hands!  Mr. V gives me a hats off..for including the waterfall in our itinerary! :) Super excited.. we give each other a Hi5..yes we have done it! Now I can't wait to tell my whole family and friends about it..


We hear  whistling of a train echoing through the jungles. In a moment a goods train passes through a bridge along the waterfall..Again a very exhilarating feeling..Next time we visit Goa, we will take a train to the waterfall!

  After spending some of the best moments of my life sitting on those rocks and taking in the breath-taking view of the waterfall, we now head back. Once again crossing all the streams..climbing up and down the rocks...Mr.V sees something sticking to his leg...Abdullah cries out "It's a leech..!" Now listen to this..Instead of removing the leech at once, what does Mr.V do? He looks for his camera! By that time Abdullah removes it with a stick...as by the time he would have clicked the pic, the leech would have done a lot of damage!!! Huh..my brave hubby! :|


We are back to the bikes now..Time to get a victory shot! Smile Please :)

Super happy, we are now on our way back..I see a small temple this time..Now why didn't I notice it earlier..may be the nerves!!! Well..this is the temple of Doodhsagar Devta...Nice !

Rest of the journey is smooth..more because I am no longer feeling afraid..the jungle is no more scary! In fact, its looking lovelier..The huge trees..chirping of birds..sound of the breeze...I am already missing all of it! 

Finally we are back to the taxi. Aman asks us how our trip through the jungle was...I just have one word to describe it all..It was Total Paisa Vasool! 

Wow..My Goa trip is already a super duper hit..and come to think of it..we have just reached the Intermission..Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost! :)