Bangalore
Yesterday I arrived back in Bangalore from the sunny and beautiful Goa where I had my holidays for the past 6 days. It was awesome there and to be honest it’s a little bit depressing to be back in Bangalore. Goa is India’s smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. It’s famous for it’s beautiful beaches and nice weather and is therefore one of the major tourist attractions in India.
I’ll give you an overview on the things that I’ve been doing during those 6 great days in Goa.
Day 0: Bus trip
On Tuesday evening I went with the bus to Goa. This is supposed to be a 12-hour trip but it took 14 hours to get to the hostel where I stayed. I booked a ticket for a Seabird AC sleeper bus. In this bus you get a sort of cabin with a matrass in it so that you can sleep... kind of. Of course the matrass was too small for me but with some adjustments I was able to fit myself on it. And then suddenly while trying to get some sleep I made some massive airtime! Yeah the bus suspension was not that great so when the bus hit a bump in the road it was possible that you would be thrown up in the air. It was really funny but not the perfect circumstance to get sleep. The rest of the bus trip was perfectly fine.
Day 1: Beach
Wednesday I arrived at 11:00 at the Castle House hostel. It is located in Calangute, North Goa. The hotel is pretty nice, it’s clean, has nice staff, a swimming pool and a bar. I stayed in the barn where there were six beds in one room so I slept there with some other vacationers. After dumping my luggage in the room and changing in my swim shorts I went to the beach. On the way to the beach there are countless of gift shops and Indian salesmen who want to sell you stuff. The standard sales pitch go’s something like: “Friend! Please come take a look inside my shop!” or “Hey Boss, sunglasses?”. They can be very annoying as you can probably imagine. Next to the salesmen you have the taxi drivers. Their pick up line go’s like: “Where do you want to go my friend?” or “Taxi?”. Before you arrive at the beach, which is a 10-minute walk from the hotel, you have certainly heard that for about 20 times. But when I finally made it to the beach it was stunningly beautiful. The sun was shining bright and the sand was burning under your feet. The big waves were crashing down on the beach and playing with the Indian swimmers like ragdolls. On the right and left side you had an endless row of beach shacks were you could get a drink or some food. After a little bit of walking I found my roommates from Bangalore who traveled by plane and arrived a little bit earlier. The rest of the day I enjoyed myself swimming in the sea and chilling in the sun. The red flag was operative during my whole stay meaning that no one was allowed to swim. But when I asked the lifeguards if I could go in the water they told me that it was no problem and that the flag only applies to Indian tourist. The reason for that is that most Indians can’t swim properly.
Day 2: Elephant ride
Thursday we went to a place more land inwards to do an elephant ride! After a 1-hour drive we arrived there and after buying our tickets, that cost us 1400 rupees (20 euro), we could mount on the elephants. There was a male from 50 years old and female elephant from around the same age available for the ride and I went on the male. Once you sad down on the beast you realized how big it actually was. The elephants are massive and very high. And then the elephant started moving! You could feel its muscles working and his joints move. It was very exiting to ride on the elephant and it was a great experience. But there were some downfalls; the first one is that the elephant rides were hitting the elephants when they did not directly listen. The second thing is that the ride was only 100 meters long on a small road next to the parking lot and not through the forest or something like that. After the ride we could wash another elephant, this was the child of the other two. This one was 18 years old but already as big as it’s parents. When we arrived at the river it was chilling in the water and waiting for us. We went in the river and first we could scrub the elephant with a piece of coconut and water. After that we could mount on the elephant while it was lying in the river and it would blow water on us. It was a great experience!
In the evening we went to the capital city of Goa, Panjim. We wanted to get some dinner there and explore the city. Well exploring we did for sure, after walking for 1,5 hours we still failed to find a restaurant that was non-Indian. We ended up eating Domino’s pizzas... What a bummer.
Day 3: Hotel
Friday was a little bit boring because the boyfriend of one of my roommates, who had also joined us on vacation to Goa, got very sick. So in the morning I went on my own to explore Calangute and ended up at the market where I bought some souvenirs. After that I went back to the hotel and tried out the action camera that I got from my friends before I went to India. I made some underwater shots in the pool and I was positively surprised about the quality it shot in. In the late afternoon we went to the beach to watch the sunset and get some dinner at the beach.
Day 4: Hike & Party
Saturday was the day that my roommates would leave back to Bangalore because Marcel (Caroline’s boyfriend) had to catch his flight back to Germany. The plan was that they would fly early morning but because Marcel was still very sick he could not fly and we went to the hospital in the morning to get him examined. He got some injections and medicine and later that afternoon they would fly back to Bangalore. Around noon I decided to walk to the flee market in Anjuna. On my way I saw some nice churches and buildings. When I arrived at the market it wasn’t there. The only thing there was a ghost market with rows of wooden frames for the shop stands. Later that day I found out that the market was only on Wednesday. Because I still had plenty of time I decided to walk along Anjuna beach, Ozran beach and Vagator beach to reach Fort Chapora. During the hike I climbed some hills that provided a gorgeous view on the beaches down below. Once I arrived at the fort I had to take some pictures with Indian tourist (it’s what they like) and then enjoyed the beautiful view over the sea, beaches and Chapora River. The fort guards the Chapora River and dates from 1717 when the Portuguese were ruling Goa. After the fort I went back by cab and got dinner at the hotel.
Later that night I went to Club Cubana, which is the number one club in Goa. It is based in the hills to provide an ocean view. The club features multiple bars, a pool, and dance floor. The entry cost 1400 rupees (20 euro) but this gave you unlimited bar access! So free beers the whole night, great. After a few beers I met an American guy called Harold who lives in Dubai and is around 60 years old. The first thing he said to me was: “I’m looking for some nice girls, have you seen some around?”. I bursted out in laughter and we talked for a bit. He acted like a young guy in a 60 year old body. That’s also how he described himself later on. When 2 girls approached he poked me and told me to pay attention to them. Then he called out to them and we talked with the girls for a while. The girls turned out to be Russian, like a lot of tourist in Goa (even the food menu’s in Goa are Russian). Around 2:30am they left and I met some other Dutch guys and some older guys from Belgium where I had a blast with. The Dutch guys turned out to be staying in the same hotel as I did! So we took a cap back to the hotel together.
Day 5: Beach
Sunday I met up with Harold and the Russian girls to chill at the beach. Harold had a lot of tech stuff with him to show of. I guess he wanted to impress us with how young minded he was. We had some drinks and food and luckily Harold was crazy enough to pay for everything. I also made a video with my action cam in the sea, it turned out pretty good and it’s fun to see myself struggling in the waves. That evening I didn’t do anything because I was still tired from last night.
Day 6: Chilling
Monday I met up with Harold again. We had KFC and after that we went to a beach up north because he wanted to spot some nice ladies and I told him that I knew a great beach. So we went there by cab and then had to walk for 10 minutes. Harold was totally exhausted but appreciated the ‘workout’ as he called it. We had some beers at a beach shack and at the end of the afternoon we went back to Calangute. I had some dinner and then got a cab to Panjim from where I would go back to Bangalore by bus.
My holiday in Goa was great and I hope to go back there some day!
jaspervandervliet
13 chapters
16 Apr 2020
Goa
April 08, 2015
|
Goa
Yesterday I arrived back in Bangalore from the sunny and beautiful Goa where I had my holidays for the past 6 days. It was awesome there and to be honest it’s a little bit depressing to be back in Bangalore. Goa is India’s smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. It’s famous for it’s beautiful beaches and nice weather and is therefore one of the major tourist attractions in India.
I’ll give you an overview on the things that I’ve been doing during those 6 great days in Goa.
Day 0: Bus trip
On Tuesday evening I went with the bus to Goa. This is supposed to be a 12-hour trip but it took 14 hours to get to the hostel where I stayed. I booked a ticket for a Seabird AC sleeper bus. In this bus you get a sort of cabin with a matrass in it so that you can sleep... kind of. Of course the matrass was too small for me but with some adjustments I was able to fit myself on it. And then suddenly while trying to get some sleep I made some massive airtime! Yeah the bus suspension was not that great so when the bus hit a bump in the road it was possible that you would be thrown up in the air. It was really funny but not the perfect circumstance to get sleep. The rest of the bus trip was perfectly fine.
Day 1: Beach
Wednesday I arrived at 11:00 at the Castle House hostel. It is located in Calangute, North Goa. The hotel is pretty nice, it’s clean, has nice staff, a swimming pool and a bar. I stayed in the barn where there were six beds in one room so I slept there with some other vacationers. After dumping my luggage in the room and changing in my swim shorts I went to the beach. On the way to the beach there are countless of gift shops and Indian salesmen who want to sell you stuff. The standard sales pitch go’s something like: “Friend! Please come take a look inside my shop!” or “Hey Boss, sunglasses?”. They can be very annoying as you can probably imagine. Next to the salesmen you have the taxi drivers. Their pick up line go’s like: “Where do you want to go my friend?” or “Taxi?”. Before you arrive at the beach, which is a 10-minute walk from the hotel, you have certainly heard that for about 20 times. But when I finally made it to the beach it was stunningly beautiful. The sun was shining bright and the sand was burning under your feet. The big waves were crashing down on the beach and playing with the Indian swimmers like ragdolls. On the right and left side you had an endless row of beach shacks were you could get a drink or some food. After a little bit of walking I found my roommates from Bangalore who traveled by plane and arrived a little bit earlier. The rest of the day I enjoyed myself swimming in the sea and chilling in the sun. The red flag was operative during my whole stay meaning that no one was allowed to swim. But when I asked the lifeguards if I could go in the water they told me that it was no problem and that the flag only applies to Indian tourist. The reason for that is that most Indians can’t swim properly.
Day 2: Elephant ride
Thursday we went to a place more land inwards to do an elephant ride! After a 1-hour drive we arrived there and after buying our tickets, that cost us 1400 rupees (20 euro), we could mount on the elephants. There was a male from 50 years old and female elephant from around the same age available for the ride and I went on the male. Once you sad down on the beast you realized how big it actually was. The elephants are massive and very high. And then the elephant started moving! You could feel its muscles working and his joints move. It was very exiting to ride on the elephant and it was a great experience. But there were some downfalls; the first one is that the elephant rides were hitting the elephants when they did not directly listen. The second thing is that the ride was only 100 meters long on a small road next to the parking lot and not through the forest or something like that. After the ride we could wash another elephant, this was the child of the other two. This one was 18 years old but already as big as it’s parents. When we arrived at the river it was chilling in the water and waiting for us. We went in the river and first we could scrub the elephant with a piece of coconut and water. After that we could mount on the elephant while it was lying in the river and it would blow water on us. It was a great experience!
In the evening we went to the capital city of Goa, Panjim. We wanted to get some dinner there and explore the city. Well exploring we did for sure, after walking for 1,5 hours we still failed to find a restaurant that was non-Indian. We ended up eating Domino’s pizzas... What a bummer.
Day 3: Hotel
Friday was a little bit boring because the boyfriend of one of my roommates, who had also joined us on vacation to Goa, got very sick. So in the morning I went on my own to explore Calangute and ended up at the market where I bought some souvenirs. After that I went back to the hotel and tried out the action camera that I got from my friends before I went to India. I made some underwater shots in the pool and I was positively surprised about the quality it shot in. In the late afternoon we went to the beach to watch the sunset and get some dinner at the beach.
Day 4: Hike & Party
Saturday was the day that my roommates would leave back to Bangalore because Marcel (Caroline’s boyfriend) had to catch his flight back to Germany. The plan was that they would fly early morning but because Marcel was still very sick he could not fly and we went to the hospital in the morning to get him examined. He got some injections and medicine and later that afternoon they would fly back to Bangalore. Around noon I decided to walk to the flee market in Anjuna. On my way I saw some nice churches and buildings. When I arrived at the market it wasn’t there. The only thing there was a ghost market with rows of wooden frames for the shop stands. Later that day I found out that the market was only on Wednesday. Because I still had plenty of time I decided to walk along Anjuna beach, Ozran beach and Vagator beach to reach Fort Chapora. During the hike I climbed some hills that provided a gorgeous view on the beaches down below. Once I arrived at the fort I had to take some pictures with Indian tourist (it’s what they like) and then enjoyed the beautiful view over the sea, beaches and Chapora River. The fort guards the Chapora River and dates from 1717 when the Portuguese were ruling Goa. After the fort I went back by cab and got dinner at the hotel.
Later that night I went to Club Cubana, which is the number one club in Goa. It is based in the hills to provide an ocean view. The club features multiple bars, a pool, and dance floor. The entry cost 1400 rupees (20 euro) but this gave you unlimited bar access! So free beers the whole night, great. After a few beers I met an American guy called Harold who lives in Dubai and is around 60 years old. The first thing he said to me was: “I’m looking for some nice girls, have you seen some around?”. I bursted out in laughter and we talked for a bit. He acted like a young guy in a 60 year old body. That’s also how he described himself later on. When 2 girls approached he poked me and told me to pay attention to them. Then he called out to them and we talked with the girls for a while. The girls turned out to be Russian, like a lot of tourist in Goa (even the food menu’s in Goa are Russian). Around 2:30am they left and I met some other Dutch guys and some older guys from Belgium where I had a blast with. The Dutch guys turned out to be staying in the same hotel as I did! So we took a cap back to the hotel together.
Day 5: Beach
Sunday I met up with Harold and the Russian girls to chill at the beach. Harold had a lot of tech stuff with him to show of. I guess he wanted to impress us with how young minded he was. We had some drinks and food and luckily Harold was crazy enough to pay for everything. I also made a video with my action cam in the sea, it turned out pretty good and it’s fun to see myself struggling in the waves. That evening I didn’t do anything because I was still tired from last night.
Day 6: Chilling
Monday I met up with Harold again. We had KFC and after that we went to a beach up north because he wanted to spot some nice ladies and I told him that I knew a great beach. So we went there by cab and then had to walk for 10 minutes. Harold was totally exhausted but appreciated the ‘workout’ as he called it. We had some beers at a beach shack and at the end of the afternoon we went back to Calangute. I had some dinner and then got a cab to Panjim from where I would go back to Bangalore by bus.
My holiday in Goa was great and I hope to go back there some day!
Share your travel adventures like this!
Create your own travel blog in one step
Share with friends and family to follow your journey
Easy set up, no technical knowledge needed and unlimited storage!
