I have been to Goa many
times and always with set of friends/relatives who want to have a great time. Each
time, I get to see Goa in a different perspective. There is Sun, beach, culture
and food, Depending on your interest, you need to plan your itinerary. In old Goa, the history comes alive with
churches like St.Agustine Church,
Basillica of Bom Jesus Church, or you visit temples like Balaji temple, Mangesh
temple, Mahalasa Naryani temple, Shanta Durga temple, Mahalaxmi temple, or you
could also visit forts and museums. You take a cruise through Mandovi River,
and the cultural program, that is performed on the boat is splendid. And of course, there
are beaches every where, The city is full of tourist from all over the world
and when you go for shopping, you feel as if you are in distant land, there are
rows and rows of shopping lanes that look like a flea market showcasing
beach-ware, hats, sun glasses, handicraft, jewellery and odds and ends. The city
is clean and walking down the dirt roads or on the sand by the beach is pure
delight.
This trip, touring
around the city was not on my itinerary, this was purely a trip to spend quality
time with bunch of friends (32 women to be exact) in some comfortable resort
(we had checked in Aguada Anchorage resort). Most of our time was spend at the resort
itself with lunches and dinners at nearby exotic places.
During my 3-days-stay
at the resort, a secret outing was planned by the organisers. We were asked to
get into the hotel bus and go some place. The suspense was unrevealed when we
reach Coco beach.
The excitement grew as
soon as we saw the boats anchored at the shore. All of us hurried towards the
hat stall and started shopping for hats
and sun glasses (Yes, we women are like that only, if we see something, we patronise the person who making a living, we have to BUY, if not for ourselves, then for people back home)
One hat on our head and
two held in our hands, we walked down the stony, uneven path to aboard the
boats (I wish there was a smooth steady path leading towards the boat, there
are hundreds of tourists visiting these places everyday, but it was not easily
accessible for the old and the handicap, getting into the boat was quite an
effort)
But once, into the
boat, it was an awsom ride. The cool breeze caressing our faces, the gentle swaying of the boat was soothing as
we rowed down the stream. The boatman shared his knowledge, pointing out to the
buildings lining up the shores, showiing us the Goa Central jail, fort Aguada,
a house where “Hasina Maan Jaygi’ was shot, then there was Bollywood stars, (Jacky Shroff’s and Amir Khan)
houses. and surprises of surprises, when I saw two Dolphins shoot up in the mid
air for fraction of a second and dive back in.
My interest was now
focused in waiting for those Dolphin again. I mean, they were so quick, jumping
above waters, then dispearing into waters, with their slimy dynamic black
bodies twirling in synchrony, much to our delight. Nobody had warned me about
this. This was the surprise. I followed their movements, straining to see under
water, watching their every moment as they swam across at a high speed. "Look there! Look there!" everybody was squealing as they followed their movements.
There
were many boats on the waters, but they were no threat to the dolphins, this
was a no-fishing-zone (Dolphins knew that)
This was thirty minutes
ride, but most satisfying one.
