Jetal & Ronak's Travel Diary

Goa in Monsoons - September 2011

I must have visited Goa for more than 50 times since my first visit to this coastal state in December 1997. You must be thinking how lucky this guy is. It’s not the case. Except for two trips (To Palolem) rest all are work related trips. During these trips I try to find some time mainly during early mornings or late evenings to take a leisure walk on the beach or have a breakfast on the beach shack or check out some old churches. So here’s a trip report of Goa in the monsoons from a business traveler.

Calangute Beach.

At this time of the year one would expect very few tourists in Goa but once I entered the approach road to Calangute beach it was flooded with tourists (mainly Indians, very few foreigners). It seems Goa has become an all season destination for Indians. The beach looked exactly the same it would look during season, families splashing water on each other, vendors selling all kind of fancy items, lots of honeymoon couples walking on the beach. One restaurant had put up 15 – 20 tables on the beach & their guests were enjoying candle light dinner. The only big difference you notice is the absence of water sports operator for obvious reason. However as you walk towards Candolim side you will find very few tourists & apart from few locals who are enjoying their evening walk there are few children playing football. This is where you can sit & enjoy the wild sea.


Wild Water At Sun Set Time


People Enjoying The Sun Set


Crow Not In The Mood To Take A Dip

Waves Making Some Sort Of Pattern

Clouds Hovering Above Calangute Beach

Baga Beach & River

Despite visiting Goa so many times I had never been to Baga beach . So when one evening when I finished my work early I decided to check out Baga beach with the hope that there will be less crowd here as compared to Calangute. Since it was late in the afternoon I decided to take an auto rickshaw to the beach instead of waiting for the bus. Upon reaching the beach I was disappointed after seeing a big crowd enjoying their holidays.


Baga Beach Calangute Facing


Off Season Crowd Near Brittos


Late Evening Shot Baga Beach Anjuna Facing

During monsoons fishermen can not venture in to the sea for fishing which is their only source of livelihood. Saw this fisherman trying to capture some catch with his net. Some to sell in the market & some for his own consumption.


Fishing At The Sea Shore

Fishing Boats Nicely Parked

Fishermen Preparing Their Fishing Nets For the Upcoming Season

Even The Fishermen are Patriotic & Love Their Country

Boat With India Flag

Merging in to the Arabian Sea is the Baga River also known as Riviera De Goa which originates from the deep and dense forests of Assagao and Bardez.

Baga River Which Finally Merges In to Arabian Sea


Reflection In Baga River

Baga River & it's surrounding fields are very good for birding (will cover it later)

Football Field Flooded With Water

Saw this small but very colorful temple right opposite Baga beach before taking a bus to Calangute for an early dinner.


Small Temple At Baga Beach

Green Green Goa

Goa becomes green during monsoon time. Every where you go there is lush greenery. Here are some of the monsoon landscapes taken during my stay in Goa. All of them are shot at different places during my travel from one industrial estate to another. They are so eye pleasing & presence of water in some of the shots make them more attractive.

Moonsoon-Landscape-1

Moonsoon-Landscape-2

Moonsoon-Landscape-3

Moonsoon-Landscape-4

Moonsoon-Landscape-5

Moonsoon-Landscape-6


Moonsoon-Landscape-7

Guest House on Calangute Beach

On my business trips I have stayed at different hotels & cities in Goa. Initially I used to stay in Tourist Hotel Panjim (Now known as Panjim Residency) but after some time the tariff became quite high for my liking so I shifted to other hotels in Panjim then I started staying in Mapusa (mainly Hotel Satya Heera) . I have also stayed at a guest house on very secluded Benaulim beach. Let me clarify that if on a leisure trip I will prefer beach huts at Palolem beach.

Off late I prefer staying at guest houses in Gauravaddo (also known as Holiday street) in Calangute. Hotel Goan Heritage is the famous neighbour of this guest houses. There are many reasons for my preference to this guest houses.

* First of all they are cheaper as compared to hotels & in off season you get very good bargain.

* Beach is just few meters away. The opening leads you to less frequented area of Calangute beach.

* It is closer to an industrial area which I frequently need to visit.

* Lots of Pure Veg. restaurants in this area.

This time I stayed at Dona Cristalina Guest House. I have stayed at this place 3 - 4 times on earlier occasions. The room I stayed was on the first floor with attached bath, cable T.V., hot running water (solar geyser) & had a small balcony. Since it was off season I got a good bargain. I did check out 2 - 3 other guest houses before zeroing on this one mainly because of the rate.

First floor room at Dona Cristalina where I stayed


Washroom

Contact Details:-

Dona Cristalina Guest House

Gauravaddo, Calangute, Goa.

Tel: 0832 - 2279012

Mob: 09822686575 / 09822154561.

Sand Mining

On the way from one customer to another I witnessed sand mining from a bridge on Mandovi river. I don't know if this is legal or not, but off late there have been lot of issues about sand mining in Goa. There are different opinions on sand mining in this tiny coastal state some in favour & some against. Will not get in to the details (since it is political issue) but you can check out Sand mining threatening three Goan rivers article for details.

Boats Used For Sand Mining

Sand Being Off-Loaded From Boats


Boat Carrying Sand Approaching The Shore For Offloading

Bridge On River Mandovi From Where I Clicked Sand Mining Pictures

Carambolim Lake

Carambolim Lake is a stone's throw away from Karmali railway station. The tracks are located near the edge of the lake & you get to see an eye pleasing view from the train window. It is a birding hot spot during winter months but when I visited during monsoon it was over flowing with water & not a single bird was in sight. Still the lake side was worth spending some quiet moments admiring beauty nature offers. As soon as the water level recedes the birds start coming here in huge numbers. A visit in the winter months to this lake is on my mind for birding.

Carambolim Lake Full Of Water

Carambolim Lake - Closer View

Lush Green Fields Near Carambolim Lake


Farmers Active On Their Fields Near Carambolim Lake

Temple at Savlem, Pilerne

While going to Calangute from Porvorim there is a beautiful temple named Shri Maharudra Amrekarnath Devasthan. I think the temple gets illuminated in the night, must be great to watch & photograph. May be during my next trip. While searching internet for more information on the temple I did not find any useful information on the temple but found an article The Savlem Pilerne Walk.

Landscape View Of The Temple

Close Up View Of The Temple Entrance

Ganeshji On Top Of The Temple Entrance

Pure Vegetarian Restaurants

Goa has been a paradise for Non Veg. Food lovers (especially sea-food ) but for a Pure Veg. (& that to Jain) person like me it offered very little choice when I first started travelling to Goa in 1997. At that time Panaji had Kamat & Udupi as the only choice (there might be one or two more which I was not aware) & that too most of the dishes were not available in Jain variant. Jain food is firstly pure veg. & does not allow use of potatoes, garlic, onions since they are grown underground. I have never this in my life. Even Carrots, Ginger etc., are not allowed but I do eat this so as to expand my choices since I travel a lot. As time progressed new pure veg. restaurants opened. Rasoyo (for Gujarati thali) in Panaji was one of my favourite; unfortunately it closed down some year ago. Currently there are plenty of options for veg. Food eaters especially in the Candolim – Calangute – Baga stretch since the area is the preferred choice of Indian travelers.

During this trip I decided to experiment with different restaurants & here are my experiences.

Anand Sagar

Address: Naika Vaddo, Main Road, Calangute.

Tel. No. 0832 6519697

An Udupi type multi cuisine restaurant Anand Sagar is my favourite joint especially for breakfast of Idli & Medu Wadas. From South Indian to Punjabi to Chinese they serve all cuisines. Lower level is Non AC & on the first floor is AC section though during off season AC section is mostly closed. It’s an ideal place to grab a quick bite & I witnessed many locals coming here for breakfast & dinner. Staff is very friendly.

Rate Chart (Non AC)

Idli Vada Rs. 35

Sada Dosa Rs. 30

Tea Rs. 15

Chana Masala Rs. 70

Butter Roti Rs. 15

Fresh Lime Soda Rs. 30

Anand Sagar Outside View

Anand Sagar Inside View

Veggie The Deli

Address: Sharanam Green Resort 124/3, Gauravaddo, Near Calangute Mall, Calangute – Candolim Road.

Located in the complex of Sharanam Green Resort Veggie The Deli has a separate entrance. It’s fully AC & can be classified as high end restaurant (sort of fine dining). I went there for Dinner & when I entered I was their first guest of the evening. Later on two different groups came & went without eating. Don’t know the reason, may be the cost. Service was good & worth the. One can enjoy a relaxing dinner at this place. They serve mainly Punjabi dishes with little variety of South Indian (I ate Punjbai only).

Rate Chart ( AC )

Panner Tikka Labbabdi Rs. 180

Butter Roti Rs. 25.

Fresh Lime Soda Rs. 25

Rotlo Ne Otlo

Address: Calangute Baga Road

Tel. 9552844113

Rajasthani setting with mochaas (a type of bed), umbrellas, bright colours & lots of decorative pieces around. It’s a Non Ac place since it is in an open environment (though covered from top). Unfortunately when I went their trademark Gujarati / Rajasthani thali were unavailable (due to off season) & had to order from A la carte menu. Their Masala chass was excellent. Will have to go their again for the thalis. There were lots of mosquitoes around so ask for a repellant coil to be kept down your table. Rajasthani turban wearing waiters were good at service & were always smiling.

Rate Chart (Non AC)

Paneer Makhanwala Rs. 150

Butter Roti Rs. 20

Masala Chass Rs. 25

Rotlo Ne Otlo Outside Board

Rotlo Ne Otlo Seating Arrangement

Rotlo Ne Otlo Colourful Interiors

Rotlo Ne Otlo Painting


Rotlo Ne Otlo Ganpati

Shree Sagar

Address: Goan Holiday resorts, Calangute – Baga Road.

A multicuisine restaurant serves all varieties from South Indian, Punjabi to Chinese. There is no AC section here (at least I did not note) & the interiors are quite old. Service was good & waiters were co-operative.

The day I visited this place I had not eaten any thing from morning except some biscuits. So when I reached there (at around 6.30 PM) the Punjabi dishes were not served (which is after 7.00 PM) so what I did was ordered a Veg sandwich (for immediate eating) & Vegetable, Roti, Rice & Dal to be served after 7.00 PM. Since Jain preparations would take some time in preparing I ordered all at one go. Later on I realized my mistake when I was not able finish Rice & Dal. 90 % of both the dishes were left. Just as I was wondering if I can get it packed & give it to some needy ( I had some doubts if I will find someone) the waiter offered to me to pack rice & dal which I promptly agreed. Now was the big task to find some whom I can give this food, for that I had to walk quite a distance (15 – 20 mins.) before I found a Bihari labourer who was glad to accept the parcel but not before being shocked that some one is offering food to him.

Rate Chart (Non Ac)

Veg Sandwich Rs. 40

Panner Chana Masala Rs. 90

Butter Roti Rs. 15

Fresh Lime Soda Rs. 20

Shree Sagar Interiors

Arvalem Caves & Waterfall

It was the last day of my Goa visit & we were going to Marcel from Honda area (automobile hub of Goa) when Rupesh my driver (also the owner of my taxi – I have been using his services since long time) asked if I was interested in checking out a waterfall. I asked him how much detour we need to take from our route & he said hardly 2 – 3 kms. That was hardly any detour & we were on our way to the waterfall.

First we came across Arvalem Caves (also spelt as Aravalem) also known as Pandava caves. It is located near the Sanquelim Town of Bicholim Talkua, approx 45 Kms from Panjim. It is widely believed that Pandavas stayed here during their 12 years exile. Refer following photograph for some history of the caves.


Arvalem Caves History Display Board

Arvalem Caves Outside View

Arvalem Caves From Inside

A Linga In One Of The Chambers

Chamber Where Pandavas Were Grinding Rice

Caretaker of Arvalem Caves

Not much far is the Arvalem or Harvalem waterfall. I have noticed that most of the places in Goa are pronounced in two ways may be one is in English & the other one in Konkani. For eg. Panjim & Panaji, Ponda & Phonda, Margao & Madgaon etc., Before one sees the waterfall you can clearly hear the sound it makes from a distance. At first sight the waterfall looks tiny but it was very voluminous when I visited. Water droplets were coming on my camera lens & I had a tough time clicking photos & taking movie. Height of the waterfall is about 24 feet. During winters the flow is reduced to a trickle. Adjacent to the waterfall is a garden & I spotted few couples spending some private moments.

I found a nice article on the waterfall read here

Recently the waterfall is the news for wrong reasons read here

Arvalem Waterfall In Full Flow

Arvalem Waterfall From A Different Angle


Arvalem Waterfall

Watch Small Clipping of Waterfall

Rudreshwar temple where the ancient Linga of Rudreshwar is worshipped is also in the same complex. In fact one has to pass the temple to go near the waterfall.

Rudreshwar Temple From Outside

Rudreshwar Temple Gopuram


Rudreshwar Temple Inside View

Flora & Fauna

Goa is a great place for birding especially during winter months. Areas like Baga fields, Carambolim Lake, Chorao Island along with sanctuaries of Cotigao & Bondla are heaven for birdwatchers. However during monsoons also you find variety of birds but very few species as compared to winter months.

During my trip I could not sight a single bird at Carambolim lake which otherwise is full of birds. Sighting of birds was good in Baga fields (read mainly Baga river bank) where I saw Indian Pond Heron, Red Wattled Lapwing, Small Blue Kingfisher, Bee Eater, Flycatcher & 2 - 3 more species which I could not identify in just 15 - 20 minutes I was there. At Calangute beach saw few Little Stints. At some smaller wetlands (which have no name & were on my way ) I spotted Large Egret, Cormorant, Red Whiskered Bulbul. My biggest surprise was when I spotted huge number of Egrets visible at a distance on Goa - Mumbai highway near Mapusa. I even spotted an Indian Peafowl Female perching on the water pipeline running adjacent to the highway. Sadly I could not capture on my camera many of the above species due to rains, bad light & since birds were at a distance. Here are few decent shots I managed.