Travelling

Its a 3 day weekend here so am currently on a little trip to the country side. I won’t be writing about my time here since I have already done that on a previous occassion here.

I love travelling on the road…especially when I have a say in the flow of places to stop over…visit…ie move at our own comfortable pace. But when it comes down to travelling on a service provided by others – I hate it !
On such trips, one has to control one’s schedule…one’s intake..maybe even adjust on your standards of hygiene :-/ .
Which is why when long distances are to be covered , you will usually find me on planes rather than the cheaper alternatives of trains & buses.

However there are times when you don’t have much of a choice. To visit my ancestoral place, commutting via bus is the most convenient way as far as time goes (abt 6hrs or so). The thing is – I like travelling on the bus here . Why ?

Its a Sleeper bus ! I think they came out 10 yrs ago in these parts of the world…& they are defintely a boon for travellors who need to spend around 10 hrs or less on the road.
Comfy space for your whole body….spending the whole journey sleeping in the natural position…..compare that to the rigid seating posture which most passengers opt for :-/

I usually cannot sleep on buses….though a sleeper bus defintely gets me a few hours of rest for which I am thankful for. Besides it gives me the ideal activity for times when I am not able to get some shut eye – star gazing

Nothing like viewing the night sky far away from the glamour of the city….the same stars & planets that existed long before you did…& will probably remain long after you are gone too (sigh…)

Returning from a vacation

Sigh…its that dreaded time of the year again. As hard as I try, I cannot avoid it. Its the time when one returns from a break….a delightful break which unfortunately one cannot forget

Let me explain. Having been born & raised in the city, I am addicted to the fast pace of city life. Making the utmost use of time – thats something which I have been conditioned to believe in. I also earn my living doing something I love – Yep…ideal circumstances for me to develop workaholic tendencies.

But somewhere down the line , one realizes that a break is needed. Else one can end up as the other rabbits from the Duracell ads…stop functioning normally & the results of your choices show up in your health report if not in your performance. Causality aka Karma …who can escape from it?

I have taken breaks before where I traveled to other cities. Returning back to work from such a break doesn’t bother me much since the only things different from the usual surroundings are the absence of work & the change in location. But when I go to my native place – ie a visit to the rural parts – thats when the change truly makes an impact.

Picture some of the situations I ended up in :

• Lazily talking away delightfully with long lost friends & relatives with meal times being the only distractions in between.
• Walking through the forest with the sound of dry leaves under your feet. A gentle clean breeze waltzes past you as you marvel at the greenery that surrounds you from all directions.
• Sitting at the top of the house with the rising sun spraying the surrounding trees with his bright light. Chirping birds welcoming the start of a new day. Huge trees swaying their leaves, dancing away in the rhythm of the winds.
• Sitting under the night sky. Stars visible in all directions. A gentle reminder of how small we are in the scheme of things.

I could think of a single sentence – “I could grow old here”.

Yes…that was the effect my vacation had on me. Still reeling from the after effects on returning back to the city. The fact that I live closer to the place now (about 7 hrs) than I did before (I moved to this city recently) somehow tempts me to drop everything & rush back….Sigh..Time is supposed to be the great healer…but the wait is more agonizing…

At such times my mind takes pity on me & reminds of the lines from the Robert Frost poem -
“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

& I carry on…till the next time.

Glorious Goa

My last trip to Goa was back in my childhood….The beautiful beaches & the gothic churches always stood out in my memory.

In recent times, one always associates Goa with a party hotspot. You will always hear about some happening New Year party in Goa…or some celebrities chilling out in Goa….& off course some friend of yours who would have just visited Goa & can’t stop raving about it ! (pun intended ).

I usually don’t chronicle my visits….but my recent 3 day trip to Goa was something totally out of the world for me….So I was forced to revisit my earlier ways & record this special trip !

3 things that stuck me about Goa :

1. The easy way of life here….lots of space…people walking about at an easy pace….mostly headed towards the pretty beaches. Truly a vacation hotspot.
2. The beautiful style of the old structures. The Portuguese have left but they have left their permanent mark on the place with their 450+ yrs stay.
3. The foreigners here. Their sheer numbers probably match each Indian out there. 1 can understand why Goa is India’s richest state with tourism being their prime source of revenue.

Due to its dependence on tourism, the rules in Goa are implemented so as to favour foreigners & make it as homely to them as possible. You won’t feel like you are in India at all here. 1 can rent a bike or any other 2 wheeler easily here without any checks. The beaches here are modeled after their counterparts in the US complete with sunbathing benches & umbrellas. A number of water sports keep things very interesting & you will probably be at the beach all day long ! The pubs here close very late (4am) allowing 1 to truly party all night long !

The very fact that its so different from the rest of the country makes it all the more interesting. Even more due to its close proximity & easy connectivity to the rest of the country.

The original plan was to live in North Goa & visit Central/South Goa at some point of time to see the famous structures out there (like the Bom Jesus Basilica). Well….we didnt follow it. We wanted to …..but we didn’t. The plan…….was postponed till next time

North Goa is the happening part of Goa. Many beautiful beaches (Calangute, Baga,Vagator,Anjuna & my fav – Condolim) are here. Anjuna & Vagator are a little far but the others are right around Calungute Circle. For water sports I would highly recommend Condolim beach. Be sure to go for the scary but fun filled Banana Ride !
Also be sure to visit Fort Aguada…thats where the iconic hindi movie ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ was shot.

The night is probably when Goa comes alive full time. You have 2 options :

1. For those who wish to have a quiet conversation with friends over dinner, I recommend the lovely candle light dinner setups at the beaches like Baga.
2. For those who wish to party the night away , the recommended pubs are Cape Town, Titos & Kamaki, all located near Baga beach. Believe me – even if you are some1 who doesn’t dance, the music at these places will get you on your feet in no time !

There are also places where one gets food throughout the night (World Cuisine near Calangute circle) so don’t ever worry about going hungry here.

There are quite a few Tibetans settled out here. Tibetan markets & restaurants can be seen at many places here. Before heading out of Goa, we did have lunch at 1 such place.It had the best Veg fried rice I had ever had !

Well that sums up my trip to Goa. I recommend travelling to/from Goa via the rail route(11 hrs?). A good chance of coming across genuine Goans who are willing to swap insightful stories about Goa with you & the scenic beauty along the way is an added bonus ^_^.

I loved every part of my Goa Trip. I will be back here for sure….The best time to visit is during winter…can’t w8 till then !