“Where should be go for winter vacation” – that was a question I was pondering for a while. After shortlisting few options like Pondicherry, Kannur, Kodaikanal etc, I finalized my old favourite- Goa ! This time however, we planned to visit the southern most part of the state, bordering Karnataka. South Goa is not popular as North and I wanted to explore some of the lesser-known beaches in that area.
So on 3-Nov-22, we boarded the Panchaganga express – Bangalore to Karwar at 07:00 PM and planned to take a taxi from Karwar to Goa.
04-Nov-22
On 4-Nov-22, we alighted at the quaint Karwar railway station at 8:00 AM. Surprisingly, the train had arrived 30 minutes earlier ! In all my travels, I had never experienced early-arrival and that too by half an hour. I took this as a good omen and got into the taxi which would take us to Alba rooms in Palolem- South Goa.
The drive on NH 66 (previously NH 17) was very pleasant and we entered Goa in less than half an hour. After few more minutes we arrived at Alba rooms Hotel in Palolem. As usual, we preferred hotel which was right by the beach and more so in Palolem, which is known for its night life.
After resting for a while we hired a two-wheeler for the length of our stay (INR 400 per day) and went around Palolem. Few decades ago, this was a quiet fishing village and it has maintained its old-fashioned charm. There are no glitzing malls and boutique shops here that one sees in North Goa. I found most of commercial establishments are run by locals which is always a good sign.
That evening, we decided to ride down to Galgibaga beach , a distance of about 8 KMS from Palolem. This is one of the lesser-known and cleanest beaches of Goa. It’s a nesting ground for Olive Ridley turtles and hence no commercial activity is allowed here. Hence there are no shops, shacks , restaurants etc on this beach. The sunset from here was mesmerising and after spending some quiet time here, we headed back to Palolem
The link to the video of Gaglibaga beach is below
5-Nov-22
Next day we were up early and got ready to visit the most famous attraction of South Goa – Cabo de Rama fort which derives its name from Lord Rama. Legend says that Lord Ram and Sita had stayed here during their years of exile. Over last few centuries, this fort withstood gruesome battles between the Portuguese, Marathas, Muslim invaders, and Hindu kings, and was finally used as a prison by the British till 1955.
The fort is about 27 KMS from Palolem and I enquired about the cost of taxi. The rates were exorbitant and non-negotiable, which is a challenge in entire state of Goa. CM Pramod Sawant had made an announcement that app based taxi will be available soon, but it does not seem to have materialized. Hence, we decided to ride on our two-wheeler which was a good decision. The road was excellent and ride scenic taking us through forests and fields and we arrived at the fort around 10 AM.
The fort is now in ruins, but offers a spectacular view of the beaches below. About 100 or so steps below is the “Pebble beach” which is a small cove-like rocky beach with round pebbles scattered all around. The descent to the beach offers multiple vistas of the sea and one can take few breaks on benches placed by local vendors.
The link to video of Pebbles beach is given below
The sunset from the top of the Cabo de Rama fort is quite popular, however, we prefer to visit sites in daytime as we can spend more time at our leisure
The link to video of Cabo De Rama is given below
That evening , we decided to explore the Paolem beach and take dip in the Arabian sea. It is long beach extending for 2 KMS and I love to walk barefoot with water touching my feet. The sea is not too rough and even those who cannot swim (like us) can take a dip quiet safely.
Another attraction of Palolem beach is the “boat tour”. Fishing boats are converted into tourist boats to visit some of the nearby island and beaches. Neither me nor Meenal found boat ride interesting and we gave it a miss. Also, the price of 1000 INR per person seemed to be quite steep for 90 minutes trip.
There are many restaurants in Palolem and most of them are run by local residents. I was pleasantly surprised to see popularity of the “vegetarian thali”, which caters to growing number of vegetarian tourists. Most of the restaurants appeared to have similar menu and similar pricing. I found Shiv Sai Thali House to be the best in the area and dined there almost every day. Other famous ones like Dropadi and Singh’s family restaurant were good for North Indian food. Overall, the vegetarian food is not remarkable, but quite acceptable in this part of Goa. The breakfast options are many but we found the restaurant Carpe Diem to be the best suited to our taste.
6-Nov-22
Next morning, we headed towards Rajbagh beach. It is about 5 KMS south of Palolem and we reached there in about 20 mins. The last 1 KM or so is through the golf course of Lailt Resort hotel. It is however a public road, and one is not passing through private property of the hotel. The beach is beautiful, clean, and serene with a wonderful view of mountains. Like most south Goa beaches, it is sparsely crowded with very people in sight. There are however number of vendors who sell coconut water, snacks etc. They have placed chairs and recliners on which one can relax and enjoy the view. The vendors maintain polite distance and occasionally offer boat trips, massage etc. A place one can spend hours in quietude and absolute peace.
The link to video of Rajbagh beach
At the southern end of the beach, is the river Talpona which merges with the sea. I find it fascinating to watch the serene waters of the river mix with the turbulent sea and more so in Rajbagh. The mountains in the background and fishing boats in the river give an almost magical effect to the place.
The link to video of Talpona river
That evening we were on our way to Cola beach when our hotel manager dissuaded us from doing so. Due to poor road condition , he advised us to visit that beach only in daytime. Given our misadventure in Hampi, where we went against advice of homestay owner and lost our way in the forest, we agreed to suggestion of hotel manager regarding Cola beach.
To view the sunset, we then went to our favourite beach – Agonda – a distance of 7 KMS north of Palolem. It was a pleasant experience riding two-wheeler in south Goa. The roads are exceptionally good (by Indian standards), the traffic is light and parking easily available.
Though the sunset obstructed due to cloud cover, we had a good time hanging around the beach. Agonda is one of the best beaches in Goa and as a result, the tariffs of the hotels near this beach have gone through the roof ! This is true to some extent about most of hotels and restaurants in Goa. After two years of slack due to Covid, the tourists are back and the business owners are trying to make up for the losses.
The next morning would turn out to be one of the most memorable one of our vacation. We reached the lesser known Cola beach around 10 AM , the last 2 KMS of the road was in very poor condition. Hence, only a car with good ground clearance or an expert two wheeler rider can reach here. At end of the road is the spectacular view of the sea and the mountains from an elevation.
The link to video of Cola beach from evaluation
One needs to climb down around 200 steps to reach the Cola beach. There are couple of resorts here, but there are no other commercial establishments around. We decided to become little adventurous and climbed over pile of rocks to get to the southern side of the beach. This is an absolutely deserted place and the pictures below provide an idea of the beach.
The link to video of Cola beach
On the way back, we stopped at a big store to buy cashew nuts and kokam-juice. I love this kokum fruit (also called amsul), which is used as a souring agent in Marathi and Konkani dishes. Kokum-juice added to water is the most refreshing drink in summer.
One remarkable thing about Palolem is that the beach and shops are open well into the night. There are powerful electric lights on the beach that makes walking in the dark possible. There are number of shops on beach road which sell typical stuff like clothes, trinkets, show-pieces which are open till late hours. Goa is famous as a “safe destination” with low crime-rate and we could walk around post-dinner freely.
09-Nov-2022
On the final day of our vacation, we decided to give the beaches a miss and do something different. We headed to Cancona town which looked quite prosperous with malls and showrooms. Little further is the Shri Mallikarjuna temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The shrine is known to be one of the oldest in Goa and is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains. The Linga of Lord Shiva is believed to be Swayambhu and was uncovered in middle of 16th century. The temple is quite spacious and we spent some time walking around the complex.
Even after multiple visits to Goa, I am yet to understand the exact status of Marathi language in the state. All the boards in temples and government buildings are in Marathi. Almost all the locals speak Marathi, however, I have never heard it being spoken in public places! Perhaps one needs to visit the non-tourist villages to understand “real” Goa.
The final spot we visited was the lesser known Chapoli dam. Though going up the actual dam is not allowed , one can visit the spot near the backwater for some breath-taking views. Entering this water is not advisable and hence after taking a few pictures, we returned to our hotel.
Link to the video of Chapoli dam
At 4 PM that evening, we left Goa to Karwar, where we would board the train to Bangalore. The best part of our trip was the warm-hearted locals we had met in Palolem. Everyone was friendly, helpful, co-operative and the overall trust factor appeared to be very high. It is very stress free to spend vacation in such a welcoming place.
This vacation in 2022 was our sixth trip to Goa. I had promised myself in 2021 that I will visit new places and not repeat the same vacation destination. However, the allure of Goa is so strong that one wants to visit this state again and again.
Temples of Karnataka 