Goa: A place no one can afford to miss 

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking. ~Earl Wilson

That’s what has been happening to me lately when I decided to go on a vacation with four of my friends. Started exploring locations, when Goa came to my mind. I have been to Goa many times, but this time I wanted to make it different. Wanted to spend a whole week there and explore the places I haven’t seen before. I looked for some packages online and finally settled with a much appealing goa package of ITOUR. I would recommend them if you're planning a trip to goa. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/itourtourism/

Traveling to Goa from Delhi via train is an awesome experience for couple of reasons. Firstly, you go via the ghat section and the route is very scenic with great view of greenery and forests and also few lovely tunnels on the way. Secondly and most importantly, you get to see the Dudhsagar waterfalls from the train (both from close-up and from a distance). It was monsoon time in Goa, and I had the opportunity to see the waterfalls when it was at its best. Overall the train journey was awesome and geared us up for our week-long vacation in Goa.

The day we reached goa was reserved for the famous beaches and the water sports. Planned to have whatever was available. Got freshened up and we headed straight to the “Baga Beach”. Surprises awaited us at the beach when we reached there. The beach was sprawling with indian and russian tourists. The beautiful shacks at the coastline were not less than the icing on the cake. We were quire adamant that we would go forward with every water sport the goa had to offer. The watersports offered by goa is best suited for adrenaline junkies, believe me all your limits would be tested there.

“Fort Aguda” was very near to where we stayed. So planned to spend time out there in the evening. Fort Aguda, as the name suggests, was a place for providing ‘aqua’ to the ships at anchor. Part of the Fort is now converted into a 5-start hotel part of it a Jail and part of it open for visitors. We first went to see the Jail. On the way there was a private villa belonging to a person from Mumbai. (I think its also part of Fort Aguda. Not sure how he bought it). The jail is not open for tourists, and it looked very old and ill maintained too. Took a snap and headed back to the main fort. Fort Aguda is surrounded by sea on one of its side. The other sides have huge trenches built in and made accessible via a single path. It has open space in the middle surrounded by huge walls. The tank is situated in a corner near to the entrance. We roamed around enjoying the views and capturing the memories in our camera striking poses. The view of the sea from the fort was breathtaking. The lighthouse was also visible at a distance. Spend some more time around there and it was time to head back.'At the night we decided to go to everyone's favorite LPK. The night life of goa is totally different than that of Delhi or Mumbai, for the family people goa is just limited to sightseeing but youngsters know how to make the most of goa's nightlife.

Surprise waited us in the next morning. River cruise in Mandovi River is an attraction in Panjim. It started at 5:30 pm in the evening. River cruise consists of dance performances by local artists and time given for the tourists to try their dancing talents (ha ha). The cruise ship (its not actually a ship, more like a ferry) was completely full. It was getting dark and the view from the ship was amazing. There were many other cruises and the brightly lit ships passing by looked beautiful. The attraction on the ship was one drunken dancer. His dance steps reminded me of my college days when we used to have some friends showing similar drunken dance skills (ha ha).

We checked out early the next morning and left for Dona Paula. A left turn from NH 17 via Goa University. It's a beautiful road that cuts across the university campus. Dona Paula is on the mouth of River Zuari. So large, that one can easily mistake it for a sea! On the other side is Mormugoa harbor. On the edge is a cliff and it is said that Dona Paula, the Viceroy's daughter, committed suicide by jumping off the cliff after being refused the permission to marry a local fisherman. A viewing point on the cliff offers excellent view of the Miramar beach.

From Dona Paula we headed towards Panjim using the D B Road running parallel to River Mandovi. En route we crossed the Miramar neighbourhood. Large mansions, upscale condominiums well maintained period homes were all testimonies of affluence. River Mandovi is home to floating casinos and its jetty to ferries. We just drove on some streets and lanes in Panjim soaking in the spirit of Goa. After a brief stop at the Panjim church. The next day was our departure from goa. The memories of goa would be cherished throughout my life.

Kudos to ITOUR for making our trip super smooth. I would love to visit Goa again and definitely with ITOUR.