Friday, March 19, 2010

Goa

Something unexpected happened. I just went on an unplanned vacation. I have never planned one anytime though. Off I went to Goa; for 3 days. It was not enough, 3 days is too short.

Sun, sands and beach...perfect to relax and unwind. There were some unexpected twist too. We decided to drive, 600+ kilometers in a day was daunting. Very stressful that the first thing we did as soon as we reached Goa was visit a doctor. He told me that my tonsils was bad and hence no fried food, no cold drinks, no ice cream, no spicy food..........

What else is left for me to eat? Prescribed some 4 odd tablets of different colors and gave me an injection as if one plays dart..Ooouch!! that hurt. So there I was in beautiful goa and cannot eat anything I wanted to. All I did was eat idly sambhar.:-S

The trip was nevertheless fun. What you thought I diligently followed the doctor's advice? :-P So most times I was sick, yet had fun, lots of fun. Its a nice feeling to have fun while you are sick :-S.
Beach walking, clear sky, sands and gleaming water, palm trees, bumpy boat ride and we were shown the shooting spots of Dil Chahta Hai, Dhoom climax, the rock where Urmila danced "Tanha Tanha"

Was amazed at those 16th century churches and cathedrals and the ruins. Spent the evening on a cruise along the Mandovi river amidst nice crowd, goan folk dances and Portuguese dances. Visited few other places, lunched beside the river, got a tattoo which is permanent until it gets worn away :-P, shopped at flea market and got some items for a steal. Here are few pictures.

Para sailing on Baga beach


Fort Aguada. Built in 1612, it skirts the sea shore. It was built as a vantage point to serve as a fort and as a watering station to the ships 'Aguada' means 'Watering place' in Portuguese 


These boats keep ferrying manganese on the Madovi river non-stop to Marmagoa for shipping. 

Bom Jesus Basilica in Old Goa. 'Bom Jesus' means 'Good Jesus'.  The remains of St Francis Xavier lies here. This cathedral was built in the 17th century


The remains of St.Francis Xavier in a silver casket

The Bell Tower


Se Cathedral, built in the 17th century. Its the largest church in Asia. Its a mix of Tuscan and Corinthian style of architecture. It has 1 main altar, 8 chapels and 6 aisles 

The main altar

A beautiful chandelier right above where I sat

Worn out paintings of fruits, trees and leaves. They have almost vanished. These I assume is a depiction of Adam and Eve. I didn't have a guide, so I am not sure


A secret basement chamber in front of one of the altar. I wonder if these cathedrals were used as secret chambers during emergency. Dan Brown could weave a nice story.



The church of St. Francis of Assissi built in 1661. The three tier facade has octagonal tower on each side. It also houses a museum.


 The main altar of the church of St. Francis of Assissi


The church has these engravings of figures, symbols and writings all over on the floor. Interesting.

St.Augustine Tower in ruins. It is 400 years old and 46 mts high. The church is very large but all that remains are ruins. 

The remains of the church, the altars.


Goan folk dance on the cruise.

The colorful neon threw a vibrant reflection on the Mandovi river

The famous Casino Royale

Anjuna Beach, famous for its Wednesday flea market

The Saligao church at night. 

In my next post, I would share some interesting moments and situations that I encountered.  :-)

49 comments:

  1. Nice photos. I am planning a trip to Goa in May , got some ideas about places to visit. We are also going to be there for 3 days. Going by what you say I think it is too short.

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  2. nice photos.and naraya faarign figures?? samay kannu mathiri oru melanie correct pana poren..free

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  3. Nice! Brought back memories of my last trip to goa :D

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  4. muje goa jaana hai abhi ke abhi.you had such an amazing trip..you should have told me earlier na..I would have joined u there :-S

    anyways; great place..

    your clicks are becoming better by day re..loved all of them :)))

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  5. gave me an injection as if one plays dart..Ooouch!!


    lolzzzz...It would have been fun if I were that paramedic lollzzzzz


    :D
    :D

    beautiful journey...:)

    Keep smiling!

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  6. So far I have not got the opportunity to visit Goa though I am very near to that place. However, your nice captures gave me a feeling that I am there at the moment. Very nice photographs and nice descriptions.

    Your assumption on the paiting is perfectly right and they are Adam and Eve only.

    Though you are sick during your trip, you have that inclination to enjoy the trip and to entertain your fans.

    We wish you should visit so many places like this which we have not seen and enlighten us with your feelings.

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  7. he heheeh WOW , the pics MUJHE BHI JANA HAI GOA... Apart from all the hiccups You had a good time .. Now thats whats important :) .. ONe day god willing Will make it there tooo...

    THe funny thing is the UNPLANNED visits that we have are the ones that generally turn out to be goood..

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  8. Woww...Beautiful shots! Kuch bhi ho par jab ghumne ka naam aata hai to tabiyat apne aap thik ho jati hai..Ghumne jaao aur kuch khao nahi aisa kaise ho sakta hai? :)
    I would love to visit these places some day! Thanks Insignia for sharing them with us!

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  9. the description above the beautiful pictures is as interesting as the pics! :D

    hehe.. sick yet had fun.. :) nice to have a change in usual life! :)

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  10. chitra,

    Thank you. For me 3 days was not enough because I end up exploring every teeny-weeny bit. I do tend to spend more time at each places and I visit every possible place.

    But otherwise 3 days is good enough. :-)

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  11. soin,

    Thanks. there are few more snaps. I wasnt very happy with the way I captured them, as I was sick.
    Niraya vella-thols. You can try for one :-P

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  12. Shaunak,

    Thank you, glad you relived your memories. :-)

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  13. Neha,

    Run run!! Its off season too, so no crowds. and you can relax. I had an amazing trip, but want more!!!
    It was not planned, else would have invited you :-) Next time sure.

    Glad you liked the pics. My clicks - I wasnt that satisfied this time. I was sick, and couldnt concentrate and click different angles the way I wanted to. :-)

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  14. Makk,

    Yes, thats how he poked me. My husband told he saw the way he injected.
    You in that place? Hmmmm......

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  15. Naidu sir,

    You must surely visit Goa, its beautiful and above all, those 17th century churches and cathedrals are gorgeous. I am glad my pictures gave you a feeling of being there.

    Oh yeah, the painting does seem to be Adam and Eve. It was on the ceiling of an arch and that place was dark. I tend to explore a lot and thus ended up seeing it.

    I love traveling and exploring new places. Will sure share with you whenever I travel :-)

    Thank you so much

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  16. Bikram,

    Yeah, visit it when possible. Yes, I make sure I have fun by hook or by crook :-D
    Sickness cant keep me down.

    Our trips are always unplanned. Its really fun and thrilling that way.
    We just pack our clothes, fill petrol and zoom :-D

    We believe Lao Tzu's words - "A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving."

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  17. Megha,

    Thanks much. you said it right, all sickness flies away. And I didnt want to not indulge in food :-D
    My pleasure, please do visit when you get a chance.

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  18. Hey Abhi,

    thank you. I have some more data on those cathedrals and places. But dont want to overload information.
    But thanks, glad you found them interesting. It was a good break, its rejuvenating to detour from your usual routine

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  19. Goa... ah what do I say about it.. don't tell me it was your first time, though after reading it looks like so. If that is true, then ummm.. can I use some colorful words here???

    BTW, you spent just 3 days there and covered this many places!! looks like all you did was sight seeing and photoshoot.. not chilling :(

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  20. Goa is just beautiful.3 days are not enough--may be weeks would do.You have lovely pictures.
    It is an ideal place for Honeymooners and they say the place is quite "fertile " too.

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  21. Nice post. Beautiful pictures. I can see the portugese architecture all the way. Never been to Goa. May be on our next visit to India.

    On by the way, can you be our guide. You seem to know many interesting places.

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  22. Dil chahta hain...hum bhi jaaye goa, permission k bin :)

    i was trying to make a parody of the song dil chahta hain...but my brains are not giving me saath. I so badly want to go to goa but dad just does not allow me after the recent rape incident in goa.

    But chalo aacha hain...i am happy that u had a good time there. Howz ur throat now?

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  23. lovely !!

    And ofcourse...awaiting the next post. Goa's interesting moments must sure be some read !

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  24. Heyy.. I loved the read through your blog.. I have a Blogger Buddy award for you.. Please pick it up from my blog. Only condition.. please pass it on to five of your blog buddies. :)
    This is not a spam :D

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  25. u know i too just yesterday returned from Goa after a 5-day trip..had a great time!! visited almost all the places except that st- augustine place and se catherdal.. where are they located? in old goa?? st. aug place looks wonderful...
    may be we had crossed paths on our way:D
    had a tatoo of butterfly too at Baga..very expensive and it's started eroding:(
    wondered if you miss the famed GOAN CURRY at BRITTO'S?:P
    came here through neha's blog:)

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  26. Scattered Thoughts,

    Yes, it was my first time. I missed it 3 times before I finally made it this time.
    You can sure use colorful and B/W words here anytime :-)

    By the way, to be exact just spend 2 days there. I covered very less places. Saw just 4 out of 10 churches, missed Mapusa, Vasco, Dona Paula :-(

    I will go there once again to cover what I missed. I did chill in the mornings, and for me, I get a high by exploring places and learning about them than sitting idle in a place and chilling!!!

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  27. Chowla sir,

    Yes, a week would do. I can explore each place and study them till I am satisfied. :-)
    Thanks, glad you loved the pictures. Is that so? I didnt know about its fertility. Hmm..interesting

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  28. SG,

    Thank you, glad you liked the pictures. Yes, Portuguese influence is all over Goa. You must sure visit it once.

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  29. Gayathri,

    Oh thats sad really. Such unfortunate incidents do happen but that shouldnt bog one down.
    I hope your dad agrees one day. :-)

    My throat has gone from bad to worse :-( Dont know when it will be fine. Its itching, irritating, I just want to cut that tonsils and throw away!!

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  30. Kavi,

    Thank you. Oh yes, my next post will have the other side of Goa. :-)
    I'll post it soon.

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  31. Dee,

    Thanks much for the award. I appreciate it. :-)

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  32. wishes galore,

    Ohhh...good I envy you. You had a 5 day trip!!! Hope you had nice time.
    The Se Cathedral and St Augustine tower are in Old Goa, just near Bom Jesus Basilica.

    Oh yes, maybe we crossed our paths :-) Tattoo is expensive but we bargained. I got a dolphin :-D

    I am pure vegetarian so no Goan curry for me :-)

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  33. Hey....Goa...!!! Been there!
    Such a cute lil place it is with such extravagance and flamboyance which is clear in your pictures!

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  34. Goa is the best place for fun, though I went in July so missed a lot..Did u see wednesday market in Anjuna?

    lovely pictures!!!

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  35. Hi Jaunty,

    Oh yeah?? Its superb isnt it? Oh yes rightly said. Glamor, flamboyant and extravagant GOA :-)

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  36. Samvedna,

    Yes it is the place for fun. Yes went to Wednesday flea market and bought great stuffs. I will be writing about it in my next post :-)

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  37. Goa-the very name excites me! Reminds me of my Goa trip many yrs ago with friends!!! I love the beaches..Cannot stop gushing about them. I went on that Santa Monica cruise too:) Too bad your tonsils prevented u from eating your heart out. I'm waiting for the next part! Great photos Insignia.. :)Your photo-posts are fast becomming my fav.

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  38. Whoaaa!! Lucky you!
    Beautiful pics. Who took those photographs?? Hahaha... Juuuuust kidding. ;)
    Put more pics of beach na. Would love to see them.

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  39. beautiful pics dear....just a had great trip through ur pics...nice..

    PS - following you:-)

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  40. lostworld,

    You were lucky to have visited earlier. I missed thrice before this one.

    Thank you, glad you liked the photos :-)

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  41. Karthik,

    Thank you. Will put few more pics of beaches. :-) Who took the photos? My alter ego :-D

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  42. Rohini,

    Thank you. glad you liked the pictures. Thanks again for deciding to follow my blog :-)

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  43. I must Idli Sambhar helped. You could shoot steady or it would have been feni feni.:) super post

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  44. Holy Lama,

    hehehehe it did. Else most snaps would have been upside-down with feni-feni :-D

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  45. such a great choice for one month of enjoying!!!i absolutely love all places and things u would like to see and do!!great pics,fab post!!:)Read More

    thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful blog
    personalized photo books

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