GOA....

Next up….Goa!!

Goa has the smallest airport I have ever seen. A small building for a terminal along with a runway beside it constitutes the airport. Passengers have to walk to the plane to get on. Now days Indian flights have become so cheap because of cost cutting that they charge you even for water, sandwiches and juices served commonly in any plane. Goa is generally a place for friends and couples. Dil Chahta Hai perfectly depicts the Goa’s scene. A place to relax on the beaches and occasionally enjoy the water rides.

It is a very friendly place in general. But the people loot the foreign tourists like anything. You won’t believe it how much they raise the prices. I bought a gift (Ali your basuri) for which they said 600 Rs. It’s crazy. For which I bargained and got it down to 75 Rs and I still feel I got robbed. The funny thing is to hear the village ladies (bhanhanji’s) selling stuff in the flea markets speak English in accents better than the English. It’s so funny man. Ali you would go mad. I wish I recorded it. Also many white skins are not only tourists, they are residents too. They have come and loved the place so much that they decided to settle down. The fact that I didn’t know about Goa was that it was ruled by the Portuguese till 1961. So many stayed back and began to reside there.

Goa is football crazy. It is unbelievable. Every 5 kilometers you can find a football pitch and players playing professionally like with referees and in jerseys and everything. That was good to see.

There are many churches and temples to visit for all the religious people. So there you go. Then there is the Agwada Fort where that famous ship scene was shot in DCH. For the rest, beaches are best place to just lay back and sleep or take a dip and play around with the nasty waves. Occasionally if you are lucky, you may get a live show. (if you know what I mean) Just one thing, stay of the Indian-occupied-part of the beach. You seriously don’t want to go for a swim with Indian bhanhanji’s who go to the water wearing saris and salwar kamiz and the men go in with transparent vests or dhotis. Just find your own private spot or relatively empty place.

The water sports are awesome there. I was over at Baga beach. We got see dolphins for free, we were just lucky I guess, otherwise you have to pay 300 Rs to go by boat to the deep sea and get a glimpse of them. Our dolphin came near the shore. That was kind of cool. I went for parasailing and water scooter rides. The good thing is that it is not that expensive. The scooter is for 200 bucks which you can bargain and get it down to a 100. Parasailing is 500 – 600 for Indians and 1000+ for white skin. Seriously parasailing was an experience which nobody can forget easily. A different feeling altogether. You can also go for Scuba diving buts that quite expensive, it will come around 2700 Rs. Overall, I was quite impressed with Goa. It is a very good holiday spot. For all those going to Bombay or Bangalore, they can go to Goa on weekends to chill out and have quality fun. It’s worth it.