5th to 7th Feb ’18: I opened my eyes and was engulfed in euphoria as I recalled that our 1st wedding anniversary awaited its celebration in the undisputed queen of all beaches in Goa – Palolem. After a hearty breakfast, we bid adieu to Baga and thus began a 3 hour road trip towards South Goa, in a rented taxi.
This post narrates the South Goa tales of our Goa travels. To check out previous days of the same itinerary, check out North Goa.
Day 1 – 5th Feb: We had booked our stay for the next 2 days in Ciarans – a bunch of ecofriendly timber cottages with palm thatched roofs, encompassing lush green tropical gardens and a small pond, right on the beach.
On reaching, we received a warm welcome by Simba – the resident guest, who also happens to be my Facebook friend now. You may follow Simba here.
Located just 30 mtrs from the Palolem coast, the view of the bewitching sea from our gorgeous sea facing hut, had us transfixed. Palolem is a crescent shaped white sand beach, bejewelled with palms, handsome huts and colorful kayaks.
Palolem’s innocence and untarnished allure can transform even a novice into a Nature Photography contest winner.
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Easy to explain why this beach was featured as the Goan residence of Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) in the film The Bourne Supremacy (2004).
The gradual depth, the weak currents and the presence of life guards makes it an ideal spot for swimming and kayaking. We wasted no time and rushed to take a quick dip in the beautiful azure waters. Post our oceanic play date, we enquired about the beach shower and were perplexed when a staff pointed to a tree in the garden.
Well, indeed the beach shower was strategically and purposely hid behind the creepers entwining a fat tree. I discreetly fantasized I was a Greek Goddess and the tree leaves were shedding its accumulated dewdrops on me.
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Swimming had got our tummies whining as it always does. So after freshening up, we pacified it with some delicious Goan Fish Curry and Rice at the inhouse restaurant.
Back in our hut, there was a hammock tied to 2 trespassing palm trees which had barged right through the wooden floors in our personal porch. I sank into its spider-web soft texture and cradled to the symphony of the frolicking waves.
Inhaling the fresh salty sea breeze had the same effect as drinking freshly prepared mojito, on a hot summer day. With the universe conspiring to relax me, I gave in and dozed off.
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I woke up to find the sun starting to smear itself throughout the sky like a spilled egg yolk. Slowly, the tangerine hues percolated into the clouds and the grumpy orange blob dipped lower and lower until it met the sea like long lost lovers.
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I am blessed to have witnessed such a beautiful sunset with the love of my life on our 1st Wedding Anniversary. Presenting some more Palolem’s Pink Sunset Sky Captures from the memory lane.
As twilight creaked in, we got dressed for our special Anniversary Dinner. I knew Rishabh had reserved the best seat in the restaurant, but when the candlelight dinner and champagne was followed by a beautiful bouquet, cake and a special Hindi song dedication voiced by a Non – Indian singer performing that night, I could not help but beam with joy like a little girl.
Post dinner we strolled on the beach hand in hand under the canopy of a billion sparking diamonds. All my fairytale dreams were coming true tonight.
Day 2 – 6th Feb:
We woke up just when dawn was kissing the sky with the first rays of sunlight. A ray had also managed to creak in through the curtains and rested on the white linen of our bed.
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We went out to the porch and let the crisp morning air fill our lungs. A brisk jog along the coastline looked promising and we got going. Both the extreme ends of the beach are jotted with rocks protruding out into the sea.
When we were about to reach the northern end of the beach, we noticed there was an abrupt change in the sand color. Coming closer we realized it was millions of tiny crabs who would have seen the Earth first time today. Young architects as they turned out to be, some of them were already working dedicatedly on their homes/holes. Their perfectly synchronized activities made patterns on the wet sand looking like fine embroidery on a netted veil, when seen from a distance.
We tiptoed through the stretch, attempting to protect their civilization by not creating earthquakes with our giant feet. The end of their empire merged with a river tributary, which after a long tiresome journey was draining into the sea. Unable to decipher the depth of the rivulet, we stood and sulked.
The grass definitely looked greener on the other side as the beach there was strewn with giant natural rocks which introduced another layer of topographic charm.
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After cribbing to our hearts content, when we were about to come back, a dog came up from nowhere and galloped across the rivulet successfully triggering a controversy related to the analytical proficiency of man, woman and dog. We all know who won, as the water there was indeed only knee deep!
Eating the forbidden fruit never seemed sweeter. We climbed up a big boulder and watched with eagle’s eyes as the salty breeze choreographed the salsa of the waves. Our hair also swayed along to the same tunes. The sun was probably hungover from last night and was still tucked in behind the blanket of clouds.
We sat in silence for some time, sinking in the moment that is called “Now”, oblivious to the whining of the past and the musings of the future.
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The jog back to the resort had worked up our appetite. We dug into the inhouse buffet breakfast, only to immediately regret it as we had a special lunch planned for the day and had decided to keep the breakfast light. Clearly our stomach was stuffed more than the filling in a samosa, and now we needed a change of plan to stick to our original plan.
We replaced the extremely important “Be a lazy beach bum“ from our itinerary with “A session of good old Kayaking”.
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The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word qajaq. The Eskimos – the original users of this boat, sure knew how to do their work out in style. We had enjoyed Kayaking almost every time we visited Goa in the past, and every time it felt better than before. Are we ageing like wine or is it the Kayak?
Presenting some kayaking captures from the memory lane (Trip with few close friends)
After resting for a while, we hired a scooter and took off. The roads twirled around the usual Goan landscape, except this route also featured traditional villages replete with schools, churches and farms.
Our destination was “The Fisherman’s Wharf” and interestingly, it was not a seaside restaurant. Before the name is adjudged a misnomer, let me quickly add, the restaurant is situated right on the banks of River Sal.
You only associate the “Arabian Sea” with Goa, but that is just the “Violet” in this Rainbow.
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The place was spacious, and the seating area overlooked the broad river. The fishing boats which were anchored to the docks, rocked lightly against the water and the fishing nets impatiently lurked out of the decks waiting for its next adventure.
We ordered the Goan special recipes – “Recheado Masala” grilled fish and “Ambotik” fish curry with steaming hot rice and it was finger licking good. The complimentary side dish of shrimp and dried coconut mix further elevated the texture, taste and satisfaction.
On our way back, we stopped over at Mobor Beach, which was only a kilometer away from the restaurant.
Due to high tide, this long stretch of pristine beauty was almost empty.
We lay on the soft sand and words flowed from our hearts as the rhythmic beats of the rolling waves chimed in. Our conversations blended with the tides.
Maybe the Sea will write it down and a Message in a Bottle will pop up before us someday when we visit a different shore in a different continent.
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We rode back to Palolem, just in time to watch another magical pink sunset.
Our rendezvous with Goa was coming to an end and the sky was not happy. Unaware of its beauty, it expressed anger and grief by painting itself red, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of the dusk.
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Once the natural light bulb was switched off, we strolled on the beach and later had a wholesome dinner at a popular beach shack Dropadi.
The Goan special dessert Bebinca concluded our escapade, while reinforcing our love affair with this pretty place which is not meant to end anytime soon.
Maiden Routes 
The aura created with the words were no less than a poetry,which one wishes to read again and again. The aesthetics of Goa could have not been portrayed more beautifully.The heart saw Goa with the eyes of MaidenRoutes ♥️
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