Vijay Backpacker

Tatkal Seat Availability | Image Resource: tripplatform.com

I have been a resident of the City of Joy for the last three years. Over this time period I have visited a number of places across Bengal and come to know a lot about Bengali culture. However, my heart lay in Goa, the land with breathtaking beaches and beautiful churches & cathedrals. Therefore, when one of my co-workers came up with the idea for a short trip, I mentioned about Goa.

Our journey by the Amaravathi Express was an exciting one indeed. As we passed through the hills, valleys and hamlets dotted the landscape, I could relate them to the writings of Nirad C. Chaudhuri. We reached Goa the next day, during the late hours of the morning. Our hotel was located in Calangute which has one of the most popular beaches of Goa.

The room where we stayed was well furnished with access to a wide range of amenities such as the availability of colour TV, electronic safe, tea/coffee maker and mini bar. Here are some of the major places which we visited during our Goa trip: -

Calangute Beach

Calangute Beach | Image Resource: thegoavilla.com

The following day, we went out to visit the Calangute beach which was located at a short distance from our hotel. Surrounded by palm and coconut trees, the beach covers an area of four miles along the Arabian Sea. The cool sea breeze with the view of the azure sea water striking the beach helped us to get over the tensions of our day to day lives. The sense of serenity which Calangute offered to us as simply unmatchable.

Baga Beach

The Baga beach is one of the most picturesque locations of north Goa. This beach is well known for the wide number of shacks and fishing boats. We spent our free time boating here. It is also popular for a wide range of water sports such as parasailing and banana rides. The dolphin cruises here also attract a large number of visitors. After spending an half at the beach, we proceeded for Fort Aguada.

Fort Aguada

Fort Aguada was one of the major military outposts of the Portuguese in Goa. It acted as a bulwark against Dutch and Maratha invasions. Located at the confluence of the Mandovi river and Arabian Sea, the fort is more than four hundred years old. The tower here was used to witness enemy movements around the vicinity of the fort. One of the lasting legacies of Portuguese presence in India, the fort also has a fresh water spring which used to offer its inhabitants with fresh supply of water. It has withstood the test of time and has never fallen to the enemy.

Fort Aguada | Image Resource: travelescape.in

We couldn’t get our return tickets while coming to Goa. But thankfully, due to tatkal seat availability, we could go back to Kolkata safely on time. The journey provided us with the much-needed freshness of mind we were looking for. It also widened our perceptions about life in general as well.

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