Day 1, 15th March, 2015: After spending about 19 hours on not-so-comfortable yet not-so-cramped upper side berth of Trivandrum – H. Nizamuddin Express (22655) train’s AC 3-tier compartment, I finally arrived at Madgaon railway station (MAO), Goa at around 5:30 PM. I took a bike taxi from the railway station to a nearby rent-a-bike shop. Renting a bike to explore Goa will be economical compared to hiring cabs/autos and time-saving compared to public transport. I opted for a gear-less 125cc Suzuki Access. Her name was Floriana.
It was getting dark and there was not much scope for sightseeing today.
Tiara Hideaway, the hotel I had booked is around 45km away from railway station. Just like the name, Tiara Hideway was hidden very much deep inside Saligao neighborhood. It was very difficult to find the hotel but I don’t complain as the area was filled with cute buildings having strong influence of Goan and Portuguese architecture. I decided to have dinner from some restaurants nearby rather than from hotel itself. Roamed around a little and came to know that a few attractions were located nearby.
Day 2, 16th March, 2015: Today I’ll be visiting the nearby attractions and then move towards Panaji and Old Goa. Visited Mãe de Deus (Mother of God) Church, St. Alex Church, and St. Anthony’s Chapel and then rode towards Panaji to visit the wedding cake shaped Church of Immaculate Conception.
By 9 AM, I reached Old Goa. Churches and Convents in Old Goa are UNESCO world heritage sites. Following are the sites which I visited in Old Goa.
Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the Archeological Survey of India’s museum
Mill stones of Gun Power Factory
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount
Viceroy’s Arch
Church of St Cajetan
The Gate of the Palace of Adil Shah, which was located inside the compound of St Cajetan’s Church
Arch of Conception
The Chapel of St. Francis Xavier
Church Of Saint Augustine ruins
Museum Of Christian Art
By early afternoon I went back to hotel to escape from heat and to take some rest. In the evening I went to Santa Monica to take a river cruise. The boat was crowded with desi tourists. There were some dancing and DJing going on, but I was very much bored. I expected to take some good sunset shots but the possibilities were limited.
Day 2 has come to an end. I will be visiting the forts tomorrow.
Day 3, 17th March, 2015: Woke up early to explore the Saligao neighborhood. I found some “home sweet homes” and some buildings which were abandoned. I was a bit puzzled with this kind of mix. After roaming around for 30 minutes, I went back to my room, watched some TV, and wasted time till 10 am as I need to book Tatkal railway tickets for the next day for my return journey (for those who are not familiar with tatkal train tickets, these are a small quota of seats whose tickets can be booked only on the previous day before the journey. Booking open at 10 AM).
After booking tickets, I visited Sinquerim fort, Chapora Fort, and Reis Magos Fort and had Shanghai fried rice for dinner.
I had to cut short the length of the trip even though 18th and 19th was a weekend as one of my best friend was getting married on 19th 😀
I’ll be visiting Goa later this year and I never thought of renting a motorbike. What a brilliant idea! How much did it cost you? Does local policemen check for driving license?
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Yes Bama, there are plenty of Rent-a-bike shops in Goa. For gearless 125ccSuzuki access its costs Rs. 350/day along a refundable deposit of Rs.500 which will be returned once you return the bike. You will have to show them your driving license (for foreign tourists make sure your license is valid in India). You will also have to deposit any of you ID (like passport) during this duration. Bikes are in good condition and are well maintained, but do take test run to make sure its smooth. They will give you bike’s original documents (like Registration Card, Insurance, Pollution certificate) and a helmet. And yes, Goa Police do check for the bike’s documents and your driving license. Riding without wearing helmet could lead to a fine.
Happy tripping 🙂
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That was a lot to fit in for such a short trip
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But guess what Mallee, i never rushed into things. This trip was all about mindfulness. And 95% of the monuments in Goa are located very close to each other 🙂
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So they are – I’d forgotten
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Hi mate! Your blog looks pretty good. It’s also going to be very useful to me, since I’m in Kathmandu, but in a few days I’m gonna move to Dharamsala, and then I’d like to travel on the road all the way down the west indian coast! Where do you stay at? I moved to south east Asia with a one way ticket so I’m basically free to go wherever I want!
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Thanks! My trips were a long time back so probably a lot has changed. Kerala is somewhere you don’t want to miss. I liked Kanyakumari too. Goa was nice when I was there because there were only two or three other travellers there at that time. Now, I don’t imagine it’s so peaceful. Depends what you’re looking for I guess. Enjoy your trip.
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I definitely look for peace and chance to take nice pictures! Thanks for the tip!
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If you are planning to explore India, then I would suggest you to buy a copy of Lonely Planet’s India guide. It basically contains all the travel related info. As for the places, I would suggest Ladakh, Manali, Punjab, Jaisalmer and Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka down south. There are flights to south east Asia (Malaysia and Singapore) from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 🙂
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Thanks Sree, very kind! I never travel without the LP 😉 I’ll check these spots carefully during my stay at Dharamsala, I’d like to plan a trip just by trains and buses. You’ll see my moves on my blog for sure, perhaps a day we are gonna bump into each other! Take care!
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Do keep in touch and let me know we you visit South India 🙂
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Sure! Stay tuned with the blog, you’re gonna see me arriving post by post 😀
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Looks like a very cool place – is Goa typical for India in having so many churches? Or is there some reason for them?
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Yes, you can find many churches in India, Goa being a former Portuguese colony, you can find many more 🙂
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Your photography of the architecture is beautiful! I can’t believe how many places you went in one day, I would have been dead on my feet. Hope you had a good time at the wedding! Also I’m nominating you for a Liebster Award 😀
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Thank you Marta 🙂
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Amazing photos!
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Thanks Ryan 🙂
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Cathedrals and old forts are both fascinating in their own way. Nice photos.
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Thank you @Snapshotsincursive
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I have stayed in saligao too in my last trip to Goa! Its a great option..away from the rush yet just 10 minutes drive to baga,anjuna etc. I liked saligao as it was authentic Goan neighborhood.
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🙂
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Hi Sreejith, I am a senior citizen and I was in Chennai on August 29th. I paid a visit to St Thomas Mount shrine and the other Catholic shrine at Little Mount (Chinnamalai). I could walk to the St Thomas Mount shrine as I was staying in the area (Sri Ganesha Palace/Green Leaf Hotel – a comfortable hotel on the Joint Commissioner of Police (South) Road). Walking up the mount steps to the shrine was as good as climbing Mt Everest for me!. From there It cost me Rs100 to take a rick to the Little Mount Shrine. If you haven;t visited these two well maintained shrines in Chennai please try and do so when you are in that city.
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Hi Antonio, I have never been to Chennai. I’ll surely visit these 2 places when I go to Chennai. Many thanks for the suggestions. Take care
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Nice motorbike and it sounds like a wonderful trip to Goa. I’ve heard the beaches there are amazing too. I need to buy Lonely Planet’s Guidebook. 🙂
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Oh yes, It was a great trip.
So Jennifer are you planning to visit India 🙂
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I’m thinking about it…
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Hey, 3-days tour of Goa was great. Did you make it a point to not cover the beaches or was this trip specifically for Churches and such other monuments ? BTW, I didn’t know of so many churches in Goa 🙂
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Hi Shaunak. As i was travelling alone idecided to skip the beaches…and that gave me ample time to visit the monuments. ☺
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Hey, I could feel that. But this aspect of Goa, as presented by you, has made me feel like going there back again. I guess I can try for July, despite it being rainy. What you think ? 😉
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Hmm..rainy season can be a bit tight i guess… it will be difficult to carry your camera and you wont be able to roam around on a rented motorbike.
But yes..those dramatic skies and monuments drenched in rains will be splendid..consider travelling in a car/hiring a cab ☺
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House of museums is a lovely place in Goa , if you haven’t been there already . This November we travelled to Goa and stayed at Palolem beach ( my first time away from my home in Goa in 33 years ). Being a Goan , I can tell you , It’s the beach to be , away from the crowds and stunning .
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The shape of the museum building looks funny. And Palolem beach – i think i have got enough reasons to visit Goa again!!!
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Yes , the museum looks outlandish from the exterior , but is a treasure trove of Goan architecture and lifestyle . I am waiting to go there again.
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