Bangalore To Goa RoadTrip

48 Hours: From Sand To Snow - Goa: The Escape Diaries Part 1

           Poetry in the sea is an echo,asking our shadow to dance @ Palolem Beach Goa

It was a moment of disguise.A moment when I felt the ghost of my college life has come back.The feeling of eternal,The same feeling of letting go.No other place in India is a substitute,no other place in India will be.A place which I had always loved,a place which even if I repeat is worth repeating.With friends more,alone less.A place which raises toast to every occasion and where every day is a celebration.Hey folks,this is Anki,your naughty sweet and always smiling reporting from Goa on 13th and Shimla just 2 days after.

Some places are so beautiful,you wouldn't know where to begin.Like,we didn't know where to begin.We,let me introduce you to my 9 sweet college buddies who were planning Goa for the longest time possible.Goa,yes but when ? Goa in Dec or Jan.Mid of Dec or Mid of Jan or Mid of Feb.But as they say,a trip to Goa is best left unplanned.My trip to Goa has always been very last moment,it is that place when you pack your bags from the old lazy boring life to the new world of uncertain fun,and always.Thankful I am to Wildcraft ,for the amazingly cheerful sunshiny colored(Yellow) backpack which was so easy to carry.Imagine walking down the beaches in a heavy backpack or a suitcase! Yes,I have done that in the past but no more.With this,I can easily stuff in everything,just as how easily I could fit in in those shorts I bought specifically for my trip to Goa.

Rock And Ice By Wildcraft, a 35 liters lightweight backpack for trek,hikes and expeditions

No other place gives me that kick-ass feel as Goa,it is another part of India where people least bother to what you wear or how good or bad you should be.As long as you are hale and hearty in true sense,Goa welcomes you with open arms."The Hippy and Happy Capital of India" is one of my favorite after Darjeeling.I love it because honestly what's not there to love?

Bangalore - Goa RoadTrip

This is my third trip to Goa.The first time I was in Goa was with my parents 14 long years back cruising in the dusk and chilling down on the Calangute beach,taking bath every morning or running deep in the sea.The second time I was in Goa was when Scuba was in my mind,we took a cool and convenient overnight bus and yes! There it was,we  chilling in Baga Riverside and renting a moped to drive down the narrow lanes of Goa.It was then I discovered that Goa has its own share of islands,one of them being Grande Island where we Wreck Dived.


This was my third trip,unlike the two previous ones,this was a trip of plenty of fun and new discoveries for we, 9 of us in our 3 cars took a road trip of 10 hours each way starting on Thursday night at 12 o' midnight to save time and holidays.

Well the route to Goa is pretty much straight,there are 3 ways on how you can do it as one of our friend Ravi suggested:

a. Almost 65% of the drive from Bangalore to Goa is NH4. There are three options after Hubli. You take the turn from Hubli and head via Ankola,Karwar . This route would be through forests and a bit of ghat section. Roads as I mentioned are ok with sudden pot holes.But considering that you don't cross 80km/hr, you should easily avoid them

b. The 2nd option is after Dharwad. This route will take you to Ponda through dense forests. One would have to encounter good amount of ghat driving here.I took this road during my Aug 1st drive and found the roads pretty bad. You would most likely encounter foggy conditions when crossing Anmod ghat.So would not advice you to take this route.

c. The 3rd option is through Belgaum. This route would take you to Goa through Chorla Ghat road. Reasonably good roads. Very scenic Ghat, with couple of nice falls on the route. Few stretches are bad though.Again you would have to drive through ghat roads.

Life is one big road with lots of unpredictable..err Cows ;)

I wish there was a road connect to every part of the world

Life would have been then,so breezy!

NH4 and the route through the Forest

Hmmm..The Boiled Chana we had on the way,I wouldn't say it was yummy

But it was the only thing we got on the forest road.

      The Random Fort I liked on the way from Panjim -> Baga

Any which way,you wouldn't be getting 100% perfect roads anywhere.We drove down NH4 till Dharwad and then to Panjim because as Google suggested it was the shortest route and we wanted to save time.Our friends were kind enough to divert at Belgaum and take the Chorla Ghat but advised us that there is nothing so special in the route "May be first timers would love the hilly ghat,but nothing we might enjoy".Since we were returning via Karwar we chose to skip option 1 for onward journey.

The drive from Dharwad to Panjim is as I said was not perfect.We have big potholes lined up in the section when It passes through Forests.It was,difficult to drive in that terrain and for a moment we thought how convenient was our last time when we took the bus.It reminded me of my trip to Haryana in our All India Road Trip and we felt like screaming "Gosh! Someone please fill up the holes ;)".Also,in that Route there are no petrol pumps,may be you should do it the way we did.Anywhere in Goa,or regions nearing Goa,its easy to find petrol.If there ain't petrol pumps,the locals can arrange petrol by Bottle.We stopped at the Dhaba and requested for petrol and yo! We got it.

The Baga Beach,Goa

                                       Buried Alive? or Enjoying the fine grain of sand underneath?

Goa would be incomplete without the famous Baga beach.Don't you see so?Well,the fun in Goa lies in its flea and the endless shack experience on the shore.On all my 3 trips,I have never skipped Baga. Once I fell in love with the flea and bought loads of dresses and unbelievably my sum total was still a meager 350 Rs.Drinking beer by the shore,listening to music,indulging in water sports or just jumping in the water.This time,the moment we arrived in Goa,our friends told us to meet in Baga and when we did,we were straight thrown into the water,well literally.All the while we were thinking of taking a bit of rest after the drive,and here we were in the vast sea playing Ringa Ringa Roses.Those over burdened eyes sparkled with childlike joy!All I felt was weightlessness - isn't that what water does,it soothes your nerves.And then
almost when we thought we would dry up in the hot sun,we were thrown in the wet sand and my dear friends made a mummy out of me!

                                                         Shacks are the best part about Goa

Brittos at Baga Beach is famous for breakfast and  Tito's Nightclub for parties.The entry fee at Tito's is 1500 / couple and starts at 10:30 pm.We chose to skip Tito's because we thought it was costly and more so,we wanted to really chill out on the beach till we were allowed to do so..

The Baga RiverSide

Interesting Baga isn't just a beach we know.We have a whole Baga Riveriera surrounding which are plenty of interesting options to eat.Last time,when we Scuba Dived with Barracuda,we chose to stay at Stanley's Guesthouse at Baga Riverside (which costed us just Rs 900 for double room).Every morning we would take our bikes,say hi to the sweet owners of the guesthouse and carry on our search for that little fun and enjoyment.

This is it for today,tomorrow we explore the Beaches,the Churches and the Islands.I will,also share on how can we do it on a budget in a short note.Goa is one place which can suit all budgets and as they say "When with a hippie,be like a hippie".Share your stories if you have been to Goa,and I would love to hear and know why you love Goa the most ;)

To know more visit: Goa Tourism Official Website