A Solo Tryst with Enchanting Goa – Part 1

By Saumitra Shinde

               The serene morning breeze & the villages of Goa passing by made me imagine what lied ahead in my journey on this land of tranquillity & revelry. The sudden gush of wind from the car’s window told me, “You are here not to rediscover yourself, but to find the answer to question – What is the secret behind this love for travel?’ While I won’t say that the trip revealed all the secrets behind one’s hunger to explore different places, I am assured that it has given me the courage to keep travelling until I find it. 

Why Goa? That’s because I have visited this place before but never explored the other side of this beautiful land. It can offer you a lot of things apart from booze & beaches, only if you decide to travel farther, away from the beaches. 

 When you are travelling alone in Goa, you have to follow only one rule – Just go with the flow!

Day 1

The secret getaway near Aguada Jail

Serene view from the Fort

  On my first day itself my phone decided to betray me, so with no access to Google Maps, I took off on my Scooty. While the road signs in Goa are pretty accurate, the locals are more than happy to guide you through in case you feel lost. So that’s when I started feeling comfortable in Goa because it’s about understanding the locale & blending with it.

 I started my journey towards Aguada Fort when instead of taking a right turn for the Fort, I went straight towards Aguada Jail. The road that leads to the jail is quite soothing, the trees to your right & the shimmering sea to your left offers a breath-taking view.

                    You can probably try fishing over here; spotted two guys doing the same

While the Jail is not a place where you could revive history or take pictures behind bars as it’s a functioning jail & nobody is allowed inside. So, it was pointless waiting outside & taking pictures of the gothic styled sculpture outside the jail’s gate but that’s when I noticed a small path going downwards towards the sea. I followed it and it led me to a secluded spot with sea rocks, where one can sit for hours watching the sun set over the vast water body in front of us.

My next stop was the Aguada Fort. To be honest it’s a bad idea to visit there in the afternoon or for that matter in the Summers, since the scorching heat & the Sun above you absorbs all the energy out of you. Ideally, an early Morning visit or visiting here in the monsoon would be a great idea.

So, after the futile visit to the Aguada Fort I headed towards Chapora Fort– A place where picturesque landscape is a reality. 

A beautiful Villa amidst a lush green farm on the way

The Chapora Fort is located in Bardez and overlooks the beautiful Chapora River. Just when you start climbing to the top you get an idea of what lies ahead. The Vagator Beach to your left looks mesmerizing because of its beautiful sandy stretch. The Chapora River to your right offers a breath-taking view of the typical Goa that you imagine with coconut trees standing tall & the roofs of small Villas & Churches peeking out.

A glimpse of the Vagator beach from a distance

                                          Wondering how it will look in monsoon?

I believe, ‘Sometimes you have to go beyond the nothing, because at the end that’s where the true beauty lies’. So that’s what I did and believe me it was the best experience of my life!!

Standing in front of the mighty Arabian Sea and admiring its vastness

                                                The beauty beyond the nothing !

The Chapora Fort is an amazing place where you can spend hours admiring the beauty of the sea & the land. Going there in the afternoon during summer might ruin your visit, my advice – visit it 1-2 hours before the sunset & stay until the stars start twinkling.

Things started getting more exciting & happening as time passed by. The Vagator Beach tempted me to walk barefoot on the sand,it was difficult to say goodbye to such an amazing place, but as we all know, memories can be made at every few steps!

After a short walk on the Vagator Beach, I headed to Calangute to catch the sunset and get ready for the next day’s exciting and adventurous trip to Old Goa & Olaulim.

                                                      Sunset at the Calangute Beach

                       Part II of this series will be on the blog later this month!

          Have you ever travelled Solo to a destination to discover its other side?

                                        

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AUTHOR BIO -  Saumitra is a content writer by profession & an aspiring travel blogger. After reading inspiring stories of travel bloggers, he has developed a strong urge to travel & explore the world on his own & break free from the shackles of the mundane lifestyle.You can follow him on Twitter at SaumitraShinde and on Instagram at saumitra2211

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