Goa- Post Accident

when we fell through the air I was sure I was going to die. For a moment I was stunned.I was brought to my senses when I heard Shaleen groaning by my side. Alarmed, I crawled along to his side, but he assured that he was fine. there were few bruises and scratches but other than that he was fine or so it seemed. When I was fully assured that he would be fine I suddenly became aware of my own pain. my right great toe was covered in blood and was hurting unbearably. Because of the pain I wasn't able to move my feet either. I was howling hysterically- 90% pain and 10 % hysteria.. So much that two couples on motor bike stopped by to help us out. thank the lord for the good Samaritans. they took us to the civil hospital for first aid ( no broken bones only a nasty cut)and then dropped me back at the hotel . Shaleen came later on with the bike. I was very much in despair and shock. And was weeping the whole night. In the early hours I managed to sleep a bit. Morning found shaleen in a very Sunny mood and so was the day sunny. That's one good thing about him. he is very resilient and nothing seems to put him down. there is a kind of childish enthusiasm about him. Even with a damaged bike, injured body and a limping wife he was ready to hit the road for our last day in Goa. With much trepidation I relented , partly because I hadn't shopped yet and secondly we haven't been to Calangute Beach . So with much trepidation, I ventured out. While shopping (I must add that I didn't find Goa an interesting destination for shopping) a young man came up to us and asked us whether we would like to attend a programme on a Holiday Scheme and get ourselves two free bottles of wine and a holiday voucher. I remembered last night's free disc tickets but my husband suffers from short term memory loss of unpleasant incidents and so he readily agreed to follow that man. But the ride was enjoyable .He took us through the countryside and it was one of the loveliest bike rides I ever had. Lots of green. fresh soothing green. and the fresh air. Finally we reached our destination .It was the Royal Goan Beach Club's resort in Baga beach. And God! was it grand! we were given a tour and we simply absorbed the surroundings in awe. The so called programme was a presentation by a young vivacious exec and she was selling a holiday scheme or vacation plan somewhat on the lines of Club Mahindra's 25 year plan where you buy 7days vacation per year for 25 years with lots of other benefits. After the presentation the manager came up to us and asked us if we are aware of RCI and such stuff and I honestly answered that we had been to a club mahindra presentation earlier where we had declined a membership, to which he inquired why we didn't take it up.( wait don't get puzzled! this is interesting hence detailing it).I innocently replied that we couldn't afford to pay such a big lump sum ( around two lakhs rupees) and then the manager said in quite a loud voice , loud enough for the others to hear, abit contemptuously, " Well, If you can't afford club mahindra then there is no chance you can afford us." then turning to his lackey, his highness said "just give them their freebies and let them go" We came back with our tail between the legs and the wine bottles on our hands. Did we mop about it. Well no! we were slightly embarrassed but we are such besaram creatures that we had a nice giggle throughout our return ride.From there we went to calangute. the beach was comparatively tidier than anjuna and vagator and their seemed to be some sort of activity. we wistfully looked at the others playing in the sea as we were incapacitated due to you know...After lunch in the hotel shaleen went off to repair the bike while I started packing....and then A CHILL RAN ALONG MY SPINE. THE BUS TICKETS WERE NOT THERE! I searched furiously for it but they were simply gone! I was again close to tears! What will Shaleen say? How are we going to go? here we had to check out at three and I simply lost the tickets!Ummm! how about writing the rest in my next post and letting myself have my lunch in peace now! ;-)

Twilight by Stephanie Meyers

Twilight by Stephanie Meyers

The photo above, is of my husband shot in the secluded beach of candoliem behind our hotel in Goa.so. shall we proceed onto the second day?
Day 2- Woke up early in the morning to get ready for the sight seeing trip arranged by the hotel people.We were excited. We were expecting lots of fun, picnic, party in the river cruise and what not! But a dampener in the real sense. it was raining heavily. if it continued that way then we will not be able to enjoy at the beach. When the mini bus came we rushed off to it like excited school kids grabbing our lunch packets packed by the hotel people. The bus was half full and we checked on the other co occupants. They didn't look interesting nor interested. Gradually picked up the rest of the tourists from other hotels. we were disappointed. the crowd was not what we had expected. Robust, fun loving, friendly people. the crowd inside were far from our expectations. each of them scowled. all of them remained stiff. the crowd was an assortment. A muslim couple. the lady was in burqa. a family of four with two teenage daughters. very conservative family. the girls looked sad and restrained. a very sexy and modern couple ...but entirely wrapped up with each other oblivious to their surroundings. A couple of guys speaking in accented english trying to outdo each other and a foreigner girl. keeping to herself with no intentions of mixing with each other. Got the picture? so, our first stop was in Donna paula- a beach front u can say, with a memorial built in it. There we made our first purchase. Two umbrellas. Yes Siree! It was raining heavily and without the umbrella no sight seeing would have been possible. The sea was beautifully turbulent giving credence to the story of Dona paula who had committed suicide for her lover but it was no fun exploring with an umbrella overhead. After that we were taken to the cathedral of St Francis.To view The holy remains of the saint. and the basilica of Bom Jesus. Our guide was trying to make the tour lively but was not having much success. By then the rain had stopped and the sun had come out strongly making the air sticky and humid. At that time I cursed myself for visiting Goa in the monsoons.After paying our obeisance we proceeded on to the temple of Lord Brahma. Again it started raining Cats and dogs and disgusted I sat in the bus itself. From there we were taken to the Old House in Old Goa to show the Portuguese lifestyle of yore. I found it interesting . the inquisitive and nosy woman in me liked it a lot.My husband looked bored to death. he is an outdoor type and was waiting to hit the beach. After that we were bundled off to Colva Beach finally for Lunch and exploring. there the halt was for 3 hrs. By then the sun had come out again. We had the time of our life playing like kids on the sea shore. we didn't see any adventure activities going on there due to the high seas so we happily played by ourselves. Here I observed that the Goa tourism hotel was just near the beach and one could view the sea from the balcony . I made a mental note to myself to stay here the next time I am in Goa. It was around 4 pm when we left the beach and were taken to a Feny shop in Panjim and then to the river front for our boat cruise. Till then none of the co passengers had attempted to be friendly with each other. Inside the boat there was a local band playing and then they entertained us to a cultural programme.Few local couples had also joined us for the cruise. Maybe they had come on a date. And a college group of boys. There was a compere who was trying to coax us to dance. we were game for it and only us and another local couple were the only ones in the floor trying to put up a show. the rest looked on mutely. masked faces as if they were all stricken by Parkinsonism. As a token of our participation the organiser gave us a couple entry ticket to a discotheque. When we came back to the hotel we both were not in much good mood. After changing and having tea we decided to visit the disc with our Free couple tickets. We reached there to find it hidden in a very camouflaged spot. the crowd were yet to arrive. there were few gals- a peroxide blond and two or three local gals all in heavy make up and giving coy glances to my husband. After sometime the men started arriving. all heavily built and wearing thick gold chains with surly expression with mugs of beer in their hands. Something was fishy i concluded. My husband conveyed in hurried tones that we were not exactly in a safe and respectable place and that he was seriously worrying for the safety of...of ...hold your horses- his new Handycam. not me or him but the handycam . I was seriously offended but decided not to press the matter then and instead bade a hasty retreat.. We came back to the hotel for dinner and instead left for Mambos again for an after dinner drink. It was drizzling lightly. I had not forgotten the slight of the evening and again brought the topic in the bar after downing a cocktail. A fight followed. we both left the bar as we both were not in any more congenial mood. In the night Baga beach looked breath takingly beautiful. But we just made a mental note about it . we both were too soured up with each other to speak civilly with each other. we were still fighting when we left our hotel. and were still fighting on the road. and still fighting when our bike skid and both of us went flying on the road. that was a nasty fall. a very nasty fall!!!! and what happened next? that's another post.

no no this is not one of my snaps from Goa. in fact I was not able to find them as most of them have been damaged, Enough of my ramblings. let me proceed on to the next level. So what happened in the four nights that we had kept aside for our trip...
Day 1 - went almost as planned. After reaching Bangalore. we had a sumptuous lunch and then made the tickets for the Bus journey. on an impulse we purchased the return tickets too but there were no volvo coaches at 6.30 pm so purchased two tickets on a deluxe ac bus. hmm shouldnt be that bad! after that we spent some time purchasing at thenearest market. there was no time for sight seeing so we let that pass. At night 9 pm we boarded the bus- a volvo coach and we were on our way to Goa. If you havent experienced a bus ride in a volvo then I seriously recommend one to you. they are smooth. fast, luxurious and an experience of its own. especially a night travel that too with the person you love most. the smooth motion, the seats. the lovely night. you will feel so secured and cosy and as if the whole world revolves around that one grand coach. uhh did I say too much? Okay so lets [proceed. It was drizzling and in the night the drops pittering against your window- Aha! just heaven. It was so heavenly that my husband asked me to change seats and he smugly set his broad frame near the window while I took the aisle seat. so much for gallantry!At around 6 am we woke up and had tea in a small coastal town ( dnt remember the name ) . After that we were too awe struck to sleep. evrywhere thre was an abundance of green. the tres had fresh green - new leaves dripping with moisture. there was freshness everywhere, everything loked clean and scrubbed. no slush no murk.at times we could see the coast , the sea and i developed a pain by craning my neck too much. Finally we reached our destination at 10 am . in fact it wasstill fw minutes to 10. well the time taken was commendable and I was happy that we would still have a few hours to spare on our return journey to catch the flight at 11 am from bangalore to delhi. As soon as we alighted from the bus, shalen my hubby sar a rental shop, a rental for bikes and car. i was for the car but the super male in him wanted the bike. and there was no way i was being able to pursuade him, not even for checking into the hotel. Now we had this big case- a suitcase and a bagpack, so definately I wanted to at least check in by a car. but ultimately he had his way. we tok a bike and God! how embarassed I was to lug in a bagpack and with a suitcase on my lap on a bike.. I looked a sight. And then-- just as we reached the main market / city centre our bike came to a halt. Why? no petrol. Finally after some furios calls to the agency they send someone with a jar of petrol. For that we had to wait for around half an hour. Not a good start I could feel. Finally we were offfrom Panaji to North Goa to our hotel in north Goa , candoliem. we didnt know the way so asking for direction we reached Candoliem somehow after some hits and misses. Just as we reached candoliem. a furious downpour welcomed us drenching us to our bones within minutes. It took another 15 minutes in the rain to find our hotel and by that time we both looked like something the cat dragged in. When we reached the hotel , the manager kindly told us that he had recieved any information about our reservation from the delhi agency. Grrrreat! We produced our papers and the manager wa quite accomodating and after a few phone call he cheerfully accomodated us in the hotel. ( WHISPERING PALM BEACH HOTEL) I hd gone for an online reservation after checking it out in the net. Though it was okay but I was abit dampened as it was not exactly like how it was promoted. I was under the impression that it provided a beach view but it didnt and the swimmimg pool wasnt maintained , so was the jacuzzi- maybe due to the season. It was peak MONSOON at that time. not a recomended time to visit Goa if you want to frolic and roll around in the sun,.We had lunch after unpacking and freshening up- at least lunch was good. At the back of the hotel just a few steps away was the beach and so after lunch we went there for some photo sssion and to explore. it was a deserted stretch and the sea was rough. after an hour or so we decidedto explore on our own some of the beaches of North Goa. First we went to Fort Aguada. visited the ruins and remain enchanted watching the splashing waves for a quite a time. After that we headed to Anjuna Beacgh- with great expections. But it was no 1- almost deserted. no 2 - dirty and littered 3- nothing that could enhance the fun quotient.. so just took some snaps. had some coffee.bought some beads and .. thats it. After that we left for vagator beach. At least it was cleaner but even that too didnt have any crowd.It had some sitting arrangement though. the beach was quite rocky and it felt better to stay there and ruminate. watched the sun set, was it an earth shattering experience.? it was a memorable experience. period. We decided to give calangute a miss for that day as it was getting late. and headed instead to Mambos - a pub or a bar in Baga beach. It was already dark. it had started to drizzle again. When we stepped inside Mambos we found it crowded with Foreigners of almost all nationalities. there were hardly any natives. we felt like fish out of water. hurriedly tok a drink each, observed the people open mouthed - u know like awestruck villagers but left at 9 pm for our hotel where we had dinner and completely passed out exhausted . the next day held promises. we were supposed to go on a sightseeing tour from the agency. but tomorrow was another day and in another post

gambolling in Goa

I don't know what I did just now. i tried to upload some of the Goa snaps, but I have serious doubts on what exactly happenefd. But let me proced onto The Goa capers. It all started when we were offered by citibank two free return tickets for using the credit card so generously and of course not to mention ( foolishly). At the same time we also came across a holiday voucher by Travelport- a travel agency? So we decided on this grand plan of combining both the vouchers together to avail an almostfree holiday. But it was not to be. at least not so easily. Now most of us are cynical about this free vouchers and holidays.. Well I just have these to say that they are not that out of reach as imagined but if u are willing to run around a bit around thier customer care executives, you have 100 % chances of availing them- especially if they are from a reknowned group like citibank. So we got the tickets , but not to Goa , to bangalore. We couldnt press Travelport much so had to let go of the free hotel stay and Rs 250/ demand draft. ( My advice- stay away from travel port. Cust CAre not helpful. In fact the whole company is fraudulent).Undeterred we decided to travel from Bangalore to Goa and back to Bangalore to board the flight to Delhi. Made an extensive study in the net to see if it was possible and after satisfying myself with all the details, I set about making the online reservation for a resort - a package and also mapped out a plan. Here was my grand plan
Day 1- Delhi to bangalore by flight at 10 am. reach Bangalore by 12.30. have lunch . make a bus booking ( Paulo travels) to gOa for 9pm then leave to stroll about till 8pm ( including dinner)
Day2- Reach Goa in the morning at max by 10 am. Check into the reserved Hotel At candoliem- whispering palm beach- ummm. I can imagine myself lazing there. Have lunch and after freshening up and a quick nap. off for some sight seeing. As we were in the northern part Of Goa, we decided to cover the northern beaches of Goa. Come back after dinner in one of the pubs , Goa is famous for- like Mambo.
Day 3- wake up early for sight seeing tour by the hotel people and river cruise in the afternoon. Gosh ! what fun it will be with the other couples and families. We will be having a roll.....Dance and games wow.thats what are supposed to happen in a boat cruise isnt it? Have some more fun at a discotheque in our last night in Goa and then head for bed.
Day4- Pack up. go for some shopping. Have lunch and then proceed onto panjim and more strolling around followed by moving out at 6pm from Goa in paolo travels again. Our flight was at 11 am. so we should comfortably reach bangalore to catch our outgoing flight to Delhi at 11am. Sounds so easy.no? A breeze! But! What actually did happen? Was it so easy? Best laid plans, eh? the realty I am going to post in the next post...

Goa gambles

So I am back. But I feel The hotel bit have stretched a bit far and at a very slow pace. Actually I am searching for the photos to back my post.And hence it is taking such a long time and dragging on. Hence I have decided to move on to one of my special trips.Which one ? which one? which? The Goa or the dehradun trip or the first trip or the sariska? or the spiti trip ? I think I will go for the Goa trip . I have only few snaps of which, the rest just got damaged. Its a pity but that has taught me to upload photos promptly to the web. Well wellbut I am not starting the trip in this post. This is just a teaser( something to gain time . hee hee). So whhat happened in Goa? many things! thrills and lots of melodrama and edge of the seat drama! accidents! Shady night club! humiliation in The Royal Palm beach hotel.! and many more... But all in the next post

krishna orchard hotel

DSC02607,
originally uploaded by mani tours.

ay last I have understood how to up load photos from flickr. well guys . here is the hotel krishna orchard wich I missed in previous post